Chapter 9: A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma

Three days later, Hermione was on her way to the Headmaster's office buzzing with excitement and apprehension. Today she would go with Albus to the Ministry, and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would claim her identity as Hermione Granger, Potions Mistress, in this world.

The past few days had seemed almost too good to be true. Harry, Ron and she had been nearly inseparable. Occasionally, Draco would join the trio, and, while still a bit nervous around him, Hermione was starting to accept his presence as being part and partial to Harry's. One thing that had Hermione completely baffled was Ron's apparently excellent relationship with the younger Malfoy. The Ron she knew would have keeled over dead before making nice with a Malfoy, but this Ron apparently trusted Draco enough to leave his daughter Sophie with him when the Trio would go out. Both Draco and Sophie had no qualms about the arrangement; they appeared to get along famously.

On the downside, Hermione's research into the Latere potion had come to a complete dead end. She had done as much as she could without the manuscript, and Albus had yet to secure a copy for her. She was a bit frustrated at times by the lack of progress, although Harry and Ron made every effort to distract her, often engaging her to tell them of her world and life there. From her conversations with them, Hermione learned that her memories of her time at Hogwarts as a student were the same as theirs. There were slight differences: the fact that Hermione had never dated Ron in her world especially irked the ginger-haired man.

That was another downside. Try as she might, Hermione couldn't help but notice Ron's overly affectionate embraces and starry-eyed stares. He was also constantly begging her to tell him of her late husband, and, while Hermione knew he only did it out of a sense of curiosity, this irked her to no end. Harry sympathized as much as he could. His advice was that she should ignore him; he'd get over it eventually.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at the particularly unhelpful suggestion.

No, she certainly couldn't complain about her new life. She was with people that she loved, the Headmaster had informed her she could stay at Hogwarts as long as she wanted, and she was going to get her identity back.

Then again, there was still the small matter of Severus Snape with which to contend.

To say that being around Snape was difficult for Hermione was like saying that Dementors could be a little bothersome. She couldn't help but get the feeling that he was analyzing her every move. Although she was used to this due to his suspicions of her, she now got the feeling that he was watching her for entirely different reasons.

She didn't know what to think about that.

For the most part, she avoided him and he avoided her. The one time they had run into each other had been particularly tense. Hermione had been heading back to her room from the library when she encountered Snape in the darkened hallway. The two had stopped, tension settling between them. Finally, Snape had surprised Hermione when he said, "I trust you are settling in well."

Hermione's mouth had dropped open and she had been unable to form a coherent response. She hadn't heard any derision in his statement; actually, he had seemed almost solicitous. When she didn't answer him right away, Snape had simply tipped his head in her direction and smirked before gliding away.

Hermione had stood in the hall for nearly ten minutes before she could move, her mind in turmoil and her heart racing. This less antagonistic Snape was too much like her husband. So far, Snape's antagonism was the only thing that had kept Hermione from crawling into his arms and never leaving. How in the world could she deal with a nice Snape and retain her dignity?

She sighed as she stepped into the Headmaster's office. Albus was nowhere to be seen, so Hermione settled herself into a chair to wait for him. She wanted nothing more than to forget about Snape, but the man had gotten under her skin like a splinter. It didn't help that she was already attracted to him. He may not be her husband, but he still exuded the same confidence and fire that had drawn her to Severus in the first place. And, yes, it was horrible for her to even be thinking of another man so soon after her husband's death, but, well…

The whole alternate reality thing just gave her a headache.

"Ah, Hermione. Here already?" The Headmaster startled her out of her reverie.

"Oh, uh… Well, it's almost time to leave. Arthur said we'd need to meet him-"

"Oh, yes. You're right!" He paused, looking at her intently. "We're going to have to transfigure your clothes. We'll be going through Muggle London, after all."

Hermione suddenly noticed the Headmaster's get-up. She groaned. He was wearing a pink polo shirt with red and green plaid jodhpurs. The ensemble was completed with a pair of yellow galoshes and a baseball cap emblazoned with the words #1 Grandpa.

Hermione quickly backed away from the strangely dressed man when he raised his wand in her direction. "Uh, thank you, but I can transfigure my own."

Albus almost looked a little crestfallen, but allowed her to change her own clothing.

