"…children with no vision do exactly what they're told…"
-Creed, "Say I"
Chapter 18: The Book
Draco felt as though he was on a permanent high. As quickly as Slytherins got grudges, they could drop them, and Draco was hailed as a hero by most. The match did create a few heated conversations with his inter-house friends ("You should have said something instead of trying to break your neck!") but he knew that would be short-lived.
The twenty-third of October rolled around and having finished his homework, thanks in a large part to not needing to worry about being cursed in his own common room, Draco was walking alone along the halls. He passed Filch, who gave him a very dirty look, but as the caretaker moved on, Draco quickly bent down and gave Mrs. Norris a loving pat. During his long bout under the invisibility cloak, he'd actually got her to trust him to the point that she could see him break a rule and Filch would never know. It came in quite handy when he wanted to walk the castle at night, which was often.
He came to a fork in the corridor and was just about to continue forward without a thought when he glimpsed something. Backtracking in confusion, he saw he wasn't mistaken. There was Azar Zundel, sitting against the wall and staring at the floor as if she didn't particularly like it.
"Hello, Azar," he said, walking over to her.
You would have thought he'd set off a canon the way she jumped. She looked about almost frantically but when her eyes fell on him, the expression on her face changed. It was Draco's turn to jump. She was looking at him in a way she never had, in a way he never thought she could: with absolute anger.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled, not a hint of a joke in her voice.
"I-I just said hello," Draco tried to defend.
Azar was in no mood to listen to reason. "Can't you tell when a person is concentrating! Honestly, I was this close, and then you come along with your 'hello, Azar' and obliterate it!!!"
"Well excuse me for being friendly!" Draco said, going on the offensive, "So I guess next time I see you, I should say, 'Sod off!' Is that better?!"
Azar shot up, clenching her fists. "No, it'd be better if you'd kept your trap shut!"
"To hell with that!" Draco's eyes were flashing dangerously. "I'll just say hello to you all the time! Hello, hello, hello, he—"
Azar shoved him hard, causing him to slam into the wall. Draco didn't move for a while, shocked and dazed, but then his eyes darkened once again.
"Fine then," he growled, storming off.
Azar was horrified. She moved to run after him. "Draco, wait!"
"So you can slam a hole in my head? Oh yeah, I'll wait for that," he called back without turning around.
"Please! If you only knew…"
"Oh, sure, monthly visitor, right? I'm not buying that," he said, turning a corner and disappearing.
Azar stopped, slumping against the wall. Slowly she turned, leaning her face against the stone and looking at it without hope.
In positive misery she declared, "I hate being a Seer."
****
Harry practically flew down the hall. He'd slept in that morning, even after assuring Ron that he was getting up. Quidditch, homework, and being one of Four that had the whole world on his shoulders was starting to edge in on his sleep time.
As quietly as he could, though Harry knew Snape would notice anyways, he opened the door to Potions. Not meeting the icy glare of his professor, Harry hurried to an empty seat right up front, the only spot left. He decided against getting his things out as it would make a lot more noise in the silent room. Snape stared him down for a long while, much longer than ever would be needed, and then turned away.
"As I was saying before Potter decided to grace us with his presence," Snape said, pacing slowly, "as seventh years, you are expected to not only have greater skill but greater discretion. We live in dark times, where every witch and wizard must be able to protect themselves. Though it may seem extreme, possibly morally wrong, it may very well come down to kill or be killed. That brings us to today's lesson."
Harry gulped slightly. He didn't particularly like Snape talking about "kill or be killed", especially while he was sitting in the front row.
Taking no notice of the worried look on many of his students' faces, Snape withdrew a glass jar from his robes. Inside was a single, but very large, spider. With a swift movement, Snape unscrewed the lid and turned the jar over with a loud slam. The whole class jumped. The dazed spider was on the desk now but still trapped by the jar. Snape reached into his robes again and pulled out a vial filled with a vibrant green liquid. He took off the top and, from his vantage point, Harry saw that it was a dropper.
"Watch carefully," Snape said.
He lifted the jar just enough to slip the dropper underneath, pressing the release and creating a small emerald pool near the spider. Harry watched the spider rush to it.
"This is the Poison of Delayed Sleep," Snape explained matter-of-factly, "It is a highly complicated potion and one that many never bother to learn, especially as the Killing Curse serves about the same purpose."
A murmur rent hurriedly through the class. Eyes went wide and everyone leaned forward expectantly. Half the pool of green was gone now, but the spider seemed as alive as ever.
"The potion isn't enough in and of itself," Snape said, seemingly reading their minds, "If it was, this would simply be a poison, nothing greater than cyanide or arsenic. What makes this poison so unusual is that it simply leaves the drinker vulnerable. A person could have the poison in his veins for years and never know it, for the poison attaches to your very being. After one drink, you are forever vulnerable. As long as you live, so does the poison."
Draco, seated by a very pleased Queenie Greingrass, gave a shiver at these words, though whether more from terror or awe he wasn't sure.
Snape pulled out his wand and lifted the glass jar away. Lazily, the large spider started making it's way across the desk.
"Somnora," Snape cried, his wand pointed at the unlucky creature.
The spider slumped to the desk and didn't move a millimeter more.
"That is why it is called the Poison of Delayed Sleep," Snape went on, unfazed, "By drinking it, you lose nothing. You could lead a long life without even the knowledge that you had it in your system. But by that spell, you die."
Harry stared, like the rest of the class. It seemed impossible that someone could be killed by such a simple thing.
"Do not think, however," Snape went on, a dark lilt in his voice, "that with this you can go around poisoning all your classmates. The potion must be at least 80% consistency and thus if placed in a drink or food item, it will either dilute to the point of disuse or give the item a rather brilliant green coloring. Slipping it to a person unwittingly is almost impossible."
Without any ceremony, Snape swept the deceased spider into the waste bin.
"Your assignment today is to concoct the Poison. I shall check, at random, one of your potions near the end of class. Use your time well."
The lack of instruction had everyone ill at ease, especially at the mention of "checking" the potions.
Seamus piped up, worried, "But Professor, what about the spell?"
Snape turned to him, his eyes holding malicious amusement. "I believe I told you the first day of class, Mr. Finnigan, that there would be little foolish wand-waving in my class. I intend to stick to that. Begin."
