Author's Note: Hey all! I'm sorry to those I told I'd update yesterday, but I went on a hiking excursion. My friend, David, and I hiked to a waterfall!! We could drink the water and then we played in the waterfall (it was so pretty!). We climbed down through a hollowed out tree and there were these natural waterslides that I fell on, lol. We also saw this little pond thing that looked like it was full of toxic waste (it's supposedly full of iron deposits). It had solid green bubbles on the surface that you could pick up with a stick. We sat on a porch for a while of the house of some family that weren't there and ate fruit off the trees. Then we got incredibly lost on the drive home because Mapquest apparently left out a pretty key step in the directions, so we coped by singing Switchfoot at the top of our lungs, which is pretty bad since we are both horrible singers, lol. Anyways, it was a really fun day and very adventurous, but I was too exhausted to post by the end of it. But here it is now! Hope you all enjoy!
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Sirius was sitting in the living room, trying to think of what to do about Harry. He wasn't sure if it was the right time to have a talk with his godson, with Hermione staying with them and Ron gone. He supposed it wasn't, but was frustrated. He had been meaning to have a talk with Harry for so long now, but things kept coming up that was preventing it. He had promised himself he would do it as soon as Harry got over that last bout of sickness, but of course, Ron had been taken, and unless the redhead was returned soon, he wasn't sure when the right time would be.
Suddenly, an owl flew through the window, dropping a letter into his hand.
Dear Mr. Black,
We have received intelligence that your godson, Harry Potter, performed magic outside of school for the second time at seventeen minutes past nine this evening. Being the second breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery....
Sirius was interrupted as the fire in the fireplace flared up. His mind was buzzing. Harry performed magic? But why? It must have been a mistake.
He looked over to see who was coming through the fireplace and found Snape stepping out, looking extremely panicked, something very odd for the normally composed man.
"Black, please tell me they're still here!"
"Harry and Draco? They went to the Burrow. This letter says Harry performed magic. I don't understand," Sirius said confusedly. Something was wrong, he knew that much but his brain wasn't registering what it could be.
"I found this on Draco's bed!" Snape yelled, waving around a piece of parchment with writing on it. "They've found some way around the wards. They're going after the Weasley boy!"
The blood instantly drained from Sirius's face. He raced to the fireplace and threw in a handful of the glittering powder in.
Sirius burst into the living room of the Burrow, Snape right behind him. Mrs. Weasley stood up hopefully, thinking the two might have news.
"Where are they?" Sirius yelled frantically.
Ginny stood. "They're already gone," she said calmly.
"NO!" Sirius screamed racing up the stairs, followed by Snape. The two raced up the flights, calling out their godsons' names desperately.
The twins came out of their room, watching the two in bewilderment as they raced passed the floor and followed them curiously.
The two men raced all the way to the top floor, looking into Ron's room desperately.
"Hey, what's all the stuff from the attic doing out here?" Fred asked in confusion.
Snape pushed passed him and pulled the cord to the attic.
The four quickly climbed up the pull-down staircase. The room was completely bare aside from the ghoul who was moaning in the corner. The twins looked around in amazement.
"Who cleaned out the attic?" George asked.
Four sets of eyes landed on the open window. Sirius ran over and pressed his hand against the open space, feeling it being pushed back by the still-intact ward.
Snape whipped around angrily and began making his way down the stairs.
"How the hell did they get past the wards?" he fumed.
Sirius was next out, followed by the twins who were just beginning to grasp what was going on.
"What's going on?" they asked as the four of them reached the living room once again.
"They've gone after him. Harry, Hermione and Draco have gone after Ron," Sirius said in disbelief.
Mrs. Weasley gasped. Her eyes lit up with hope. Fred and George exchanged a look of mixed emotions, both of hope and fear. They didn't want to lose another brother, even if he wasn't technically related to them, but now there was a chance of getting Ron back.
Snape contacted Dumbledore as Sirius went back to the Lighthouse to see if Harry had left a similar letter as the one Draco had left for Snape. Sure enough, lying on Harry's pillow was a neatly folded letter. He grabbed it and frantically read it through.
