Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize from any Harry Potter book. If you don't recognize it: Hey it's mine!
Sorry about the wait, but the whole power outage thing sort of postponed everything.
This chapter is quite long, and I highly enjoyed writing it. So please take the time to review and tell me what you think.
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The trek to Dumbledore's office seemed to take forever in Lily's mind. Every time they passed a painting that smiled at them, Lily swore that they were mocking her. 'Look at us in our pretty little frames where no one can hurt us… No one kills and sends us letters. Evil? There's no evil here. You're all alone Lily – no one knows what you're going through…' Her hand ached to grab her wand and incinerate the lot of them. The only thing that stopped her was the practical side of Lily: with the stress on your mind, once you start shooting curses, you probably won't stop unless every painting is in blaze. And then she'd reason with herself that doing so would be a one-way trip to St. Mungo's Janus Thickey Ward. Jen had once told her, back in fifth year, that that's where the permanent residents stay. It was on the Spell Damage floor, but Lily was sure she'd fit in nicely with a pyrotechnic attitude to all moving portraits.
With her mind still on how she'd carry on while stuck in a white gown in a padded room (although she guessed they didn't have padded rooms in a magical hospital, but never being there, her muggle thoughts supplemented her image of a mental institution) in the closed ward, she never noticed that they reached the gargoyle.
Nothing was really as it seemed to her. All her thoughts were a blur and every sound she heard seemed to echo off the inner walls of her head and go back out without processing. A loud rumbling, soundings of stone on stone, made Lily shiver. Every movement slowed in her eyes. A hand, must have been James', reached out and held hers. Her eyes watched it move… but did it move? The trail of which it travelled etched itself in her mind, causing her to blink her eyes hard to rid herself of it. Things didn't seem right…
The voices she heard, one male and one female, sounded distant, and they fluctuated from strong to soft… and sometimes they cut out entirely and she'd shake her head as if to rid her ears of fluff.
"Lilleee…" One of the voices called to her. She felt her body move backwards, and stop abruptly. There was a grip around her waist that she tried to place. The voice came louder and stronger. "Lily!" It rang in her head this time, and Lily clamped her hands over her ears, trying to stop her head from vibrating with the sound. "Get… Jen go… Pomfrey…" Lily wanted to ask the voice to stop shouting; it hurt her head. Maybe if she shut it out? She heard a rush of sound and figured a huge gust of wind whipped by her and pushed her to the ground. Wasn't she in the school? No… she was in St. Mungo's… then where did the wind come from? Maybe she was in the Forbidden Forest. Her eyes stung… they were filling with tears. That voice came back and burned its sound inside Lily's head. "Wake – come – Lillllleeeeee…"
The voice ceased to make sound, and Lily ceased to hear a thing. No more throbbing voice pitch, no more rushing wind… All the light blinding her vision through salty tears slowly shadowed. The edges of her peripheral vision closed in with blackness until the light was completely shut out.
With a small intake of air, Lily went limp in James' arms.
It was raining. She could hear the rain pound on the roof. Each drop hit painfully and each drop hit the shingles with a resounding boom. The droplets seemed of brick, and the shingles of a steel drum. She could imagine the looks of it… many bricks falling from the sky, pounding on steel drums that surrounded her head. She was helpless to stop it. Please leave me be…
It was all too loud. Too much noise… too much.
Lily stopped hearing the sounds once again.
The voices again. Voices… that one that called to her before. It was talking slowly – almost agonizingly slow. What was it saying? Another voice… soft and calm. The first voice shouted…
Lily's muscles in her forehead twitched and cause a frown for only a few seconds. That voice was loud. She wanted to shut it out, make it go away… tell it to be quiet. Hush the voice…The voices stopped and Lily relaxed her ears; the frown on her forehead smoothing.
Whispers… breath tickling her ear. It was the first voice again, soft this time. Lily wanted to see the voice… watch the sound waves as they flowed through her ear canal; bounced off her eardrum… the steel drums were gone. She turned her head inches towards the voice.
"Oh…kay…? Lovvvve…"
What was it saying to her? The waves of sound rippled through her body, twitching every muscle into awareness. She gasped in a deep breath of air. It was cold in her lungs and down her throat.
Light. Bright light burned through her eyes and processed in her head. Why was it so white?
Was she in St. Mungo's?
"Awake… Lilllleeee…"
Lily fell into a deep sleep, that first voice talking to her, and a caring touch on the side of her cheek.
Silence. There was no sound. She strained her ears to hear something… anything.
Nothing.
Lily moved in her bed. Ah, a rustle… Her pillow made sound against her ear, the stark material rubbed against her cheek. A trickling repeated in her ear while she moved her head: her hair rubbing against the pillow. She was in a bed.
Darkness. There was no light. No light like before… this was much better.
Fluttering the muscles in her eyelids, Lily tried to open them. They were sealed shut. Weak, she moved an arm to them and flimsily rubbed. She worked until her arm couldn't support itself and let it drop in front of her. It hit something hard… but with soft wisps atop…
"Lily?"
The voice!
Lily opened her dry, chapped lips and tried out her voice. "Ah… ah- I…"
"Sh… Sh," The voice was getting clearer. "Have… water, Lily."
I'm not a water lily… Wanting to smack the voice, she reached a hand out. It held onto her. Soft lips kissed her fingers.
"Do… want some… water, Lily?" The familiar voice asked, Lily's head still not hearing full sentences.
Lily, now understanding what it meant, nodded. The hand gently laid hers down and lifted her head to face upwards. A cool glass was placed against her lips and tipped slowly. The cool liquid smoothed down her dry mouth and chilled her parched throat.
"Be careful." Another voice said. This one was different. Female.
Surprised at the addition of another sound, Lily choked on the water going down her throat, leaning over the bed and coughing. Her coughs were deep and stung the back of her throat.
"James!" She heard the voice scold. A hand, a different hand from the ones holding her, rubbed her back. "It's ok Lily, I'm here."
Lily's coughing ceased and she cracked an eye open. They were watering with all the sore coughs and now were free to examine the area she was in. It was quite dark in there, only a candle beside the bed caused Lily to squint.
"Hey love." Lily looked to the one holding her up and saw James' face slowly focus.
"Jay…" Was all she could rasp out, not being able to speak his full name. She reached for the glass, but the other pair of hands grabbed it for her.
