A/N: Wow, it certainly took me a long time to get this chapter done. Believe me when I say I've been working on it for quite some time (during school, actually). Also thanks for my beta writer: Freedom Isn't Free, who actually finished checking this chapter in a day! I do hope you will take the time to read these notes because I need to ask an important question to you readers. Please leave the answer in a review as quickly as possible.

Would you like me to...

A) Have found no cure for Harry and Angel's disease, so eventually they will die from it.

B) Find a cure just in time, but they will have some serious lasting effects from the disease.

C) Something else (do tell me what you want here!)

Let me hear your choices, it's very important for the rest of the story!

Now, on with the actual chapter.

Chapter 5

After Angel and Harry had gone upstairs, the adults just sat in a dazed silence until Snape had collected himself enough to speak.

"So, I am actually correct that Potter has a rather unknown sort of cancer and has been ill all of last year and nobody ever noticed? And now we find out he's got a year to live at most?"

The others nodded slowly. They were pulled out of their daze by the sharp intake of breath coming from the door opening.

Looking up, they saw the shocked faces of Hermione, Ginny and Ron. Apparantly they had thought they could come back into the kitchen, only to hear this bad news.

"Did…did we hear correctly, sir? Harry's really that ill?" Hermione asked timidly.

Dumbledore nodded.

Tears formed in her eyes. Molly Weasley was already crying softly.

"Is…is there no cure or something?" Ron asked.

Minerva stood up, her lips in a thin, determined line. "I shall go to Hogwarts and see if Poppy knows more. After all, there are two lives at stake here." With that she left the kitchen.

Ginny dared to ask the other question. "What did Professor McGonagall mean? Two lives at stake?"

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "It appears that Miss McClannon and Mr. Potter share some kind of bond. Miss McClannon has only recently become sick, but Mr. Potter has had the same disease for much longer. Unfortunately, none of us saw any reason to test Mr. Potter for any illness. We thought his angry moods were just the result of the death of Mr. Diggory, in combination with normal teenage hormones. Furthermore, we assumed the many headaches he was suffering from were caused by Voldemort, and not by a disease."

The three teenagers nodded.

"So where are Harry and Angel now? We saw them leave the kitchen with Sal, the big snake."

Moody swivelled his eye around. It stopped looking upward. His other eye widened a bit in surprise.

"I think you should all see this." He grumped out. He stood up and moved to go upstairs. Quickly, the others followed, curious as to what he had seen.

Upstairs on the second floor was what used to be a ballroom. The mirrors still hung in their places, but there were mats placed all over the floor. In a corner, Sal was resting, and in the middle of the room were Angel and Harry. But what was so surprising to make everyone stop and stare, was what Harry and Angel were doing. They had erected some kind of shield, to keep watchers from harm, and they were involved in a fight with borth swords and magic.

Never had they seen anyone fighting like that. It appeared that Harry was very good at it too, because he kept driving Angel in a defensive stance. When she attacked him, he dived low to avoid being cut in his mid-section, and then made a high jump backwards. When in the air, he shot a disarming spell at Angel, but when Harry landed, he turned around quickly; shot two Stunners, and with his own sword took her out.

Defeated Angel landed on the ground. Harry enervated her, and sat next to her.

"Damn Raven. I thought I could finally beat you, because you missed ten years of training. But no, you're still better at it than I am."

Harry laughed. "But your condition is much better than mine. Besides, I still need to learn more movements."

He playfully pushed her shoulder. Angel retaliated by knocking Harry over. They got involved in a little wrestling game, which Angel won by sitting on top of Harry and tickling his sides.

Crowing in victory, Angel nearly shouted: "Ha! I'm still better than you with this."

Harry couldn't do more than laugh, although he tried to stop laughing when he saw everybody standing in the doorway.

"Uhm, Angel?" Angel tried to stop laughing.

"Hmm, yes Raven? What's the matter, not comfortable in this position?"

He turned scarlet. "It's just that we have spectators, so you might want to get up."