Sirius,
By the time you get this letter, I'll already be gone. We've figured out a way passed the wards and Draco, Hermione, and I are going after Ron. Don't come after us. Just stay at the Burrow since that's where we're coming back to. Please don't worry. We have a plan. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you about this sooner, but if you stopped us from going, Ron would have been killed by the end of the week and the plan we've come up with couldn't have possibly included any of the Order members. Tell everyone not to worry. We should all be back safely in a few hours or so.
But just in case, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for everything. I know I put you under a lot of stress. I know I'm not great to live with but you always treat me so well. Thank you for that. I never told you, but I think you're a great godfather. I've never felt luckier than when I found out I was going to be living with you this summer. I'm sorry I haven't been a better godson, but I promise that this rule breaking will be the last and I'll try a lot harder when I come back. Er, well, I guess that's pretty much it.
The next part had been written and erased so much that the paper at that spot had been nearly worn through, as if Harry couldn't decide whether to write it or not, but in the end had opted to leave it there.
I love you.
-Harry
Sirius, letter in hand, numbly flooed back to the Burrow. Snape and Dumbledore were in the kitchen, interrogating Ginny for any information she might know and the rest of the Weasleys had all been kicked out into the living room where they waited anxiously.
"Sirius?" George said tentatively. The animagus looked over at him. "If anyone can pull this off, it's Harry. He'll get them all out of there."
"He's not invincible," Sirius said bitterly. "If he dies this time, he can't be brought back." He paused. "At least he made it to his sixteenth birthday; it was yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't think he even realized it."
Dumbledore came back into the room, followed by Snape and Ginny.
"I have made the Order aware of these new developments, but for now, the best thing we can do is wait. No one here is to go out and look for them unless they here otherwise from a member of the Order outside this room."
"Albus," Snape started.
"Severus, please. I am fully aware of all the danger your godson is in. The reality of the matter is that we have no idea where they are headed. They have said they have a plan, both in writing and to Miss Weasley here, and since we do not know what that is, any rash moves on our part could jeopardize their safety and any chance they may have of rescuing Ron. Now, I need to go speak with the Order's search teams and straighten out things with the ministry since I have a feeling there will be much underage magic being performed tonight. I will also be speaking with the Grangers. Arthur, I will be giving the Grangers a Portkey to your home if that's all right with you."
Mr. Weasley nodded. Nobody seemed to notice him stiffen at the word "Portkey." He had neglected to mention his involvement in the ordeal.
Dumbledore nodded and made his exit.
Nobody knew what to say or what to do.
"We need to call everyone we know who can help and get them out there looking," Sirius said determinedly. "I'm going to go contact some people."
He walked off in a daze to use the fireplace to call people, even if he, himself, couldn't go through it.
"Harry's done this before," Mr. Weasley said confidently. "He can do it."
Snape sneered at him. "Harry's been very lucky many times. Bravery only gets you so far. He's on their territory this time without any special powers or wand connections or any hats to pull tricks out of. All I can say is they better have a damn good plan."
......
Draco and Harry landed their brooms softly onto the ground.
"I hate flying," Hermione groaned as she tried to steady herself on the solid ground. "I'm never getting on a broom again."
The three quickly ran over to the guesthouse steps. On the third step up laid Ron's wand, the Portkey.
"How predictable," said Draco. "Psychological tactic to make sure you don't turn back now. It's to show Weasley's vulnerability."
"Maybe you should become a psychiatrist," Harry suggested.
"And listen to other people's problems? Please," Draco snorted dismissively.
"All right, you guys ready?" Harry asked nervously. He pulled out the last item from Draco's bag, his invisibility cloak.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Hermione said with a deep breath.
"Let's just get this over with so we can return to a nice hero's welcome, just before we're grounded for the rest of eternity," Draco said taking the cloak from Harry and draping it over himself and Hermione.
"Okay, wands out," Harry said.
"Check," came two voices, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Okay, on three," Harry said, hovering his hand over the Portkey. "One...two...three..."
He grabbed the Ron's wand and felt the familiar pull at his navel.
A second later, his feet hit solid ground. He heard a significant cough, letting him know that the other two were there under the cloak. He looked up to see a mansion, not as big as the Malfoy's but very significant in size nonetheless. It was surrounded on both sides by very dense trees, and the building itself looked dilapidated and abandoned. Of course, Harry knew otherwise. He had been deposited at the entrance and was sure the Death Eaters knew he was there.