"I'll help you, Lily." It was Jen. The black haired witch in her nightclothes tipped the cup to Lily's lips. When Lily drank a few gulps greedily, Jen spoke again, "See James? That's how you do it."
Lily wasn't about to burst her bubble.
"How are you feeling?" James asked, helping her settle back in the bed with its starched sheets.
"I…" How was she feeling? There was a dull throb in her head from all the coughing, and her throat still felt sore. "Not too horribly bad." She decided out loud with a rasp to her voice. "Why am I in St Mungo's?" Lily said.
"St. Mungo's?" Jen and James repeated.
"And who was playing the steel drums?" That was very confusing…
"Lily you're at Hogwarts," Jen said unsurely, "and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would have executed anyone who attempted to play steel drums within a kilometre from the Hospital Wing."
"Then what was all the banging?" Lily asked, working her mind to think back. It couldn't have been the rain…
"It snowed and hailed yesterday, if that's what you're talking about…" James said slowly, looking to Jen once who nodded.
Lily breathed in deeply. She was at Hogwarts and there were no steel drums. Well that was good news. "Why am I here?" She asked. And wasn't it bright and sunny before?
She watched Jen and James share a look in the dim candlelight. "You don't remember?" James asked while Jen stifled a yawn.
"I wouldn't have asked." Lily said tiredly. The pillow seemed to be getting softer, the bed forming to her body more.
"You blacked out, Lily." James told her. She what? "Right in front of Dumbledore's office. Neither Jen nor I know why… we were walking, stopped and you didn't move when the gargoyle opened…"
"And then you had this vacant stare," Jen continued, "and had to lean against the wall." Lily looked at her with a small frown. "You grabbed your ears and fell to the ground. I ran to get the nurse."
"You were crying, Lily." James said sadly. "And then you just… blacked out in my arms."
"Do you remember any of it?" Jen asked, perching herself on the side of Lily's bed.
"No." Lily answered truthfully, shaking her head slowly.
"Why did you ask about St. Mungo's and steel drums?" James questioned.
Lily shrugged. "That's what I woke up knowing… but I don't know why. I thought I was in St. Mungo's… and steel drums were playing before." She paused and neither of her friends said anything. "How long have I been here?"
"This is your second night." James said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "Dumbledore came soon after we got you in here and was back yesterday afternoon to check on you."
"You really didn't have to raise your voice with him." Jen said in a motherly voice. "The man just wanted you to get some sleep-"
"You didn't sleep?" Lily broke in, looking at James. "Why not?"
"I wanted to be awake when you woke." He answered his girlfriend simply. "Although that didn't work out too well in the end." He smiled at her. "Thank you for waking me up."
Jen snorted. "By whacking the git in the head. Good going." Jen nudged Lily's knee. "I've been wanting to do that for the past couple of days."
"I handed in your essay for potions today." James told Lily. "But it's nearly three am," He said, looking at his watch in the candlelight, "so I guess that was yesterday."
"We should let Lily get some sleep then." Jen said in finality, sparing a quick glance behind her to the nurse's quarters. "This Pomfrey witch is hardcore. Nearly walloped James when he spoke too loudly." Jen chuckled.
"What do you mean 'nearly'? I'll have those scars for life." James said in a mock whimper.
Lily smiled at him and reached up to give him a kiss. James, seeing her goal, met her halfway to save her energy. "I'll go to sleep then. You two can go back to your dorms-" She was met with indignant scoffs.
"Not bloody likely." Jen said.
Lily digressed and the three of them fell back to sleep, letting the candle burn. James rested his head in his arms on the bed like he was prior to waking and Jen reclined in her seat with her legs propped on the bed.
Her body wobbled. What was that? Something shook her bed… More voices.
"- sleep! Don't scare…like that - dumbass…"
Lily unconsciously smiled. Her friends were probably there to visit her. Where was she…? Ah right – not in St. Mungo's… would there be steel drums today?
Right, James had told her that it hailed. There were no steel drums.
"Bloody things…" Lily mumbled in her sleep. She felt a pressure on her shoulder, and then her body shake again. A groan escaped her throat, and caused her to cough once.
"Sirius let her sleep if she wants to sleep." A voice admonished the Lily-waking boy.
"It's near dinner on a Saturday." Sirius replied, "Not even I sleep in that late."
"We told James-"
"James?" The name started out as a whisper, but Lily's voice cracked as it broke through. She opened a bleary eye and squinted at the figures before her.
"Good afternoon, Lily." Remus said pleasantly from her left, as if seeing her wake was a normal routine that he relished in.
She turned her head. "Hey-" She cleared her throat to rid herself of the phlegm. "Hey Remus…"
"Did you dream of me all those long, sensual nights?" Sirius asked suavely from her other side.
Lily, turning to face him, opened her mouth to reply but instead yawned.
Ara, beside Remus, snorted. "Does that answer your question?"
"Do those romantic dreams of me tire you out, Lily my love?" Sirius asked, unhinged by Ara's scepticism or the other's eye rolls.
"Sirius," Lily said with a sigh, "dealing with you on a regular basis tires me out…"
The other four burst out laughing. "She got you there." Mel commented with a nudge of Sirius' arm.
"And she's absolutely right." Peter said, happy that Mel was between him and Sirius' head swatting hand.
"You just wait," Sirius said with great self-assurance, patting Lily's head, "you won't be able to refuse my manly body much longer. Soon the sexual attraction will be too much and you'll jump me when I least expect it." He gave her a roguish wink.
"Yes, that and your modesty." Ara said dryly. "You're absolutely swimming in it."
"When can I get out of here?" Lily asked before an argument broke out, whether jokingly or not.
"When you're well enough." Said a professional voice a few beds away. Madam Pomfrey, the new nurse, came bustling over. "Alright, alright – you may all leave now, you've said hello. Miss Evans has to be checked up."
Seemingly having learned from previous times, the five said their goodbyes and left Lily in Pomfrey's hands.
"Now dear, is anything aching?" The aging nurse asked, moving her wand over Lily's limbs.
"Nothing really…" Lily trailed off once the nurse aligned the tip of her wand with Lily's right eye. She now understood what people meant when they spoke of the ball of fear in your gut once a wand was turned on you. The sight of the circular wand tip only inches from her eye caused her mouth to shut.
Pomfrey lit her wand and shone it in the green eyes before her until satisfied. "Well my dear, I see nothing wrong here." She said with expertise. "You caught up on a lot of sleep these past couple of days, but I'm afraid it's not enough."
