A/N: Okay, I know that it has been forever, but please have pity. My loyal and faithful computer (note the sarcasm) completely died, taking the majority of this chapter with it. Next came breaking my toe, final exams, and graduating. To make up for it, this chapter is longer than the rest. (Actually, it was just simply the chapter that would not end.)

I hope that you enjoy it.

Harry Potter: Prophecy of the Phoenix – Chapter 10

As the weeks rolled around and the seasons changed, Harry was still receiving awkward glances from his fellow schoolmates, but they were becoming fewer and more far between with each passing day. After all, gossip is never static, and the old is always replaced by the new, and for this, Harry was grateful.

His life had more or less settled into that of a somewhat normal one of a fifth year student with his search for his destiny hitting the proverbial brick wall when he found the missing page. There had been no visions recently and no uncontrolled magical outbursts. His Quidditch skills had never been better, and he was looking forward to the match against Ravenclaw the week after the winter break.

The only thing that could be considered abnormal were his late night visits to the Order meetings where he was always disappointed to find that Sirius and Lupin had yet to return.

Presently, Harry was in Transfiguration, and as McGonagall stood in front of the fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, Harry thought that he detected something amiss in her stern expression, especially in her eyes.

"As you are all doubtlessly aware, your O.W.L.s are quickly approaching. While it is quite important that you all continue with a strict study regimen, it is also important that you take some time to have a little fun."

Absolute silence fell upon the classroom as the students exchanged startled glances with each other, unable to believe that those words had actually come out of McGonagall's mouth.

Harry could now see a definite sparkle in McGonagall's eyes that reminded him distinctly of Dumbledore.

"If any of you repeats what I have said, I will adamantly deny saying it. Now, it has been a tradition throughout my many years of teaching to have all of you participate in a special lesson the last day before the holiday break. As you have all learned there are witches and wizards called animagi that are able to take an animal form. What you probably do not know is that every witch and wizard has the potential to have an animal form. However, in most instances this potential goes unrecognized. Today you all will have the opportunity to see your own potential form. Watch carefully."

She pointed her wand at a mound of clay in front of her and spoke, "Revealus animagus."

The mound of clay began to move almost as if it had become a viscous liquid, stretching and molding itself into the perfect replica of McGonagall's tabby cat form.

"Wicked." Ron breathed in excitement.

The rest of the room was also bursting with exuberance, except for Harry, who was seized by a sensation of panic.

He had to participate, not doing so would raise too many suspicions, but he could not reveal his animagus form either. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he had to discern quickly a way out of his predicament.

Around him, the class was eagerly chanting the spell.

"Look, I'm a dog!" Ron shared, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

"An Irish setter to be more precise." Hermione added smartly, casting a pointed look at Ron's mop of red hair.

"And you're a fox. Leave it up to you to have an animagus form known for its cleverness." Ron replied rolling his eyes with mock sarcasm, and before Hermione could continue the banter, he turned to Harry. "Harry, why haven't you cast to spell yet? Come on. We want to see your form."

Unable to come up with a valid excuse to desist from casting the spell, Harry raised his and arm, finding that the wand was a little slippery in his hand due to sweat.

"Revealus animagus." He commanded, closing his eyes and concentrating intently on his father's animagus form. The magic tingled through his arm as if there were thousands of tiny insects swarming in his veins.

"Wow, Harry." Hermione breathed, and for one heart-stopping moment, he was sure that his secret had been revealed.

Steeling himself, he opened his eyes to find a perfect replica of Prongs depicted in the clay.

Ron clapped him on the back. "You're a stag just like your dad."

Harry forced a smile onto his face as the implications of what he had just done began to whirl viciously in his head. They had been led to believe that spells were an essential part of magic, that the words and particular actions were responsible for the magical end-product. After all, putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable in "Wingardium leviosa" resulted in the spell failing.

What he had just done should have been impossible.

McGonagall made her rounds around the classroom, complimenting those who had successfully completed the task, and helping those who had not quite gotten it yet. While she took notice of Ron and Hermione's forms, Harry's caused her to stop in her tracks.

