Fanfiction based in the world of Harry Potter, created by JKR. Her characters are hers. Original characters are mine. No pecuniary rewards. Please see first chapter for full disclaimers and description.

Thank you to my Beta, Elaine!

Thank you to a reader/reviewer, Surgical Steel who helped me with some of the more fun 'Texas-specific' stuff in this chapter, such as Dylan's preferred beverage.

I hope you have as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it.

Chapter 42: Bridal Parties

The Universe conspired against him, or at least the wizarding world. Perhaps it would be most accurate to lay this blame at the feet of Hogwarts Staff, specifically one certain Meddling Old Fool. Even his much less congenial Master had done nothing to make his life more miserable today, since He was gone from the location where the potion was brewing when Severus arrived to make the brief modifications needed for the cycle.

It was Friday evening, and he had nothing to do. He could not make an excuse to visit Rowena, because she was gone. She had flounced into his office just after lunch, her hair loose and curled in the long ringlets she liked, dressed in a very attractive burgundy Muggle dress and heels, wearing make-up and the pearl earrings her brother had given her years ago, and a glowing smile.

"I'm gone for the rest of the day," she said excitedly, turning on her heels like Katrina did when she wore a fancy new dress with a 'twirly' skirt. "Do I look alright? We're taking Tonks out for her bachelorette party. Andromeda was able to get a Portkey all the way to Bath for the evening!"

He stood up from his desk and went to shut the door so as not to be overheard by any passers by. The moment the door was shut, she hugged him. It was a brief, friendly hug, as he had seen her give to many of her friends, but he enjoyed the fact that she did it so casually. His previous assurance that he would not pressure her for a more serious relationship seemed to have decreased much of her nervousness where he was concerned. The tentative friendship had become more relaxed almost at once, and she often hugged him now in greeting or departure when they had opportunity to be together privately.

"Well?" she asked, grinning, still waiting for his opinion on her appearance.

"Do you really think it is safe to go all the way to Bath, Lupin?" he asked irritably.

"Severus," she said, rolling her eyes. "Tonks is an Auror, or have you forgotten? And Hestia Jones will be there, she's an Auror too, and Emmeline Vance, Minerva, Molly, Pomona, my mum; none of us are completely defenseless, and we'll be staying together. We're staying in the Muggle side, but Hestia helped arrange extra security from the Ministry just in case."

Severus had already heard about all the extra security from Remus. The werewolf had been all but unbearable the last few days, popping in for no reason at all from time to time and making it nearly impossible for Severus to find time to visit Rowena, as he would have preferred to do.

Apparently that was one of the more odious duties of the 'Best Man'—to be an 'outlet' for nervous conversation. Severus knew firsthand that Remus was not at all happy about this 'night on the town', but had been utterly unable to stop it. If Remus could not prevent Tonks from going, Severus was surely not going to prevent Rowena—which did not mean he wasn't going to try.

"What have you done with Katrina? Shuttled her off to strangers somewhere since all her usual guardians are occupied for the evening?"

"Don't be ridiculous. She's having a 'slumber party' in Gryffindor tower with Hermione and Ginny. She's already there. They have big plans for popcorn, toasting marshmallows, doing hair, and painting finger and toenails, so don't you go bothering them. It will be very girly and froo-froo."

"Gryffindor tower? Overnight? Have you gone mad, Lupin?" he asked, as though she had just said she'd put the little girl in a tent alone in the midst of the forbidden forest. "You think she will be safe there?"

"Yes, I do," she said firmly, laughing. She hugged him again, though perhaps that was more to shut him up than out of affection. "I've got to go, they're meeting me in Hogsmeade in half an hour and these shoes are killers to walk in. I just wanted you to know I'd be gone so you wouldn't worry. See you tomorrow at the wedding if I don't see you before then."

His hand on hers stopped her just before she could open the door to leave, and she glanced up at him questioningly, only to see him looking at her very seriously. "You look lovely, Rowena. Enjoy your evening."

Her radiant smile as she left was the talisman he carried with him through the rest of the day, as the Universe conspired against him.

So it was that he was robbed of every logical, valid and even far-fetched excuse for avoiding the 'bachelor' party. He had even gone so far as to deliberately try and goad his Slytherin/Gryffindor classes into misbehavior just to have a legitimate detention to serve, but of course Filch took that at Albus' orders.