"Pardon?" Lily asked with a frown.
"Well it's obvious dear." Pomfrey said a tad crisply. "You were working yourself on little sleep and your system couldn't take it."
"Oh…" Lily said softly. Well she hadn't been sleeping great lately, but she doubted that fainting was the cause of just that. She felt it had to do more with why she was on her way to Dumbledore's office than with the walk there. "What day is it?" Lily remembered James saying something about it being two days from Dumbledore's office… or was it now three?
"Saturday." Madam Pomfrey answered her, about to leave. When she saw Lily still looked confused, she elaborated. "The eighth of December."
Lily nodded her head and Pomfrey left her be for the moment to change out of her hospital gown. Lily mulled over her thoughts. Something was important about that day or one near it… The frown on her face deepened as she tried to sort through the clutter that was her head.
Pomfrey came back with a potion for Lily to take that evening. "A sleeping potion." She said, "Lighter than the Dreamless Sleep, but it will ensure a good rest."
When Lily thanked her, her eyes widened. She wanted to slap herself. "Oh crap." She whispered to no one.
"Something a matter, Miss Evans?" Pomfrey asked, leading her to the doors.
"I – I just remembered something I had to do." Lily answered her. Promising Pomfrey not to work herself too hard, Lily began running once the nurse shut the Infirmary doors. When she reached the middle of her first staircase, she realised that running was a stupid move. She held onto a railing and tried to catch her breath and stop her spinning head. She took a few deep breaths and decided to sit for a moment.
She heard footsteps coming down the stairs from behind her, and she tried to stand quickly. That too, was a bad idea. She swayed momentarily and gripped on the banister and potion bottle harder.
"You alright there, Evans?" A loud voice called to her.
Lily shut her eyes and nodded, hoping they'd see. "Yes, thank you, I'm fine."
Keaira Blair and her friend, Juniper Buschelle, made their way to her. True to the pact Juniper agreed on aboard the Hogwarts Express last summer, there were no hard feelings between the Gryffindor and Slytherin for Lily's Head title.
"You don't look too fine." Juniper said, her eyebrows in a frown. "You look like you're going to be sick…"
And that's just how Lily felt. She really shouldn't have run after sleeping for nearly two days straight. "No I'll be alright, you two just… move along."
"There's the Gryffindor stubbornness we've all come to know." Keaira said with a smirk. "You need help getting back to your Common Room before you're sick?"
"I'm not going to be sick." Lily said, a tad agitated by them staying there.
But Keaira's sarcastic reply was drowned out by Lily becoming violently sick on the steps. The two Slytherins took one step backwards, up the steps. They shared a look and hesitantly went forward once Lily was done.
"We might as well help you anyways." Keaira said with a sigh. "Although I said we'd help you before you were sick, not after…"
Both girls took an arm and supported her up the rest of the stairs (not before Juniper cleaned up, though). There weren't many students out as dinner was beginning, so they ran only into the Grey Lady who suggested a few books Lily could look upon.
"Great help, she was." Juniper chuckled as they walked down a hall. Neither of the girls held onto Lily, as she insisted she could walk on her own, but they stood shoulder to shoulder, in case the Gryffindor needed them. "What floor is the Gryffindor Common Room on?"
With a groan, Lily mumbled. "Seventh floor."
The two girls by her side each sighed. "And it's near the south, hm?" Keaira stated, closing her ice blue eyes for a moment. "And we're only on the fourth floor." They heard some whistling up ahead and the three seventh years looked up.
James came into view from around a corner and his whistling stopped abruptly. "What's going on here?" He asked, walking faster to get to his girlfriend.
Lily was sure it would be odd from his view, even without knowing how sick she must have looked.
James walked beside Lily once the two girls stepped away. "You're lass here should be taken to the Hospital Wing." Keaira said in a tone that suggested Lily was now his responsibility.
"She was just there." He told her, wrapping an arm behind Lily's shoulders, keeping his hand firmly trained on her ribs. "Did you over-exert yourself, Lily?"
Lily nodded mutely, not wanting to tell him why. It would sound stupid now…
"Why?" James asked. Keiara and Juniper bid them goodbye and left for dinner. Lily weakly waved them off and James thanked them. "Why, Lily?" He repeated.
Lily shook her head. "Never mind that."
"Tell me." James said softly, guiding her up the next flight of stairs. He nodded to a couple of paintings that said hello to them.
"It was Ara's birthday yesterday." Lily said quietly.
James gave her a look that could only be described as incredulous. "And you thought that if you ran fast enough, you'd run back in time to yesterday and be there for it?"
"No." Lily said even quieter.
"Why not? Sirius did." James said simply. "I believe he ran from his room at home, into his backyard, ended up in the forest. He hit that tree pretty hard…"
Lily was trying her hardest not to laugh. She didn't want to be sick again. "The poor dear." She said, unable to think of anything else that would suffice.
"Didn't help that I made a bet with him that he couldn't run fast enough to go back in time." James finished, successfully getting Lily's mind off of her troubles and sickness. "He owed me a galleon after that, and five year-olds don't have access to that much money."
With a worried face, Lily asked, "He didn't take it from his parents, did he?"
James chuckled. "No, but Jen sure did wonder where those eight Sickles of hers disappeared to…"
With just two more floors to go, Lily and James kept their pace at a stroll. James consciously kept her mind off of everything that happened to her in the past few days, and told her about Ara's 'party'.
"Well, it really wasn't anything horribly exciting." James told her, shrugging and causing Lily's arm to move with it as he still supported her. "Just a few male strippers. They came when the noise was too high, dressed as Aurors. They had this whole routine where they told us to keep the music down and then they summoned the muggle disco balls…" Lily was rolling her eyes and chuckling. "I've never seen Ara so drunk, now that I think of it…" James added thoughtfully. "Or the first-years for that matter."
Lily lightly smacked his arm. "Thank you." She said when they finally made it to the seventh floor, only a hallway away from the Fat Lady. "For keeping me entertained."
"What?" James said with a smile. "It's the truth."
"Uh huh…" Lily said sarcastically, "and I'm sure the stripper-Aurors were from Crackland where they're 'High on Life!', eh?"
James burst out laughing and nodded. When they reached the Fat Lady, he had to take a minute to calm himself before saying the password. Lily tried, but it had been changed while she was gone. James got her up into her dorm and into bed for a lie down.
