Disclaimer: All characters are property of J.K. Rowling and are being used
without permission. No attempt has been made to copyright this work. This novel
is purely for the entertainment of the author and readers and is not being used
for profit of any sort.
CHAPTER FIVE
The Wary and the Wise
"Well boys," Mr. Weasley said as he appraised his sons and Harry, "guess it's pretty obvious who won this time, eh?"
The twins were absolutely soaking and George's encounter with the wheelbarrow and the ground underneath it had left him filthy. Harry and Ron were a little soggy in certain areas, but they had definitely come out on top.
"They got lucky." George muttered as he headed towards the house.
"Hold on now, son." Mr. Weasley beckoned, "If your mother sees you in the house in that state there really WILL be a homicide this evening."
"Luckily I have just the right spell for the situation".
"Tropicus Boreas "
Harry stood back as a sudden miniature tornado engulfed George. Harry could feel heat radiating from the wind. He was reminded of the electric clothes dryer in the Dursley's home.
George emerged from the miniature twister dry as a bone. Another wave of Mr. Weasley's wand and he was as clean as he was before they had started their watery battle.
Mr. Weasley repeated the process for Fred and Ron then sent them into the house. "We'll be there in a second, it may take a bit of preparation for Harry." he said as they left.
"Preparation?", Harry thought.
"Now Harry, it's best to close your eyes for this. Here, let me hold your glasses for you. There now...try to stay upright during the spin, there's a risk you could bump your head on the ground if you don't...and please let me know if you start to feel sick. I had a very unpleasant experience with Ron once. Got all over the lawn."
Harry was starting to think that maybe he should just get cleaned up the old-fashioned way when Mr. Weasley cast the spell.
Harry was spinning faster than a top in an instant. The disorientation reminded him of traveling via the Floo network. Thankfully, it was over rather quickly. The ride had not been as fun as it looked when the twins and Ron went through it.
"There now Harry, that wasn't so bad was it?" said Mr. Weasley as he steadied a very dizzy Harry. "Maybe you should stand here for a second to get your wits about you."
Harry put his glasses back on and stood there for a moment, using his hands to try to get his hair into some kind of order. It didn't take long for everything to come back into focus, but something was still bothering him.
"Er...sir...I was just wondering...why..."
"Why my wife didn't hex you into next Thursday?" Mr. Weasley interrupted with a smile.
"Exactly." Harry replied.
"Nothing to worry about, Harry. We all know how much you've been through recently. I don't think Molly had the heart to lay into you for something as silly as a misplaced water balloon. Though if I were you, I'd be very careful around her from now on. I haven't known anyone to escape her wrath twice."
Mr. Weasley and Harry went into the house for dinner. Mrs. Weasley had apparently decided to bury herself in the work of preparing the food, and had not said anything to anyone. This slightly disturbed Ron and the twins, who were sure that at the first misstep they would receive the fury that Harry had avoided.
"Uhm...Mr. Weasley...if you don't mind me asking, how are things going with the Order?" Harry was a bit afraid to ask, but he needed to know some things.
"Ah, yes. Well, we've been very busy with establishing the new headquarters."
Harry recalled something about "moving some furniture" in one of Mad-Eye's cryptic letters. He had assumed that meant that the Order of the Phoenix was no longer stationed at 12 Grimmauld Place.
"After...the events at the Ministry...Dumbledore decided it would be best to relocate. Kreacher had obviously compromised our security, so it just wasn't safe there anymore. It has taken some time to find a new place, and we've all been working in shifts to set up protection and concealment spells and such."
"What happened to Kreacher?" Harry asked, hoping that it involved something painful.
"Ah yes...that mess. Well, Dumbledore felt that leaving Kreacher alone in that house for the rest of his days would be punishment enough. Lupin had his own plans though. When he heard of Kreacher's betrayal he put a restraining spell on him and tried to strangle him with his bare hands. Shacklebolt and I had a bloody difficult time pulling him off. Dumbledore had to make him promise that he wouldn't go back and finish the job later."
"Is someone finally going to tell me where the new headquarters is?" Ron complained.
"You'll find out when the time is right, son. Best not to speak of details yet."
