Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and its various publishers own Harry Potter. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: So sorry for the delay! I've been on vacation with my large extended family. It was fun and I love them, but no one wanted me to spend my time writing. After being forced to write late at night when no one would notice or object, it was really nice to come back and read reviews from people who would like me to keep writing. Thanks to all of you who reviewed! I really love to read what people have to say.
Chapter 24
Searching for Answers
Walking purposefully through the dark hallways toward the Potions classroom, Harry marveled at the contrast between the bright, sunlit Saturday morning, and the shadowy existence of those who lived in the dungeons of the castle. No wonder Snape seldom cracked a smile.
Harry had finished his morning routine early so he could corner the Potions Professor before meeting Ginny to go to Hogsmeade. Furious and frustrated with the evasive answers Snape had given him for the last ten days, Harry was determined to pin him down. Practicing with his sword against Moody's training dummies had helped him work off some of his anger at Hermione's situation, but this morning he wanted answers.
Every time he thought of Hermione in her infirmary bed, struggling to keep awake, he felt like strangling someone. She didn't deserve this. Neither did Ron whose attempts at keeping her spirits up were becoming noticeably strained.
The week and a half since the attack on Hermione were full of tension for everyone. The success of the dueling tournament was overshadowed by news of the attack on its champion. No one could deny that someone had maliciously spiked Hermione's goblet with a mysterious --and potentially lethal -- substance. With a regimen of potions, she was able to wake up and move about, but she tired easily and often fell asleep in the middle of her sentences. Unless an antidote could be found, the Healers feared she would become progressively worse until, one day, she fell into a long deep sleep.
Crossing the empty Potions classroom, Harry could see a crack of light coming from under the door of the office. The sound of muffled voices within stopped when he knocked loudly and shouted, "Professor Snape! Are you in there!"
A long moment of silence followed, then the door opened abruptly to show an angry Snape. Greasy hair falling on either side of his face, his eyes black in the torchlight, he looked down his hooked nose at Harry as if he were examining an insect. Then he said slowly, "What do you want, Potter?"
His jaw set, Harry glowered back at him. "You said you'd have that potion analyzed by the weekend…sir. It's the weekend."
"And you think you can come to me and demand to know what I've discovered. Leave the problem to the professionals, Potter. There's little that your flustered and floundering heroics can contribute." He returned to his desk and sat down.
A flash of green light coming from the hearth caught Harry's attention. "Ah…good morning." said Professor Dumbledore as he stepped from the fireplace. "How fortunate that you're already here, Harry. Perhaps we can ease your mind about your friend. Professor Snape sent word early this morning that he has identified the ingredients in the potion that has caused Miss Granger's illness." Smiling benignly at Harry and Snape, who were back to scowling at one another, he calmly brushed the soot off his sumptuous dark blue robes.
Snape sighed and explained slowly. "Not surprisingly, Miss Granger somehow ingested a potion not easily brewed or obtained. It appears to be the basic recipe for the Draught of Peace. The main ingredient is hellebore, but it also contained a far deadlier component."
"Which is?" Harry asked impatiently. Snape made it sound like Hermione wanted to drink something like this.
Raising his eyebrows in rebuke, Snape said, "Breath of Nundu. You do know what a Nundu is, don't you Potter?" His voice was laced with condescension.
Harry had to admit he wasn't too sure. "I remember reading something, but I've never seen one. What's wrong with their breath?" He ran his hand through his hair nervously. His concern for his friend outweighed the embarrassment of admitting to Snape that he didn't know about Nundus.
With a look toward the Headmaster that seemed to say, 'do you see what I have to put up with?' Snape continued. "Even Hagrid wouldn't have such an animal. They live in the jungles of Africa and their breath is deadly enough to destroy an entire village. It infects the blood. In it's undiluted form it is quite contagious. Lucky for us, someone put it in Miss Granger's punch."
Harry pressed his lips together and unconsciously held his breath, trying to calm down. His heart was pounding, but he was determined not to explode at Professor Snape. He didn't want to give the irritating man the satisfaction. The air seemed to fill with pent up energy.
Snape actually looked satisfied with himself. "Feel better?" he asked Harry.