For a moment she stared at the form in the clay, her mind elsewhere. Catching herself, she offered Harry a small and sad smile and continued on.

Walking towards the Great Hall after class Ron and Hermione were excitedly discussing their potential forms when a sudden thought hit Harry.

With only the words, "I'll meet you in the Great Hall," he raced back to the Transfiguration classroom.

McGonagall was at her desk, her stern mask replaced, concentrating on a scroll she was grading and nearly jumped when Harry spoke her name.

"Yes, Potter, what can I do for you?"

"You taught Transfiguration when my parents were at Hogwarts, right?"

"That's correct." McGonagall replied, a bit of a frown puckering her brow as she tried to figure out where the conversation was going.

"Do you remember my mom's animagus form?"

"Potter, do you know how many hundreds perhaps thousands of students I've taught over the years?"

When Harry's face fell in obvious disappointment, her face softened.

"But it would be very hard to forget your mother's form. You see, Harry, your mother had what we call a magical animagus form, meaning that her form was that of a magical animal. She had the potential to become a unicorn, and it was because of this form that she would never realize her potential."

"Why not?"

Harry had attempted some independent research into the subject when he had found the page missing, hoping to find some support to his theory about how his phoenix form would save his life, but he could find no information on magical animagi.

"It takes a lot of energy to transform into a magical animal. Though your mother was a very talented witch, she just did not have that amount of power."

"So it's not common to have a magical animagus form."

Harry's comment was a statement and not a question, and internally he bemoaned the fact that once again there was something about him that set him apart from everyone else.

"No, in fact the only other person that I have known to have a magical animagus form is Professor Dumbledore, and even he is unable to transform.

The blood seeped from Harry's face. The fact that his mother was unable to transform was one thing, but the fact that Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the century, was unable to transform was completely another. The implications of that fact with consideration to the fact that Harry had transformed completely by accident were astounding.

"Harry, are you all right?" McGonagall had noticed his face taking on the unnatural pallor.

"I'm fine." He started to turn and leave before another idea hit him. "Professor, are there any books in the library that have information on magical animagi?"

"There are, but they are all in the Restricted Section. Even those tend to be a bit sketchy." She interrupted him before he could even begin to ask his next question. "I suppose that you would like Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley included on the pass as well."

Harry's first instinct was to decline, as he had needed to leave Hermione and Ron out of all of his plans previously. Now, however, he could use his mother's form as an excuse for the research.

The corners of his lips curled subtly. It would be nice to have the trio working together as if it were old times, even if he had an ulterior motive.

"Yes, thank you, Professor."

McGonagall had not been lying when she had told him that even the information in the Restricted Section about magical animagi was sketchy. Even with Hermione's exuberant and Ron's reluctant assistance, Harry had still not found exactly what he was looking for.

It seemed as if animagi took on the characteristics and instincts of their particular forms, but since magical animagi were so rare, it was not evident in the literature whether or not such animagi would be able to take on the magical characteristics of their animals.

In Harry's personal experience, he had been able to sense emotions, and the more time that he spent in his form, especially at the meetings, the better honed this sense was becoming. Unfortunately, this was an instinct normal to the phoenix form, analogous to a more sensitive olfactory sense in a canine, and not a magical ability.

So far, he could only hope that his suspicions regarding Fawkes's prediction and how it fit with the prophecy were correct. At least then his life would not have been in vain.

After an exhaustive day of research and studying for the O.W.L.s, Ron had insisted that there would be no work of any kind on Christmas, and Hermione had felt the need to make up for it today by increasing the workload, Harry actually found himself in a peaceful slumber on the night of Christmas Eve.

His dream of flying unencumbered by any worry or burden was rudely interrupted as the now familiar menacing mist signaling the beginning of a vision wrapped itself around Harry.

Before the mist could clear, Harry felt a numbing chill that sank painfully through him to his bone. Instinctively, Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his chest in an attempt to conserve body heat, and he found himself shivering uncontrollably.

The only part of him that was not inhumanly cold was his scar, which was burning with a molten ferocity.

As the mist scattered, Harry found himself in a barren wasteland devoid of any color except various shades of gray.