***
Dinner that evening was a little tense but everyone survived it without incident, which was all Harry could ask for. After dinner Ron and Harry settled in for a bit of chess while the twins pored over diagrams for what appeared to be a set of self-propelling shoes. The evening progressed rather quickly, and after several defeats at the hands of Ron's very intimidating chess pieces Harry decided to call it a night. He said goodnight to the Weasley men and gave Mrs. Weasley a very apologetic hug ("Oh that's sweet of you dear. I'm fine, really.")
As he put on his pajamas and got into bed, Harry hoped he would be able to continue his earlier conversation with Sirius.
Morning announced itself with yet another stream of light in his face. The night had been dreamless (but there had been no nightmares either so Harry couldn't complain).
Harry checked the time and noticed that he had slept a bit more than he intended, but judging by the soft snores coming from Ron he wasn't the only one. Harry also noticed that there was some noise coming from downstairs. He got dressed quickly and headed down to investigate.
Harry was halfway down the stairs when he encountered a tall red-headed figure he hadn't seen in awhile.
"Good morning, Harry!" Bill Weasley greeted him with a wide smile and a very firm handshake. "It's good to see you again."
"You too, Bill. How was the trip?"
"Pretty good, pretty good. Wasn't anything particularly interesting, just a bit of a treasue dig on one of the English Isles. It was really quite a treat to get to know my little sister a bit better though. She was just a toddler when I left home, you know? You'd better watch out for that one though, Harry." Bill said as he lowered his voice a bit. "She's not so little anymore."
"I've noticed." Harry said jokingly as he recalled that she was currently dating Dean Thomas, her second boyfriend.
Bill headed upstairs to wake up Ron while Harry headed downstairs where he found the rest of the Weasley family.
The twins were already preparing to return to the shop while Ginny was having a chat with her mother. Arthur Weasley wasn't around. Harry figured he was probably at the Ministry.
"Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley beamed, "come on and have some breakfast. Now that Ginny is here we can make a trip to Diagon Alley this afternoon so don't dawdle, and where is that lazy son of mine?" she said as she glanced at the staircase.
"Hi Harry." Ginny said as she sat down across from him. "I hear you've been giving my poor mum some trouble. I suppose that makes you an official Weasley son now."
Harry grinned at that.
"She has enough to worry about though Harry so don't make a habit out of it, or you'll have to answer to me." Ginny threatened with a glare that was reminiscent of her mother's.
"Not so little anymore." Harry thought as he ate his toast.
Once breakfast was done Ron, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Harry prepared for their trip to purchase school supplies. Harry was looking forward to the trip, for no other reason than to finally visit the twin's shop. After another unpleasant experience with Floo powder, Harry found himself in Diagon Alley.
***
The Alley was fairly busy that day with the start of the Hogwarts term quickly approaching. It didn't take long for Harry to run into some of his classmates. Seamus and Neville had already welcomed him back and he was pretty sure he had seen Cho in the distance.
The first stop on their trip was the joke shop, mainly because Mrs. Weasley wanted to get that bit of business out of the way as soon as possible. The group walked quickly over to ninety-three Diagon Alley.
Harry was very impressed with the storefront. A very large "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" sign clearly marked the new favorite haunt of the Hogwart's students. The Weasley crest (a large W set behind a very alert looking weasel) was featured prominently underneath the letters. Harry was fairly sure that Mrs. Weasley disapproved of that use of the crest, but she didn't say anything.
Harry, Ron and Ginny stepped inside while Mrs. Weasley waited at the door ("I've been in there enough for my tastes, thank you."). The shop was a cornucopia of mischief. Fireworks were prominently displayed next to the new and improved line of Skiving Snackboxes. Some first-year students near the back of the shop were trying on some Invisibility Hats. A sudden foul stench indicated that someone had accidentally set off a dung-bomb.
"Hey there Harry, what do you think?" one of the twins shouted at Harry from behind the counter.
"I think it's absolutely brilliant." Harry said through a wide grin.
"Excellent." the other twin applauded. "Our primary investor is getting his money's worth."
"Hey guys, is the Wizarding Device shop open today?" Ron asked as he looked at his Hogwart's supply list. That particular shop kept very strange hours.