"I miss Psyche sleeping above my bed…" Lily said tiredly as James tucked her in. "But at least she's letting me touch her again." Lily said happily, punctuated with a yawn.
"She wasn't too happy with having her babies taken away, that's for sure." James said with soft smile as Lily's eyes drooped. "I'll bring you back some dinner when I'm done. Do you want me to wake you?"
Lily nodded, her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed and she was fast asleep.
~ * ~
Jennifer and Sirius,
I haven't heard from your father for a few days. As of the past summer, he's written to me everyday while he's gone on assignments; but I haven't received any.
Has he written to either/both of you?
I'm getting worried, but try not to as his past letters always told me not to and that this might happen if it was essential that he not send out a letter.
But it's been three days…
Anyways, how are your studies doing? I hope just that – studying. I miss you both, and can't wait for you two and your father to come home for Christmas. We'll be having an Augurey over the holidays, so try not to mind its constant moaning at the snowfall.
Jen: Tell Remus I say hi and give him a kiss (on the cheek, young lady) from me.
Sirius: Please, please be good.
Love you both,
MumSirius and Jen looked at each other after reading their joint letter at the Gryffindor table the next morning. Jen quickly gave Remus a peck on the cheek and went back to read some of the letter over.
"Father's not written in a few days…" She said worriedly, biting her lip.
"He's fine." Sirius said with a wave of his hand, munching on some bacon. "No one really knows, except for the guys he works with, what he does exactly, so we don't know that he's in any immediate danger." But inside Sirius was worried. What if he was in danger? What if something happened to him? What if they got a letter from the Ministry or one of his father's partners? What if – Sirius shook his head. All the what ifs where beginning to confuse him and slowly dampen his spirits.
Sirius didn't like to have his spirits dampened.
Lily had jumped Ara in a hug that morning (as she was fast asleep and hit James in the face "accidentally" when he tried to wake her up the night before) and handed her a birthday present and card with a hastily scribbled 'belated' on it. Ara was now the first of them to be considered legal in the Wizarding World.
Unlike what James had said, the guys had just sneaked down to the kitchen for some éclairs, ice cream and pie (there was no cake) for her eighteenth birthday party. The Ministry was currently considering lowering the legal age to seventeen, but the debate had been going on for nearly five years that teenagers didn't give up hope when they neared the age. The party consisted of her friends giving her her gifts, and eating some junk food. There wasn't much rejoicing as Lily was in the Hospital Wing and had gotten another letter (supposedly) from Voldemort.
Today she was scheduled, so to say, to see the Headmaster after breakfast. It was Sunday, so it didn't conflict with classes at all.
Sirius noted that she was eating quite hungrily that morning. As did James. "You don't want to be sick again, love." He said softly to her.
With her mouth full, Lily put one finger up, telling him to wait a minute. She swallowed and took a gulp of pumpkin juice. "I haven't eaten for a couple of days," She told him, "I'm going to put as much food in my stomach as I can."
"And then go running for a while, right Lily?" Sirius joked, getting a kick in the leg from James.
"Then maybe I can try and go back in time and hit a tree while I'm at it." Lily said with a humoured glare at the grey-eyed boy.
All the humour drained from Sirius' face. "You told her that?" He yelled at James. "You bloody git – you weren't supposed to tell anyone!"
Remus and Jen were chuckling beside him, and Mel across from him. "Actually, I told all of them too." James said, pointing to the friends around them. Ara and Peter were laughing louder than the rest. "And I don't remember making a promise."
"Yes you do." Sirius said, pointing at James with his fork. "We did that thing there? With the spit in the hands because we saw some muggles do it."
Realization dawned on James' face. But then he grinned. "But that wasn't for that." He said cheekily. "It was for the time we were at the park and you wrote 'I'm a snake' on your-" But the other's never found out what exactly he wrote on.
Sirius, surprisingly, jumped across the table and tackled James to the floor with amazing agility. "We said we'd never speak of it for a reason James!" He hissed over a sprawled James.
James had nothing but humour in his eyes once the shock disappeared.
"Black! What are you doing?" McGonagall yelled, striding betweeen the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables where the two best friends were. "In the middle of breakfast, tackling the Head Boy, honestly…" She reached them and sighed. "That will have to be ten points from Gryffindor and a detention for you Black."
"Oh that's not really needed, Professor." James said as Sirius helped him up, gripping harder than usual on James' hand. "I provoked him. Brought up the time-"
"Don't think that just because McGonagall's here I won't beat you, James." Sirius growled from the corner of his mouth.
"-he was incredibly stupid." James finished with a sly grin.
"So you brought up something he did yesterday?" McGonagall said dryly. Everyone within hearing distance had to muffle his or her laughs. Sirius made an indignant scoff. "Even with provocation, Potter, he'll have to lose the ten points or serve detention."
All of Gryffindor table waited for James' answer. Does he simply lose points for his house or make his best friend have a detention?
"I'm a brave boy James." Sirius said from beside him, "I can take the detention."
"Then Mr. Black," James said with great authority, "I'm afraid I'll have to issue you a detention. You'll be getting the time and place by owl tomorrow morning."
McGonagall, tired from issuing detentions to the two Gryffindors for the past seven years, let them get back to eating with a simple, "That'll do."
"James," Lily asked hesitantly when he sat back down, "where's the letter?"
James stopped his glass midway to his mouth. "Dumbledore has it. Is it all right that read it this morning? I thought that maybe it would be best for him to know what was in it first…"
Lily nodded and felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "When did you say that?"
"Yesterday I went to see him after you hit me and said that it might be best for him to know what was coming, but I didn't want to know what was in it until you read it."
Students were leaving the Great Hall and heading outside to play in the deep snow or skate on the frozen lake. The eight friends remained a bit longer as Lily kept eating. James and Jen were waiting with Lily so they could all head up to Dumbledore's office together and the other's stayed just to stay.
Dumbledore walked up to the students, long navy robes flowing around him. "Miss Evans, if you're ready." He said softly to her, sadness tracing his voice. All the smiles were taken off and the three going to Dumbledore's office got up. "Mr. Black, I'd like it if you came too."
"Alright Albus." Sirius said slowly, and rising at the same speed at which he spoke.
The others who sat at the table nodded to the four, not knowing what to do while they waited out the meeting. It was obvious that nothing good would come of it.
