Author's Note (also posted on Helen Potter and the Specters of the Past)
It's difficult to know how to say this, but I'll give it a shot. Thank you all for reading, and those of you who have reviewed, thank you for that too. There is no way I can ever tell you what all your support has meant to me.
Now for the hard part. I have become so blocked that continuing these stories would be more of a chore than anything. I understand that all my readers enjoy my writing, but I'm afraid I'm not going to do this if it's not fun for me. I have therefore decided to discontinue writing this universe. However, I have several times heard the sentiment that there's nothing worse than an unfinished story, and I happen to agree.
So...
I do have something of an outline for this story. And I will put it in this chapter, down a suitable amount of spoiler space that if you want to take the chance that I might someday be able to keep writing on this story, you don't have to read it. But if you just want to find out how this story comes out, scroll on down and enjoy.
If you want to drop me a line and review, I'd love it, but just please don't yell at me. You have no idea how much I wish I could keep writing this. But I pride myself on writing well, and I just don't think I can write this story the way it deserves to be written. I've tried a hundred times, and the words just will not come. So I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, and give you as much of the story as I can, so you don't lose out too much.
I'm really sorry about this, everyone. Please, someday, try to find it in your hearts to forgive me. I'll still be around, reading and reviewing and such, and maybe someday I'll write again. In the meantime, you can try my beta's stuff – her name is Anne and her penname is whydoyouneedtoknow. She's written a huge and (in my admittedly biased opinion) pretty awesome AU world, starting before Harry is two and currently paused at the end of his first year at Hogwarts, with plans to write all seven years.
I'll miss you, everyone. Good luck, God bless (yes, even you atheists – just be glad He believes in you), and don't let the pixies pinch.
SarahtheBardess
June 5, 2005
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There, I think that ought to be enough, don't you?
Yes, the four of them are all having the same dreams. They confirm this by asking questions about details, and everything checks out. Hermione researches (no surprise) and finds out that they've developed something called a Sontari Bond. It forms between brothers and sisters, close friends, or (blush time) those in love, usually after some great loss, and allows them limited access to one another's minds and emotions.
The Bond is the reason Voldemort and Umbridge can't get to Harry in his dreams as easily any more. Go back and look – every time Harry's dreams are invaded, he's sleeping alone. When one of the other three is also asleep, the Bond is active and the baddies can't get at him, or at least not as easily.
Harry overhears a conversation between Lupin and Snape, in which Lupin plays on Snape's vanity and pride to get him to do something. Soon after, Snape catches Harry playing his guitar for Ginny to sing in an empty classroom, but (inexplicably) gives points to Gryffindor. At some point, there is also an Azkaban breakout (doesn't really surprise anyone).
Umbridge can't get into the Sontari Bond dreams, so she sends one of her flunkies, who happens to have a blood connection with two of the dreamers, and that's enough to break in – yes, Percy Weasley shows up at Carrington. Harry, now knowing that the dreams are his to control, forces Percy to take part in a rehearsal of Twelfth Night, as Malvolio. Read the play if you want to find out why that's funny. In choir, Ginny proves herself one of the best sopranos around, even able to sing a high B-flat (which is impressive).
Harry has little success with Occlumency lessons until November, when he dreams of Erica lighting an Advent wreath, and Hermione finds him a book that recommends using a focus to clear his mind. He tries a flame as a focus and finds himself thinking of the Advent wreath, and suddenly he's in his mind, standing inside a huge one – and Snape is outside it, and can't get in.
The wreath not only symbolizes Harry's Occlumency abilities, but the Bond among the four of them. Advent wreaths have four candles, three blue, one pink. Each of the four of them sees him/herself as the blue candle opposite the pink one, his/her friends as the other two blue candles, and his/her romantic interest as the pink one – and they have had to admit that they kind of, sort of, a little bit like each other, since dreaming that they're more or less engaged. Cho keeps trying to get Harry interested in her again, but he's (as politely as possible) told her thanks but no thanks.
The four of them go to the midnight release party for the fifth Erica Gorelli book and see lots of people there – the Creevey brothers, Cho, Blaise and Colleen, Ernie Macmillan, etc. A rock band plays there called "Hips of Steel", which was the name of a band that Erica and her friends made up (although none of them actually play instruments). The band members are all dressed as characters from the books, and Harry recognizes a few of them – Fred and George are there, as is Professor McGonagall – but he doesn't recognize the lead guitarist until the very last song, when he figures out it's Snape.
Harry buys the Muggle editions of the Erica Gorelli books, thinking Dudley might like them – it's Christmas, he feels like being charitable – and sneaks out after the release party to mail them. He gets himself kidnapped by Death Eaters (yes, I'm sure you could see that one coming).