The cold intensified as Lily's dying screams began to resound inside of Harry's skull, bringing his attention to the sea of dementors in front of him, surrounding Voldemort himself in a semi-circle.

"Welcome, my faithful dark servants, back into the service of Lord Voldemort. Your loyalty both past and present will be rewarded in ways that others have denied you. Tonight as a celebration of our renewed alliance I have brought you a gift, a token if you will, that will represent only a fraction of the rewards you will receive."

Voldemort made a motion with his hands, and two robed and hooded Death Eaters emerged dragging out two very familiar figures.

A crushing pain erupted in Harry's chest as his heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat.

Lupin looked furious and kept shooting glances at Sirius, who looked as if he was walking into his worst nightmare, which of course he was.

A word of protest left his lips garbled from almost paralyzed vocal cords, and deep within him, there was a part sarcastically recalling Sirius's self-proclaimed middle name.

The sight of the prisoners caused a surge of excitement from the dementors, and Lily's voice became louder and more prominent in his mind. Black spots began to dance wickedly in front of his eyes, and he was not even aware that his legs had given way such that he had now fallen to the ground.

Through sheer force of desperation, Harry clung to the unraveling rope of consciousness, determined not to fall into the dark abyss.

Two of the dementors stepped forward towards the pair of Marauders, their ghastly hands reaching for the hoods of their cloaks to perform the kiss.

"Expecto patronum." Harry whispered without an effect.

He watched with horror as the hoods began to be removed.

Through an inner strength supplied by determination, panic, anger, and love, Harry pulled himself to his feet and brandished his wand once again, snapping, "Expecto patronum."

There would be no one more surprised than Harry with the outcome of the spell.

A burst of power unlike that he had ever experienced ripped through him with such fierceness that it sizzled pain through his network of synapses. The familiar stag burst from his wand, its normally silvery physic consumed with flames. Harry's brain had barely the time to process this inconsistency when a second fiery form leaped from his wand: a unicorn.

Almost dropping his wand in shock, Harry tightened his grip on his wand and focused his mind on the spell.

The pair of animals charged the pair of dementors that were in the process of removing their hoods, and Harry quelled the fear screaming inside of him that once again he was too late.

Horn and antlers gored the vile creatures through the torso in tandem.

Inhuman shrieks such that Harry would never forget rang through the air as the flames extended to engulf the dementors' entire bodies. Flesh and robes began to melt away and then disintegrate into ash.

Souls long entrapped inside of the body fled, heading for whatever afterlife they had earned.

Harry's wand was growing hot in his hands, and he was unsure how much longer he would have the strength to hold the spell.

As the patroni continued their attacks on the dementors, Harry noticed that the Death Eater holding Sirius had backed away in shock, and the one holding Lupin had slipped something into Lupin's hand.

Reacting immediately, Lupin turned and stunned the Death Eater, who had slipped Lupin his wand as well as the one that had previously held Sirius. It was only then that Harry understood that Snape had just risked exposing himself to Voldemort for the pair of Marauders, who he despised.

Sirius grabbed his wand and they both were about to disapparate when Voldemort hissed angrily, "Potter."

Harry's scar was searing with a higher degree of agony than it ever had, but Harry forced himself to keep his focus, trying to send a mental message to Lupin and Sirius to go and go quickly.

"Show yourself, Potter, or do you not have the bravery to face me without hiding in the shadows?"

"Harry?"

Harry could not hear his godfather speak his name, but he saw Sirius's mouth move to form the syllables.

The wand was becoming too hot to hold, and his energy was waning. Again he begged with them to leave, ignoring Voldemort's taunts.

Lupin seemed to be trying desperately to convince Sirius to go, but Harry's godfather was searching frantically for evidence of his godson's presence.

The unconsciousness that he had fought for so long was now wrapping its tentacles around his legs and pulling him under. He was now fighting a losing battle.

With all of his energy reserves wasted, he collapsed bonelessly to the ground though his hand was still clenched around his wand. The last thing that he saw before finally being pulled under was the Marauder pair finally disapparating.