Eyeing the wizard's outfit warily, Hermione transfigured her own robes into a neat black Muggle business suit accented with black pumps. Albus took in her outfit with a disappointed look on his face. She could almost feel his desire to change its color to puce or something equally ridiculous.

"Well, we best be going," she said cheerfully to distract the Headmaster from his plotting.

He nodded, gesturing at the fireplace. "We'll be flooing to Arthur's office and then go into the city from there."

Hermione was confused. "I thought I had to be cleared through the Ministry. Why do we need to go into London?"

"Oh, no. I don't dare tell you. Arthur said he'd charm my beard clean off if I spilled the beans. He's been itching to give you the good news himself."

Hermione was dubious, but relented. She knew she wouldn't get another word out of the old fox if he didn't want to tell her.

A few minutes later, they'd crossed through the floo and were standing in the Minister of Magic's office. The Minister was nowhere to be seen.

"Why is nobody ever in their office when I arrive," Hermione mumbled to herself. She was a little impatient to get on with the business of the day.

Dumbledore gestured for her to take one of the chairs in the office. "Arthur said he might be a little late. There was some meeting he had to be at- something about illegal leg-waxing charms or some such nonsense." Hermione smiled. If anything should be illegal, leg-waxing charms were certainly near the top of her list.

The two settled into a comfortable silence, Dumbledore munching on a lemon drop and Hermione trying to ignoring the thoughts of Snape that kept popping into her head. After about thirty minutes, during which Hermione became increasingly impatient, Arthur arrived in with a flurry of Ministry officials and flying notes dancing around him. After a few well-placed words, a couple of steady glares and a quick command instructing the notes to settle on his desk, the door to the office closed and Arthur collapsed bonelessly behind his desk.

Giving them a wan smile, Arthur asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

Dumbledore shook his head, twinkling outrageously at the tired looking Minister. "You look awfully ragged for," a quick look to the wall clock, "ten a.m."

Arthur laughed. "It's been one of those days already. Hermione, how are you, my dear? Ron treating you well?"

"I'm fine and Ron has been a perfect gentleman."

Arthur laughed again. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Ron? About six foot, red hair, blue eyes."

Hermione gave him a warm smile, his demeanor relaxing her immensely. "Hmm… you're right. Could be polyjuiced imposter, I suppose."

Arthur stood, stretching and grinning at her. "Well, maybe he's been such a gentleman because you are such a lady." Hermione blushed. "Pleasantries aside, though, I suppose we should get down to business. Albus didn't steal my thunder, did he?"

Dumbledore looked innocent, and Hermione merely shook her head. "Not a peep. Says he values his beard too much to risk it."

"That's good then. Here's the good news: your identity was certified this morning. You are officially Hermione Granger as of thirty minutes ago. As for your Ministry certification, the test will be available to you before you leave here this afternoon (I pulled some strings) and if you pass (not that we doubt you will) you'll be certified by this evening. Moreover, we'll be taking a jaunt to the Department of Reality to get you some more research materials." Arthur finished with excitement, "Ready to go, then?"

Hermione was still a little shocked from his rapid-fire delivery. "Uh… the Department of Reality?" she finally asked.

"Yes, indeed. Apparently the existence of alternate realities, and even travel between them, is not unknown to the Ministry. Of course, I'd never heard anything about it, but when the Director of Mysteries heard your story, he insisted I take you to meet the Director of Reality. Your sudden appearance has them all in quite the tizzy; it seems you are somewhat of a holy grail to them."

"Why would that be?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know why exactly, but from what I overheard, you are the first person that has ever traversed realities via a potion. They are excited at the prospect of being able to pick your brain. Although, I think the fact that you are Hermione Granger is pretty exciting to them, too. It's not everyday they get to meet a dead war hero."

Hermione blushed again. She heard Dumbledore laugh beside her. "Arthur, quit embarrassing the poor woman. Anyway, we should probably be going. Hermione will need some time to take her certification today, and that's a rather lengthy process."

"Of course, Albus. Let me just transfigure my clothes and we'll be off."

Hermione just groaned when Arthur copied Albus's wardrobe.

The trip to the Department of Reality was uneventful, if one didn't count the numerous curious stares Albus and Arthur received. They marched on unconcerned, and Hermione suspected, unaware that their twin looks were more than a little out of place in the middle of London.