Harry turned in his chair, surveying the class. Hermione sat a few desks away, next to Neville, and in the corner farthest from her sat Ron and Lavender, who didn't seem to particularly mind the seating arrangement. Draco, some desks in front of Ron, looked like he was having a hard time ignoring the adoring quips from Queenie. Harry would have given anything to have any one of them sitting next to him.
"Potter," Snape said sharply.
Harry instantly whipped around.
"Do you find the rest of the class particularly interesting to look at?" the Potions master asked venomously.
"No, sir, not really."
"Then I suggest you turn to your work. And five points from Gryffindor."
Harry gaped at the injustice of the punishment but knew better than to talk back to Snape when he was so eager to deduct points. He tried to turn to the potion but it was little use. Invariably, his head would swivel to glance back at his friends, Ron working furiously and Hermione needing the occasionally nudge from Neville as a reminder to stay on task. Draco looked none the better, clearly hoping that by checking the potion Snape had meant feeding it to Queenie.
Harry caught his eye, grinning and mouthing, "Having fun?"
"Kill me," Draco mouthed back, gesturing as if choking himself.
"Potter!" Snape snapped, causing Harry to spin around once more, "I thought you would have learned the first time. Five more—"
"Professor, it was my fault," Draco piped up.
Snape raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Afraid so," Draco said, taking on a debonair drawl, "It's a curse, really, being this attractive."
Harry's eyes bugged out and he felt somewhere between astonishment and nausea. Ron gaped as though trying to take in air while Hermione gave a small but derisive, "Ha."
Snape's eyebrow rose further. "Indeed?"
Draco leaned back in his chair, looking very conceited. "Oh yes. First there's those like Harry that get in trouble for being unable to keep their eyes off of me. And I can't tell you how annoying it is having your way blocked by a gaping second year. Then there are those like this tawdry tart," he said, nodding his head at Queenie, "who think I have any interest in their pathetic conversation."
Queenie looked positively scandalized but a small laugh traveled through the class, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike. Snape, however, looked far from pleased.
"Kindly return to your potion, Mr. Malfoy," he said, turning back to his desk.
"What, not taking off any points?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows in feigned surprise.
"Do you want me to take them off?" Snape countered.
"Depends," Draco said, looking at Snape calculatingly, "Would you?"
All the class was silent. No one had ever challenged Snape so calmly before. Harry wasn't sure what exactly, but he believed Draco had some purpose in mind. In any case, he seemed to have rendered the potions master speechless.
"After all," Draco said, his voice suddenly becoming heavy, almost malicious, "It's always 'points from Gryffindor', right? Not Slytherin."
Harry swore he could hear an ant crawling along the dungeon floor in the silence. Snape stared warningly at Draco, but he just stared right back, defiant.
"It is my judgment, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said slowly, "as to when an act merits point deduction."
Draco gave a low whistle. "Whoo, you have rotten judgment then."
Snape's eyes flashed with anger. "Mr. Malfoy, how dare you disrespect me—"
"I dare because I know I'll receive no repercussions," Draco said idly.
"Malfoy, if you say one more word, I'll—"
"One more word," Draco said, sneering.
"Five points from Slytherin," Snape said firmly, turning away as if to say the matter was done.
"Bet that was hard to force out," Draco replied slyly.
"Ten points, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape fairly shouted, "And I shall be checking your potion at the end of class, so it would be better if you worked on it."
Draco shrugged, looking as though he were trying not to beam. In shock, all the class turned to their potions. Harry felt surreal, as though this had to be some strange dream. As he went back to his work, measuring out a milligram of crushed billywig stings, he felt something hit gently against his back. Turning, he found a hovering piece of folded parchment, and Draco using his wand under his desk. Harry quickly snatched the note before Snape saw it. Discreetly, he opened it up and read the small, neat handwriting:
Score one against the bigots.
****
Remus Lupin and Juniata Snape walked along the corridors of Hogwarts in silence, something they did rather often. It just felt nice, knowing you weren't walking alone.
Suddenly, Juniata slipped her hand into Remus'. He looked at her with surprise.
"We're being followed," she whispered, hardly moving her lips.
Remus perked up his ears and finally heard the gently swish of quiet steps. "By whom?" he asked quietly.
"No one of consequence," she said, "Just act lovingly."
Remus complied, slipping his hand around her waist. She went slightly rigid at his touch and her face quietly flushed. Remus realized that his idea of "lovingly" was clearly different than Juniata's. He felt the color rise to his face also, embarrassed and wishing he could withdraw his hand. But that would look strange indeed to whoever was following them. Not that they walking as stiff as robots didn't look strange.
Juniata suddenly stopped, withdrawing his hand from her waist and taking it in her own. "Oh dear, I forgot to tell you, Remus," she said in a voice much too fluttery to be her own, "Sirius wanted to speak with you right after his last class. You'd better hurry and meet up with him."
Remus raised an eyebrow slightly, but the look in her eyes compelled him to yet again play along. "Oh, yes, I guess I'd better."
"I'll see you tonight," she said gently, though she looked like she was trying to take in every bit of determination that happened to be floating in the air at that moment.
A second later, Remus knew why. Juniata leaned forward, her eyes closing, and placed her lips on his. For a moment, he stood in shock, then quickly closed his eyes and kissed back. His heart pounded with insecurity. Should he pull away or wait for her to do so? He started to realize he was no good at this fake romance stuff.
Juniata was the one to pull away. With a smile and squeeze of his hand, she walked off down a separate hall. Remus stood there a long time, practically shaking. He began to wonder if this really was a good idea. Glancing, he looked behind himself, down the hall where their follower supposedly had been. He saw nothing in the shadows. Taking a deep breath, he continued down the hall, heading for Sirius' classroom.
Juniata was not at all surprised to find her brother when she turned a corner.
"I certainly hope you're off to wash out your mouth after that disgusting display," Snape said sneeringly.
Juniata shrugged him off, continuing on. Snape was not to be deterred, however.
"Sirius, Juniata," Snape said angrily, "You called him 'Sirius'. You abandon me while welcoming as a friend the man who drove the wedge between us."
She glared at him. "He was a stranger, and you were a brother. Sirius is no longer a stranger, and you might as well not be a brother."
"But Black!" Snape cried, disgusted.
"Well, I'm not dating him, so it hardly matters."
"Don't even get me started on the werewolf."
Juniata spun around, sparks flying from her eyes. "Don't you ever call him that!" she shouted, "He had no choice! You are more a Death Eater than he ever is a werewolf!"