"That's enough, Severus," Dumbledore chided. Turning to Harry, he said soothingly, "I'm sure a cure will be found. The potion could not have contained a fatal dose or Ms. Granger would never have responded as well as she has to the treatment so far." The air was still crackling so Dumbledore said, "Calm yourself, Harry.
"I am calm," he answered although he knew he didn't fool either of them. "Who would have such a thing — this essence of Nundu or whatever it's called?" he asked in a low voice. Searching the older men's faces for a reaction, he thought they exchanged knowing looks. Neither one seemed eager to answer his question so he shouted. "Hermione needs our help. If you don't know exactly what to do, the person that gave it to her does. Besides you, Professor, who would know about a potion like that?" He stressed the word Professor sarcastically.
His face a mask of calm, Snape answered, "Can you not answer that for yourself?"
"Death Eaters. Obviously…" Harry stopped himself before he said something about Snape being a Death Eater. He knew his anger wasn't getting him anywhere. He tried to calm down and think of Hermione and Ron. They needed his help. He concentrated on his breathing.
Tonks' head appeared in the fireplace, "Wotcher, Harry? Is Professor Dumbledore there?"
The Headmaster left after a brief fireside conversation with the Auror, leaving Harry still staring at Snape. Ignoring Harry's stare, the Potions Master lifted a black quill and turned it idly in his hand as he attempted to focus on some of the paperwork in front of him.
After a few moments of silence, Harry said quietly, "I just want to help my friends, Professor." His tone was polite and almost pleading. Helping his friends was more important than his pride or his anger.
Snape stopped writing as Harry spoke, but he didn't lift his eyes from the paper in front of him. "You're in over your head, Potter."
Harry's answer was quick and impassioned. "Maybe I am, but I can't just do nothing…Tell me who you think did this…please!"
Absentmindedly picking up a jar of dead cockroaches, Snape said, "Death Eaters are not nice, Potter. Their brutality knows no limits. Your sheltered life has never exposed you to the depravity of men and women who delight in the tortured agony of others."
Never taking his eyes off Snape's face as the Professor stood up and walked around the desk to come face to face with him, Harry remained quiet.
In deep deliberate tones, Snape said, "They take their magic and twist it into something that is ugly and inhumane -- as though the fact that they have the power to do something, makes it right to do it. They revel in their dominance over others."
Seeing the gleam in Snape's dark eyes, Harry wouldn't say it, but he was thinking it. Professor Snape used to be one of them and from what Harry could see and Snape's own description of Death Eaters, he'd fit right in.
Although he knew Snape would never admit it to him, Harry was convinced that Snape either knew or had a fairly good guess about who attacked Hermione. He put the Healers on the right track about what potions to treat her with long before he identified the ingredients. If he knew what she took that night, it was because he knew who gave it to her, even then. Harry wondered if Snape told Dumbledore of his suspicions.
Harry sighed and shook his head, looking at Snape with something approaching pity. "You're conveniently ignoring that I have actually met your 'Dark Lord' on more than one occasion…sir…but…more important…what matters now is finding a way to help Hermione." Seeing Snape's face freeze into an impassive mask, Harry bid the Potions Master goodbye. It seemed like he was wasting his time trying to get Snape to help and he had other plans for the day.
As he reached the door, Snape said, "I expect you to keep what I've told you here to yourself, Potter. Miss Granger doesn't need you or Mr. Weasley, for that matter, concocting some dangerously ridiculous antidote. Her health is…in a fragile state. The wrong 'cure' could kill her."
With a quick nod, Harry gave Snape one last glare and left in search of Ginny. He was glad to leave the dank dungeon behind. He was still too early to meet Ginny. She wasn't in the main hallway so he walked toward the infirmary, hoping to have a moment to speak with his friends.
Faced with Hermione's affliction, Ron and she set aside their habit of needling each other with petty arguments. Ron gave up his campaign to assert himself in their relationship. Other issues paled in comparison to her health. He became Hermione's mainstay.
While Harry coordinated the D.A. member's investigation of what happened, Ron was the link between Hermione and all the classes she missed. Other friends pitched in to help her keep up on her work, but Ron was the one to organize and orchestrate everything.
That's why Harry knew he would find Ron next to Hermione. Happily she was awake. As Harry strode into the infirmary, he greeted his friends cheerfully. "Hermione, I didn't expect to…."