"Why are we going through the city, anyway?" Hermione asked Arthur. "I seem to recall that the Department of Mysteries is in the Ministry."

"Well, you're right about that, but the Department of Reality is in Muggle London. It was built around some kind of pool that supposedly reflects images of other realities. The Director of Mysteries tried to explain it to me, but I don't think he really gets it himself. I suppose we'll find out for sure when we get there."

"And when will that be?"

"Right about now, I'd guess." Arthur had stopped in front of rather dilapidated building that was completely out of place on the busy street.

"This is the Department of Reality?" Hermione asked, a little dubiously.

Arthur nodded. "Now, if I can just remember the passcode…"

"You didn't write it down?" Albus asked, a grin on his face.

"Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me." Arthur looked a little embarrassed as he searched his pockets. "It's hard to figure out where exactly everything ended up in these transfigured clothes. Ah- here it is!" He pulled a wrinkled slip of paper from his shirt pocket. "Now, let's see- um, I don't suppose you could do the honors, Albus. I forgot my glasses."

Albus was grinning widely. "Indeed. Ah, yes. The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--of cabbages--and kings. What an odd passcode."

Hermione hid a grin at the reference to the Muggle story, Through the Looking Glass. Personally, she thought it was the perfect story to reference when dealing with alternate realities. She watched in fascination as a shimmering door appeared before them, opening slightly in mute invitation. She glanced around nervously, but relaxed as she saw that none of the Muggle passer-bys seemed to notice them. Arthur and Albus, meanwhile, were already stepping through the door, so Hermione moved to catch up with them. Once all three were inside, the door closed behind them, and Hermione was surprised to find herself in a nicely appointed reception area. A witch was seated behind a mahogany counter, levitating a quill. She looked up, startled to see the trio enter. "May I help you?" she asked a little suspiciously.

"Yes, my dear. Arthur Weasley, Albus Dumbledore and Hermione Granger to see the Director," Arthur said.

The witch seemed startled and quickly stammered, "Of course. I- uh… I'll inform Director Muse that you are here to see him." She quickly scampered off.

"Perhaps we should change our clothing back," Hermione suggested, wincing at the bright pink shirts her two companions wore.

Arthur and Albus consented and soon all three were once again dressed in robes, Hermione feeling much happier for the change. She'd never, as long as she lived, understand the wizarding world's complete misunderstanding of Muggle culture.

A few minutes later, the receptionist stepped back in to usher them through to see the Director. They were led to a posh, but rather cluttered, office. A cheerful man in bright yellow robes immediately greeted them.

"I'm so glad you could make it today." He enthusiastically shook Albus and Arthur's hands. When he came to Hermione, he said, "Such an honor to meet you, Miss Granger. I must say, you've caused quite a stir in the Department! We're all very excited about the possibilities your potion represent."

"Um… That's very nice, Director. Although, I must warn you that I'm not exactly sure how the potion managed to transport me to a different reality." She was a bit amused by the man's enthusiasm.

"Call me Elgin." He moved to take a seat behind his desk, gesturing animatedly for the trio to take a seat. Arthur gave Hermione a rather bemused look as he shuffled some of the clutter off the chair to make room to sit.

"Now," Elgin continued. "Like I said, we're all very excited at the prospect of a potion that can breach inter-universe boundaries. It's quite the breakthrough! Of course, we realize that you'll need to do extensive research on the potion to recreate the effects, but we have faith in your abilities. After all, you are Hermione Granger, hero of the Final Battle."

Hermione was a bit taken aback by Elgin's praise. "I don't know what kind of hero I am. It wasn't me that died, after all."

"Oh, of course. I am very sorry about reminding you of your situation. I've, of course, received a full report on your home universe and the circumstances that brought you here. It's all very fascinating!"

Albus must have sensed Hermione's growing irritation with the Director, because he smoothly said, "Well, I'm sure Hermione will be happy to have your support for her research efforts. Tell me, Arthur said you had secured a copy of the manuscript she had been needing."

At this statement, Hermione perked up, glancing at the Director for confirmation. "Is this true? You have the manuscript?"