As planned, he took off running. He hid behind a tree and used the cover to look for a possible entrance. He moved quietly through the darkness, eyes studying the mansion. When he found a fairly low window, he crept out from the trees and began slowly making his way toward the house, keeping his eyes open for any movement.
He reached the window and peeked inside. It was completely dark. He pulled out the wand in his pocket and pointed it at the lock.
"Aloho—"
"Expelliarmus!" came a shout from behind him and the wand flew from his fingers. Harry whipped around to find two wand points concentrated on him.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the boy wonder," one sneered. The other stepped forward, spun him around and slammed him against the wall. Harry winced as his cheek scraped against the rough surface and his glasses dug into the side of his face.
Harry was ripped away from the wall and shoved forward. Each of the two Death Eaters grabbed an arm and kept their wands trained on him with their free hands, marching him forward.
They soon reached a door and muttered the password, "Revenge." Harry barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.
The door swung open to reveal a short passageway with another door, this time, with two other Death Eaters guarding it. Harry put up a bit of a struggle right after the door was open, feeling something invisible brush passed.
"Hmm, well that was sooner than expected," said one of the new guards. "It's only been three days. I would have guessed he would have waited until the last minute."
"Probably afraid of what we've been doing to his little friend," the other said derisively.
Harry scowled at them. "You better not have hurt him," he growled.
"Or what, you'll bite us?" said one of the ones holding him, running a finger down his cheek. Harry glared at him and stomped on his foot. The Death Eater swore with pain and the other three laughed.
"All right, Potter, why don't we go say hello to your friend," one of the door guards said, unlocking the door. The two door guards led the way, and the two that caught Harry pushed him after them. Harry kicked back discretely, pushing the door open a little more with his foot, praying it was enough.
He was roughly led down to the dungeons.
The Death Eaters tossed Harry into a dark cell. His face smacked against the cement ground, giving him a bloody nose and a crack in one of the lenses in his glasses. He looked up to see a figure lying near a corner beginning to stir.
"Ron?" he asked. The figure looked over, squinting weakly through the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Harry could see a shock of red hair.
He began to crawl over but was grabbed roughly from behind and hauled to his feet before being slammed into a wall.
"Aw, isn't that cute?" the Death Eater said in a sickly sweet voice. "He wants to see his friend."
"Let him go. You want me, not him!" Harry growled. The Death Eater ignored Harry's plea.
The other masked figure walked over to Ron. The redhead moaned, not yet fully conscious or aware of what was going on.
"Leave him alone!" Harry screamed, struggling wildly against the one holding him back.
"I think your friend wants to say hello, Potter," the other Death Eater said gleefully, raising his wand. Ron looked up at the unidentifiable man, frozen in terror.
Harry sank his teeth into the arm that was holding him and kneed the guy in the stomach. He raced toward Ron.
"Crucio!" the cloaked figure yelled.
Harry threw his body over Ron's just as the curse hit. Harry was engulfed in pain but bit back any screams.
The agony soon died and the sounds of surrounding laughter sank in to his hearing. He looked up and glared coldly at the masked figures and carefully climbed off of his friend, making sure he was still between the redhead and the Death Eaters.
"We'll leave you two to bond while we announce your arrival, Potter," one said mockingly. The same one ordered two of the Death Eaters to stand outside the door and guard the cell.
They all filtered out and the door slammed shut, locked with a resounding click.
Harry immediately spun around and knelt by Ron, trying to check for any major injuries. The young Weasley certainly looked worse for the wear. Though he hadn't sustained many injuries, he was rather shaky and his muscles seemed very tense. Harry had been through the Cruciatus Curse enough to know the aftereffects. The redhead had dark circles under his eyes and a dark bruise on his cheek. His lip was split and dried blood still clung to it. It was useless for Harry to do any sort of healing spell, as he had only learned ones for emergencies and was pretty sure that only potions could ease the effects of the Cruciatus. Ron would be fine as long as they got out of there. A lot of rest and food would do the work that his wand could not.
