Chapter 19: The First Holiday
"I don't know Hermione…" Ron said uneasily, his arm around her shoulder, "It's one thing not to see James or…Draco or even Azar all day. But Harry?"
Hermione nestled up to him, too exhausted after the Halloween feast to think clearly. "What if he's already in bed?"
Ron shook his head.
"I checked. In fact, I don't know if he was even here last night."
Hermione sat up slightly, a bit troubled. "Have you felt anything from any of them lately?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't know. I've gotten used to ignoring the little nuances that always crop up. Besides, I've been a bit…distracted."
Hermione sat up straight now, closing her eyes to concentrate. "Ron, I can't sense them at all! Any of them."
As always happened when Hermione showed worry, Ron began to feel panicky. "Do you think we should go to Dumbl—"
He didn't get a chance to finish. Both he and Hermione froze, their eyes widening with terror.
"Draco," Hermione breathed.
"Harry," Ron said, standing sharply, "Hermione, something's happening, something big! They're terrified!"
"But it's so faint!" Hermione said, standing up quickly by his side, "They can't be even near Hogwarts!"
Ron was breathing heavily now, his eyes darting about the room. "What do we do?"
"You go talk with Dumbledore," Hermione said urgently, "I'm going to find them."
"What?!" Ron cried in a mixture of dismay and confusion.
"I'm an animagus; I can fly out there and get close enough so to know where they are. They need help, Ron," she whispered earnestly.
"No," Ron said sternly, "I'll grab a broomstick and come with you."
Hermione shook her head. "I can fly about as fast as a Firebolt, Ron. We don't have time to be any slower. Besides, Dumbledore should be able to help. He'll know what to do."
Ron didn't want to agree but knew that any argument would be very weak when compared to Hermione's intellect. Reluctantly, he nodded.
"Okay, get to Dumbledore as quick as you can," she said hurriedly, rushing to the window and opening it, "I'll fly as fast as my wings will allow."
"Hermione," Ron said, following her. She turned to him expectantly. Quietly, he spoke up. "Be careful."
Before she could reply, he leaned forward and kissed her. It seemed like such a long time ago they had kissed last… Reluctantly, Ron pulled away.
Hermione looked up at him solemnly. "I will," she said quietly.
Then, turning to the window, she morphed into a hawk and soared out into the darkness. Ron watched her disappear into the night sky, then he turned to leave the common room and go to Dumbledore's office. He didn't even make it to the portrait hole.
Ron gave a cry and nearly fell to his knees. Pain… Harry was in terrible pain.
Instantly, his plans changed. He practically flew out of the common room and headed to a statue of a one-eyed witch. He didn't have time to go to Dumbledore and now had every intention of finding Harry, Draco, and Azar even before Hermione did. But first, he had to get off Hogwarts grounds…
****
"Harry!" Draco yelled, "Where are you?"
"I'm still right over here!" Harry called back, "Honestly, Draco, I told you: if we change directions, I'll tell you!"
"I don't like flying blindly. We've flown at least an hour like this. Isn't it dark enough to take the cloaks off?"
"Well, if you actually listened to me and hadn't kept turning anywhere you pleased, we would be there by now. Besides, if it's dark enough to take them off, we won't be able to see each other anyways."
"We will if we use lumos," Draco shot back, clearly determined to win this one.
"And what would that look like to muggles, Draco?"
"Harry," Azar said gently, "if anyone sees us, they'll think airplane, star, or UFO. Somehow I doubt three wizards and a witch flying by on two brooms will ever come to mind. And besides, it's Halloween; muggles are nuts for this kind of 'folklore' stuff."
"All right, fine then," Harry relented, "Take the cloak off, Draco. James, you use lumos with your wand. That goes for you, too, Azar."
Two bright specks appeared in the night sky, soaring fast, though no one was awake to see them.
"Turn a bit more to your left, Harry," Azar said, glancing at the compass, "We're getting near. We should be there within the hour."