The four students walked behind their Headmaster, up a flight of stairs and to the entrance to his office in silence. They went up the moving stone steps and entered the circular office. Dumbledore sat them in front of his desk and stood before them for a few moments.
"As Dark years befall us, no news seems to be good news." He began, "But not always." No one said anything or made a move. "Your letter, Miss Evans, is something I would rather not share with you, but know I must as it is your mail and not mine."
Lily held James' hand and gripped it hard. "What was in the letter?" She asked with great tension.
Dumbledore reached behind him and picked it up. "I'm not sure whether it would be better to read it yourself or have me paraphrase it…"
Lily reached out her hand and Dumbledore reluctantly handed it to her. Her green eyes closed a brief moment before opening the letter and beginning to read:
Lillian my pet,
It's been a long time, hasn't it? Many days have gone by without a word from me. Were you beginning to feel free from my grips? That my hold on your thoughts had loosened and you could go about business as usual?
I'm not sorry to say that that isn't true.
I have with me, a few guests. I can see the hatred in their eyes as I look at them from my desk. I'm not sure if they like the barbed wire restraints I'm using to hold them up with or not. They say one of the worst places to bleed for long periods of time is the wrist – we'll see if that's true.
Would you like to hear their names? I'm sure you would, and most likely would not.
It's taken a lot to get their names from them. One would think I'd grow tired of the Cruciatus and my captive's screams after so many endless minutes of torture, but it certainly does heighten the spirit. If I have one, of course.
One of them continuously calls out apologies to a certain star while he's under the curse. Have you ever heard of anyone calling out to a star while put in unimaginable pain? I haven't and was quite interested to know what it meant. Along with the girl's name, I knew it meant something.
After much research on my Death Eater's time, they uncovered something extraordinary. Apparently there's a young man at your school with the name of such a star. Sirius and Jennifer. Both disgusting names for children, wouldn't you think? They don't even go together…
So I concluded that I had Orion Black, Unspeakable extraordinaire, in my grips. Would you happen to know of his children? I believe my Death Eaters found that they were in your year… and house for that matter. I take it you're familiar with them?
Give them my regards, and that their father is in a great deal of pain and misery. Day after day, after day, after day…
Lily closed her eyes, feeling the tears welling up. She hadn't let anyone else read over her shoulder, and she didn't want them to. What would they do? How could this happen to her friends? She sniffed and looked away from her them, determined to finish the letter before looking at friends. She blinked and two tears dropped onto the page, smearing the ink in the first paragraph. Dumbledore said something, and James tried to take the letter from her hands to give it to him, but she was going to finish it.
Without a word to them, she continued,
You may ask yourself why I do this. You may ask why I've chosen you and what my goal is. Would you accept that I am a sadist with extra time on my hands? I assure you that, although possibly part of it, it is not my main goal.
Wouldn't you love to know why? Don't you crave the information every night? Do the thoughts of me thinking of you, Lillian Tamara Evans, Head Girl of Hogwarts, Mudblood to Isabella and Jason Evans, sister to a disgusting muggle Petunia Evans, frighten you? Does it chill you to the very core that I could find out nearly anything I want about you? That I could easily abduct your father on the way to that restaurant of his (a follower of mine ordered the fillet mignon. Terribly undercooked) and ask him anything? There are spells you know, and potions. Multiple choices for a complex being like myself with no restraints on morals or values.
On a different note, how is that boyfriend of yours doing? James Potter. His father is especially hard to get. Very good with a wand and fast with Apparition. I would applaud him if I wouldn't rather see him writher beneath me.
Yet this letter is about you, and I have talked about others more than you, my pet.
You're such a beautiful young woman, Lily. Have I seen you with my own eyes? Well, I will let you ponder that terrifying thought for the rest of your days until it drives you mad.
I believe I shall leave you for now. My wand is aching to unleash some agony.
Lily finished the letter with tears constantly falling down her face. She felt her jaw quiver with anger and suppressed screams. She wanted to lash out, hurt anyone, and break anything. She wanted to burn the letter and forget it ever existed, forget about Voldemort, forget about pain and anguish, about hate and evil. Lily restrained her inner pleas to scream at the top of her lungs, set out to find Voldemort and maim him herself.
Standing slowly, Lily clamped her eyes shut. The urge to unleash was becoming too strong.
Objects in the office began rising on what seemed to be their own, but Dumbledore knew better. "Lily." He said with a strong voice.
James looked at his girlfriend in slight surprise. "Lily…" He said calmly, despite the frightened quiver that took it.
Lily's breathing was deep and her hair seemed to lift a few inches. She was nearly oozing accidental magic as some of the little spindles and gadgets in Dumbledore's office kept rising.
Jen and Sirius scrambled off the couch and backed off. James tried to step forward but Dumbledore advised him to follow Sirius and Jen's lead. He scrambled to the other side of the room, away from Jen and Sirius.
"Lily," The Headmaster said firmly, light blue eyes determined, "Calm down. Listen to my voice, you must stop this at once."
The fire in the large grate snuffed out and Fawkes emitted a shrill cry. At the sound of the high-pitched phoenix call, Lily let loose of all the tension she had balled up in her stomach for over a year in one loud scream. All the floating objects exploded in different colours, pitches of sound, and some gave off strong smells and smoke. A crystal ball screeched as its magic was released, and shimmer fell from the inside; landing on the table it had rested on. Any of the items that rested beneath it all sparkled before turning to ash. Shards of glass flew through the air, and Sirius covered Jen from any of them, gaining a small cut on his right cheek. James too had to block himself from the pieces of metal and crystal that flew his way. Fawkes vanished in a puff of small feathers (as phoenixes were said to do) after his trilling call. Dumbledore immediately covered the three students in a barrier.
Lily crumpled to her knees in anguish, weak from the amount of uninhibited magic she released and the feelings the letter set out in her: Anger, hate, pain, sorrow, guilt, fear, misery, contempt and above all - triviality. Anything that was in the air, fell to the ground in clangs of metal, tinkling of crystal and shatters of glass.
Dumbledore rushed to the kneeling and crying Lily and helped steady her. James, for the first time in his life, was hesitant to go near his girlfriend. She had shown a lot of power just then and it frightened him, if he was honest with himself. Shrugging off shards from the broken collectables, he looked to his friends. They were standing together, Sirius still with his back to Lily, an arm in front of his twin, but looking at the redhead, and Jen peering over Sirius' shoulder. She was shaking, and tears could be seen in her eyes already, even without knowing the contents of the destructive letter. Her hands covered her mouth, and she looked back at James with the same shock he felt, mirrored in her eyes.