It was a surge of foreign magic that forced Harry into consciousness. Still, his body felt incredibly heavy as if he had no energy left to move, and the first thing that he was conscious of was that his wand was clutched tightly in his hand.

He felt someone slip his glasses onto his face as he lifted weighted eyelids. The image of Dumbledore's juxtaposed relieved and alarmed countenance came into focus with Hermione and Ron standing together looking amazingly frightened in the background.

"Harry? How do you feel?"

It was a different question that Harry tried to answer, one that he believed was more crucial, but his tongue felt thick and his coordination seemed off as he tried to speak, "The dementors have joined Voldemort."

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised slightly at the syllables that seemed to be gibberish. Noticing that the young man was shivering and his face seemed flushed, the elder wizard placed the back of his hand to Harry's forehead to find it radiating heat.

Turning to Harry's worried friends he requested, "I need you two run and fetch Madam Pomfrey, and tell her to bring a Fever Reducing Potion."

Harry hissed in pain as Dumbledore's gentle motion to sweep the sweaty hair from his forehead brushed across his scar.

"Harry, I need you to try and repeat what you told me. I could not understand what you were saying."

Harry repeated his words, but he could tell from his headmaster's expression that they were still not understandable.

"All right. Just relax. Madam Pomfrey will have you feeling better shortly."

Stabbing, sharp pains began to originate from his scar. His surroundings began to fade from around him, and despite Dumbledore's commands to remain awake, he resigned himself to let the mist take him again.

"Nott, Snape, the two of you have failed me miserably." Voldemort hissed, his red eyes flashing with fury.

"I'm sorry, My Lord. Please have mercy. I beg of you." Nott groveled pitifully, hitting his knees and trying to kiss Voldemort's robes.

"Crucio!" Voldemort held the curse, smiling at the screaming, until Nott fell into unconsciousness. Shaking his head in disgust, he murmured, "Pitiful."

Harry was gasping for breath. The mixture of extreme fury and the Unforgivable had left him in agony, and he had been unable to remain on his feet. Not wanting to display weakness even though Voldemort could not see him, he forced himself to his feet.

His serpentine eyes then turned to Snape, "Will you grovel in an attempt to appeal to me as well?"

Snape bowed his head but did not hit his knees, "No, My Lord. I have failed you and will accept any punishment that you deem necessary."

"Very well said, Severus. It shall be as you have said. Crucio!"

The second Cruciatus curse hit Harry worse than the first, and he found that once again he could not remain standing. A brief thought wondering if his knowing Snape somehow increased the intensity of the pain he felt in his scar was overridden by that same pain. Cries fell from his vocal cords, seeming as unreal to his ears as the cries originating from his Potions Master.

Snape too fell unconscious, and Voldemort left the room sending one last disgusted look at his fallen followers.

With Voldemort's increasing physical distance, Harry was able to get more of a hold on himself and made his way over to Snape where he kneeled beside him.

Snape looked awful, worse than he normally did. His sallow skin was so pale that it appeared green, and his breathing did not sound exactly regular. Remembering that Dumbledore had told him that the Cruciatus could have tricky side-effects as well as that it could cause permanent insanity if held for too long as in the case of the Longbottoms, Harry felt it urgent to get Snape to Hogwarts to receive medical attention.

"Professor? Professor, can you hear me? You have to get up."

Belatedly he kicked himself. Of course Snape could not hear him. The only one that ever had was his aunt.

Quickly, he shook off that image and called to his professor again though he thought it would be in vain.

Snape winced and moaned before opening his eyes, which were literally blood red due to massive amount of broken capillaries, and then, to Harry's amazement, focussed his gaze right on him.

Despite pain at the movement, Snape drew his face into his characteristic frown. "Potter, what are you doing here? You are going to get yourself killed!"

Snape was already pushing himself up due to his ire at his former rival's son. It was clear, though, that his coordination was not what it should have been. His legs and arms were trembling, and the strength to hold him upright seemed tremulous.

Harry wanted desperately to help him but knew that the help would not be accepted even if he could actually give it.

Shooting Harry a look daring him to comment on his obvious weakness, Snape ranted softly as not to draw attention to them.