"Harry?" he asked weakly, looking up into Harry's face in disbelief.
"Yeah Ron, it's me," he said comfortingly.
Ron burst out into sobs and, with a tremendous amount of effort and help from Harry, sat up. He wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and wept into his shoulder, clutching Harry's shirt desperately as if the raven-haired boy might disappear at any moment.
"I thought I'd never see anyone again! They're going to kill me. I don't want to die, Harry. I don't want to die," he sobbed hysterically. "I'm so glad you're here. I don't want to be alone here anymore. I just want to go home!"
"Ron, listen to me," he said very quietly. "I'm going to get you out of here okay?"
Ron sniffed. "How?" he asked, pulling away wearily to look into Harry's face.
Harry shook his head and looked pointedly at the door. He couldn't be sure of who was listening. Ron nodded to show he understood.
Harry helped him over to a wall to sit against and the two friends sat down next to each other in the cold cell. Ron leaned bodily against Harry for warmth and comfort. Harry was glad he had thought to wear a sweatshirt. He immediately pulled it over his head and pulled it over Ron's.
"But you'll be cold," Ron protested as Harry pulled Ron's weak arms through the sleeves.
"We won't be here long," Harry promised. "Ron, what have they been doing to you?"
"They—they used the Cruciatus Curse on me. It hurts so bad," he said choking back a sob. "I tried not to scream, but I couldn't help it. And they laughed at me. They said I was weak and I'd be easy to break."
"Those bastards," Harry spat. "You know that's not true. I used to see Voldemort put them under that curse through my visions, and they all screamed the second it hit them. Most people do," Harry said reassuringly. "Trust me, I'm the one that knows you and you'd be as hard as hell to break, whatever they mean by that."
Ron choked out another sob. "I'm so glad you're here," he repeated. "I'm sorry because I shouldn't be since it means you've been brought into this hell, but I am. I just am."
Harry hugged him comfortingly. Ron was obviously frightened out of his mind, not to mention weary from what he had been through physically and mentally. "Don't worry, Ron. We're getting out of here really soon. Have they been feeding you? Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Um, they gave me a slice of bread once, but that was it," Ron said tiredly.
Harry pulled up his pant leg and unstuck his wand, which he had taped to the inside of his pant leg with spellotape. Thankfully, the Death Eaters had fallen for the fake wand. He pulled out the sandwich he had made for Ron from his pocket. He enlarged it from the size of a postage stamp to regular size. He had shrunk it during the long flight to Malfoy Manor so it wouldn't be taken away by the guards. Ron's eyes lit up and took the food eagerly.
"You'd better eat that slowly then. You don't want to throw it up," Harry warned gently. "It's a bit smashed. When we get out of here, though, we'll have your mum cook you a feast of all your favorites. More than you could ever eat."
Ron truly didn't seem to mind the smashed state of the sandwich as he wolfed it down, ending up in a coughing fit.
Harry grabbed Ron's wrist before he could shove the rest of the sandwich in his mouth, despite the coughing.
"Wait 'til you can breathe first," Harry said seriously, patting Ron gently on the back as the coughs subsided. He enlarged a flask of water and helped make sure Ron drank it slowly as well. Only then did he let Ron eat the rest of his sandwich, a little slower this time.
......
Outside the cell, Hermione and Draco had followed the Death Eaters and waited until they emerged again. Both had had to contain their fury as they heard the Cruciatus curse put on Harry, judging by the lack of screaming.
Finally the Death Eaters locked the cell door.
"Alright then, stay here. Guard this cell with your life. If we send someone down, the password will be...the Boy Who Died," one said with a sick chuckle.
"Your originality astounds me," another said sarcastically. "Now just go tell Lucius so we can start torturing the little bastard. I can't wait to give him what he deserves for what he did to our Lord," he said coldly.
Two of the dark figures left, leaving the other two to guard.
Draco nodded at Hermione and the two began silently trailing after the two messengers, wands drawn.
As they got into a deserted corridor, the two poked their wands out from under the Invisibility cloak and simultaneously whispered the stunning spell. The two Death Eaters hit the floor, never even knowing what hit them. Hermione and Draco hurried over to them and dragged them into an empty, nearby cell.