"Should be, we ran into Wiseacre senior this morning. You should have fun in Max's class." Fred commented, ringing up another customer. "Brilliant man he is, he's been helping us with some of the finer technical points of our new line of Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Good sense of humor too. He hardly complained at all when we gave him that 4 foot rat tail."
The stay in the shop was far too short for Harry, but Mrs. Weasley insisted that they get going. Harry bid the twins farewell and head off to Flourish and Blotts.
In Flourish and Blotts Harry saw something he had never seen before. Mrs. Weasley bought brand new books for Ron and Ginny. At first Harry thought that the twins must have had something to do with that. After a moment he realized that with only 2 children left to put through school, the Weasley's financial situation had probably improved greatly. Harry also recalled that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were far too proud to let their sons pay for books anyway. Harry couldn't recall Ron ever looking so happy on a shopping trip.
The book requirements for Ron and Harry this year weren't all that much. The NEWT level potions book that had been selected was very slim. Apparently it focused on a small number of highly complex, specialized potions. The Transfiguration book was a bit larger than usual, but apart from that the boys would have a lot less to lug around this year.
Their final stop was Wiseacre's Wizarding Device shop, at the end of Diagon Alley near the entrance to Knockturn Alley. From the ceiling of the shop hung many neat rows of spiked golden objects. In shelves on the walls were silvery objects similar to many of the ones in Dumbledore's office. Wizard cameras and telescopes were displayed in the shop window.
The shop was owned by an eccentric black wizard in his sixties. The man had a deep tan complexion and a very wrinkly face. He stood up to greet them as they came in.
"Ah, Mrs. Weasley, it's been far too long." he said kindly.
"Yes it has." she replied. "This is my youngest son Ron, my daughter Ginny, and their friend Harry."
"Osiris Wiseacre, at your service." the wizened warlock said with a deep bow. "What is it that you require on this fine day?"
"We're here to buy two lore kits." Ron said, reading his list.
"Ahhh yes, you'll be taking my son's course then." Mr. Wiseacre said as he went to retrieve the kits. "He was very excited when Dumbledore asked him to teach, it's quite an honor. He's the youngest instructor hired since Professor Snape I believe. Hopefully, it won't go to his head. Young people can so easily become enamored with themselves. I suspect that his friends at the Department of Mysteries will keep his ego in check though. Unspeakables have a knack for...humbling...even the wisest of us."
The elder man returned with two small black chests. "Well here you are, two general purpose kits for lore study. If you have any trouble with any of the contents, please come back and we'll set everything right."
"Thank you." Harry and Ron said as they left. As soon as they walked out the door Mr. Wiseacre seemed to be closing up the shop again. "Don't see how he's done so well for all these years." Mrs. Weasley commented.
As they were leaving Harry caught a glimpse of a head of pale blond hair in the corner of his eye. He turned to see Draco Malfoy heading into Knockturn Alley by himself. "Up to no good as usual." Ron commented. "Probably trying to find just the right poison to use on you, Harry."
Harry felt that statement probably wasn't far from the truth.
****************************************************************************
Author's notes:
First off, thanks to everyone for the great reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope I can keep you all captivated until the end. Now for some notes about what I've written so far:
-I've had some questions about Voldemort allowing Snape back into the Death Eater fold. Indeed, in Goblet of Fire Voldemort does say "One, too cowardly to return...he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever...he will be killed, of course." Dumbledore then later says "Severus, you know what I must ask you to do..if you are ready...if you are prepared." I interpret all this as meaning that Voldemort SUSPECTS (he's probably about 80% sure) that Snape has turned against him, but Snape may not know that (after all it was Harry who heard what Voldemort said, and even if he had understood who Voldemort was talking about, he may not have told anyone). It also appears that Dumbledore is specifically asking Snape to go undercover, though he understands the risk. Then of course, Voldemort could always PRETEND to allow Snape back...fully intending to kill him later once he had used him for his own purposes...we'll have to see.
-Yes indeed, I've taken my pen name after the Maximillian Wiseacre character. After I created the character I just thought he was so cool I just had to. Wiseacre isn't really a 100% original idea though, if you look at the Chamber of Secrets special features dvd, the Wiseacre shop is shown right next to the "Robes for all Occasions" shop and is indeed, not far from the entrance to knockturn alley.