He made no effort to rush to get there. The party wasn't going anywhere, and he did not wish to be seen arriving. However, eventually student curfew was long past, and he had delayed as long as he reasonably could. Unlike Rowena he did not attempt to 'dress up'; he skulked through the shadowy corridors as slowly as he could, procrastinating the inevitable.

It was so much worse than he had been dreading. Loud music blasted against his eardrums the moment he passed through the door—there was a silencing charm at the entrance so that even when the door was open the noise did not spill out into the hall.

Loud Muggle DISCO music. Someone—likely Potter—had decided to give the party a Theme. It seemed that the foolish boy went out of his way to find the most obnoxious way possible to recognize Remus' school days. A strange sphere rotated from the ceiling overhead, covered in hundreds of one-inch square mirrors so that the obnoxious colored lights being shone onto the sphere then flashed about the room in dizzying patterns.

The room was set up as a 'dance bar' of sorts; tables and chairs scattered about at one end of the room, a pool table and dart board at the other. The wireless box blasting the music was centrally located on the wall opposite the door. The room was dimly lit so as to be able to fully 'appreciate' the effect of the kaleidoscopic ball hanging in the exact center of the ceiling. Apparently there was some mechanism by which the lighting changed according to the music, even to occasionally strobe rapidly so that everyone appeared to be moving in an odd, jerky, disjointed fashion.

Albus Dumbledore was flipping through a book that apparently conveyed Muggle clothing of the period, his wand in one hand. He was dressed outlandishly in a violently purple Muggle suit of some sort, with wide lapels and a pattern of vivid blue moons and stars. He was moving about the room, transfiguring people's robes to match pictures in the book.

"They're called 'leisure suits', Severus!" he exclaimed with child-like delight as he showed his friend a picture. "Ted and Andromeda spent quite a bit of time in America before Nymphadora was born, did you know? He brought these books and things back, said it was some of the best music the Muggles had. Look—I've been saving this one for you. It has these lovely Slytherin Green polka-dots, what do you think?"

It could reasonably argued that there were few wizards currently alive more skilled at Transfiguration than Albus Dumbledore. If anyone could successfully transfigure Severus Snape's dignified but stodgy midnight black robes into a lavender leisure suit with Slytherin Green polka dots, it would be Albus. Or at least, it would be if one could overlook the fact that Severus had his own wand out and was pointing it menacingly at the white-haired old wizard.

"Do not even contemplate it, Albus," he said warningly. "I assure you that our friendship does not extend nearly far enough to survive—that!"

Albus chuckled, his clear blue eyes showing that his enjoyment of the party had not needed any intoxicants to embellish.

"Very well, Severus, though I don't know where your sense of adventure is! You should see Dylan—he's around here somewhere. We found a picture in here called the 'Rhinestone Cowboy' and so that's what we turned his robes into. Now, Ted says we're playing the wrong sort of music for that to fit in properly, but Dylan's as pleased as he can be."

"I can imagine," Severus said dryly. It was not difficult to spot the man in question, as he was quite a bit taller than nearly everyone else in the room except Hagrid. He appeared to be dressed in a 'traditional' cowboy get-up including hat, vest, and leather riding chaps, with significant modifications. The white leather appeared, from Severus's perspective, to have been spectacularly vomited upon by some manner of creature that spewed only garishly multi-colored bits of sparkly plastic. Even the ridiculous hat was not spared the cheap adornments. Howard was currently speaking with someone that Severus didn't know, but by the looks of his Muggle clothing and age, he guessed it might be Ted Tonks, Nymphadora's father.

The table filled with 'refreshments' stood along the wall nearest the tables and chairs. Potter was near it speaking with Ron Weasley and a house elf wearing what looked to be several dozen hats.

The Weasley twins were in identical powder-blue leisure suits and were at a table with John Lupin and Arthur Weasley. They were engaged in an animated discussion, though John was shaking his head suspiciously, even as he laughed.

Moody, Kingsley and Sturgis stood around the pool table; pool cues in hand though only half paying attention to their game. They were speaking in low tones; Moody's vivid blue eye could be clearly seen spinning in its socket even from a distance.

Charlie and Bill Weasley sat at a table together near their father, apparently 'catching up' after a long period of not seeing one another, as they were also speaking animatedly and were oblivious to others in the room. Hagrid and Flitwick were together near the wireless box, trying to learn dance steps out of another book.