A cloud passed over Snape's face, his eyes dark, loathing pools. "Juni, I absolutely forbid you to see that man," he said tersely.
"Ha! Like I would listen to you."
"You are doing this to get to me, Juni!" he cried.
"And what if I am?" she challenged, "Or what if I'm not? What if I truly am now linked to your dearest enemy? How does it feel?"
Snape's eyes went wide and he just stood there. Juniata stayed only a moment more, then swept into the dark corridor.
"It's about time you got here!" Sirius cried as Remus entered the classroom, "My class ended fifteen minutes ago."
Remus couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. He's thought that Juniata had said that simply as an excuse to leave. It never crossed his mind that she might have meant it.
Sirius looked at him a bit suspiciously. "So you spoke with Juniata?" he said tensely.
"Yes," Remus said, becoming more and more lost.
"Been spending a fair amount of time with her, haven't you?" his friend said, again that same intensity in his voice.
"A fair amount…"
Sirius' eyes darkened. "I knew you were feeling a bit hopeless, but honestly, Moony; a squib?"
Remus felt as though he'd swallowed an ice cube. His eyes turned to slits. "And what is wrong with a squib?"
"Well, it's not so much that. She's Snape's sister, for God's sake!"
"Yes, and Lily was the sister of that Dursley woman. Siblings hardly constitute a person, Sirius."
Sirius bristled slightly. "How can you even stand it? They're near twins, Moony. It's like you're dating him."
"Honestly, we're not even dating!"
Remus realized too late his mistake. He froze.
"You're not?" Sirius said, surprised, "Then what are you doing?"
For a moment, Remus considered telling Sirius about his jealously plan. But only for a very short moment. After all the times he'd told Sirius to "grow up", he didn't think he'd be able to take the advice coming back the other way.
"We're friends, okay?" he said tersely, "It you could get over your biasness for once, then maybe you'd see that people really can be decent."
Not wanting to answer any more questions, Remus hurried out of the room.
****
"You should have been there, Azar," Harry smiled broadly as they walked down the corridor toward the Great Hall after Defense Against the Dark Arts, "I never realized what effect we really had on him. And I know he walloped Snape a good one. Heh, we'll get rid of housists yet!… Azar?"
"Hm?" she asked, as if waking up, "Oh, yes. Interesting."
"Are you okay, Azar?" Harry asked, a bit anxious, "You've been acting a bit sullen lately."
She smiled slightly, finally looking up at him. "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been thinking… I don't feel much like supper. I think I'll head up to my dormitory."
"Are you sure?" Harry asked, "I could skip supper, too."
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine, I promise. Just a lot there on my mind."
Harry nodded. He knew the feeling all to well. "I'll see you at the meeting tonight, right?"
"Of course!" she cried with a laugh that sounded strangely forced.
Harry stared after her as she walked off. She hadn't seen her like this since…
"She's hiding something."
Harry turned to find Draco behind him, staring off at where Azar had disappeared. "Hiding something?" he questioned.
Draco nodded. "Can't tell what, though."
"But Azar doesn't hide things."
Draco looked at him sideways. "She hid the fact that she was a Seer…"
Harry glanced at him, then back down the corridor. "Well, I trust her," he said firmly, "She'll do what she needs to."
They turned heading blindly to the Great Hall, and thus didn't look down the hall that forked with theirs. If they had, they might have seen Ron Weasley leaning against the wall, his eyes wide. As if trying to verify what he heard, he whispered aloud:
"A Seer…"
****
Remus entered Dumbledore's office alone. Many of the resistance was already there but not Sirius. Remus was glad of that. He quickly found Juniata, pulling her into an isolated area of the room.
"I think it's time to stop," he said gently.
Juniata raised a brow, waiting for him to continue.
"The 'fancying each other' bit," he said, "It's not doing much good and I'm not good at it. Besides, the only person I made jealous was Sirius."
Juniata let out a laugh. "I would have thought as much. Catherine really isn't the jealous type."
Remus felt a bit awkward. "You're okay with it?"
"Oh, yes, of course. It's served my purpose."
Remus raised his eyebrow with a smile. "Care to tell me that purpose?"
She smiled sweetly. "When flobberworms fly."
Remus laughed pleasantly, glad to have the weight of being in love off his shoulders. His laugh faded, however, when he saw who was coming up to them.
"Hello," Sirius said without any prerequisite, holding a hand out to Juniata, "I don't believe we were ever truly introduced. I'm Sirius Black."
Looking slightly amused, Juniata took his hand. "Juniata Snape."
Remus smiled, thinking to himself. 'I guess it did do good after all.'
Harry kept glancing at Azar who hadn't said a word the entire meeting. She was staring blankly at Dumbledore as he went over standard resistance news. He couldn't help but feel a bit worried. What's more, she was clutching a book firmly to her chest, covering it so Harry couldn't even see the title. Trying to put this in the back of his mind, he turned to Dumbledore.
"Severus has succeeded quite well in the Captured Wing and we are now able to get more out of those that followed Voldemort," he said.
Harry felt a jolt at hearing this.
"But I thought Snape was still a spy…" he whispered to Azar.
He'd said it quietly enough, but didn't realize that the potions professor was standing right behind him.
"I ended my spying days last May, Potter," Snape hissed, apparently angered at Harry's ignorance, "I overheard a conversation about Voldemort's plans to 'make a demonstration' and when my name was mentioned, I knew retirement was in order."
Harry felt ashamed a moment, then inclined his head towards Snape slightly. "I'm sorry."
Snape didn't remark.
Dumbledore began to wind up the meeting, asking if anyone else had anything to add. Harry noticed Azar tense up slightly at his words.
"Well, if there's nothing else, we—"
"I have something to say," Azar suddenly interrupted, raising her hand slightly, the other clutching her book even closer to her chest.
Harry looked at her in surprise. It was clear Azar was not about to make a joke or something of the sort, but that she was dead serious. In fact, her hands were shaking.
"Yes, Miss Zundel?" Dumbledore prompted gently.
For one of the first times in her life, Azar felt too nervous to speak. She kept glancing around at all the faces, all turned to her wonderingly, expectantly. Slowly dropping her hand to her side, she took a deep breath.
"I know how to defeat Lord Voldemort."
****
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I don't know!" Azar said exasperatedly, frowning at Harry, "It's not exactly the easiest thing to tell."