"See me awake?" Hermione finished with a laugh. "Don't try to deny it. You all come down here to watch me sleep. It's become the cool thing to do. You should sell tickets."
Ron looked appalled. Sometime in this ordeal, he'd lost his sense of humor. At least, he didn't see anything funny about Hermione being ill.
Seeing Ron looking tragic, Hermione said, "Oh, Ron. It's all right…It's just…every time I wake up there's a different group of people around this bed…" The infirmary had, in fact, become something of an unofficial D.A. clubhouse, much to Madam Pomfrey's dismay. They came to check on Hermione, to deliver homework assignments and notes to Ron, and to report any rumors to Harry.
Ron looked at his feet and said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't think about it…I'll make sure you sleep…undisturbed from now on."
"As long as one of the people I wake up to is you, it'll be all right, Ron," Hermione said with a big smile. She tilted her head, trying to get him to look at her.
"Ginny and I are planning to go to Hogsmeade. Do you have any errands we could do for you? Ron, how about you?" Harry asked. Ron had refused to even discuss going to the village with them, insisting that he had too much homework to do. They all knew he didn't want to leave Hermione alone.
Ron said, "No thanks. I'm just going to do some reading."
Picking up the book Ron had open in front of him Hermione said, "Oh, Ron. You don't have to read Rare and Repulsive Potions on my account. I'm sure Snape and Dumbledore have a fairly wide knowledge of the subject." Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at him.
Ron met her gaze steadily and said, "I have to do something."
After a moment of silence, Hermione said, "All right, then. Read it aloud. Maybe we'll find the cure for this sleeping sickness whi…." She fell asleep as she spoke, her body slumping sideways. Ron gently laid Hermione back on her pillow, her curly hair spreading across the white linen. Happily her bed was charmed so that she never slid all the way off the bed. Once she was situated, he gave he a swift kiss on the forehead.
Watching the two of them, Harry felt a tug at his heart. He wished there were something he could do to help them. Seemed like they were taking turns trying to keep each other's spirits up.
Harry was furious that someone had lashed out at his friend. He took it as an attack on the D.A. and all they were trying to do. After all Hermione had founded the group and the attack happened at one of their events. The club was really her idea. Although Harry was supposedly the "leader," she was, without a doubt, the organizer.
If they'd attacked her hoping to break the D.A. apart, their plan had backfired. The group had never been more cohesive or determined to train in defense. Any petty arguments or prejudices they may have had before were gone. Everyone was working together to solve the mystery of what happened to Hermione.
But the day was set aside for something other than finding a cure for Hermione or even discovering who attacked her. By now Ginny should be waiting by the main doors. Today was Harry's chance to go back to the cave undetected and search for the old storerooms in Myrddin's Den for a branch from the mythical tanglewood tree.
(((()))
The sun shone brightly on the remnants of snow as Ginny made her way back from the Care of Magical Creatures paddock with Colin Creevey. It hadn't snowed in a while, but it was still very cold. Hagrid had the fifth years studying unicorns. She really enjoyed working with the beautiful silvery creatures. One of them was carrying a foal and was quite skittish. Ginny had soothed her and fed her apples. Hagrid had told her that she was better at handling them than her brother Charlie. It made her feel peaceful just to be near the soon-to-be mother.
"Thanks for letting me take pictures, Ginny." Colin had been photographing instead of taking care of the animals. He couldn't get too close to them anyway.
"They're so beautiful, aren't they?" She had a dreamy look in her eye. The cold air made their breath show as they spoke.
"Yes, they are," answered Colin, privately thinking she was beautiful, too, with her cheeks red from the cold. He looked at her sadly, knowing she was headed into Hogsmeade with her boyfriend later.
"Cheer up, Colin. It's a gorgeous day!" Ginny said, flashing him a bright smile. She was excited to be heading off on an adventure with Harry — just the two of them. They hadn't told anyone that their trip to Hogsmeade was a cover for Harry's return to the cave in Wales. Hermione and Ron had enough to worry about.
From a distance, Harry watched her walking up the hill with Colin. Her Gryffindor scarf was pulled close to her face. She threw her head back and smiled brilliantly. Colin couldn't take his eyes off her. Harry briefly felt sorry for the younger boy. He knew what he was going through.