Harry felt his stomach begin to churn. So this was it…
****
Harry walked around in the darkness, his eyes searching for any sign of movement. It wasn't easy in a dark forest where, with every breeze, shadows danced on the ground. He shivered slightly, tugging his cloak in tighter. The tip of his nose was feeling a bit numb and he was constantly rubbing his fingers to keep them warm. Not exactly what he'd planned to be doing Halloween morning. In fact, he hadn't had anything planned but sleep. How the best-laid plans go awry…
He paused a moment, gazing up at the half moon. One would have thought its light would be helpful, but all it did was stop his eyes from adjusting to the dark. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Giving a small yelp, he spun around to find no one there. Harry whipped out his wand, holding it out straight, looking about frantically for any movement.
"Whoa, relax, Harry," Draco Malfoy said as he took off his invisibility cloak, "It's me."
"Don't sneak up on a guy like that!" Harry scolded, pocketing his wand, "And why are you wearing that thing?"
Draco shrugged. "It gives a bit more warmth. And I always feel safer with it on."
"Ah, the handy security blanket."
Draco laughed, though it was a bit strained. He didn't particularly feel like laughing considering the circumstances. "So, seen anything yet?"
"Nothing but shadows," Harry answered.
"Same here. Is it just me, or does skulking on the outskirts of Liddesdale seem like a pointless search?"
"Urg, don't ask me," Harry sighed, "Azar says she has a 'feeling'."
"Well, I guess she's the Seer. I'll see you around."
Draco put his invisibility cloak back on and headed away. After another moment of rest, Harry too continued his search. He was really beginning to wish he'd pushed his let's-not-do-this instinct.
Azar Zundel walked determinable through the thick forest, not even feeling the cold. She really wasn't sure why they'd split up. It seemed better at the time to cover more ground, but now she thought it would have been best to stick together. Considering she had been looking for the others for the past half hour to no avail, she probably was right. Reaching a bit of a clearing, she looked about carefully. The night seemed especially dark despite the moon and she found herself relying more on her ears than her eyes.
A twig snapped sharply behind her. She spun around to find a masked figure. Apparently, she caught him off guard, but he quickly pointed a wand at her. Before even giving the action a thought, she gave him a swift kick to the stomach and, as he doubled over, struck him across the head with her foot. He fell and didn't move.
Azar breathed deeply for a while, then put down her fists from the ready position.
"Wait a second," she said suddenly, her hand going into her robe pocket and withdrawing something, "I have a wand! Honestly, sometimes I wonder where my brain goes."
"Azar!"
She turned to see Harry rushing out from behind some trees, looking almost panicked.
"Are you okay?" he said, a little breathless, "I felt a jolt of fear."
"Surprise. And I'm fine," she said, dusting off her robes and jerking a thumb at the motionless figure beside her, "Just had a close encounter with one of Voldemort's henchmen."
Harry stared at the Death Eater in shock. "But the letter said he was traveling alone…"
"Apparently plans changed," Azar said grimly.
"I don't like this," he said, "It was bad enough going after Voldemort alone, but with a forest full of Death Eaters… Maybe we should—"
"What, turn back?" Azar said indignantly, "After we've come so far?"
"Searching aimlessly for someone who may not even be here isn't exactly progress," Harry said tactfully, "Things aren't looking up, Azar."
She didn't look pleased, but gave a great sigh. "You may have something of a point… But I don't like giving up."
"It's not giving up as long as we try again," Harry assured her, "C'mon, let's find James."
"I-I'm right here," came a quivering voice.
They turned to see James stepping from the shadowy forest, but he wasn't alone. His face was contorted with pain and with good reason, for his arm was twisted agonizingly behind his back by a pale hand with fingers like spider's legs.
A cruel smile crept onto the Dark Lord's lips. "Well what do we have here?" he said mockingly.
Azar's wand was up instantly, followed quickly by Harry's, both pointed straight at Voldemort.
"Let him go," Azar said tersely, her eyes slitted.
Voldemort let out a cold, high laugh. "How forward you are. Might I know the name of one so ready to be rid of her life, and the lives of her friends?"