After the torrent of surprised cries and great confusion, the four Heirs had been shuffled into the room behind the portrait of Miranda. Harry stood at the end of the table farthest from the door, unable to sit still. Azar sat at his right, Unique Enchantments by Trinity Ravlaw before her, and Draco to his left, James next to the Slytherin.
Draco slowly traced the 'Lancelot' carved in the table before him, trying to act as though he couldn't hear the words passing between Azar and Harry. He was sure to catch every word, however.
"I'm almost positive about this but not completely," Azar went on.
"So you couldn't tell us, but you were positive enough to announce it to everyone?"
"Well, I couldn't very well have ignored it, could I?!" she snapped, "I just kept waiting for the right time, maybe even someone asking if anyone had any ideas on how to defeat him, but that never came so I just had to speak up."
"You expected someone to ask if anyone knew how to defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
Azar's eyes were positively flashing. "Well it's not as stupid as someone saying, 'But I thought Snape was still a spy,' now is it?"
Slightly abashed, Harry stared at her a moment, then sat roughly in the chair beside her, propping his chin in his hand as he looked the other way. The room was silent for a long minute before Azar reached out and took his free hand.
"I'm sorry, Harry legs," she said gently, "It's just… Well, it hasn't been a good day."
"Understandably," he answered, turning towards her, "Anyone would be a bit touchy after holding a secret like that."
"It's not just that," she sighed, "You know the…"
She paused, looking over at the other two boys. Draco was pretending not to be listening in. James didn't even bother to pretend, his eyes wide with curiosity. Azar decided just to ignore them.
"The forest nightmare, I guess you could call it. I've been trying to remember what I…Saw. And I think it's working."
Harry stared at her. After all this time, he couldn't believe her mind still dwelt on that, or that her memory had anything to offer.
"I guess I should be apologizing to you, too, Draco," she said, looking over at the blond boy, "That's why I snapped at you like that the other day. I was trying to concentrate and wasn't in the mood for any interruptions. I'm sorry."
Draco shrugged. "Guess anyone who was trying to remember her 'forest nightmare' might have a tendency to be a bit temperamental."
Azar felt even more ashamed at this. Harry was the only one who knew about her Sighting and she wanted to keep it that way. But how secrets ate at her…
"So how does this tell us to defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked, turning the book so he could look at it, "I mean, you said it was written nearly one thousand years ago."
"Turns out this Trinity Ravlaw was Rowena Ravenclaw's granddaughter," Azar said quickly, as if all the information had been so bottled up it had to explode, "See? They apparently changed the name, who knows why, just removing 'encl'."
"Whoa, wait, what? Removing whose ankle?" Harry asked in bewilderment.
Azar smiled, realizing what she must have sounded like. "No, E-N-C-L," she said slowly, "Ravenclaw to Ravlaw. I just wish I knew why…"
"But what does Ravenclaw have to do with defeating Voldemort?" Draco asked, trying to get back on the subject at hand.
"Well, I was simply reading through this, finding it quite interesting indeed. Did you know that there are exactly 52 ways to magically punish an unfaithful husband and not get caught? Whoo, believe me, none of them are pretty."
Draco raised an eyebrow and turned to Harry. "Glad I'm not in your shoes, mate."
Azar smiled. "Yes, well, when I came to page 1,267 I found—"
Just then, the portrait door opened and Dumbledore entered with a more selective group of the resistance including Sirius, Remus, Snape, McGonagall, Connerly, Mr. Weasley, Juniata, and, a sight that darkened Azar's look, Mundungus Fletcher. They entered, filling the empty seats of the Round Table.
Remus looked about a bit awkwardly for a moment, realizing there were no seats left. He leaned against the wall, wishing at least that he wasn't the only one.
"Here, Remus," Draco said, standing up to give the man his seat.
"Oh, no, it's fine, Draco," he tried to decline.
"No, really," Draco insisted, "I'd rather stand anyways."
"Thank you," Remus finally consented, seating himself.
Draco reclined against the wall, turning to Dumbledore whose eyes twinkled merrily at the boy. Draco smiled slightly, looking at his feet.
"Thank you, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly, then turned to the rest of the group. "Miss Zundel, I do believe you have something that warrants examination."
"Yes," she said, quickly ruffling through the pages of the book, "Here, on page 1, 267, the Heirs' Strength."
She passed the book to Dumbledore who read over it carefully. His blue eyes shot back up at Azar, almost in wonder. She nodded happily.
"Rowena Ravenclaw was a Seer, after all," she said, her eyes dancing.
"Yes," Dumbledore smiled, "Yes indeed."
"What does it say, Albus?" McGonagall asked briskly.
"Simply, Minerva, how the Heirs of the Hogwarts four can defeat an evil that threatens the world," Dumbledore said, giving her the book.
Slowly, the old manuscript made its way around the table. Harry stared at it a long while. A spell…a spell created specifically for this purpose. He was beginning to see the benefits of Seers went far beyond parlor tricks.
"So now what?" Harry asked.
"Now you learn the spell of course!" Sirius cried with a grin.
Dumbledore didn't get a chance to consent or disagree before Fletcher spoke up.
"Learn it? Honestly, Albus, they're only children. Hell, James is barely twelve!"
"Um, excuse me," Harry interrupted, a little awkwardly, "but being twelve doesn't make you unready. You'd be surprised what kids can handle. I went through quite a lot when I was 'barely twelve.'"
"Yes, he fought the killer diary that year," Azar added.
Harry shot her a quick "not helping!" look.
"I agree with Harry, Mundungus," Dumbledore said sternly, quieting the burly man, "However, I would like to look into this before we jump to learning the spell. Where did you say you found this book, Miss Zundel?"
"Under the floor, in an empty classroom," she replied.
True to his nature, Dumbledore didn't ask any awkward questions such as why she was digging up the floor of an empty classroom in the first place. He simply nodded quietly. "Yes. We must be sure before we take on such a delicate matter."
"But Professor," Azar objected, "I've read nearly this whole book! It's as real as you and I."
"Miss Zundel, we cannot jump in before we know," McGonagall piped up.
Dumbledore nodded. "One can never be sure of the purpose of objects found beneath the school."
Azar closed her mouth, clearly displeased.
"Until we know for sure," Dumbledore said, "I'll have to keep this."
"But I haven't finished it!" Azar cried indignantly.
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Sirius, would you mind taking these four to their towers?"