"Follow me, Potter, and be quick about it. I swear that as soon as we get back to Hogwarts I am going to deduct every last point from Gryffindor due to this stupid decision. What were you thinking coming here? Not to mention how you actually got here in the first place. Not even Dumbledore will protect you from your stupidity this time."

Snape continued his tirade all the way to the apparation site, and Harry followed silently, not bothering to correct him. Snape's anger seemed to give enough energy to his unstable limbs to continue on with the journey, so Harry did not see the need to take that away from him.

At their arrival, Snape demanded, "Give me your hand, Potter."

Now was the time to inform him of the impossibility. "Professor-"

"This is not the time for arguments." Snape snapped as he reached for Harry's hand, only to find his arm pass right through Harry.

Snape looked up at Harry in shock, his eyes growing wide before narrowing again with apparent anger.

"That's what I was trying to tell you. I'm not really here. I'm only dreaming."

Snape's anger melded into something else as he shot the young Gryffindor a look that he could not place, "This is one of your dreams?"

Harry nodded. "You need to get back to Hogwarts. He held the curse for a long time."

Snape dismissed Harry's concern for his well being. "But you-"

"Will leave this place as soon as I wake up or the vision ends. I don't think it will be long."

As if confirming his words, Harry's visage began to fade. Stubbornly, Snape waited until his pupil's image was completely gone before apparating to Hogsmeade.

This time it was Harry who forced himself into awareness and found the Mediwitch hovering over him in the Hospital Wing.

Back in his physical body, his tongue still felt swollen and sluggish as he asked for Dumbledore.

"You may speak to him after you've taken some potions and gotten some rest." Pomfrey admonished, placing a goblet into his hands.

"No!"

This syllable was clear and urgent, and Pomfrey sighed, calling for the headmaster.

Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows, and Harry noticed that both Ron and Hermione were hanging back as well. Madam Pomfrey must not have been able to get rid of them.

"What is it, Harry?"

Concentrating on forming each syllable, Harry spoke slowly, "Snape needs help."

Dumbledore's face grew more anxious, and he did not acknowledge the drop in title from Snape's name.

"Is he at the apparation point?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Harry." He perused the still-feverish boy's features, noting that beads of sweat were beginning to pepper his forehead, and the famous scar looked bright and angry. "I will return shortly. Don't give Madam Pomfrey any more of a hard time."

Harry was already beginning to doze, and Madam Pomfrey was back at his side, aiding him with his potions. He could only hope that the rest of his slumber would hold peace.

Dumbledore found Snape not far from the apparation site and found that Harry had not been exaggerating.

Snape looked shaky at best, like a newborn foal just learning how to use its legs.

"Severus!" He called, rushing over to the man.

"Albus." Snape replied in relief, allowing the elder to support some of his weight.

"How long?"

"I don't know. As long as it took for me to lose consciousness."

At Dumbledore's look of horror, Snape expounded.

"We got off easy. I thought that he was going to kill us. How did you know to come here?"

"Harry told me."

Dumbledore was certain that he did not like the glazed look in his Potion Master's eyes, and he was concerned that Snape's steps were becoming more precarious with each one that they took.

"I saw him, Albus."

Dumbledore halted in surprise. "What?"

"I thought that he was actually there until my hand passed right through him."

Dumbledore felt suddenly tired. Finally, he had proof of what he had feared for months now. Harry's dreams were not dreams at all. They were something much more real.

More wearily than before, he began to help Severus back to the castle.

"Did Voldemort see him?"

"No, but he sensed him earlier when- Merlin, Albus. I've never seen anything like that. I didn't know it was possible."

Snape was beginning to ramble, and he never rambled.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Dumbledore suggested gently.

"Azkaban has fallen. The dementors have once again formed an alliance with Voldemort."

The elder wizard closed his eyes for a moment as if in pain. He had warned Fudge that this exact thing would happen, and despite everything that the Order had put into motion, this was something that he had been unable to prevent. If Fudge would have just listened, the situation would not have been so dire.

Voldemort would still have the alliance, but he would not have had the complete access and control of the prison.

"Nott and I were supposed to present Lupin and Black to be Kissed."