-The weasley seal also comes from the Chamber of Secrets special features dvd. The seal was on the howler that Mrs. Weasley sent to Ron.
-And yes, I am a detail freak. :-)
The Wary and the Wise
"Well boys," Mr. Weasley said as he appraised his sons and Harry, "guess it's pretty obvious who won this time, eh?"
The twins were absolutely soaking and George's encounter with the wheelbarrow and the ground underneath it had left him filthy. Harry and Ron were a little soggy in certain areas, but they had definitely come out on top.
"They got lucky." George muttered as he headed towards the house.
"Hold on now, son." Mr. Weasley beckoned, "If your mother sees you in the house in that state there really WILL be a homicide this evening."
"Luckily I have just the right spell for the situation".
"Tropicus Boreas "
Harry stood back as a sudden miniature tornado engulfed George. Harry could feel heat radiating from the wind. He was reminded of the electric clothes dryer in the Dursley's home.
George emerged from the miniature twister dry as a bone. Another wave of Mr. Weasley's wand and he was as clean as he was before they had started their watery battle.
Mr. Weasley repeated the process for Fred and Ron then sent them into the house. "We'll be there in a second, it may take a bit of preparation for Harry." he said as they left.
"Preparation?", Harry thought.
"Now Harry, it's best to close your eyes for this. Here, let me hold your glasses for you. There now...try to stay upright during the spin, there's a risk you could bump your head on the ground if you don't...and please let me know if you start to feel sick. I had a very unpleasant experience with Ron once. Got all over the lawn."
Harry was starting to think that maybe he should just get cleaned up the old-fashioned way when Mr. Weasley cast the spell.
Harry was spinning faster than a top in an instant. The disorientation reminded him of traveling via the Floo network. Thankfully, it was over rather quickly. The ride had not been as fun as it looked when the twins and Ron went through it.
"There now Harry, that wasn't so bad was it?" said Mr. Weasley as he steadied a very dizzy Harry. "Maybe you should stand here for a second to get your wits about you."
Harry put his glasses back on and stood there for a moment, using his hands to try to get his hair into some kind of order. It didn't take long for everything to come back into focus, but something was still bothering him.
"Er...sir...I was just wondering...why..."
"Why my wife didn't hex you into next Thursday?" Mr. Weasley interrupted with a smile.
"Exactly." Harry replied.
"Nothing to worry about, Harry. We all know how much you've been through recently. I don't think Molly had the heart to lay into you for something as silly as a misplaced water balloon. Though if I were you, I'd be very careful around her from now on. I haven't known anyone to escape her wrath twice."
Mr. Weasley and Harry went into the house for dinner. Mrs. Weasley had apparently decided to bury herself in the work of preparing the food, and had not said anything to anyone. This slightly disturbed Ron and the twins, who were sure that at the first misstep they would receive the fury that Harry had avoided.
"Uhm...Mr. Weasley...if you don't mind me asking, how are things going with the Order?" Harry was a bit afraid to ask, but he needed to know some things.
"Ah, yes. Well, we've been very busy with establishing the new headquarters."
Harry recalled something about "moving some furniture" in one of Mad-Eye's cryptic letters. He had assumed that meant that the Order of the Phoenix was no longer stationed at 12 Grimmauld Place.
"After...the events at the Ministry...Dumbledore decided it would be best to relocate. Kreacher had obviously compromised our security, so it just wasn't safe there anymore. It has taken some time to find a new place, and we've all been working in shifts to set up protection and concealment spells and such."
"What happened to Kreacher?" Harry asked, hoping that it involved something painful.
"Ah yes...that mess. Well, Dumbledore felt that leaving Kreacher alone in that house for the rest of his days would be punishment enough. Lupin had his own plans though. When he heard of Kreacher's betrayal he put a restraining spell on him and tried to strangle him with his bare hands. Shacklebolt and I had a bloody difficult time pulling him off. Dumbledore had to make him promise that he wouldn't go back and finish the job later."
"Is someone finally going to tell me where the new headquarters is?" Ron complained.
"You'll find out when the time is right, son. Best not to speak of details yet."