Severus slipped over to the serving table, and Harry straightened up from his stoop. The youngest Weasley boy cast a fearful glance at his friend, but scurried away at Severus' glare, as did the elf.

"Professor Snape!" Harry exclaimed, clearly surprised. "I thought you said you weren't coming? You're not dressed right for this kind of party, though. I bet you don't even know what Disco is, do you? Professor Dumbledore is helping everyone with their clothes, you need to see him."

Potter's 'leisure suit' was among the least obnoxious in the room, being merely plain green to match the boy's eyes. Again Severus rolled his eyes internally at the repeated evidence of blatant favoritism and coddling where the brat was concerned.

He did not need the slurring of the consonants or the unfocused appearance of the green eyes behind the glasses to know that Potter had already imbibed a good deal, no doubt with the watchful indulgence of the supposedly responsible adults in the room. He moved closer to the boy and lowered his voice, though the magic of the room was such as to allow Harry to hear him without alteration in the music.

"Potter, what do you surmise occurs to one's Occlumency when one is inebriated?" he asked, silkily.

Harry blinked dazedly at him.

"Um… Professor… would you mind repeating that, in English? I'm afraid I'm just a little bit fuzzy right now."

"Precisely, Potter. Allow me to use small words so that you are able to comprehend me. What do you think would happen if the Dark Lord tried to access your mind right now?" he hissed, enunciating every word.

"Oh. Well. Er… I suppose he'd have a pretty hard time because I'm a bit tipsy and my thoughts are all screwed up?"

"No, indeed, not at all. He would be able to bend your will to his own with lamentable ease, boy. You will need to be much more skilled in Occlumency before you are capable of maintaining your defense in altered mental states."

Harry did have the grace to look abashed, though it wasn't easy to carry off, as his eyes wouldn't focus properly.

"What do I do, sir?" he asked miserably.

Severus reached into a deep pocket and pulled out two small vials. He handed one to Harry.

"Drink that. It will facilitate normal cognitive functioning, such as it is," he scowled darkly as Harry grabbed the vial and drank it immediately. The green eyes came into focus, yet seemed puzzled as to why Severus was looking even angrier.

"Oh. I shouldn't have just drank it like that, huh?"

"No. You should not. What if I had wanted to poison you?"

"Well, I don't think you'd really poison me in a room full of people. Besides I wouldn't be able to tell anyway, so what does it matter? You're starting to sound like Moody."

Severus bristled visibly and grabbed Harry's arm tightly. "There is no reason to be insulting, Potter. Moody is paranoid. I am suspicious. There is a difference. I could have just fed you a slow-acting poison that would not actually kill you for days to come, so that it would be impossible to trace to me. Do you mean to tell me that you are in my sixth year Potions class and could not identify a slow-acting poison upon close examination?"

Harry no longer appeared drunk, but he did look horrified, as though a Dementor was slowly advancing on him. "C'mon, sir, it's a party… I didn't think you'd give me poison because I trust you, all right? You're not going to give me some huge essay now, are you?"

Severus looked as though that was precisely what he intended to do, brushing off the boy's declaration of 'trust', but Remus turned up at precisely that moment.

"Severus, you aren't harassing the host of my party just now, are you?" he asked mildly. He looked positively ludicrous in a plaid leisure suit in various shades of blue and green. "I'm glad you've come. You don't have a drink yet, what would you like?"

Severus glared a moment longer at Potter, then handed him the second vial before releasing his arm.

"Examine that first. Drink it before you retire, then seal your mind."

Harry accepted the vial, stuck it in a pocket, and nodded his understanding before scurrying away to rejoin Ron. Severus sighed in exasperation and turned to Remus.

"What I would like is to leave. I will settle for a brandy, and lighting that is not guaranteed to induce migraines."

"Well, I can't fix the lighting, none of the decorations are my doing, but I can get you that brandy." Remus grinned and poured the drink, giving it to Severus. The werewolf was not the least inebriated. "Unless you want to try one of Dylan's 'Red Hot Shots'? Apparently it's a popular drink from his part of Texas—Tequila and Tabasco. I haven't tried it myself. My nose isn't so sensitive just now at the new moon, but it burns my sinuses just to stand next to him when he mixes it."

"Brandy is fine, thank you," said Severus, not even trying to conceal his disgust at the thought of drinking anything the cowboy might find palatable.