None of them said anything and an awkward silence settled over the room as the three Gryffindors felt they witnessed something they weren't meant to.
Lily finally broke down.
She was sniffing and blowing her nose with the handkerchief Dumbledore had given her, and was nodding with what he was saying to her. Dumbledore, in an odd show of father-ism, reached out and held Lily to him in a one-armed hug.
Lily immediately grabbed onto him, crying into his soft robes for comfort and condolence.
James felt ashamed for fearing his girlfriend in a time of need. He urged his legs, which felt as if they were made of lead, over to her and he dropped to his knees. Lily glanced at him before releasing Dumbledore and securing her arms around his neck. She no longer cried, but craved his embrace and gentle voice.
He spoke softly in her ear, telling her they'd make it through, without full on knowing what it is they'd have to get through. He knew as much as the others – Voldemort. And James swore that one day the bastard would get what he had coming. If he were the one to give it, he'd take the opportunity willingly. If he had a part in it, no matter how little, he'd take it greedily.
Sirius slowly made his way to the couple, keeping Jen safely behind him. She obviously wouldn't have it though, and ran in front of her brother, crouching to the floor and putting a hand on Lily's back. Sirius stayed standing behind his sister and looked at Dumbledore.
"What was in that letter?" He asked with a locked jaw. Whatever it was… whatever the Dark Lord could have written that sent Lily over the edge, he wanted to know. But of course, he also dreaded what he was going to learn.
Dropping all formalities and rank, Dumbledore addressed the twins by their first names. "Jennifer, Sirius…" Jen looked up and stood beside her brother, gripping his hand. "Voldemort has captured a few men and is holding them captive." Both their grips tightened. "And I'm utterly sorry to say that one of them is your father."
She knew it. Deep down with the letter they received from their mother, Sirius being asked to come to the meeting, Dumbledore's saddened looks to them… she just knew it. Her jaw and lower lip quivered. Tears slowly trickled from her eyes as it all hit her. Her father was captured and most likely being tortured by Voldemort. Her father. Daddy.
Sirius dreaded the truth. It cut through him like a jagged knife. It emaciated his soul in acidic hatred. He felt the bile rise in his throat and pushed it down. His father was being held captive. He tried to keep up a brave face but felt the back of his eyes burn. He squeezed them shut, unwilling to let the tears fall anytime soon. With a swallow, he opened his eyes and took his sister in his arms. Their father was on the brink of death: Orion Black's fate teetered on Voldemort's merciless mind.
"It never said he was dead, did it?" James asked with the dullest shine of hope. Lily shook her head, buried in his clutch. "Then they could still find him and the others-"
"Could they James?" Sirius said sharply. "What?" He asked incredulously with a laugh, "Just knock on the door and ask them to hand over my father? They haven't found his fort and I doubt this letter will help unless it says on its envelope, 'Voldemort's Secret Lair, 666 I-Like-Death Lane'."
"Sirius…" Jen said quietly to him, stepping out of her grip and trying to look her brother in the eye. Sirius was looking over her head and to James with a glare.
"Well I'm sorry if I'm trying to keep a light attitude about this." James replied just as sarcastically as his best friend. Funny term, that, when you're in the middle of an argument. "But you have to see that there's some hope-"
"I don't have to see shit." Sirius replied icily. "You don't know what it feels like to have your father held up in some crackpot's place, being tortured endlessly because someone sees it as entertainment."
"Sirius that is quite enough." Dumbledore said, stepping into the student's row.
"You don't know that he's being tortured-"
"Oh grow up James!" Sirius barked. "He's not staying at the Leaky Cauldron for Merlin's bloody sake! He's… oh God he is held up in some hell hole right now…" Sirius covered his face with his hands, before running them through his hair.
"And we're here fighting over nothing." James said quietly, standing and helping Lily do the same. "We're fighting over nothing that can help us, Sirius."
Dumbledore stood off to the side, but between the two young men. "I have already informed the Ministry of the kidnapping, and I'm sure your mother will be contacted this morning. The Aurors have ensured me that they'll do anything within their power to get the men out."
"But where are they being held?" Sirius asked loudly, in slight hysterics. "I don't know. Do you know Jen?" Sirius asked, looking back to his sister, holding her shoulders. She shook her head quietly. "Well, we don't know. Do you know Lily? You seem to be the only one here with any connections-"
"Don't you ever say anything like that to her again!" James roared, his previous statement forgotten. Lily held him back from advancing. "You leave her bloody out of this Sirius or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" Sirius asked, ignoring Dumbledore's demands to stop. "You'll hurt me? You'll come and take out your own rage against everything bad on me? Well come on – hit me if that's what you really want to do."
Jen looked on with wide eyes. "Will you both be quiet?" She asked incredulously. "You're acting like fools."
"Jennifer is right." Dumbledore told the students before him. "I understand we all have some tension and anger within us that we need to eliminate, but lets not forget who it is against. None of you want to hurt each other. You're all hurting with within yourselves, not one another. I have said this before: we must stick together through this, remember our friends, our allies." Sirius and James were still sending glares to each other. "We can't tear ourselves apart from a petty argument about hope." The best friend's glares diminished and neither could look the other in the eye. "If hope is ever the last of what we have, then we should be glad to still have it."
Lily was watching the whole exchange, silently pleading to anyone up on high to calm them down and help out. She looked to Jen and left James' side.
Jen left Sirius and met Lily halfway with a hug. They held onto each other tightly and Lily apologized repeatedly. Jen continually told her it wasn't her fault, but couldn't stop any tears from falling.
James and Sirius watched the best friends. Odd how the four of them were connected. Twins best friends with a long-term couple. James removed his glasses and rubbed his face, keeping his fingers pinched over the bridge of his nose. Sirius sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with both hands.
"I'm sorry, buddy." He said tiredly.
"Forget about it." James said, fingers still over the bridge of his nose, eyes downcast.
"About the whole thing, and what I said to Lily-"
"I said forget about it." James repeated, putting his glasses on and looking at Sirius. He looked to the girls with the smallest of smiles on his lips. They still had an arm around each other. "Should we do a hug thing?"