James cried out, Voldemort giving his arm another twist. Azar didn't so much as blink.
"Azar Zundel," she said loudly, "Muggleborn and Heir of Ravenclaw."
"Ah yes, an Heir," Voldemort said, almost laughing, "Yes, now I remember you. The girl that broke my wand… I should have known. Harry Potter… I have known you were Gryffindor's for a long time, something I am sure you know by now. Strange, though, how James is here. The prophecy, after all, spoke of Heirs of equal age." He took the boy's chin in his free hand, tilting it upwards. "It is a shame Quirrel did not kill him six years ago. Shows where mercy leads you when it comes to children. But then, Quirrel was weak."
His eyes fell on Harry as he said this, mocking. Harry clenched his teeth, trying to control his anger.
"And to think," Voldemort went on, "it was thanks to me that you received your scars, your 'marks of Zeus.'"
"Not mine," Azar said through clenched teeth, "Unless you cursed my bike so the chain would fall off as I started down the tallest hill in the neighborhood. If so, then I have another bone to pick with you."
"The girl thinks herself a comedian," Voldemort sneered, "How amusing… Well, let us see if you find this entertaining: I meant for you to be here tonight."
Harry felt his stomach do a somersault, his mouth going dry.
"Indeed, it was a slight nuisance to be sure that every Death Eater knew of my 'expedition'," the Dark Lord sneered, "but necessary so that the spy could inform you of my whereabouts. My plan seems to have succeeded. Though I must say, I would have expected more discretion from Dumbledore. Only a fool in haste would not realize that surely I would choose to Apparate over traveling by foot. And to leave the Four on their own…"
Azar's face burned but her gaze didn't falter. "Who says we're alone?"
Voldemort gave another high laugh. "Do you take me for a fool, girl? A simple detector charm shows that there are only four wands in these woods that do not belong to me or my companions. But where, I wonder, is the Heir of Slytherin?"
Harry and Azar didn't say a thing, their wands still pointed at the Dark Lord. Calculatingly, Voldemort reached his free hand into James' robe pocket, taking from it a wand.
"I wonder," he said slowly, bringing the wand up and placing it against James' throat, "how it would feel to be killed with your own wand?"
James' eyes grew wide and he hardly dared to breathe. Harry and Azar gripped their wands tighter.
"I ask you again, where is the Heir of Slytherin?"
"We don't know," Harry said tensely.
Voldemort's expression darkened. "I do not tolerate defiance."
He gave James' arm another wrench, and the boy cried out, tears spilling from his eyes.
Before Harry or Azar could even think to react, another voice cried, "Expelliarmus!"
James' wand was thrown from Voldemort's grip as he himself was hurled to the ground. The boy quickly snatched up his wand, scrambling to his feet. He pointed his wand firmly at Voldemort, supporting it with both hands, his right shaking still from the pain. To James' right and Harry's left, Draco pulled off his invisibility cloak, also targeting the Dark Lord.
Slowly, Voldemort stood, facing Draco. He was not one to show his panic, gazing coldly at the boy who just attacked him. "Draco Malfoy: I should have expected nothing less. Malfoys always seek power, though normally not so foolishly. Strange that the son stands here while the father lies useless."
Harry realized the meaning of this with a jolt and turned, looking at the crumpled Death Eater. Draco followed his gaze, his face going pale.
"Father?" he whispered.
"He's not dead, Draco," Azar said firmly, "Just knocked out."
"You should be so lucky," Voldemort cried venomously, whipping out his wand and pointing it at the Heir of Slytherin.
Without thinking, Harry yelled out:
"Bellicum!"
A white light burst from the end of Harry's wand, striking Voldemort and holding fast. Voldemort screamed, as though in deepest pain, but Harry held tight to his wand. "Draco!" he said, "It's your turn! Let's finish this."
"Plagae!"
Another white beam flashed from Draco's wand, connecting to the Dark Lord in a thick rope. Azar held out her wand.
"Technae!"
Again, another string of light linked itself to Voldemort. James stepped forward.