"Good choice. Apparently Dylan says the shots ought 'rightly' be followed by a beer chaser, but the House Elves don't have his brand. He wanted a 'Shiner Bock' but said he'd settle for 'that rat piss, Lone Star', neither of which are presently available," Remus said, grinning at Severus' obvious annoyance.

"If rat urine is all the man desires to drink, I am certain I could oblige from my potion stores," Severus said nastily. Remus chuckled and shook his head.

The jangle of spurs could be heard even over the raucous music, which was fortunate, as Severus had time to steel himself for the inevitable conversation.

"Howdy, Remus, Sev…erus," Dylan said, apparently remembering just in time that he had been forbidden to call him 'Sev'. "Yer gals're both out whoopin' it up in Bath I hear? What sorta name is that fer a town anyway, 'Bath'? I ain't really met Nymphadora yet, but her pa seems like a right nice old gent."

Severus managed a smirk. As much as he disliked anyone calling him 'Sev', Tonks was even more rabid about not being called 'Nymphadora'—but he would not enlighten the cowboy. It might be amusing to see how the Auror would respond. They'd only seen each other briefly in the hospital when Lupin was injured, and no introductions had been made then in light of the situation.

He did need to correct the man on his other misperception, however.

"Professor Lupin is not my 'gal', Howard," he said abruptly. "She is an intelligent woman whom I am privileged to consider a friend, but she is far too independent to be anyone's 'gal'. Certainly not mine."

"Right," Dylan drawled, too drunk to even pretend to hide his disbelief. "If she ain't yer gal, she woulda agreed to marry me when I asked now, wouldn't she?"

Lupin did a spit-take over his drink, and Severus only just managed not to drop his glass. Both men looked at the outrageously glittering cowboy with undisguised incredulity.

"What!" Severus and Remus exclaimed simultaneously. Dylan looked indecently pleased with himself, his hazel eyes sparkling almost as much as the gaudy rhinestones of his outfit.

"Yup. I asked her. Right after I heard 'bout her fixin' to adopt the little girl. I reckoned if we got married, we'd adopt the filly and Rowena'd be happy. Always wanted me a fam'ly, reckoned that'd be a slick way to get a real fine one right off."

Severus saw red. Jealous rage filled him until it required every drop of his practiced control not to pound his glass right into the other man's smiling face. It did not help matters that he knew the imbecile was more aesthetically appealing than himself, nor that he could remember finding her curled up asleep with the bastard when he'd gone to inform her of her brother's injury.

Remus, not being speechless in rage, recovered himself much more quickly, and had the audacity to grin broadly as though he was trying hard not to laugh.

"You don't say?" he asked, his voice completing the impression of barely suppressed mirth. "She turned you down, though?"

"Yup, sure did. I'm right disappointed, I can tell ya. She's a real cute gal and sweet as the day is long. I like her real fine. Yer a nice dude, Remus. I'd'a liked to call you 'brother'. Might happen yet. Ain't it said that gals change their minds a lot? I reckon I just didn't give'er enough time," he said.

He seemed to sense the threat in Severus's glare, because his bright smile faded slightly—though Remus thought he could detect a very smug glint in the hazel eyes. Dylan took off his gaudy hat and ran his hand through the thick mane of wavy brown hair, as though to 'fluff' it properly before replacing the adornment. The impression of intentional mischief was completed when Dylan caught Remus' gaze and winked.

"Well, I reckon I'll go sit a spell with John and Art," he said, tilting his head toward where Arthur Weasley and John Lupin were still sitting in conversation with the twins. The spurs clanked loudly across the room, though Remus was certain that the sound of Snape's teeth grinding was louder still.

"C'mon, Severus," Remus said, clapping a hand on the rigid shoulder next to him. He realized that Dylan was baiting Severus, but decided not to get in the middle of it—he'd had more than enough fights with Rowena on those grounds already. "You won't kill him with that glare no matter how long you stand there, and she's no more going to marry Dylan than Dumbledore so you can calm down."

"You are blithering, Lupin," Severus growled, at last pulling his gaze away from Howard and attempting to feign boredom. "It is no concern of mine where your sister chooses to bestow her affections. I doubt that a fop like that is to her taste, but it makes no difference to me."