Sirius slowly took a step forward, seeing if James was serious. When he saw James too step forward, he walked faster and embraced him like a brother. Sirius held him longer than he was sure James expected him to, but didn't care. He never wanted to fight with James like that again. They let go and adjusted their robes, appearing manly again.
Dumbledore sent them all on their way after some words with Lily about the letter and Jen and Sirius about what the Ministry had promised to do. He was quite pleased to have had them get their frustration out in his office. Lily's show of wandless magic had taken him off his guard for only a moment, but with everything he had been witnessing from her and with the prophecy in the back of his mind, he filed it away in his head and knew to keep an extra close eye on her after Hogwarts. Sirius and Jen he knew would come to terms and cope with what they knew. They were, in a way, each other's pillars. Although not the best to depend on each other, Dumbledore could see that they were independent in their own rights and would grow into it once they moved out and away from each other.
The four students walked back to their Common Room silently, an odd bond formed between them with all they witnessed that morning. They gave the others a short idea of what happened: Mr. Black was taken hostage, and Sirius and James got into a fight.
Peter had asked with his eyebrows raised, "You wouldn't have hit a man with glasses though, would you?"
"Nah Peter," Sirius answered with a lazy wave of his hand, "I'd hit him with a brick."
They left out Lily's breakdown and wandless magic and the words that James and Sirius sparred against each other. They questioned the cut on Sirius' cheek, and James said proudly that he threw something at him before anyone intervened. Sirius modestly let it slide.
Although the thought of Mr. Black rested in the back of each of their heads, they kept their spirits up. None of them mentioned much of it during conversation, not wanting to draw much attention to the fact that they were powerless to do anything about it as Hogwarts students.
* * *
Wow, there you go guys. Much longer – nearly twice the length of the last one. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is probably one of my favourite chapters. Tell me what you guys think about the whole thing – I love getting feedback about what you enjoyed, what you didn't and what you think can be approved upon.
Freezer Breezer: Thank you very much for the review!
Lily Smith: I guess you've made it back for the chapter, eh? Hope you enjoyed your vacation or wherever you went to for three weeks :) Thanks for the review!
lexie02: Thank you for the review!
Alej: I don't know whether I'd go so far to say it was an evil cliffhanger, but yes – it wasn't too innocent. As to who Ara is going to end up… I'm not really too sure. Thanks for the review!
Heather: I'm still laughing at the 'too bad he'd going to die…' thing. If I could be any position on a Quidditch team, it'd be a Beater. And not just because you get the club, but also because I'm generally better at sports that involve hitting (ex. tennis, volleyball, racquetball). Oh… I rock? *blushes* Thanks for the review!
kerry2: Oh shit man, you got a '2' added on there!! You got to change it or something… "kerry – GC rules!" Something like that. I'm guessing you're happy to be in this one, hm? Well, there you go :P
oobergoober: No I liked the Spirit Week thing interesting, and really wanted to write more about it, but it had no part in the plot, so I thought I'd just give a fun summarization. Spent a long time writing that part, to be honest. Thanks for the review!
ByeByeBirdie: Thank you very much for reading and reviewing! I love hearing from new readers :) Thanks for all the compliments, I really appreciate them.
She shoots, She scores: Well, you reviewed under both names, but I'll post them separately ;) Thank you for the review Ms Soon-To-Be-White.
jasmine Dark Angel: Lol! Thanks for the invitation for everyone wanted to enter Reader Land! ;) Thanks for the review!
inu lover: Thanks for the review!
~sundust~: lol – you know what? I think it should be biologically made that every male should go through PMS once in their life, only so they understand what we mean when we blame anything on it. Hehe… You know what my one wish would be? *looks back and forth to ensure we're alone* Well, I really can't say – this being a PG-13 story and all… but it involves Remus. *winks* And I thank you immensely for the gift. Thanks for the review!
Princess Pixie ice: Well, welcome back to the Land of Reviewers. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Fairly Serious Lazy World and plan to stick around for a while. So it wasn't the usual two-week wait – but don't blame me! Blame the system that created jobs and electricity! Thanks for the review!
running out of ink: lol – thank you for the compliment. Yes, sometimes my chapters seem to short, but I think I broke that little barrier with this chapter, eh? Lol – I have people asking Jen/Remus action, Lily/James action, Sirius/Arabella hooking up, Peter killing… *sighs* And I want to do it all, I really do. But I'm only one fan fiction writer – I can only do so much.
The Spiffy Meeper: Thank you very much *grins* Did you notice that in order for Ara to be explaining the whole bra thing to Sirius, he'd be checking her out? I only thought of that earlier today as people kept bringing it up. It humoured me, to say the least. Little bugger would have known that full on if he were real. Thanks for the review :)
Beaver Buddy: Ugh – I know. My high school and 7&8 school colours were blue and white, with high school adding on baby blue with the usual white and navy. Elementary was good though: cream, forest green and silver. That was cool. Yep yep! Ravenclaw won that last match :) It was hard to make James and them lose… (not really) but I got over it.
Daphne: Thank you for agreeing with me on the Spirit Week thing – it'd been a filler chapter to have just that for content. And only a couple people mentioned Gus every now and again in their reviews, asking where he was at times. Constant vigilance, my friends. Thanks for the review :)
Silmarien2: Your review was fun to read :) Let's hope my italics work this time (I, obviously, type these before I find out if that happens… so here's hoping!) because there's a lot in italics! I think Hufflepuffs are underrated. Really – I highly doubt they're flakes and jocks – and is this because I've been sorted into Hufflepuff 70% of the time I do well done Sorting Hat quizzes? Maybe. (It's either them of Gryffindor – and I think they're overrated) Don't ask how I write chaptered stories… it was only supposed to be twenty or so chapters… I never expected it to go this long or deep. I never expected to have this many characters in my grip either! Hehehe… matching outfits! Thanks for reviewing:)
Moe23: Yo. As long as I get a disclaimer, yes you can use my Spirit Week. It'd be cool if you came up with your own days and shit, but if you don't – just make sure I get my disclaimer: please and thanks! I'm sure you'll read this one and review before the next is up. How am I sure? *grins* That I'll never tell…
Amanda: Wow – seems like you needed to get that out :) S'ok that you did. I don't mind when people go off on tangents about their life or something. Just as long as you actually review before/after you do it. (One person had used the review box to tell me about her vacation. I got three reviews about the Egyptian guys hitting on her. That's not what 'Submit Review' means) Oh – and my age, I'm eighteen. Will be nineteen (on the nineteenth!) when December graces us with her lovely presence. Thanks for reviewing :)
MandaB: *snorts* Alright, I guess I didn't portray my sarcastic attitude, or whatever it was. What are chiggers? I've honestly never heard of them and don't feel like looking them up on the net. I'm guessing a type of fly. Primarily the kind that bite. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reviewing!
ferahgo: Don't think I've ever asked this, but where do you get your name from? Sugar kicks ass. I knew you liked Quidditch games (I remember you mentioning that) so I made this one better than the last (Can we all say 'awww') because I knew you'd enjoy a more fun game.