"Aspicio!"
When the fourth beam hit the man, a great white light erupted from the center point, blinding the Four for a moment. When the light dimmed some, they saw Voldemort on his hands and knees, crying out with pain. Around him was a swirling hemisphere made of electrical white light, its borders created by the wandtips of the Heirs. As they watched, the semi-transparent barrier changed colors, from white to yellow, causing Voldemort to yell even more violently.
Suddenly, in a burst of adrenaline, Voldemort rushed to his feet, running to the barrier wall, right at James. He struck it and was halted, the wall's color rippling from the impact. But it stood firm.
Voldemort breathed deep, trying to ignore the pain, and glared around at the circle, trying to see clearly. His scarlet eyes fell on Harry as the yellow enclosure faded into blue. Struggling, the creature lifted his wand.
"Avada Ke—"
"No!" James yelled, plunging a hand into the circle of green light and grabbing hold of the back of Voldemort's robes, distracting him. The boy cried out, eyes watering as burning pain engulfed his arm. But he refused to let go.
"Release me!" Voldemort howled in anger, grabbing blindly for the boy's hand.
The beast got hold of his target and, before anyone had time to react, pulled James in with him. The young screams that filled the air seemed to reverberate through Harry's eardrums, until all that seemed to exist was that horrifying cry of pain.
"Pull off the spell! Pull off the spell!" Draco cried, terrified.
"NO!" James yelled, struggling to get to his feet through the pain.
Voldemort again was raising his wand, this time pointing it at Draco. Gritting his teeth, James launched himself forward, knocking the dark wizard to the ground. The sapphire cage now turned to scarlet and the young boy's determination wavered a moment. He cried out in pain.
"James, we're pulling the spell off!" Azar yelled.
"No!" James cried back, his eyes clenched tight, "He'll get out! Finish it!"
"But if we do it," Harry said, suddenly grasping the situation, "James, you'll—"
"I said finish it!"
"No, James!" Azar said angrily, "There's more than one way out of this!"
"Please do it…" James said, eyes pleading, "I can't take this… Just do it now."
Voldemort kicked James, sending him across the enclosure toward Harry. The wall changed then from red to emerald. Tears streamed down the young Hufflepuff's face, and even though he still tried to control them, whimpers escaped his mouth.
"James, please, let us stop this!" Azar yelled, trying to hold back her tears.
Harry looked at her, then back at James. He was so close… Before he could think twice about it, Harry reached into the circle. His nerves all jumped at once, screaming at him to bring his arm out, but he ignored them. Just a few more centimeters…his fingers were touching James'.
Suddenly, a pale hand with long fingers grabbed Harry's wrist. He looked up, seeing a maniacal grin on Voldemort's face. Then the Dark Lord tugged forward, Harry's head plunging through the green light.
His mind was filled with one explosive thought: pain. It clutched at him, held him, strangled him. Nothing else existed, and it seemed nothing else ever would. Suddenly, a smaller, warmer hand grabbed onto his arm, and Harry felt himself pushed out of the circle.
The walls turned from a vibrant green to violet then; the last phase of the spell.
"NOW!!!" James screamed, holding on tight to Voldemort's wand and pointing his own upwards.
Realizing there was no use arguing, the four Heirs, James firmest of all, cried in one voice, "Mortalis abiciectum!"
From within the very center of the hemisphere, an orb of bright violet light quickly formed and suddenly exploded, knocking the Three to the ground. Then all light faded and the forest held only silence.
Slowly, Harry stood up, gazing about him. He looked down at his hands, one, the one that had reached for James, burned and blistering. Again, he looked at everything around him, confusion coming to his blank eyes. As if in a shock, he walked, almost towards Azar, but then farther behind her. She sat up, curling her legs up beside her, staring at nothing in surprise.