"We can take ourselves," Azar said hastily, even a little resentfully, "I'm sure Sirius should be here for these 'adult' matters."
Without another word, she stood up and walked for the door. The boys followed in varying degrees of confusion. Azar marched through Dumbledore's office and down the stairs, but as soon as she reached the corridor, she stopped, motioning for the other three.
"Tomorrow night," she told them quietly, "meet me in Binns' classroom. If they aren't going to teach us that spell, we'll have to teach ourselves."
"But Dumbledore has the book," Harry put in.
"Yes, but I would never be so stupid as to hand that thing over unless I had the spell copied down," she said simply, walking off at a brisk pace.
Harry and Draco gaped after her. They never thought Azar would be one to blatantly disobey Dumbledore. It was like Neville Longbottom passing Potions with flying colors.
James looked after her, too, shaking his head. "I think we're rubbing off on her," he said simply.
Draco and Harry turned around and stared at him, causing the Hufflepuff to shrink slightly, but holding their gaze all the same.
"It felt like the right thing to say," he said sheepishly.
****
"Here it is," Azar said, withdrawing a fairly large parchment, "Lights please."
Three wandtips lit up, learning close to the words that Azar held.
"The Heirs' Strength," she read, "Created by Rowena Ravenclaw, this spell serves a singular purpose. It can only be used by heirs of the Four and only in the vanquishment of a world evil."
"Vanquishment?" James asked in confusion.
"Bringing about the destruction or death of someone," Azar answered quickly, reading on, "The spell, said in succession, creates a force field around the victim. This field changes colors in a procession and the spell can only be finalized when the field turns violet. Once a person or being is inside the field, they cannot escape unless the spell is withdrawn or they are pulled out. Have caution, however, for spells pass easily through the field. Once the field is violet and the spell is finalized, its work is done. The spell is mortal for anything within the field."
"Mortal?" James asked, ashamed to do so.
"Fatal," Azar smiled gently, "The rest that follows is the actually spell. It's time to get to work."
The next five nights, the Four worked on the spell. It was surprisingly easy, Azar knowing exactly how to explain how to work it. Naturally, they weren't truly able to practice the Heirs' Strength, but they were sure to know everything about it they could. Those five days passed, and the Four felt sure of themselves now. Dumbledore had yet to even speak to them again on the subject.
All of them felt a little betrayed by the reaction of the resistance. James most of all felt that the whole group thought of them as little more than children, Heirs by happenstance. And that they were, though they would be the last to admit it. But in the end, surely they would be "allowed" to learn the spell, and then how relieved all would be to find they already knew it.
****
Draco Malfoy marched down the halls like an ominous rain cloud, every student hurrying out of his way. He was not having a good day. Not that he really had expected to, for you see, today was October 30th: Draco's birthday. As a child, his birthday was always by far the best day of the year. It was always filled with lavish parties, mountains of presents, and his parents, smiling and bursting with pride. His father had never been in a bad mood on his birthday, and Draco realized that it was probably a conscious effort. It was one of those things that always made him think, made him wonder about how much Lucius truly loved him. Of course, he loved the success Draco might be, not the failure he had become.
At Hogwarts, he could always count on a mound of presents being at the foot of his bed when he woke up that day, a letter attached expressing his parents' joy at his being a year older. Last year, naturally, no such thing happened. This year was no different. He even woke late that morning, missing breakfast. The lack of attention made him extremely moody, even though it was of his own making. He avoided his friends in class and during meals. Even when he saw Azar once in the halls and she tried to talk to him, he swept right by her.
When it came time for supper, he grabbed a few things from the Slytherin table and hurried up to his dormitory. He simply wanted to get this day over with, and then life could be normal again.
The dank Slytherin common room was empty, as was his dormitory. He looked out the window for a long while, watching the dark clouds roll against each other in the violent wind. He remembered once hearing that every dark cloud had a silver lining. Unless it was hiding, he couldn't see one now. The window was low, at level with the ground; a rotten view, Draco had always thought, especially on a stormy day. The trees in the Forbidden Forest seemed to be struggling to pull up their roots, and as he watched, splashes began to appear on the window, growing more and more frequent as time passed. Trust it to rain on my birthday, he thought bitterly.
Draco turned away from the window and to his bed, ready to shut out the dismal day. When he opened his bed curtains, however, he froze. There, piled with care, were presents, wrapped in a veritable rainbow of paper, and a large card propped on top declaring 'Happy Birthday, Draco!' And all he could do was stare, dumbstruck. Could it... but that would make no sense. His father surely wouldn't send him anything for his birthday. Unless...
Gingerly, as though afraid it might explode, he reached out and picked up the card, opening it. It wasn't from his father. He sat slowly on the bed behind him, tears coming to his eyes as he read. Azar, Harry, Hermione, James, and even Ron had written congratulations in it. And in a postscript Harry answered his question on how they got the gifts in, the magic combination: invisibility cloak and eavesdropping.
He gave a laugh, wiping the tears from his face, and reading the card again. It was the most wonderful piece of paper he had ever seen.
FWUMP! Draco jumped up, dropping the card, and stared at the window. For a moment, he couldn't discern what had collided with the glass. Then he saw the small brown owl slumped exhausted on the outside of the windowsill. Hurriedly, he opened the window. It was almost as if he set off a bomb. The wind roared in, whipping Draco's robes and bed curtains around, sending a stinging spray into his face. He snatched the winded owl inside and quickly slammed the window shut. The air was still again.
"Having fun, are we?" he smiled, the owl giving him a very weary look.
Gently, Draco took the envelope from the weak owl, setting the animal on the bed to rest. His attention then turned to the letter. The envelope was blank, no name, no address. Wrinkling his brow, Draco turned it over. It was sealed twice, one with the design of a bumblebee, the other of an x, almost as if it had been hastily scratched in. Draco ran his hands along the wax, wondering...
It really was none of his business. Of course, that had never stopped him before. Besides, Harry had almost made a career of sticking his nose where it didn't belong, so Draco didn't think it would be so bad if he did it just this once. Besides, it might be important, and that owl sure wasn't up for another trip. Before he could give it a second thought, Draco tore open the envelope. Out fell a letter, short and concise, looking as though it had been scribbled on whatever bit of paper was lying around. It read:
Dumbledore,
I'll skip the formalities to the point. Now is the time, if you're ready. Voldemort sets out tonight, alone, from a bit north of Glasgow. By a bit of prying, I found out he's going through Liddesdale, though that's not his last destination. Where he hopes to end up, I do not know. I believe he will not let anyone know until he feels safely established. He's afraid. If there is any possible way that we can end this now, then let it be. Who knows if such a chance will come again.