While in durance vile, Harry overhears a conversation between Lucius and Draco Malfoy, in which Draco mentions that "Odile" told him that Harry would be leaving the party to go to the Muggle post office. He also overhears a little hissy voice commenting on his scent, and answers it – yes, there happens to be a snake hanging around Death Eater headquarters, what a big surprise. He gets it to investigate the room for him, and it brings him back his wand.
Harry gets himself free and takes down Draco Malfoy, who's supposed to be guarding him, and discovers Metamorphmagus Mints in Malfoy's pocket. This is bad. Only the Order and the DA are supposed to be able to buy the Mints. Harry takes them with him, and uses a Peppermint Nemesis to turn himself into Malfoy's double, thus walking out of the house with no trouble – and it turns out to be only a few blocks from Grimmauld Place, allowing him to quietly return to Order Headquarters and scare the living daylights out of everyone anxiously waiting for news of him.
"Odile" is obviously the code name for the Death Eaters' spy, either in the Order or at Hogwarts – but who could it be? They try to figure it out all through the rest of the year.
Hermione buys a book entitled The Fire Rose for Professor Fleming (who has joined the Order) for Christmas – it's by Mercedes Lackey (like The Black Swan, which was mentioned in Chapter 13), she discovered it through their dreams, and it's about a woman who loves a werewolf. No one ever claimed subtlety was Hermione's strong point.
During the spring, there's an attack on the Ministry of Magic, and Tonks is killed protecting Arthur Weasley. Remus brings the news to Hogwarts, understandably rather upset, and Harry, when he is summoned to Dumbledore's office, decides that he knows what Remus needs, or rather who he needs. Harry "faints" – in reality taking himself to the Advent wreath visualization – and lights Ron's candle, bringing them into mental contact. He tells Ron to get Professor Fleming to Dumbledore's office – "break Malfoy's arm if you have to." Ron, of course, is delighted, and thus Athena Fleming arrives in time to comfort Remus.
Ron's 17th birthday also arrives, and over the Easter holidays the twins start teaching him to Apparate. (This story was begun before we knew Hermione was older than the boys, and I'm sticking with the idea that she's younger, since it is slightly important.) Also during the spring, Angelina's baby is born – his name is Craig Sirius Weasley, and he never stops crying.
At the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are hanging around together when Ginny comes running up and says she has to show them something. She takes them off into the woods alone. Just as Harry starts to get suspicious, they hear someone scream nearby – and the scream turns into a sung note – Ron identifies it as a high B-flat. It's Ginny – so the Ginny standing in front of them must be a fake. They try to take her down, but she had accomplices in the woods – Malfoy and his gang – who disarm our heroes and Portkey them away to Malfoy Manor.
"Ginny" turns out to be Cho Chang, using the Peppermint Nemesis to take on the form of her rival for Harry. She was Odile – the Black Swan – and now our heroes are trapped in a large, echoing stone room full of Death Eaters. But before they get around to killing Harry and the others, Voldemort announces, he has a surprise for everyone. He reveals Lucius Malfoy. Dead.
And why is he dead? Because it turns out he was secretly a halfblood – his mother had a fling with a Muggle and used magic to permanently disguise the resulting baby so no one would ever know about it – but she told him when he was old enough to understand. This also makes Draco a halfblood (by JKR's rules) and what with that and his father being dead, he's more than a little shaken up.
If Lucius had admitted to it, claims Voldemort, he might have spared him, but it was so very entertaining to watch him squirm as he tried to bluster it out. At this point, Snape rushes in, claiming something needs Voldemort's immediate attention. Harry recognizes an opportunity when he sees one.
As soon as Voldemort and Snape are gone, Harry volunteers himself and his friends as entertainment – they will sing for the Death Eaters. They manage to settle their nerves enough to perform a piece with a very wide range, and determine the resonance note of the room, which is A. As soon as the song is over, Ron gives them the note again, and they sing four octaves of it and throw magic behind it, creating enough resonance to make something along the lines of a sonic blast, taking down all the Death Eaters.
They get their wands back, take all the Death Eaters' wands as well, and decide, grudgingly, that they'd better take Draco with them, since he may be a jerk, but he doesn't deserve to get killed. They put themselves into a full link with the Sontari Bond, and Ron takes control of it and Apparates them all to Grimmauld Place.
And thus the sixth year ends.
If you have questions, you can e-mail me with them (I will answer, I check the thing compulsively) or go to Anne's Yahoo group (I'm on that compulsively as well).
Again, I'm sorry about this. Please don't hate me too much for it... a little hate won't hurt me, but a lot might seep through the computer and bite me... oh dear, I'm going nuts here. I'd better stop. Thank you again, everyone who's ever read or reviewed, and best of luck down the road.