Dinner that evening was a little tense but everyone survived it without incident, which was all Harry could ask for. After dinner Ron and Harry settled in for a bit of chess while the twins pored over diagrams for what appeared to be a set of self-propelling shoes. The evening progressed rather quickly, and after several defeats at the hands of Ron's very intimidating chess pieces Harry decided to call it a night. He said goodnight to the Weasley men and gave Mrs. Weasley a very apologetic hug ("Oh that's sweet of you dear. I'm fine, really.")
As he put on his pajamas and got into bed, Harry hoped he would be able to continue his earlier conversation with Sirius.
Morning announced itself with yet another stream of light in his face. The night had been dreamless (but there had been no nightmares either so Harry couldn't complain).
Harry checked the time and noticed that he had slept a bit more than he intended, but judging by the soft snores coming from Ron he wasn't the only one. Harry also noticed that there was some noise coming from downstairs. He got dressed quickly and headed down to investigate.
Harry was halfway down the stairs when he encountered a tall red-headed figure he hadn't seen in awhile.
"Good morning, Harry!" Bill Weasley greeted him with a wide smile and a very firm handshake. "It's good to see you again."
"You too, Bill. How was the trip?"
"Pretty good, pretty good. Wasn't anything particularly interesting, just a bit of a treasue dig on one of the English Isles. It was really quite a treat to get to know my little sister a bit better though. She was just a toddler when I left home, you know? You'd better watch out for that one though, Harry." Bill said as he lowered his voice a bit. "She's not so little anymore."
"I've noticed." Harry said jokingly as he recalled that she was currently dating Dean Thomas, her second boyfriend.
Bill headed upstairs to wake up Ron while Harry headed downstairs where he found the rest of the Weasley family.
The twins were already preparing to return to the shop while Ginny was having a chat with her mother. Arthur Weasley wasn't around. Harry figured he was probably at the Ministry.
"Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley beamed, "come on and have some breakfast. Now that Ginny is here we can make a trip to Diagon Alley this afternoon so don't dawdle, and where is that lazy son of mine?" she said as she glanced at the staircase.
"Hi Harry." Ginny said as she sat down across from him. "I hear you've been giving my poor mum some trouble. I suppose that makes you an official Weasley son now."
Harry grinned at that.
"She has enough to worry about though Harry so don't make a habit out of it, or you'll have to answer to me." Ginny threatened with a glare that was reminiscent of her mother's.
"Not so little anymore." Harry thought as he ate his toast.
Once breakfast was done Ron, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Harry prepared for their trip to purchase school supplies. Harry was looking forward to the trip, for no other reason than to finally visit the twin's shop. After another unpleasant experience with Floo powder, Harry found himself in Diagon Alley.
The Alley was fairly busy that day with the start of the Hogwarts term quickly approaching. It didn't take long for Harry to run into some of his classmates. Seamus and Neville had already welcomed him back and he was pretty sure he had seen Cho in the distance.
The first stop on their trip was the joke shop, mainly because Mrs. Weasley wanted to get that bit of business out of the way as soon as possible. The group walked quickly over to ninety-three Diagon Alley.
Harry was very impressed with the storefront. A very large "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" sign clearly marked the new favorite haunt of the Hogwart's students. The Weasley crest (a large W set behind a very alert looking weasel) was featured prominently underneath the letters. Harry was fairly sure that Mrs. Weasley disapproved of that use of the crest, but she didn't say anything.
Harry, Ron and Ginny stepped inside while Mrs. Weasley waited at the door ("I've been in there enough for my tastes, thank you."). The shop was a cornucopia of mischief. Fireworks were prominently displayed next to the new and improved line of Skiving Snackboxes. Some first-year students near the back of the shop were trying on some Invisibility Hats. A sudden foul stench indicated that someone had accidentally set off a dung-bomb.
"Hey there Harry, what do you think?" one of the twins shouted at Harry from behind the counter.
"I think it's absolutely brilliant." Harry said through a wide grin.
"Excellent." the other twin applauded. "Our primary investor is getting his money's worth."
"Hey guys, is the Wizarding Device shop open today?" Ron asked as he looked at his Hogwart's supply list. That particular shop kept very strange hours.
"Should be, we ran into Wiseacre senior this morning. You should have fun in Max's class." Fred commented, ringing up another customer. "Brilliant man he is, he's been helping us with some of the finer technical points of our new line of Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Good sense of humor too. He hardly complained at all when we gave him that 4 foot rat tail."