-The Insider
Draco reread the letter, his heart pounding. Clearly this was from Lee, and it made it sound as though it was now or never. Naturally, Draco's first instinct was to rush this note straight to Dumbledore, yet he just sat there. After all, he wasn't sure what exactly Dumbledore would do with the news. He felt that this was a chance they couldn't pass up and they were ready for, but he wasn't sure that Dumbledore would feel the same way. Besides, Harry had been on unsupervised "adventures" many times and Draco felt that he might as well take his fair share.
He hopped up from the bed, going to his trunk and pulling out his invisibility cloak. However, he froze in the midst of putting it on. For a long time he held his hand against the smooth fabric, staring at it. He turned to the owl, still winded on the bed.
"I don't like this," Draco said quietly. "It's not like it's really wrong. After all, it concerns the heirs. We should be the ones to decide, right?"
The owl cocked its head slightly to the side.
"We are!" Draco insisted, "It's not like we're children anymore. Sure, you could say that about James, but the rest of us are more than capable of adult decisions. Besides, if we told Dumbledore, he might just stop us. Too much depends on us to not take this chance. You have to take chances, right?"
The owl simply stared at him.
"Well, I don't care," Draco huffed, "I'm going."
And putting the cloak firmly on, he went through the door with a slam.
****
Harry felt awkward. Hermione walked beside him but she was clearly lost in thought. He had no idea what to say. He wondered if maybe he should say something about class or Draco's birthday. While they were delivering Draco's presents, things seemed to have gone back to what they were before. But they second they were out of the Slytherin common room, Ron went off on his own. Harry wished he could understand his best friend right then. Now, however, he was concerned with Hermione, and whatever he said, he didn't want it to be about Ron. A little hesitantly, he opened his mouth.
"Hippogriff," Hermione said suddenly.
Harry jumped slightly, then realized they were in front of the Fat Lady and that the portrait had just opened at the password. She walked in and Harry moved to follow but didn't make it.
An invisible hand clapped onto his mouth, swinging him around into the wall. The portrait seemingly slammed on its own, much to the Fat Lady's dismay. Before he had much of a chance to panic, a hand appeared, grabbing an invisible hood and revealing Draco Malfoy.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Harry cried as Draco removed his hand from his mouth.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," Draco said irritably, "We need to talk."
"Well there are better ways of asking than assaulting me," Harry shot back.
Draco ignored him. He glanced around, still simply a floating head, then tugged Harry down the corridor. "Look at this," he said, pulling out the letter that was meant for Dumbledore.
Harry took it, reading over carefully. Surprised, he glanced up at Draco. "Where'd you get this?"
"An owl didn't agree with the wind and flew into my window. He had this."
"So shouldn't you give it to Dumbledore?" Harry asked, as though it was the most sensible thing in the world, which it might have been.
Draco didn't think so. "And what, have him take it and do nothing?"
Harry was confused. "You don't know that."
"I can take a guess. None of them think we're ready," he insisted, "They all think we're too young. We need to take this into our own hands."
"But, Draco, we don't even know where to start."
"We know as much as they would. This is a gift, Harry," Draco said quietly, "The storm came on suddenly, just in time for the owl. And it hit my window. How can we ignore that? We have to stop this now, while there's a chance."
Harry frowned slightly, looking down at the letter. He still wasn't sure. "Let's ask Azar and James. Then we can decide."
"Fine then. Let's get Azar first," Draco said as they hurried down the hall, "She should know where James is."
"But she's in the Ravenclaw Tower. How will we get in?"
"I know the password," the Slytherin replied matter-of-factly, looking straight ahead.
Harry slowed down. "She...she told you the password?" he asked quietly.
"God, you sound like a child," Draco scoffed, "So you were left out of something for once; get over it."
Harry didn't feel at all like "getting over it", but was a little hurt at being called a child and so kept his mouth shut.
Draco quickly took off the cloak, knowing a floating head would attract unneeded attention. They soon found themselves before a large stone pillar, out of place set in the stonewall.
"Best to have the cloak on," Harry suggested.
Draco looked slightly exasperated, but tossed the cloak over them both and said, "Judicious." The pillar rolled out of its spot, revealing a staircase leading upward. A little awkwardly, the two made it up the narrow passage and stepped into the Ravenclaw common room.
Harry felt like just standing there and staring. Azar hadn't been kidding about the common rooms being different. There was, of course, the fact that everything was blue and bronze, but so much more. The whole room was, for the most part, round. The fireplace was in the middle of the room, round as the room and crackling merrily with flames. A number of comfortable old armchairs and sofas circled it, various Ravenclaws occupying them. All along the edges of the room were desks where quite a few people were busy doing their homework by torchlight. Harry looked up as Draco glanced around for Azar. It seemed the ceiling went on forever, coming off into a cone. Two large skylights were set in it, splattered with rain and revealing the dark clouds that hung in the sky. Harry wondered a moment where the dormitories could be, but a glance to his right answered that question. There were two fine oak staircases zigzagging their way to fourteen doors, stacked in two rows of seven.
"She's not here," Draco said suddenly.
"What?" Harry asked, coming back from his observations.
"She's not here. She must be in her dormitory," Draco whispered, "This way."
"You've been in her dormitory?!" Harry cried indignantly.
Draco clapped a hand over Harry's mouth. A few Ravenclaws glanced around in confusion, but shrugged the voice off.
"You're far too touchy," Draco hissed, dragging Harry along up the staircase on the right.
They entered the third door up, coming into a square room. Inside were six four-poster beds with sapphire hangings. Harry glanced around, spotting Azar lying on her bed and reading. Even if she hadn't been there, he would have known which bed was hers with the stack of books and papers on the nightstand and Weird Sisters poster on the wall. No one else was in the room.
Quietly, the boys walked over to her, standing right next to her bed. "Azar," Draco said quietly, "We need to talk."
"Sure thing, just let me finish this page," she said, not in the least bit startled.
"What, he sneaks in so often you don't even jump?" Harry said, still bitter about Draco's free reign.
That made Azar jump. "Harry?" she said, putting down the book and sitting up, "You're here, too?"
"Yes," he said, taking off the cloak, "Why haven't you ever invited me into the Ravenclaw tower before?"