"Right," Remus drawled in mimicry of Dylan's disbelief a moment earlier. He chuckled at the sour look on Severus' face. "You're positively dripping with indifference. He's her friend, nothing more. This is the first I'd even heard that he wanted to BE anything more."

He couldn't resist a slight jab, though. If Dylan was willing to face the wrath of Snape to needle the man into seeing the obvious, far be it for Remus to undo all his 'work'.

"I suppose that's why he spends so much time with her and Katrina. I hadn't really given it much thought before. Well, he hasn't got a chance, so don't worry about it."

"I am not worried about it," Severus said haughtily.

Remus gave him another disbelieving glance, but wisely fell silent.

None of the men present would ever have been described as 'party animals' at any time of their lives, except perhaps the Headmaster in his youth. The Weasley twins and their older brothers put on a good show of fireworks and a daring juggling act using flaming batons. There were games of chess, darts, pool, and several hours spent on a fiendishly difficult trivia game, which ended up in a draw between Remus and Severus. It was well past two in the morning before the party finally disbanded.

Severus stood near the door as everyone left and handed out vials similar to what he had given Harry earlier. Moody refused it of course, and Albus didn't need it, but the others all accepted it with various degrees of gratitude.

Harry couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer, though he remembered his 'conditions' and came directly to Severus with his question.

"What is it, Professor?"

"You don't know, Potter?" Severus asked sardonically. Remus overheard the conversation and came over to clap an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Hangover preventative," Remus said cheerfully. He was noticeably tipsy by now himself, and chuckled at the disdainful look on Snape's face and the suspicious one on Harry's. In his mild drunkenness, he leaned a little heavier on the arm around Harry than necessary, and his 'theatrical' whisper was a bit louder than he would have intended as he pretended to 'reveal' a 'secret'. "See—don't let anyone else know this—but Snape can actually be a decent bloke when he thinks no one will notice."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lupin," Severus said haughtily, "I do not do this out of philanthropy. I am merely sparing myself the inconvenience of a dozen people trickling to my door tomorrow in various states of misery to grovel at my feet.

"Normally I enjoy the groveling," he smirked in amusement, "but my day tomorrow is quite spoken for due to this bothersome wedding. I have no time to deal with the self-induced suffering of others. This is for my convenience only."

"Of course, Severus," Remus said, though he was still chuckling as he escorted Harry out of the room and back to his dorm.

Bath was enormous, if a bit tourist-y and slightly dingy. It had many old theaters, hotels and restaurants whose architecture gave it the romantic air of an old Victorian painting—as long as one didn't look too closely.

Their first stop was a specialty salon where each woman was indulged in a manicure and pedicure while being amply supplied with champagne and chocolates. They were all able to be in the same room together, so that animated conversation and giggles crossed the room from station to station. Andromeda Tonks was not the least apologetic for the name she bestowed upon her daughter at birth, and used it regularly, to Tonks' annoyance.

"Well, what do you expect your new husband to call you tomorrow, Nymphadora?" she asked. "Are you to become 'Tonks Lupin?' No, you will be Nymphadora Lupin. It's a lovely name, you ought to use it."

"Mum, please," Tonks moaned, squirming in restless irritation in her seat and oversetting her champagne glass for the third time, to the teasing laughter of the others.

Andromeda Tonks was a slender, fifty-something witch with hair so dark brown as to be almost black, with the lightest beginnings of gray flecks. She had light, clear grayish blue eyes that managed to look warm and mischievous at the same time. She and Becky hit it off at once, even though Becky was well the senior of the two women. Molly, Minerva and Pomona quickly joined their camaraderie.

Rowena caught up on Ministry 'gossip' with Tonks, Hestia and Emmeline; the usual things like who's kids were doing what, which marriages had what sorts of troubles, all the 'news' that she had not heard since leaving her position there.

After the salon, they went to an elegant restaurant. Rowena had reserved one of the nicer 'meeting rooms' for their party, so that they were alone and attended by several very stodgy but discreet waiters. The room was several floors up, and had a huge window with French doors leading to a large balcony that looked out over nicer areas of the city. Plants, soft lighting, and tasteful waterfalls decorated the room so that it felt almost like being in a small garden at twilight.

Champagne, laughter, and conversation flew about the room like Cornish Pixies on a sugar high. The nature of the party almost required the topic to eventually focus on love, men, relationships and marriage, so that soon everyone was in peals of giggles as Molly Weasley related some of their antics when she and Arthur had first been dating. It left no one in any doubt as to where Fred and George inherited their mischief.