After taking their masks and robes, Hermione put them in full body binds, complete with silencing charms. The two quickly threw the robes on and fixed the masks into place. Hermione put allusion charms on them to make them appear taller.
After waiting a believable amount of time, Draco tucked Harry's cloak under his robes and the two left, heading back down the hall.
As they approached, the two guards straightened.
"The Boy Who Died," Draco said confidently. The two guards nodded and relaxed.
"What did Lucius say?" one asked eagerly.
"We don't know. We were just told to help you two guard the door," Draco said.
"Do you know who we've got in there?" one asked eagerly.
"The Weasley boy?" Draco asked in a bored tone.
'Him...and Harry Potter," the other Death Eater bragged. Draco did not act impressed.
"Oh I'm sure. Probably just a Muggle with dark hair and glasses," Draco challenged. Hermione stood stiffly behind him, not trusting herself to say a word.
"It's true, we caught him ourselves," the first insisted.
"Did you even check if he had a scar?" Draco drawled.
"Yes, it's there!"
"Ha! I'll believe it when I see it," Draco said haughtily.
"Look, I'll even show you. Get out your wands though, just in case. He's a bit of a feisty one," the second man said, taking out the keys.
Draco shrugged as he and Hermione pulled out their wands.
"If you say so," Draco said.
As the two Death Eaters were excitedly focused on finding the right key to open the door, Draco and Hermione walked up behind them and pointed their wands at the back of their necks.
"Hey, what the...?" one started, but the two teenagers dropped them both with stunners.
"Wow. I'm so glad I didn't become a Death Eater. They're just embarrassing," Draco said, plucking the keys from the unconscious man's hand.
"Oh I hope they're all right," Hermione said anxiously as Draco unlocked the door.
......
Ron stiffened as they heard the click of the lock and clutched Harry's arm desperately.
"It's okay, Ron," Harry said quietly, praying that their plan had worked and that his words were truthful.
His blood ran cold when the two figures that stepped inside were definitely taller than his friends.
But then, one ripped off their mask, ending the allusion charm and revealing a tearful Hermione. She raced over to the two as Draco pushed his mask on top of his head and began dragging the bodies of the guards into the cell.
"'Mione?" Ron asked in disbelief as his girlfriend hugged him fiercely.
"Ooh, 'Mione careful. Cruciatus curse," Harry warned before getting up to help Draco, as Hermione was busy fussing over a dumbfounded Ron, planting kisses all over his face. As he walked over, he fixed the crack in his glasses with a spell.
"You all right Harry?" Draco asked, noticing Harry's shaky hands as they dragged the second guard inside.
"Yeah. Very relieved to see you two," he said. Draco nodded at his hands and Harry followed his gaze. "Oh, Cruciatus. Just a quick one. I've had worse," he said dismissively.
Draco raised an eyebrow but Harry ignored him and led the way over to Ron and Hermione.
"We really are getting out of here?" Ron asked, still shocked.
"Of course. Did I promise you a feast or what?" Harry said as he and Draco helped Ron to his feet.
"I'll tell you what, Weasley, we'll even have it at my place. House elves waiting on your every need," Draco said. Hermione was too concerned for Ron to bother about house elf rights.
"Really?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Sure, why not? But first, we have to get out of here," Draco said, getting down to business.
Ron was too weak to stand on his own, let alone walk, so Harry and Hermione put his arms around their shoulders and helped the weak boy to his feet. Draco slid his mask back down and poked his head out the door before motioning for the rest of them to follow.
They were all silent as they made their ways down the stone hallways, Draco in the lead, checking every corner before gesturing the trio along.
"How far are we going?" Ron whispered weakly.
"We just need to get out of the dungeons to use the Portkey," Harry whispered back.
Up ahead, Draco suddenly froze as he turned a corner before straightening up and trying to look casual.
"What are you doing down here?" a deep voice asked. "I thought we were the ones supposed to be patrolling down here."
"Where's your partner?" another asked. "Don't tell me you lost your partner."