"You never asked," she said, still a bit surprised.
"Oh…okay then," Harry answered, suddenly feeling awkward.
"He's been going off on that jealousy bit again," Draco put in, removing the cloak also, "Have you noticed that it seems to be a monthly thing for him? If I didn't know better, I'd say he has PMS."
"I do not!" Harry said, going a bit red, "And I'm not 'on that jealousy bit' again. I have a right to ask some questions, don't I?"
"Did you guys come in here to argue or did you have some ulterior motive in mind?" Azar asked, slightly amused.
"We wanted to ask you about this," Draco said, thrusting Dumbledore's letter into her hand.
Azar read it over quickly, then looked up at Draco and opened her mouth to ask something. Draco answered first.
"Owl collided with my window. Read it. Decided it was an Heir choice. Want to go save the world before Dumbledore stops us," he said brokenly.
"Why should he stop us?" Azar asked.
Draco shrugged. "I dunno. They don't exactly think we're ready, after all. But we are. We can't miss this chance. And we know the spell, after all."
Azar glanced down at the letter again. "Okay, let's go for it."
Harry stared at her, slightly bug-eyed. "Whatever happened to looking before you leap?"
"It doesn't apply in fog, Harry legs. Besides, I think Draco's right. The group hasn't exactly been too pleased with us lately, but we are ready. We should go."
"After all," Draco added, almost venomously, "they almost had us ignore the book. Adults aren't always right."
"Well, they're not always wrong, either."
Draco just ignored him. "Do you know how to get into the Hufflepuff so we can talk to James?" he asked Azar.
"Sure thing," she said, hopping up and heading for the door, "C'mon, onward ho!"
Harry and Draco put on the invisibility cloak and quickly followed her out of the Ravenclaw common room. After a number of twists and turns, they found themselves at the base of a staircase, looking at a closet beneath it.
"You are joking, right?" Draco said, raising an eyebrow.
Azar laughed. "It's quite ingenious, actually," she said, "Just watch."
She opened the door and revealed the inside of a closet. "Nothing up my sleeve!" Grinning, she closed it again.
"The Isles," she said, "And presto change-o!"
She opened the door and this time there were no closet innards. Instead, there was a staircase that spiraled out of sight.
"You two stay here," Azar said, "I'll take the cloak and go in and get James. I'll be just a second."
With that, Azar snatched up Draco's cloak and closed the closet door after her. Draco and Harry mulled there for a while, a bit awkward.
"When she says she'll be just a second, does she really mean it?" Draco asked after a while.
Harry shrugged. "Sometimes."
Sighing, Draco sat on the floor.
"About time," Harry scolded when Azar finally emerged, alone, "We looked pretty dodgy skulking about here."
"Do you even know what it feels like to have a fifth year Hufflepuff prefect tell you off?" Draco added, clearly disgusted, "Bad enough she was an underclassman, but a Hufflepuff. Honestly, these kids think too highly of themselves."
Harry and Azar looked at him, amused. Draco glanced at them, wondering what he'd missed.
"Well, in any case," Azar said, getting back to the point, "he's not in there. He's in the library."
"How'd you find that out?" Harry asked as they trooped down the hall.
"I just asked."
"What, no one questioned the fact that an invisible person wanted to know where James was?" Draco said incredulously.
"Honestly, haven't you ever tried to talk to someone who's engrossed by their studying?" she said matter-of-factly, "It's like hypnosis; they answer without questioning, or even looking up. Of course, it's a lot more fun if they look up right after and have no idea who they were just talking to…"
The three hurried on towards the library. When they entered, it was pretty easy to find James. There was a large group of second years all gathered at a table, apparently united in their efforts at writing a particularly hard Transfiguration essay. James sat among them.
"Hey, James," Azar said, walking up behind him. All the other students looked up curiously. They all looked fairly in awe at the three grand seventh years. "Um, we need to talk to you about something important."
All the second years whispered excitedly, gaping at James, who looked very pleased and very red. He got up from his seat and followed the three to a lonely corner of the library. Quickly, Draco explained the circumstances and let James read the letter. For a long time, the Hufflepuff was in quiet thought, staring at the words. Then he handed the parchment back to Draco.
"Okay," James said, quiet but firm.
Harry felt as if the world had just been pulled out from underneath him. "What?!"
"I want to go," James said, just as firm.
"But…no second thoughts? No questioning?" Harry stammered.
"I want to go," James repeated. There was something in the young boy's eyes that made it clear he was going, with or without the other three. Harry couldn't for the life of him understand why the timid Hufflepuff had suddenly become so determined to risk his life. For the first time, he really feared that they were rubbing off on the kid.
"Then it's agreed," Azar said briskly, "We leave tonight."
Harry's eyes widened. "Tonight?"
"The sooner the better," Draco said firmly.
"Exactly. Right now, we'll go back to our dormitories and get ready. And be sure to pack only necessities," Azar asserted, "We don't know how long this'll take. What about food?"
"I'll sneak some from the kitchens," Harry said, pleased by the fact that no one else seemed to know how to get there.
"Good, that's done. Draco and Harry, be sure to get your cloaks, and your brooms. You definitely have the fastest models. At eight, James and I will be sure to be waiting outside our towers. Harry—"
"I'll come get you," Harry interrupted.
Draco sneezed something that sounded oddly like "PMS", causing Harry to give him a quick glare.
"And you'll pick James up, Draco," he said firmly.
"Harry—" Azar began to say.
"No arguing!" Harry quickly interrupted, "Besides, Slytherin and Hufflepuff common rooms are much closer than Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."
Azar smiled slightly. "I was only going to ask you to be sure to get some flasks of water."
"And alcohol," Draco added, "Wine if you can manage, but anything on hand will do. Got to have some way of getting Azar tipsy and taking advantage of her, haven't I?"
Harry gave him a dark look, clearly not amused.
****
Harry entered the Gryffindor common room a little unsure. Hermione had probably been a little worried at his sudden disappearance. When he looked around, however, he realized she probably hadn't even noticed he was gone. Ron and Hermione sat on the sofa before the fire. Hermione had her head on Ron's shoulder and they seemed to be talking quietly and earnestly. Then Harry saw Ron's hand appear and rest upon Hermione's shoulder.
Without saying a word, he headed up to the dormitory.