There was plenty of teasing of Tonks and her dating an 'older man', as Remus was nine years her senior, but she bore the teasing gracefully—well, except for the inevitable spills and her elbow in the butter dish. Those lead to a teasing call for 'bets' from Hestia, "What're the odds on Tonks getting down the isle tomorrow without falling?" and more laughter.

It was Emmeline who brought up the question that Rowena was dreading as inevitable considering the situation.

"Okay, Rowena. We've all been very good, I think, all things considered. It just won't do. I'm sure I'm not the only one dying to know the juicy details! You have GOT to tell us… what happened? I mean, how in the world did you end up engaged to SNAPE of all people… and why'd you break off? Who cried off, him or you?"

The entire table fell silent, and poor Rowena could feel her face burning as all eyes turned toward her. Even though she considered all these women her friends, it still wasn't something she felt comfortable discussing. She smiled at her mum who chose that moment to squeeze her hand gently.

"You don't have to tell us, dear," Becky said, though the disappointed faces of the others at the table did not agree with that sentiment.

"I think it's just as well if you ask me," said Tonks, trying to cover for Rowena. "Remus was in a right state over the whole thing. I like not having him worry so much just now."

"Well, Severus is extremely abrasive to deal with at the best of times," Minerva chimed in with her thick Scottish brogue, "I was more surprised that Rowena agreed to begin with, than that it broke off. Consider yourself lucky, dear, to get out while it was still relatively easy."

"No!" Rowena said earnestly, looking around as they all nodded in agreement to what Minerva had said. Each woman looked prepared to launch into her own experience with Severus' less pleasant qualities. "It wasn't like that at all. It really was a mutual decision. We've got so much to worry about just now, and things just went too fast.

"My mum can tell you—I've had a fancy for him since I first came to Hogwarts and he was in school with my brother. When I saw him again last summer… well, I just sort of got lost in that attraction more than ever."

She blushed even deeper, and toyed anxiously with her hair, unsure what to say or how to say it. Hestia helped her along with an exaggerated dreamy sigh.

"He's always been so intense—I could see how you could get carried away. I mean, if he'd turn those dark eyes on a girl in something other than scorn, that would be a very powerful thing," Hestia said.

"Oh, yes. Very intense," said Rowena, with a nervous sort of laugh, suddenly remembering the heat of his kisses more vividly than she had since the Bond had been broken. "I think it was the intensity that was our undoing, actually. Were our feelings real or just related to the newness? Or maybe intensified because of the danger of the war?"

All of the women here were in the Order, but the location was not secure, and there were things she didn't really want to share with anyone, let alone a big group of gossipy friends.

"Anyway, it made Severus's job harder, too, and it was uncomfortable with the students and things. I think we both felt like we were under constant scrutiny by everyone. We're still friends. We just thought better of the engagement just now, that's all."

"OH!" breathed Tonks, "So it's just a temporary break up? You're planning on getting back together or something, after the war?"

"No, not planning… well, I don't know. I don't really know what I want, or what he wants. Everything is pretty up in the air. He's my friend, I care about him very much, but maybe that's all there will ever be."

The older women at the table were exchanging knowing looks, and Tonks had become quiet and thoughtful. Hestia and Emmeline were smiling wistfully.

"It still sounds very romantic," said Emmeline. "But here's the big question that we ALL want to know—was he any good at kissing?"

The entire table burst into peals of laughter again as Rowena went scarlet, but still managed to answer, "Oh, yes, very good," between giggles of her own.

Blessedly, conversation turned back to Tonks and Remus, with the surrounding women all giving Tonks 'advice' on how to have a 'good' marriage, only half of it serious. When pudding was over, they spent a few hours at an upscale dance club before taking the Portkey back to Hogwarts.

A/N: Next chapter, the wedding, the chapter after that, the reception. Reviews are like Chocolate, you can never have too much. Please don't hesitate to point out typos or Brit-Pick freely, etc. I have absolutely NO idea what Bath is like, I made it all up. If I'm way off base, send me the name of a town that would 'work', you native UK folks, eh? If you don't want to 'criticize' openly here, feel free to email me or leave me a message in my LiveJournal account, I am 'weasleyfan'.