Draco stood also. His eyes fell upon the two figures lying motionless on the ground, one so small… Then he saw something that caused his stomach to plunge. The large figure moved. Voldemort stirred, then sat up, then even stood, facing Draco. Azar watched this in horror, unable to move or speak. Harry didn't see a thing, his back to the scene, staring at the ground in thought and running a hand through his hair. Voldemort seemed as much in shock as the Three, gazing around slowly. Then his eyes fell on Draco, and they narrowed. Slowly, he raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" the Dark Lord cried with great ferocity.
The green light sped towards Draco, frozen with horror. There was no blocking it, no dodging it.
"Draco!" Azar screamed. Harry looked around frantically.
Suddenly, just before it struck the terrified boy, the green light split into two. The two beams swerved around Draco, almost as if with a mind of their own, colliding into two trees with a crash. Creaking, their roots pulling up, the trees fell down, down, finally slamming into the forest floor.
Draco stared at Voldemort in shock, and the man simply returned the look. Then slowly, the Dark Lord looked down at his hands in disbelief and horror. He looked back at Draco once more, and then with a small pop, the man was gone.
For a long time, the three Heirs were silent, in shock. It was Draco who first woke from the reverie. He looked around at the others. Azar still sat on the ground, her legs bent so that she almost sat upon them, her hand resting on an ankle and her eyes wide and wretched. Harry stood a ways off, again turned away from them, his head bowed in grief. And then there was James…
Slowly, Draco walked over to the limp form of the Heir of Hufflepuff. He looked into the young face, its eyes wide and tears shining upon its cheeks. Draco knelt beside him, checking the wrist for a pulse and finding none. Taking a deep breath, he passed a hand over the child's face, closing its eyes, then gently drying the tears.
"Rest in peace, little badger," he said softly
Azar jolted at these words, looking at Draco. Her eyes grew wider and wider, her mouth gaping in horror. Slowly, then faster and faster she shook her head, mouthing again and again, "No."
"Oh God, no…" suddenly escaped her lips, "No! Little badger… no, no. Little badger!"
Draco looked over at her, shocked. Slowly, she stood and then she practically flew over to Draco, her eyes fixed on James' motionless countenance.
"What have I done?" she whispered.
To Draco's shock, Azar suddenly took James' body in her arms, holding it tight to her, and wept.
"I'm sorry, James; I'm sorry!" she cried, shaking her head, "I didn't realize… I didn't know! Forgive me, James… It's all my fault."
Draco stared, not knowing what to say or do, trapped between terror and tears. Slowly, he reached out a hand and touched Azar's arm.
"C'mon, Azar," he said softly, "There's nothing you can do for him."
"Why can't I stop it, Draco?" she asked quietly, her gaze still upon James, "Am I meant to suffer, to live through the pain twice?"
Suddenly, Draco thought he might understand. He looked at her earnestly, taking her by the shoulders. "Azar, did you See this?" he said quickly, "Was this the 'forest nightmare'?"
Azar stared at him woefully, then slowly shook her head. "No… No, that had green light. That was many… But I Saw this, too… The purple light, a white face, red eyes, screams… 'Rest in peace, little badger…' Why didn't I understand?"
The forest was silent again, Draco trying to help but not knowing how.
"Here, Azar," Draco said, gently reaching out to take James, "I'll carry him."
"No," she said hopelessly, "This is a burden no one can relieve me of."
Uncertain, Draco turned to Harry, still standing alone, his head bowed low. "You okay, Harry? Your face and arm look pretty burnt."
"I'm fine. Just… Just fine."
Again, Draco looked back and forth between his friends, Harry staring stiffly at the ground, Azar mournfully holding James' limp figure.
"We beat him, didn't we?" he said, as if trying only to assure himself, "At least that's something to be happy about!"
"No we didn't," Azar answered, her words stinging, "We failed."
"What do you mean? He's gone!" Draco indicated to the spot where Voldemort had stood, as if to prove his point.
"He Disapparated," Azar spat, "Didn't you see?! He was alive and well! We failed! James died for nothing…"
Silence prevailed, Draco suddenly without a desire to see the bright side. After a while, Azar stood up, still holding James. Her frame, weak from all they'd suffered through, shook with the effort to hold him, but she didn't let go. The small figure hung limply in her arms. "There's nothing more we can do. We should go back to Hogwarts."