It was 8:36 pm when the doors of the Great Hall seemingly opened by themselves. If someone had been there right then, and if the opening doors hadn't peaked their suspicions, the sudden yelp as four people collided would have given them great cause of concern.
"Watch it!" Draco hissed.
"Watch what?" Harry said indignantly, "You're invisible!"
"Then listen it!"
Azar snorted and Harry just decided to concede. They closed the doors quietly behind them and started making their way across the Hogwarts grounds, planning on reaching the Forbidden Forest before taking flight. The wind was still howling but thankfully the rain had stopped, for the moment at least.
"Draco," Harry whispered, "Watch it, your broomstick's visible."
"Oh sorry. Forgot Azar wasn't under here with me."
"Sod off," Harry said angrily, "I make one innocent remark—"
"Along with a number of suspicious ones," Draco interjected.
"Not to mention a face-to-face jealous confrontation," Azar added, grinning.
Harry didn't answer, preferring to steam in private. They reached the darkness of the forest and took the cloaks off for a moment. Azar shifted the bag hanging from her shoulder and checked James' in the process to see that it was tightly closed. Harry and Draco, out of habit, checked over their brooms to be sure they were in good condition. After a long silence and much shifting, they stood and looked at each other, feeling awkward.
"Ready?" Azar asked, clutching to her bag.
Draco and Harry nodded, but James did so with a strange finality. Harry couldn't help but feel that this kid before him wasn't James. He could tell by the look on Azar's face that she had noticed it, too.
In silence, they boarded their brooms, Azar and Harry on one, James and Draco on the other. They once again donned the invisibility cloaks.
"James, your foot is showing," Azar said gently over the sudden rush of wind through the trees.
With a slight movement, James' foot went out of sight.
"How will we keep in sight of each other?" Draco asked, almost worriedly.
"We'll fly above the clouds," Harry said, "Then we can take off the cloaks. Do you have a compass, Draco?"
The boy answered in the negative. "Then be sure to keep me in sight," Harry said, "Azar will be giving me directions. Ready?"
"Ready," three voices answered.
They kicked off from the ground, soaring above the trees. That's when they realized how strong the wind really was. The invisibility cloaks did little good, the riders trying to keep them on through the gale. Harry and Draco found it almost impossible to move forward, the wind tossing them from side to side.
"Back down!" Harry yelled at Draco, who willingly complied.
They found themselves once again in the Forbidden Forest, winded in every sense of the word.
"Now what?" Draco gasped, his eyes stinging from the wind.
"We walk," Azar answered grimly, "At least until we're out of sight of the castle. Then we'll have to fly straight up and hope the wind stops with the clouds."
"Any of you believe in bad omens?" Harry asked weakly.
"No, not really," Azar smiled, leading the way.
Not a little reluctantly, the other Heirs followed, the Four figures disappearing into the forest of innumerable black-trunked trees.
~*~*~
A/N: I did it! I finally finished to this point!!! *dances* That was my goal last chapter, but that thing was too long, and this, too! 19 pages. Man, is it better or worse to have long chapters? Do tell me.
Bit of explanation of that quote up there. 'Tis a bit of a creed (har, har) of mine now and as I was finishing this chapter up, all I listened to was my Creed cd. That line just hit me as "Man, that's what this chapter is about!", so I wanted to put it up. There you are. ^_^
Will Juniata and Remus escalate into something more? *shrug* Are Ron and Hermione finally back together? *shrug* Will Ady ever give a straight answer to any question dealing with plot? *shrug* ^_^ James acting a bit strange, eh? ^_^ Yes, well, he's got a big part to play. Don't know why I'm telling you this, but I feel like it. Ooh, the next chapter. *stomach does flip-flops* I've been waiting AGES to get to this point, and now it's here! I'm so excited! ^_^
Wow, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU everyone who reviewed! I'm so overwhelmed, and do know that it helps a lot. Reviews keep me in line, stop me from posting stupid scenes or writing things that shouldn't be in (or should). Question everything I write, truly do! It'll really help me in the end.
jona: Heehee, yeah. If anyone has a reason to be paranoid, it's Harry. And hurry with your own writing! Thanks!
Sandrine Black: ^_^ Thanks!
Allison: Er… Ron's not done. *giggles happily* *sings* How could I be so daft/ as not to say it was a draft?/ I'd say my writing skill/ is making way downhill! ^_^ I'm too happy. Ah, thanks! It was a pretty good review considering you were brain dead. ~_^
Trisiana: LOL Ah, I love Ron. I'm just trying to knock him about as much as I do everyone else. Besides, all this is VERY important. ^_^ Ron plays a lovely big part, and I'll dare ANYONE not to adore him after they read that part (which I won't post for a long time… *sigh*). Thanks!
sammi_chan: lol, Thanks. Er… *thinks* May be a long while before we know more about Ron and Perc…
Colibi: lol, Thanks. Yeah, I wasn't sure if all would understand that bit. Harry's missing robes was Azar's revenge for his comments. ^_^
Sonata: Ah, thanks. ^_^ Huzzah for plastic slinkys!!!
Mystery: Whoa, an hour? Heehee, I'm pleased. ^_^ And I'm going to try to write more of the fic. After all, I HAVE to finish it before book 5 gets out, and that's coming soon!
yerbroham: Yeah, love-shmuv, it's gonna be toned down, no worries. Thank you so much!
Caterfly: Well, I answered all your questions before, so there's only one thing to say: Thanks!
sammi_chan: lol, Thank you! No, nothing's happened in my family. I've just been overly overwhelmed by stupid school junk. (*shakes fist at internship teacher*) Ah yes, very happy! Being inspiration just makes me feel like dancing! Erm, I like the LotR movie, and I'm determined to some day read the books. *sigh* Another negative of school: zero personal reading time.
Gary Potter: Lol, your name cracked me up!!! ^_^ Thanks so much!
Moon Warrior: Oh goodness, don't apologize. I've had almost no time to read others fics, for which I am very ashamed. Lol, like I'd tell you whether it'll be Draco or Ron! Sorry, dear. ^_^ *cough* Erm… *considers whether or not to tell* Well, Draco does get a "cuddle". Won't say from who, except that it's not Ron. ^_^ Ooh, believe me, dear Mundungus gets something far worse than a kick in the pants… ^_^ Thanks!!!
Well, soon I'll get the next one up, so no worries there. I'll be gone for a good majority of Christmas Break, so no updates then… We'll see.
Thank you all so very much!
Be excellent to each other!
-Ady