Hermione quickly pulled on her mask and motioned for the boys to hide in the nearest room before slipping out from under Ron's arm. She hurried over to Draco as Harry helped Ron into the room and shut the door behind them. As soon as the door closed, small flames flared up in torches placed all around the walls to reveal a large empty cell. It was not like the cell Ron had been kept in but looked newer somehow. The walls were a blood red and there was a black inscription running around the walls in an ancient language that neither of them could read.
"Harry?" Ron asked shakily. "Do you hear that?"
Harry nodded uneasily. Soft, far-away sounding screams sounded all around them as if from a memory.
Suddenly, they could hear whispered words whirling around them, as if someone was whispering as they ran around them. The voice sounded as if it were coming from the walls themselves and followed the inscription as it glowed an eerie red color.
"Harry," Ron whispered in a panicked tone, clutching Harry's arm in fear as his eyes flickered around the room.
"Harry! Ron!" Hermione's voice came from the small grate in the door. Harry helped Ron over. Figuring the Death Eaters must be gone, Harry tugged at the door with a frown. It wasn't opening.
"Hermione, get us out of here. I have a bad feeling about this," Harry said nervously. He was unable to see Hermione's face. He could only see darkness through the bars.
"Harry," came Draco's panicked voice, "what the hell did you go in here for?"
"Do I need to refresh your memory of the Death Eaters that were coming around the corner?"
"It doesn't matter," Draco cut him off. "Listen to me, Harry, you're in the Nightmare Chamber."
"The what?" Harry asked nervously. He did not like the sound of that.
"Listen to me, Harry. You too, Weasley. You've gone into a psychological torture chamber. Whatever you see in there is NOT REAL. You have to remember that and help each other remember that because it's going to play games with your mind and the doors will only open once if you get through your nightmares. Your fear feeds it but you can't let it make you forget it's not real. It's not real!" Draco said extremely quickly and urgently.
Harry and Ron looked at each other in fear.
"What's not real? Draco, what's going to happen?" Harry asked breathlessly.
"It's going to..."
Draco's voice was cut off.
"Draco?" Harry called anxiously. "Draco? Are you guys okay? Did something happen?"
"Harry," Ron said shakily. "I don't think anything happened to hem. I think it's started."
"What's started?" Harry asked, trying not to sound afraid.
"I don't know," Ron said quietly, fright clear in his voice. "Something bad."
The inscription glowed a dark red before fading out.
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Wiccan PussyKat: Lol, cool, I get a nickname of evilness now? Aw, you shouldn't have! Your reviews make me squeal with joy, did you know that? I agree, Ron and Draco are both funny in their own ways, they just can't quite appreciate that right now. Yeah, it's a bad sign when Harry starts pushing Ron away. You're exactly right. Harry thinks that the less trouble he is and the less people have to deal with him, the longer their relationship might last...a bit screwy, but you can see where his logic would come from in his state of abysmal self-esteem. Now to the version: yeah, Arthur's pretty much on everyone's shit list right now. He's just so desperate to have Ron back and safe, and has practically gone mad with worry, that he's acting a bit irrationally, but in a way, he's right to think that Harry is Ron's only hope. I guess this is just the test that really shows how Arthur feels toward Harry, and he obviously doesn't think of him on the same level as the rest of his kids. But you know, when I was writing this, I really had to wonder: say you're a parent and one of your children is kidnapped, and your other child was the only hope to get the first one back, would you let them go? I really don't know because I'm not a parent, but I think if you thought they had a good enough chance, then you might let them go. Who knows though. Anyways, that was slightly off topic so back to the review. Yeah, the kids at least are not going to take this sitting down. Yup, Harry's taking after Anna in her pyromania. I guess fire's popped up a few times throughout Flawed. Lol, I know, I had so much fun writing it all. I love stories of secret plans and rebellions, which is one reason I loved book 5 with the D.A! Lol, if anyone can get away with scolding a ghoul, it would be Hermione. It just gave me a funny mental picture and I couldn't resist putting it in. I just imagined the poor ghoul, just wanting to terrify people, and having them not even be scared. What a bummer. Lol. Oh poor Ginny gets the bitch-slap. Lol. Poor thing. Oh well, that's what happens when she takes the boy so many rabid fans desire.