Padfoot101: Wow – I actually just re-read chapter 11, and you're right – there weren't as many laughs! *shrugs* Not too many here either, but they'll do. Thanks for reviewing.
Clearbrook: Thank you very much.
Effa Commander: You're welcome :) I'm always willing to help a writer in need! (I sound so corny, but it's true) And I'm happy to be one of your favourites :) Thanks!
Lillian*Loves*Lennon: *glances back and forth nervously* What makes you think I have JK stashed somewhere in my room? ("Will you be quiet??" She yells inconspicuously to a woman, "You're alerting the readers!") I have no idea where you get that sort of lunacy from, but you're obviously wrong. *clears throat* Well, that's enough interrogation for now… got to go um… wash my hair. Thanks for reviewing! *runs off*
Vega Black: Shhh… shh. Stop bringing up the damn line! You know that everyone remembers that sentence?? EVERYONE. It drives me insane. (lol – jokingly that so many people put it up front in their 'memories of TGTYEL' files) You're all too observant with some things some times. I think this calls for some action on my part. Snipers. They always work. Excuse me; I have a phone call to make or two. ( ;) thanks for reviewing)
LadyArwen3: Sucks that you have a '3' added on there. *sympathetic look* You know what? Thank you. Thank you for being nice and honest with the developing of the plot thing. I just go off on tangents and stuff… but I'm back now! *cheers for self* Go team me. Aw, I'm a reason you get up in the morning? *blushes* That's so sweet of you! Not as many smiles in this chapter, but it had its moments. Of course they involve Sirius… but he's just a fun guy :)
The Cavity: Hello Cavity. Quarter? Oh good, I can make a phone call or buy one of the cheep sodas ;);) Wait – is it an American quarter? That's worth what? Forty-one cents here or something? Lol – thanks for the review!
Dahlia Flower: Oh yes! I sent you an e-mail about your review, eh? I loved it, and still do. Thank you again, very, very much. I hope (and feel) that this chapter was more than my usual standard. Hope I didn't confuse anyone with the beginning though… Anywho – I can't wait to hear what you think about it.
Seriously Sirius: *rolls eyes* Anywho – what should we say this time? "Janna, you light up my life." Is that good? Nah… too… mushy. "Janna, you're one kick ass female." That sounds good. Cheers.
mystikalolo: … "Toodle-dee-do"? You know… you frighten me with that statement, but I'm willing to ignore it just as long as you don't do it again. *winks* Anywho – I know you guys are vouching for a S/A thing, but you know what… *tries to think of something to say* Ah hell – I have nothing else to say on the subject. You'll see in time.
TheSilverLady: Why must everyone think that every letter Lily gets is about her parents being dead? Lol- that's happened with at least one review per letter-chapter. Thanks for reviewing :)
draconas: Ooo – a newbie to the world of my MWPP/L story! Welcome and I hope you enjoyed you stay so far and will until the end of the journey. Thank you for reviewing.
WindAndFireQueen: Hehe – Romulus is cool. Wasn't really in this chapter at all, but I think there's a reason to it. I think nearly everyone's favourite character in my story is Sirius. Well, it makes me happy that I have a character so well loved. Thanks for reviewing!
penpunk: I see you readers have been picking up on Lily's stress level. Good, good. I made it subtle, but it's there. I was hoping that this breakdown of hers wouldn't come as any sort of surprise (like the Mel/Gus break-up thing – I swear there were hints!). I hope my Voldemort letter was up to standards and possibly beyond! I really, really do enjoy writing evil once and a while. Picking at my character's insecurities and using big words that my story generally doesn't call for… Oh I love it. Thank you for reviewing!
MyGuitarHasAG-string: Can I tell you that I love your penname? It makes me laugh or at least smile (if it's late or early) every time. Kudos to you. When I first read your review, my eyes widened, I thought, 'Ah crap, a flame'. But it wasn't! Thank you very, very much for reading and putting up with my sort of immature writing at the beginning of TGTYEL!
Star19: No, no that's fine! If you're taking the time to review, I don't care how late it is :) Get my skates on? Now, do you mean roller skates, blades or ice skates? Hm? Thank you for reviewing – I hope you enjoyed your vacation!(My entire summer vacation was three days at my cottage *sniffs* I guess I'm growing up now…)
starborn: *blinks* What with you guys and your little hymns today? I have another reviewer who wrote 'toodle-dee-do' and now you're 'la-di-da'ing… It's something in the water where you two are, isn't it? *winks* You know what? I don't think people wink enough. Just a random thought. Thanks for reviewing so loyally!
Kat44: Ah, so you've caught up! Welcome, welcome to chapter 12. I answered a few things in an e-mail or two to you… so I haven't too much to say here. But thank you for reading (and re-reading, actually).
Gryfyndor Girl: Lol – so I can re-add you to the 'S/A' ship I have going behind this story? Well, while on this ship, you'll have to do some work. Man the port and such. Be happy you aren't peeling potatoes. Thanks for reviewing!
gothickitten: lol – thank you. I tell myself that everyday ;)
blondelily: Less Peter? You know what, I haven't written him much lately anyways… but he'll be in the next chapter, you can count on that. Thanks for the review.
And for those who've review other chapters and TGTYEL: inu lover, Slytherin-fanatic, Kat44, starborn, Leigh, blondelily, Angel Flower, soccergurl, jade eyes1, gely-bean, draconas, and MyGuitarHasAG-string. Thank you all so much :)
If you'd like to be put on a mailing list to ensure that you know when I update, leave me your e-mail address and make sure to tell me to add you. I'm not updating on any sort of schedule anymore, so it's when I can, I can. Don't expect one less than two weeks, though, if you're the type to check every day. (I used to be like that too. ;)) Thank you all again for reading, and let me know what you think!