Dumbledore was feeling older by the minute, and he was afraid that by the time they reached the castle, Snape was going to have to support him. He wished fervently, much as Harry often did, that he was no one special and that he would no longer have to bear this burden.

"They were captured?"

"Earlier that day. I was prepared to sacrifice myself if needed for their escape, but I could not prevent the torture they experienced upon capture."

Despite the mutual animosity between Snape and especially Sirius, there was a hint of apology to his voice, and Dumbledore placed his free hand on Snape's arm in a placating gesture.

"They knew the risks and were prepared to take them. You do not bear responsibility for that you could not prevent."

Snape did not acknowledge the words but continued. "I was about to slip Lupin his wand and face the consequences when two fiery creatures charged the dementors. They were just like patroni, but they weren't silver and-"

"And what?" Dumbledore prodded gently.

"They did not just scare the dementors. They killed them. I used the distraction to give Lupin his wand and allowed him to stun me." Snape took a deep breath. "Voldemort was convinced that Potter was responsible for the creatures."

"What were the forms?"

"Stag and unicorn."

Remembering that Minerva had relayed Harry's interest in his mother's animagus form, he responded, "I think Voldemort was correct."

With these words, the pair crossed the threshold of the castle, looking battle worn and weary. However, Snape began to protest violently when he realized that he was being led to the Hospital Wing and not to the dungeons.

Dumbledore would not hear any of it. "Severus, I want Poppy to take a good look at you and make sure that no permanent damage has been done. Besides, Harry is already there, and it will be easier to keep an eye on the two of you if you are in the same place."

Before Snape could question Harry's presence in the Hospital Wing, the pair was entering it, and Pomfrey was ushering Snape to a neighboring bed.

It was Snape, after looking over at where Harry was lying in an obviously feverish sleep, that questioned the mediwith with on Harry's health. Dumbledore had to quickly hide the look of amusement that crossed his features, melting away some of the age they had acquired during his debriefing with Snape.

Pomfrey seemed distracted by Snape's own condition as she scanned him, but her anxiety could not be completely hidden.

"I can't seem to bring his fever down, despite the fact that he's had a dose of Fever-Reducing potion."

"Have you given him chocolate?" Snape suggested gruffly as he was handed his own goblet of potion. His senses informed him that was the potion he routinely used to ease the effects of the Cruciatus.

Pomfrey was obviously confused. "Chocolate?"

"Dementors, Poppy." Dumbledore informed her solemnly.

Hermione, who was sitting by Harry's bedside and had overheard everything, gasped, and Ron, sitting right beside her, took her hand and squeezed it. The pair had engaged in a battle of their own to remain there and had won for the time being, but it was only at that moment that Snape had noticed their presence.

This information only seemed to frazzle the mediwitch more. "Dementors? How in the world… Nevermind, I don't want to know. I'll be right back."

"If you would be so kind as to bring some for Severus as well." Dumbledore's request earned him one of Snare's infamous glares.

"Of course."

Madam Pomfrey bustled out and bustled back in, depositing a nicely-sized slab of chocolate in Snape's hand and heading to Harry's bedside to try to wake him up enough to eat some.

If Snape was resistant to the chocolate, he absolutely balked at the Dreamless Sleep potion Pomfrey put into his hands. His protests that he was fine and could sleep in his own room fell on deaf ears.

Much later, Dumbledore returned to check on the occupants of the Hospital Wing. Hermione and Ron were still in the chairs beside Harry's bed but had fallen asleep with Hermione's head resting on Ron's shoulder.

Harry's fever had yet to break.

Madam Pomfrey had pulled Dumbledore aside later and had reported that Harry's magic reserves had been so depleted that they may never return to what they were. Only time would tell.

In the meantime, his abilities would be obviously impaired for an indeterminate amount of time though she believed he would be functional enough by the beginning of the following term.

Snape was sleeping soundly but still appeared to be too pale. At least he had suffered no permanent injuries due to the prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus.

Dumbledore himself had yet to fall asleep since he had been awakened by Ron's frantic shouts that Harry had a dream and they could not wake him up. He knew that if Madam Pomfrey caught him there at this wee hour, she would lecture him on paying attention to his own health.