The stay in the shop was far too short for Harry, but Mrs. Weasley insisted that they get going. Harry bid the twins farewell and head off to Flourish and Blotts.
In Flourish and Blotts Harry saw something he had never seen before. Mrs. Weasley bought brand new books for Ron and Ginny. At first Harry thought that the twins must have had something to do with that. After a moment he realized that with only 2 children left to put through school, the Weasley's financial situation had probably improved greatly. Harry also recalled that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were far too proud to let their sons pay for books anyway. Harry couldn't recall Ron ever looking so happy on a shopping trip.
The book requirements for Ron and Harry this year weren't all that much. The NEWT level potions book that had been selected was very slim. Apparently it focused on a small number of highly complex, specialized potions. The Transfiguration book was a bit larger than usual, but apart from that the boys would have a lot less to lug around this year.
Their final stop was Wiseacre's Wizarding Device shop, at the end of Diagon Alley near the entrance to Knockturn Alley. From the ceiling of the shop hung many neat rows of spiked golden objects. In shelves on the walls were silvery objects similar to many of the ones in Dumbledore's office. Wizard cameras and telescopes were displayed in the shop window.
The shop was owned by an eccentric black wizard in his sixties. The man had a deep tan complexion and a very wrinkly face. He stood up to greet them as they came in.
"Ah, Mrs. Weasley, it's been far too long." he said kindly.
"Yes it has." she replied. "This is my youngest son Ron, my daughter Ginny, and their friend Harry."
"Osiris Wiseacre, at your service." the wizened warlock said with a deep bow. "What is it that you require on this fine day?"
"We're here to buy two lore kits." Ron said, reading his list.
"Ahhh yes, you'll be taking my son's course then." Mr. Wiseacre said as he went to retrieve the kits. "He was very excited when Dumbledore asked him to teach, it's quite an honor. He's the youngest instructor hired since Professor Snape I believe. Hopefully, it won't go to his head. Young people can so easily become enamored with themselves. I suspect that his friends at the Department of Mysteries will keep his ego in check though. Unspeakables have a knack for...humbling...even the wisest of us."
The elder man returned with two small black chests. "Well here you are, two general purpose kits for lore study. If you have any trouble with any of the contents, please come back and we'll set everything right."
"Thank you." Harry and Ron said as they left. As soon as they walked out the door Mr. Wiseacre seemed to be closing up the shop again. "Don't see how he's done so well for all these years." Mrs. Weasley commented.
As they were leaving Harry caught a glimpse of a head of pale blond hair in the corner of his eye. He turned to see Draco Malfoy heading into Knockturn Alley by himself. "Up to no good as usual." Ron commented. "Probably trying to find just the right poison to use on you, Harry."
Harry felt that statement probably wasn't far from the truth.
****************************************************************************
Author's notes:
First off, thanks to everyone for the great reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope I can keep you all captivated until the end. Now for some notes about what I've written so far:
-I've had some questions about Voldemort allowing Snape back into the Death Eater fold. Indeed, in Goblet of Fire Voldemort does say "One, too cowardly to return...he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever...he will be killed, of course." Dumbledore then later says "Severus, you know what I must ask you to do..if you are ready...if you are prepared." I interpret all this as meaning that Voldemort SUSPECTS (he's probably about 80% sure) that Snape has turned against him, but Snape may not know that (after all it was Harry who heard what Voldemort said, and even if he had understood who Voldemort was talking about, he may not have told anyone). It also appears that Dumbledore is specifically asking Snape to go undercover, though he understands the risk. Then of course, Voldemort could always PRETEND to allow Snape back...fully intending to kill him later once he had used him for his own purposes...we'll have to see.
-Yes indeed, I've taken my pen name after the Maximillian Wiseacre character. After I created the character I just thought he was so cool I just had to. Wiseacre isn't really a 100% original idea though, if you look at the Chamber of Secrets special features dvd, the Wiseacre shop is shown right next to the "Robes for all Occasions" shop and is indeed, not far from the entrance to knockturn alley.
-The weasley seal also comes from the Chamber of Secrets special features dvd. The seal was on the howler that Mrs. Weasley sent to Ron.
-And yes, I am a detail freak. :-)