Spotting Harry waiting for her, Ginny waved. Now her smile was all for him and he knew it. He walked out to meet her. Colin and he nodded their greeting, but the younger boy kept walking and was soon out of sight.
He took Ginny's hand in both of his and leaned his forehead to hers. "It's so good to see you," he said, breathing deeply the familiar scent of her shampoo.
As always, she felt overwhelmed. While he was still slim, his workouts with Quidditch and fencing had improved his physique. But it was something else in his presence that made her pause, something he seemed unaware of. He just gave off a sense of barely controlled power. Smiling softly and looking into his face, she could see the shadow of worry that hadn't left since Hermione fell ill. But his eyes were crinkling slightly like he had a plan. "What are you up to, Harry?" she asked.
"I'll tell you while we walk," he answered, steering her toward the crowd of people headed toward Hogsmeade village with his arm around her waist. He waved his free hand in front of them. She felt a surge of warmth encircle her. "I don't want you to catch cold," he explained.
In the distance, they had a great view of the frozen lake. The water shone silver in the bright sun framed by groves of dark green trees. Harry said, "How about here? Let's stop awhile and enjoy the view." Some passing third years stared at the two of them, then looked away when Harry stared back.
"I wonder how the giant squid is? You'd think it would be too cold for him in winter." Ginny had a soft spot for the giant squid. In her opinion, he could be quite playful.
"Being magical, I think he'll survive the cold. Here, Gin, I want to give you something." He was holding out a piece of parchment with something small folded inside.
Ginny opened it quickly and was surprised to see a slightly bent butterbeer cap. Grinning, she held it in front of her. "Gee thanks, Harry. This is just what I've always dreamed you'd give me."
Laughing, Harry said, "It's a special Portkey to get through the wards. Hold it in your palm and say 'refuge' and it will activate." He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and ran his finger lightly down the side of her face, studying her freckles. A cool wind was blowing off the lake, but the two of them were still protected by Harry's warming charm.
"Where will the bottle cap take me?" she asked, her voice sounding low. Several more strands of hair escaped to frame her face as she looked up at Harry steadily.
"The Hogwarts infirmary." Harry blushed and took his hand away. They were in full view of students headed toward the village.
Ginny shook her head and said, "You're getting as bad as Moody. I'll be in the Three Broomsticks the whole time you're gone today. What could happen in Hogsmeade? Maybe you should take this."
"I just want you to be safe, Gin…please." Harry looked wild, almost dangerous, as he spoke. His smile disappeared as he thought of all the things that could happen — and had happened to Hermione. His earlier conversation about Death Eaters was wearing on him.
Of course Ginny didn't know about that, but seeing the look on his face, she readily agreed that she would Portkey back to Hogwarts at the first sign of trouble. Smiling at him, she said, "I'd like to visit Hermione later anyway."
The two of them walked the rest of the way into Hogsmeade. They ran errands, then went to the Three Broomsticks. They'd picked the busy pub precisely because it was a popular place; reasoning if Harry and Ginny disappeared together during a Hogsmeade visit, there would be talk. If Ginny were someplace she could be seen, her reputation would be safe.
After eating some lunch, Harry excused himself to go to the loo. Once he was sure he was all alone, Harry Apparated to Wales. He knew this was a reckless thing to do, but he rationalized that he'd done all he could do for Hermione and Ron. If he didn't take the chance to explore the cave during this Hogsmeade visit, he wouldn't have another chance until Valentine's Day. He needed to find the tanglewood branch so he could attempt to construct the torch. He didn't know what else to try.
Standing at the entrance to the cave, in front of the fountain with two birds, Harry looked around carefully. He didn't see any sign of footprints or broken branches, but things looked different somehow. Maybe it was just that there wasn't as much underbrush as the last time he'd been there, after all, it was still winter.
Harry called Ginny with his mirror. She answered, but she couldn't see him because he'd already cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself before he Apparated. She watched as a picture appeared in her mirror of a barren, wintry thicket in a forest. She heard Harry's voice say, "No problems getting here and no sign of anyone else."
"You didn't finish your butterbeer," she answered with a laugh.