Draco nodded dejectedly in agreement. "Come on, Harry," he said quietly, "Let's get our brooms."
"Could you lead me?" Harry answered without moving, his words hollow.
"What?"
"I…" Harry paused as tears streamed down his cheeks, his eyes fixed blankly to a spot on the ground.
"I can't see…"
****
"Something's happened," Hermione kept repeating over and over in her mind, "Something horrible has happened."
She flew as fast as she could, her eyes straining against the darkness. The terror had faded long ago, but it was replaced by sorrow. She felt it from all three of them now. The feeling was so strong, she knew they were very near and flew down to the ground. She quickly turned back into her human form, looking around the thinly forested area.
"Draco!" she called, "Harry! Azar! Where are you?"
"Hermione?"
Jumping slightly, she turned to find probably the last person she expected to see.
"Ron?" she gaped, "Wha…how?"
"Harry was in pain, so I had to come," Ron said.
"But…how did you get here before I did?" Hermione asked, still confused.
"They weren't too far; I was able to get an idea of where they were. Besides," he said, going quiet, "pain is stronger than fear…"
"Have you not found them?" she asked.
"No, but I haven't been calling out like you were. Do think we should or is it too dangerous?"
"I don't care, we just have to find them."
"Not if we find you first."
Ron and Hermione spun around to see Draco take off his invisibility cloak, walking up to them. Ron instantly stiffened.
"We heard you calling," Draco explained before they asked, "We had to be sure it was safe, that it wasn't Death Eaters, that's why I was wearing the cloak."
There was a heaviness to his voice that sent dread through Hermione's system. "What happened, Draco?"
"James is dead," he said quietly, not looking at her.
Hermione put her hand to her mouth, feeling numb. Ron's eyes grew wide. "There's more. Harry's blind. He's also burned pretty bad. I didn't know how to treat him, and Azar…she's not really herself. She won't put James down, and I know she'll collapse soon if she doesn't. We need help," Draco admitted.
"Where are they?" Ron asked hoarsely.
Draco didn't answer, just turning and leading the way. Ron and Hermione hurried, trying in vain to see ahead of them, but Draco walked as though he didn't want to go any farther. They came to an area that seemed to have more shadows than all the rest. There stood Azar, James still in her arms. Her knees shook with the effort to stand up. Harry sat under a tree, staring blankly at his hands, two brooms at his side. As soon as he saw them, Ron stopped, feeling as though something was suddenly lodged in his throat. Hermione didn't say anything for a long while, closing her eyes slowly to get rid of the weight upon her heart.
"Harry," she finally said gently, "Azar. We're here. Ron and I came."
Azar looked up, her eyes shining. Harry didn't move. Feeling as though his feet were made of lead, Ron walked over to Azar.
"I'll take him," he said huskily, trying to keep his voice from quivering.
Azar shook her head.
"You can't hold him forever, Azar," Hermione send gently, walking over, "Let me lay him down."
"No," Azar whispered, "No, you can't do that."
Slowly, struggling with each movement, Azar got to her knees, gently placing James on the ground. She removed her arms from around him, then slowly got back to her feet. Hermione gently placed an arm around her shoulder, comforting her. Ron, feeling a bit dazed, walked over to Harry, kneeling by his side.
"Here, let me take a look at that," Ron said, carefully taking Harry's burnt arm.
Harry winced, but didn't make a noise. Ron gazed at the skin, raw and shining, unsure of what to do.
"Are you okay?" he finally asked.
"I was so close," Harry whispered, "Just a centimeter more and I could have saved him…"
"Harry, no," Ron said firmly, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Do not go blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."
Harry nodded slowly, his face as raw and shining as his arm. "I guess I already received my punishment, so why condemn myself further?"
Ron opened his mouth but nothing came out. He couldn't think of anything to say.
"Ron," Hermione whispered, indicating him to come over to her and Draco.
Ron gave Harry a comforting pat then walked over to where she waited.