This certainly got her attention, and she quickly rolled of Harry to sit on the floor. Harry sat up and looked in amusement to the others. "Something wrong? Or do you enjoy standing speechless in doorways?"

Remus burst out laughing, which woke everyone else up.

"Wow, mate, that looked really cool. Where did you learn to do that?" Ron sounded awed.

Angel snorted. "Oh, you'd be surprised. When my father handed him a practice sword when he was five, he already knew a lot. He's just a natural. Even now, when he hasn't done this for ten years he still beats me. And Master Shanaka has taught me practically everything he could. Only my condition and my wrestling techniques seem to be better."

"Do you think we can learn this too?" Hermione asked, eager to learn something else.

Harry and Angel shared a look. "Well, we might, but perhaps Master Shanaka could come to Hogwarts to teach all interested and able students?"

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "That would be a very good idea. I shall contact him as soon as possible. I've met the man myself a decade or so ago."

Just when the whole group wanted to go downstairs for dinner, Madame Pomfrey came marching in the room.

Harry immediately groaned out loud.

"What's this I hear? You're sick and not even in bed?" Tutting, she started scanning Harry's body. The longer she was scanning the paler she got. Harry didn't seem to be caring too much, but he had closed off any emotions from showing on his face.

"Oh, my," was all Madame Pomfrey muttered. "I honestly don't know how to treat you for this. I've only read about this disease once, and that patient died rather quickly. I've never had to treat anyone with this."

Angel stepped forward slightly. "I have some medicine. I'll go get it. Perhaps we should talk about this in the kitchen, and then we can also have dinner."

Soon everyone found themselves sitting in the kitchen again. They were, however, a bit surprised to see that Angel didn't walk in with some potions, but with small bottles that contained Muggle-like pills. There were quite a lot of them, too.

Putting them on the table Angel started ticking off.

"These pills are painkillers and you can take as much as you need. This bottle's pills are a boost to the immune-system, because we can get ill easier now. Those should be taken once a day. The red pills are energy pills; you take them twice a day, eventually five a day when the cancer spreads. The blue bills slow the spreading of the cancer for a little bit. Those pills can be taken only once a week. Then there are the yellow pills that reduce the headaches, taken three times a day, and finally the green pills taken two times a day, to stop or lessen the moodswings."

Harry took a pill against the pain and one for his energy. Making a face he said: "Ugh, these taste just like Pepper-Up, and Pain-Away!" (A/N: I know, not the best name ever).

Snape looked interested. "Why not take potions instead of these Muggle pills?"

Angel smiled a bit. "Oh, but I am taking potions. It's just that my school interacted a lot with Muggles, so they put the potions in pill-form. You always take a correct dose and the Muggles don't suspect a thing."

"I've never heard about that. Do you know who developed this?" Snape asked. He seemed preoccupied with the idea already.

"No, I don't know, but Master Shanaka can probably give you the information."

"Yes, it would be really usefull, and there is hardly any risk of breaking bottles and spilling potions." Snape had a rather fareaway expression on his face, but it disappeared when Harry spoke up.

"Sir? Can you please come upstairs with me for a moment? It's rather important."

Snape wanted to refuse at first, but seeing the others look at him, he decided it was safer to agree.

"Very well, though I doubt it can be of much importance," he sneered.

He followed Harry up the stairs. Harry started talking. "As you might have noticed we did some redecorating today. The more important people in my life and in the Order have got their own rooms. But before I give you yours, I felt I had to say or do something first."

Harry stopped in front of the one room that had no name-tag on it. When Harry opened the door it was weird to see a dusty, moldy bedroom, with only an old bed in it. Waving his hand, Harry made the dust dissapear. He gestured to Snape that he should sit on the bed.

"No, thank you, Mr. Potter. I'd prefer to spend my time standing, instead of sitting on an old bed that is likely to collapse at the merest touch. If you would hurry it up, I'd rather not spend too much time here."

Harry sighed and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "I've spent about a week writing this. I just didn't know how to say it, and I hope the letter will be a start."