Elgin looked a bit flustered at being derailed from his flattery of Hermione, but he quickly recovered. "Oh, yes. Let me just pop out and find it."

Hermione sighed as the perky man exited the room. Arthur chuckled a bit as he said, "He certainly is exuberant, isn't he?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's a bit of an understatement. Still, if he really does have the same text that I used to create the Latere potion, it will be instrumental in furthering my research.

Albus gave her a kind look. "Let's hope for the best then. Tell me, what do you plan to do if you can recreate the potion?"

Hermione sighed, leaning forward in her chair to cradle her head in her hands. "I've tried not to think that far. I really don't know." She sat back, scrubbing her face. "I know I should try to go back, but…"

"Hermione, no one would blame you if you didn't want to go back. From what you've told us, there's nothing left for you there. You'd probably be killed immediately." Arthur's voice was kind but firm.

"I know," Hermione said, relieved that he didn't think she was a horrible person for not wanting to return to the hell that was her world. "It's just so hard to admit defeat, you know. And if-" She was cut off when Director Muse re-entered the office. Hermione did a double take. Had he changed clothes while he was gone? He must have, because he was wearing dark blue robes now.

"Miss Granger, this is the manuscript that Headmaster Dumbledore requested for you. We hope it will meet your needs." Elgin now seemed rather subdued. He calmly took his seat behind the desk after handing Hermione the text. As she flipped through it, he continued, "Have you had much luck discovering any of the properties of the potion yet? I believe you called it the Latere potion?"

Hermione nodded absently as she reached the page that contained the potion recipe. "My husband coined the name. We were trying to make a potion that would send Harry to a safe place. He thought that calling it Latere, or 'to live in obscurity or safety', would bring good luck."

Still composed, seeming almost to be a completely different person than he had been before, Elgin asked, "What was the potion's initial purpose?"

Hermione glanced up from the book, settling back to explain. "Just to get Harry away from the Dark Lord, really. By the time we discovered the manuscript, we were desperate. Every strike that we had made against the Dark Lord had failed. We were on the defensive and when we found the potion formula for the Latere we jumped on it. We were simply hoping to send Harry and our other fighters somewhere safe where they could regroup against the Dark Lord."

Albus cut in. "I don't believe I ever asked you: did the potion ever work as you had intended it to?"

Hermione shook her head. "No one other than myself ever had a chance to use it. We'd only just created a stable batch before the battle started. We offered it for use but no one would take it. I only used it at the very end." She paused, reigning in her emotions. "I really don't know why the potion reacted the way it did. I know we had to substitute several of the ingredients in the potion because they were no longer available, but I really don't know how that would have altered it so radically. Maybe I was brought here because there were no safe places for me in my world. I really just don't know."

Albus gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Hesitantly, she gave him a weak smile, grateful for his support.

Elgin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, nervously clearing his throat. No doubt, he hadn't been expecting such a dramatic answer to his question. "Do you think you can recreate it?" He asked after a few minutes.

She shrugged. "Possibly, though I can't guarantee it will work the same. This," she held up the book, "will definitely be of great help. I guess I can only try."

Elgin stood. "That is all we ask of you. Actually, we were wondering if you might be interested in taking a position within the Department."

"What kind of position?" Hermione asked warily.

"Unspeakable."

Hermione was a shocked, to say the least. Although she wasn't sure what being an Unspeakable for the Department of Reality would entail (after all, they weren't called Unspeakables for nothing), she could imagine that having the full support of the Ministry would help her research immensely.

"You needn't answer me just yet, Miss Granger. Come along," he said as he made his way to the office door. "There are still some things I think you would like to see."

Hermione, Albus and Arthur followed him, each of them curious to see what the Director would reveal to them. And none of them were disappointed by what he had to show them. Beyond the door was a giant cavern. Hermione gasped at the sheer magnitude of what she was seeing. Only the most copious amount of magic could account for a cavern of this size being held within the small building they had entered.

"In case you were wondering," Elgin said, with a small grin, "We're actually below the building now. Come, I want to show you the feature of our little operation here." Gesturing for them to follow, he led them down a winding path, taking them deeper into the cavern. Occasionally, they would see a witch or wizard working in the cavern, but, for the most part, the place was empty. Finally, after what seemed like a two-mile trek, they came upon a small pool of water.