"They need more help than we can give them," Hermione said quietly, "And there's no way we can get back on the brooms…not with James."
"I'll go back to the school and get help," Ron said quickly, "The only other choice would be to leave James, and we're not doing that."
Hermione nodded firmly. "I'll take care of them best I can."
Ron turned to leave but paused a moment. Draco was looking at the ground solemnly, as though he hadn't heard a word. Hesitatingly, Ron reached a hand out to place on his shoulder but stopped. It hovered there a moment, and then Ron withdrew his hand without having so much as brushed Draco's cloak. Without a word, he hurried off out of sight.
Determinably, Hermione turned back to Harry and Azar. After a while, Draco moved from his spot, but only farther away from the others. Hermione was there now, he didn't need to be the strong one any more. He stole out of sight, leaning one hand heavily against a tree and burying his face in the other. He was still there when the sky started to fade to a dull gray, and the professors arrived.
~*~*~
A/N: I'd forgotten how hard that was to write until I had to read it… I'm sure more than a couple of you saw that coming. It had to be done…
Many thanks to Caterfly, my beta-reader for this chapter and a good one at that. (Notice how that one area we argued fervently over, the one I simply would not budge on, was…well, budged? ^_^) That made the LotR line wait just fly by.
Tomorrow I am off to Hawaii, but I am taking my laptop with me and so shall hopefully get to writing the next chapter. (Which won't be as easy as this one since I don't have a bit of it written…) Goodness, I'm almost not even sure of where to go. I know where I want to go but how to get there… Hm.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 18!!!
Wishstar: Thank you! And thank you, Lady Grizz. ^_^ lol, PMS, that would suck. Merry Christmas to you, too!
Starry: Thanks! But do write your own work! It's really great to get stuff up on ffn and get great reviews! ^_^
Puddles: Just what I was going for. Thanks!
Jim: Thanks! I'll try. ^_^
jona: *sniffles* That chokes me up every time, especially coming from such an author as yourself. ^_^ Thank you so much!
Naralina: Yeah, they are. And they will find out how much so later, next chapter, and even a bit more long after that. No, in June 1992, Harry was still 11. It would be a month before he was 12, thus he was 12 in "the year of the killer diary". Er…I didn't remember the shape of the Gryff common room, oh well. ^_^ And I guess I need to reread book 4, because I don't remember mention of the entrance. And Allison, for all the great ideas you've given me, for this one I must say: Darn you!!! If it weren't for that idea, I wouldn't have been tearing my hair out like that! I hadn't even planned on sticking in that last bit with Ron and Herm coming in. *sigh* You don't even know what that put me through. And no spiteful glares; YOU're going to Europe! Yes, forest nightmare revelation comes in…mm, right after Christmas I believe. Thanks!
Jeanne: lol ^_^ Thanks!
Liliana-Suger: Thanks!!!
Moon Warrior: lol *makes a face* Ewwww… That is a mental picture I could have seriously done without! And don't worry, he gets worse than torture. ^_^ Thanks!
Caterfly: lol, chica, you're too funny. ^_^ Thanks for the help!
KingJasbon: No, Draco isn't related to Voldemort. *shudders* ^_^ But sure, and thanks!
PrincessForever: Mm, I've been trying to get my chars. developed well. Guess it's something to remember. ^_^ And no, it's not from the Bible (not even close, unless you are a very strange person… ^_^) It's from the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. My history teacher showed it as a joke my sophomore year, and those wise words have been with me ever since. ^_^ Thank you very much.
abbey: *quivers* Girl, you're going to kill me with those hints about Magice's suffering!!!!! Girl, write that will ya?! Thanks for the review, though.
Well, that is all, I believe. I've been having fun writing little scenes for a new fanfic, that shall appear after this one is done. I'm trying to get really down on myself with this one because I HAVE to finish it before OoP comes out! (Which hopefully shall be soon! *dances*) So chastise me all you want to get it done, I need it!
Happy Holidays to all of you!
And be excellent to each other!
-Ady