He gave the envelope to Snape and stood at a window looking out. Snape saw he was tense and nervous; by the way he was fidgeting with his clothes.

Snape opened the envelope, careful for any pranks. There was a two pages long. Leaning against the wall, he started reading.

'Professor Snape,

I know you probably think this is some kind of stupid joke on my part. I can assure you it's not. I should have done this in person, but I feel you will probably throw me out of the room or something like that.

I wanted to appologize for my behaviour last year. Especially for me looking into the Pensieve.

It's just that nobody was telling me anything. And sometimes I got so angry at anyone and anything. I don't even know where that anger came from; I didn't want to be so angry. And when I suddenly got the message to start Occlumency lessons with you, I didn't know why...perhaps you assumed I actually knew all of the reasons and even a bit of Occlumency, but I didn't. You just attacked my mind, saying I had to clear my mind. I didn't know how.

It felt as if the connection was more open after every class.

And when your Pensieve stood there, I figured I might see the reasons of my lessons. The memory I did see was not what I had expected. You thought I enjoyed what I had seen.

I can assure you that is not the case.

Everyone always told me how much like my father I was, and because I always was told my parents were worthless drunks that got themselves killed in a car crash, I wanted to believe in those good stories. I didn't even want to think they were just humans, they were bad too.

So, after you threw me out of your office, I decided to contact Sirius and Remus. They were rather surprised I wanted to talk about that, but, frankly, I wanted to know why the hell they had done that to you. Their reason wasn't good enough. I yelled at Sirius for being so immature. Remus told me my father grew up and wasn't such an arse-hole later on, but still...knowing he had done such a thing, and people telling me how much like him I was...I don't bully people because I can. I know how that feels. You should ask my cousin about it. Or rather, just don't ask. He'll freak out if he finds out that you're a wizard.

I guess though, I'm trying to apologize to you. I'm not good at apologizing, and should do it to a lot more people I've hurt last year, but well...Just so you know sir. And I like to think that perhaps my dad would have apologized to you, too, one day.

Harry.'

Snape folded the letter after reading it through. He was quiet, and Harry tensed even more, which Snape noticed right away.

"It seems, Mr. Potter, you've grown up a bit. And it also appears most of that anger came from your disease, instead of just being from you. However, if this is also an attempt to get me to teach you Occlumency again, I will not."

"Don't worry, Sir. It's really an apology, and according to Angel, I never would have been able to learn Occlumency anyway. I don't really know why, but I'll go and ask in a moment. So…now that you've read the letter, how do you want your room to be like? For most people I had some things to work with, the Headmaster being the easiest one with candies and such, but you're quite difficult to read sir, and, frankly, I have my doubts if you really would like a Slytherin-themed bedroom."

Snape allowed a small smirk on his face. "No, you are quite right. I see enough of Slytherin at school, and my quarters there are quite in line with my position as Head of House, but here, I think I can allow you to make this room more me."

Harry smiled and looked at Snape. "Well, then you should send me an image of what you have in mind. I'll make sure it gets here."

And only seconds after Snape had thought of what he wanted, the room changed. There was a huge four-poster bed with cream coloured sheets, and dark green curtains hanging around the bed. The walls became a soft grey-blue colour (A/N: I saw that colour in a magazine last week, trust me it looks good), and a few paintings hung on the walls. There was a desk with a chair, as well as a big closet for clothing. There was a door that connected to a bathroom that had a shower and a bubblebath in it.

The only reaction Harry got for his work was a tiny smirk on Snape's face and a somewhat softer voice when he spoke. "I believe a 'Thank you,' is in order, Mr. Potter. Although you cannot do Occlumency, it seems you somewhat have a grasp on Legilimency."

Harry gave a tiny smile himself. "I hope you like the room; it's got your name on the door, too. Perhaps we should go and have some dinner now, because I'm really getting hungry." To make sure Snape got the message, Harry's stomach had taken that moment to grumble.

Softly smiling, they walked downstairs to eat their dinner.

A/N: Don't forget to vote!!!!! (See A/N on top for that).