"Here it is. The Pool of Reflection," Elgin said proudly.

"Original," Hermione heard Arthur say. Suppressing her own grin, she turned to the Director. "May I ask what it does?"

"Of course. Come here." Hermione stepped to the edge of the pool. "Look into the depths and tell me what you see."

Hermione leaned over and gazed into the pool. For a moment she saw only her reflection, but the image soon shimmered. Squinting her eyes, she tried to see beyond the blurry surface. Suddenly, the image snapped into focus, causing Hermione's breath to catch. Unbelievably, she saw the back yard of her childhood home. Sitting in lawn chairs, she saw both of her parents, both mercifully alive, although aged from how she remembered them. She was startled when she saw herself emerging from the back door, carrying a platter and, amazingly, far gone with pregnancy.

Unable to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding in front of her, she asked, "What am I seeing?"

"The easiest way to explain it is that you are seeing another world. Another reality," Elgin explained. "We, all of us, see different things in the pool. All of the different paths our lives could have taken."

Hermione felt her stomach clench at the domestic scene depicted by the pool. If only her life could have been so normal and happy. Suddenly, the image blurred again, and when it snapped back into focus, Hermione gasped.

"What is it, my dear?" She could feel Albus's hand comfortingly squeeze her shoulder. She didn't answer him. Her attention was riveted on the scene in front of her. She was with Severus in a darkened room. They were standing together intimately, his arm possessively around her waist. Hermione felt tears well in her eyes at the remembrance of how safe she always felt in his arms. She watched as they moved together to another room. She vaguely recognized the place as the ballroom in the Malfoy mansion, or at least recognized it from the description Severus had once given her. Horrified, she watched as Hermione and Severus greeted Lucius Malfoy and were greeted warmly in return by the platinum-haired man.

And she was nearly sick when she saw Malfoy gesture to the body of Harry Potter that was proudly displayed in the middle of the ballroom. The Hermione and Severus she was watching laughed gaily and moved closer to inspect the body.

Sickened, Hermione twisted away from the pool, but not before she saw the other Hermione laughingly nudge the body with her foot.

"How can that be?" she asked thickly, still sickened by the image she had seen. "How could the two realities be so different?"

"There are an infinite number of possible realities. There are some in which you never existed, some in which you would only vaguely recognize yourself. The Pool of Reflection doesn't show any specific realities. Just random ones."

Hermione watched dully as Arthur and Albus stepped up to the pool. She moved away from the pool to sit on a bench against the wall. She tried to tear her mind away from the images she had seen in the pool, but they would not leave her. Silently, she praised whatever deity had had the good grace to send her to this reality. She could only imagine the hell she could have found herself in.

After a few minutes, a tired looking Arthur Weasley sat beside Hermione on the bench. Wearily scrubbing his hands over his eyes, he said, "We never know how lucky we are until we see what could have happened."

Hermione looked at him with haunted eyes. "No, we don't."

Arthur looked at her gravely. "I guess you would know more than most. You've seen what could have happened if we had lost the war. I don't envy you that."

"I don't regret my life," Hermione said seriously. "No matter how bad my world was, I still had happiness. In a way, more happiness than I have now." She shook her head to stall Arthur's protest. "I'm not saying that I can't be happy here. I know I can. You can't imagine what it's like for me to have Harry, Ron, you and everyone else alive and well. It's just different. I just miss…"

Arthur gave her a small smile. "Whatever I can do to help you, I promise I'll do."

Hermione gave him genuine smile. "You've already done more than I could have ever asked for." Impulsively, she gave him a quick hug before standing. "I guess we should-"

"Ah, there you are!" Hermione whirled around, seeking the source of the voice. It was Director Muse, again dressed in his bright yellow robes. Confused, Hermione glanced at the Pool of Reflection where she could see Albus standing with Elgin, still in his dark robes.

"What- Who…?" She stuttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she was saw the Elgin in dark robes hurrying towards her.

"I see you finally caught up with us, Elgin," he said.

"Of course! I had to ask around to see where you had gone to." Hermione watched the twin men's exchange with shock. She saw the Elgin in the dark robes roll his eyes. He gave Hermione an embarrassed look.

"You'd probably like an explanation," he finally said.