The sun was beginning to rise in the skyline, and as he looked somberly around the Hospital Wing, he whispered sadly, "Happy Christmas."

A/N: It's finally done. Wow, that took a lot out of me. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. Now for the one-on-one:

Jake: Lol… no problem.

Penelope: Thanks.

CinnamonGold Now if I told you that, it would ruin the surprise.

Venus: Wow… there's a lot to respond to here. Firstly, believe me, Harry does see the potential and is hoping for it quite strongly. I tried to sneak that in somewhere in this chapter, and I hope that you guys found it. As for the trio, you're right. I really wanted some actual interaction in this chapter, but I still feel as though its background. Next chapter will be better. Did I say that I didn't like to write Snape? I very well could have, but what I meant to say is that writing Snape is hard for me. It is one thing to explore his potential and quite another to go out of character. Thanks for the review and the constructive criticism.

Ariel: Well, I'm glad that you liked the philosophical aspect of the last chapter. I had hoped that the last two chapters would serve as a break before this one so that I would not get criticized for doing too much to Harry. I'm also glad that you like Lily. Usually James gets all the attention. I'm also surprised at how many people liked the missing page. Thanks.

fiddyI hurried, but the computer gods hate me. Thanks for reviewing.

ryleeblackYes, incredibly hard to find. As for pairings, they will be sneaking up in this fic but will not be part of the main focus until the sequel if I write one.

Kitty: Thank you. I tried.

Lady Reaper of Shadows: Well, the author has to have a little fun somehow. I hope that you liked the latest installment.

dinkumThank you. I'm glad that you liked the missing page.

Englishgirl Thankyou very much.

howlingwolfI hope that you found my answer to your satisfaction.

Iniysa I'm glad, and I appreciate you telling me so.

live the rainbow: Tell the gods of irony that if they would just leave my computer alone, these chapters would come out so much faster. Thank you for your encouragement.

JaimeyKay Thanks for the line. Believe me I understand. Don't forget to take the time to breathe!

Sakura Le: Isn't that the best way to do hw? I try very hard to edit, but typos will come out. I'm glad that they don't seem to be too distracting though. Thank you.

Skysong I'm glad. That means that you'll keep reading. I will definitely try.

Von: Let me reassure you that Harry will not be buried alive. However, that does not mean that Dumbledore has the missing page, and if he does not have it, then he actually knows less than Harry about the prophecy. Scary thought, isn't it? Thanks for being a faithful reviewer.

Jersey Girl03: Well, he does actually have to die, but that might not be the end of it.

Arizosa Now don't blame Dumbledore. The poor man only wants to protect him. I am not telling where the page is. I'm glad that you like Snape. Thanks.

Jarvey Thank you.

rangerAgain, I really tried. Thank you.

Charma1219: blushes Thanks.

becki You know, I just had a scary thought. You wouldn't happen to be a college student would you because that means that your apartmentmate would be gone for the summer, and then there would be no one there with common sense. "J" actually does not stand for anything, though ironically it is the first initial of my first name, but do you actually think that I would give that info out to a stalker? The "J" was supposed to be a smiley face, but html formatting screwed it up, so from now on it will be this :-) About the Snape comment – Thanks I think but a little scary. See you next review.

XiaoBai Yes, I know. Please have pity or blame my computer for this latest fiasco.

lotrchildEventually, there will be pairings. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

Lily Skylo: I'm really glad that it fits because sometimes what makes sense to me makes no sense to anyone else.

Xirleband shdurrani Okay guys, let's call a truce. Thanks to you both. Now, I have to ask. Did you review one after the other on purpose because I got a good laugh out of it.

Chava Remember, there is always hope, and that's not just for this story. I still say that I am not a poet. Believe me, my sister got that talent in the family, but thank you. Really, you wanted to cry? Wow. Thank you, and I'm glad that you like my characterizations.

t.a.g Remain hopeful. That's all I'm saying. Now that I've updated, it's your turn. Thank you for your reviews as well as a great story of your own.