Ckat44: Ooh thanks for the lovely long review! It made me squee and run around in circles. Well, Dumbledore needs to be harsh and keep everyone under control right now because Arthur obviously wasn't in his right mind and could have done something stupid that would have made the situation work. But you are right that Arthur knows what he's talking about. Ron doesn't really stand a chance if Harry doesn't go rescue him. Sirius really does have Harry's best interests in mind, but as usual, isn't quite sure on what to do. I'm glad you found Lucius's letter chilling. HAHAHA, I was so confused when I first read your line, "I love you," Severus said silkily as he massaged Katie's neck.I thought you meant Katie Bell for a few minutes and was so beyond confused. Then I realized you were just talking about your own obsession with our resident Potions master. Lol. I'm glad you like Ginny's involvement and liked her...er...opportunity-seeking with Harry, lol. Thanks for the review! It was awesome.
Lady Riddle: lol, love you too. /smiles innocently/ Er, well, you better start liking cliffies pretty quickly because there's a bunch coming up. Wow, I'm glad you like Recnac so much. Don't worry, everyone has an impossibly hard time spelling Transfaerso. I've seen possibly every variation of the word. I'm so happy you think I'm improving in my style and tone and such!! I'm sorry I didn't get this out by the date you requested! I'm moving into my college in a few weeks too! I hope you have fun!
Dana (TheSerpentAndTheLion): Yeah, Harry's used to jumping into hero mode when bad things happen and now the stakes are even higher, so Harry's even more determined than normal. I'm glad you like the way things are going between Harry and Ginny. I'm not one for a lot of romantic description, but I do enjoy the little subplot. In the uncut version, a lot of people think Ron was OOC, which makes me glad I took it out. I, along with a few others, disagree, but I can see what everyone means. Nobody wants to see Ron get angry and jump to conclusions after they've gotten so close through Recnac and this fic. I'm glad that you like the scene with Ron and Draco discussing Harry, though.
Myr Halcyon (I'm glad you can see the two sides of Arthur here. You never quite know what Dumbledore knows or doesn't know.), musiclover, M0rbidity, Babylon for Life (Say thank you to your friend for me for recommending it! I'm so glad you liked it! Lol, yeah, skipping AP studying time is never a good idea. I'm so happy you like Draco and Sev, because I love em both too. I hope you continue to like it!), OreoCookies (lol, well I'm glad the confusion's been cleared up and I'm so glad you like it!), guy incognito (Well, Arthur's being completely irrational, because he's crazy with worry about his son. I think we'd all like to think of Arthur and Harry as closer than they actually are. They don't interact much in the actual books. Anyways, he has majorly bad judgment here, but he's desperate, and in a way, he's right. Harry really was the only chance of getting Ron back.), angelsleeping (I'm glad you like my fic! To get to my yahoo group, just go to my author's page and click on the link and sign up. You'll need a yahoo email account, but they're absolutely free and easy, and you can even put in a fake name if you want to. Hope you enjoy!), Marci018 (well, there will be quite a few cliffies coming along in the next several chapters, so learn to love 'em! Lol. Do not fear, more Harry angst coming your way!), sami1010220 (I update once a week. Hope you enjoy!), venus4280 (I'm the exact same way! I don't want other characters to die or get too hurt in canon, because I want to be able to fuss over Harry more! Lol, I know exactly what you mean.), Shadow Wolf2418 (lol, fun saying! Well, Harry's getting used to traumatic experiences in life and he's gotten into the habit of jumping into hero mode, you know? That's what he did in canon when Sirius was captured. He's very used to jumping into his plan of action and I think of it almost as his way of dealing with bad things. Some people worry, Harry immediately determines how he can fix it.), shadowsfriend (Thanks! I'm so glad you like this and the deleted scenes. I'm so glad you're not disappointed in the sequel and actually like it better. Good to know I'm not wasting my time with it, you know? I hope this gets out by the time you needed it! I think I'm posting a bit earlier than last week, but it's hard to remember!), MissPanther (lol, well, I got it out Saturday, is that good? Of course, now I've left you with another cliffie to worry about, sorry! Hope your exam goes well!!), Bu (I don't mind you saying so at all! I'm glad you like it more. Means I'm improving, I think, lol.), m, fantagal (lol, I'll see what I can do –grins evilly-), leontine-456, Vikki, mickeymoose, lost angel92, Hp-Azn, Ophite68, EriEka127 (Right now, Dumbledore's trying to find Ron and doesn't have much time for checking the wards, but it doesn't really matter now because they already told him about it and he has no idea where Harry's gone to.), Siri Kat, XxGoddessOfImaginaryLightxX (yeah, as soon as Dumbledore let out that there was a loophole, Harry was certain to go for it. Lol, I'm glad you like the ghoul. I actually had to do a lot of research to figure out what a ghoul actually was. But he appreciates the attempt to give him a friend...even though he probably enjoys his misery), Shawn Pickett (Lol, true, but at least Harry has a plan rather than jumping into it blindly as usual.), angel74 (Yeah, it randomly switches to action/adventure, but don't worry, there's still much angst and Harry-torture ahead. Lol, you're not sick, you just know me well enough to know it could never be that easy.), Istalksiriusonweekends (don't worry, you'll find out what was happening with Harry's health soon), Talons, parts-of-a-fish-girl, Lorie1101 (lol, shy quiet little Ginny decided Harry was just too hot to let him go off on a dangerous rescue mission without a little pre-game smooching. Lol. Hope the climax keeps you on your toes, lol.), ThreeToedSloth (Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it! Yes, the Weasleys do love Harry, and some of them think of him as family, but Arthur in particular isn't as close to Harry as we'd like to believe and his own children will always come first. Of course, the same would be true with Sirius. Harry will always come first.), azntgr01, MissLilyStar (hahaha! Your review gave me a mental image of Harry in a boxing ring corner, having people pump him up, with a Death Eater getting ready on the other side, drinking a huge bottle of water. Lol. Okay, yes, I'm weird.), girlwhoshowspigs (I'm glad you liked the kiss! You'll just have to wait and see what becomes of our young Harry), Whispyraven (it's okay, don't worry. you have the right to constructive criticism, of course, it just didn't seem like you were enjoying it and said you'd only give it a 4.5, so I just wasn't sure why you were still reading it if there were other fics out there you might be enjoying a whole lot mroe. You're completely allowed to criticize. We'll just have to see if your prediction comes true with what happens.), kneh13, hpfanchrissy1502, Jamie, lyss33, Stahchild (lol, I used to watch Scooby Doo all the time!), corrinetkn24, Lia Tween (the wards aren't down, they merely let Harry and co through. Mmmmm I'm very enticed by the cookie, though, so here's your chapter!!), Jenn the Freak (good luck in school! I start college later September. I'm moving in on the 18th. Talk about scary. But I'm actually really excited and can't wait!), Dea Puella, heather (thanks for dropping a review! Lol, yes, Draco used to have a crush on Hermione, but he doesn't anymore, though it would have made and interesting subplot. Hahaha, yeah, let's let Harry hit second base with Ginny to get some stress off his mind! LOL), Bluerain22, wynjara, MsHobgoblin (thanks!), silent planet, musicstarlover, Lady Pallas (Well, by now you can see what's happened to Ron, whether everyone survives the rescue is still left to be seen, and actually, there a quite a few cliffhangers coming up. Oops? Lol), GhostMagic19, Savoy Truffle (Um, there will be a bit more Remus, but not a lot, really. I love him to death, but there wasn't a lot of room for him in this fic, to tell you the truth.), Nation El-Diablo (yeah, the version on the yahoo group is the same fic, just longer with some deleted scenes. There are also deleted scenes that didn't make it into either version. There's only 3 or 4 right now, but there will eventually be more, including the alternate ending for Recnac), kingcobra1988, ginnygal189 (yeah, amazingly Harry actually thought something out for once!! Maybe he's been hanging around sly Slytherins for too long lol), Lupin123 (lol, me? Pure evil? Muahahaha! It's the Slytherin within. I guess Snape and Draco have let their Slytherin side rub off on Harry to the point where he's actually thinking things through. Them heading to Snape Manor was a complete mess up on my part. I changed it to Malfoy Manor immediately after reading your review, so thanks for giving me the head's up!), gina87, Charlie Quill, ChildOfDarkness (hahaha, annoying little sister, eh? I have much Harry angst coming up just for you)