"Yes. That would be most helpful," Albus said, a grin on his face.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Yellow-Elgin said. He glared at Dark-Elgin. "I'm from an alternate reality. Came here through some kind of inter-dimensional portal and haven't found a way back, yet."

"Much to our chagrin," Hermione heard Dark-Elgin mumble.

Hiding her smile, she asked, "How long have you been here?"

"About two years now," the exuberant man replied. "That's why we're so excited about your research. You could very well hold the key to sending me home."

Hermione blanched a bit at the man's trust in her abilities. She truly didn't know if she could help the man, although she certainly could sympathize with his being trapped in an unfamiliar world.

Dark-Elgin gestured for them to follow him back to the surface. "I know he's enthusiastic," he said quietly so only Hermione could hear, "but we all truly hope your potion will work. It would be a breakthrough the likes of which we could only have ever imagined."

Hermione sighed. "Well, as long as there's no pressure."

Hermione collapsed into a chair in the hallway of the Ministry in exhaustion. She had just finished the certification exam for her Potions Mastery. The test had been easy enough; after all, she had already taken it once in her world, but it was still long and tiring. Of course, after the day she had had so far, the test was the least of what plagued her.

She was still reeling from the information she had discovered from the Directors Muse. Although she was honored to have been offered the position of an Unspeakable for the Department, she was still overwhelmed by their request. Truth was, even with the manuscript, Hermione wasn't sure if she could make the Latere potion work exactly as it had for her again. And even if she could, she was doubtful she would be able to adapt it to open portals to multiple realities.

Her head was starting to pound. What they had asked her to do was difficult, especially alone. As good as she was, she couldn't do the research they required of her by herself. It had taken the combined skills of her and Severus to create the Latere potion in the first place, and she seriously doubted Snape would be willing to work with her on the potion. Of course, she could always have Dumbledore bully him into it, but she doubted Snape would be very helpful if he felt forced. And, truth be told, she wasn't sure she could handle working in such close proximity with him day after day. Especially considering his recent tolerant behavior towards her.

Needless to say, her mind was plagued by one dilemma after another.

With a sigh, Hermione drew herself from her thoughts. The review board had said they would only need a couple of minutes to evaluate her test. Hopefully, within a few minutes she would have her Mastery certification and would be able to get back to Hogwarts.

Idly, Hermione glanced around looking for something to take her mind off waiting. When she saw a crumpled newspaper on the chair across from her, she grabbed it up. Noting that it was the day's Daily Prophet, she scanned the headlines.

And froze.

"Rash of Murders in Diagon Alley May be Death Eater Related."

Horrified, she read on.

"Ministry officials have neither confirmed nor denied that a recent rash of murders in Diagon Alley may be Death Eater related. Our sources have discovered that several of the victims were killed via the Killing Curse and were probably subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. We at the Daily Prophet cannot help but compare these murders to the ones committed by followers of You-Know-Who before the great Harry Potter vanquished him. Is another Dark Lord on the rise? Story continues on page 7."

It had to be a coincidence. It simply had to be. Hermione ripped the paper open to page seven. Her eyes scanned the story, and she grew more disturbed. The killings seemed to be like the ones Death Eaters favored. One passage in particular chilled Hermione to the bone.

"One witness says that he saw the victim leave with an aristocratic man with a cane. He tells us that while he didn't recognize the man, there was a familiar aura around him. Quote, "He had the coldest grey eyes I have ever seen. Sent a chill through me, they did. That man was a killer. I know it like I know me own wand." End Quote. Ministry officials could not be reached for comment on the killer's appearance or possible identity."

Hermione was in shock. Her mind raced back to her last encounter with Malfoy. How could she have forgotten that Lucius Malfoy had also been doused with the potion? Could he be here in this reality? And if so, why hadn't he arrived in the dungeon with her? Her mind was reeling with dozens of scenarios, each more horrifying than the last. But even in her confusion, Hermione knew that one thing was certain.

If Lucius Malfoy was in this world, her life, and that of countless others, was in grave danger.

A/N: Well, here it is. Hope it satisfies you after the long wait. I know there's probably no where near enough Severus for you, but just be patient. He'll have plenty to do come the next chapter. Thanks for all the great reviews!! And again, big thanks to my super-beta, sophierom!