Harry answered, teasingly, "People will think you've taken to drink." So far this was all according to plan. They'd decided that they should keep the mirrors open while Harry explored. Ginny planned to hide her mirror under a book so she would be able to know if there was a problem. They'd both agreed to talk only when necessary. Harry charmed his mirror to stick to the front of his robes so Ginny would be able to see whatever Harry was seeing.
It felt weird to walk inside the cave by himself, but Harry strode purposefully through the main cavern toward the white torch. The mysterious archway appeared and he found himself in the inner room with the harp and flute on the table. Everything appeared to be just the same, except that he was alone. There was no sign of the red haired ghost.
"Niniane?" he called, realizing just how much he had counted on her being there to guide him. Wondering what to do next, he ran a finger along the harp, making it sing out a sweet, eerie chord.
"Oh…I hear you calling, but I don't see you. Who's here?"
He took off the Disillusionment Charm, but he was still alone. "Niniane?" he called again.
"You!" a voice screamed.
Harry startled at the cry. Turning around, he saw the ghost of Niniane. She was stretched out on the raised platform that he could only assume was some sort of bed. "Aren't you going to join me?" she asked, luxuriating in the rugs and skins although Harry knew she couldn't feel it.
"I didn't come here to curl up with you." Harry knew he sounded a bit impatient, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to deal with this crazy spirit. If she couldn't keep anything straight, what kind of help could she be?
"Why did you come back, then?" She asked, floating to an upright position. She didn't seem angry, just curious, but she floated too close to his face for comfort.
Harry looked around the room, hoping to find some other assistance besides this weird ghost. Sighing, he said, "I'm looking for the storerooms or workrooms — do you know how I could find them. Where's the best place to brew a potion?"
"I never go to the storerooms myself. Of course I know where they are. Merlin made all of his apprentices brew potions. It's just that since I died, there doesn't seem much point." She looked at him sweetly, almost wistfully, and said, "Wouldn't you rather stay right here? You've always liked this room."
Harry shook his head and said, "I'm Harry — remember?"
She flashed him something of a glare and said, "Of course I remember." Relaxing her stance, she said, "Follow me." Then she drifted through the wall.
Trying to do as she asked and follow her, Harry collided with the wall. It felt completely solid to him. He'd hoped it would be enchanted like the wall in Platform 9 3/4.
After a few moments, Niniane returned and said, "Bring the torch…" before disappearing again.
Smiling at himself, he picked up the torch and walked toward the expanse of solid wall. This time, he went right through, torch and all. On the other side was a large empty room that seemed to drop off on the far side. On closer inspection the area that dropped away was actually a roughhewn staircase, carved into the side of the cave's stone wall, leading down into a dark pit. It was terribly quiet. Harry thought he could hear his own heart beating.
Summoning his courage, Harry held the torch high and began to descend the stairs. He lost sight of his ghostly guide. Niniane floated so swiftly that she soon was too far ahead for him to follow. A single torch lit the passageway at the bottom of the stairs. Three archways led off the narrow hall. It was eerily reminiscent of the room full of doors in the Department of Mysteries, only this room didn't spin.
Ignoring the goosebumps on his arms, Harry entered the first room on the left. Torches lit automatically, just as they did in the cavernous rooms upstairs, but the air in the small room was still. There was a charred open pit and some cauldrons plus two wide heavy stone surfaces that would be perfect for a workspace. Two canisters sat on the counter with their lids leaning against them. They were completely empty. It seemed like the room was waiting patiently for someone's return -- maybe because the room was so clean. He quietly said, "Accio Tanglewood!" Nothing happened.
He listened to his mirror for a moment. Since he didn't hear any conversations in the pub, he called, "Ginny?" When she answered, he continued. "I'm in some kind of workroom. There's furniture and utensils, but no supplies of any kind. It's kind of creepy here."
"At least you found some more rooms. Any sign of people?" she asked quietly, looking down into her lap so the other pub patrons wouldn't notice her talking to herself.
"Just Niniane. This place looks as if someone just left, but it's probably hasn't been touched in centuries. The cauldrons are set out to be used, but there's nothing to cook or make, no food or potions ingredients or anything." Harry could hear some muffled talking.
"Ginny Weasley…who brings a book into a pub. And what's the paper for? You're not actually doing homework, are you?" Harry didn't recognize the voice asking Ginny all the questions.
"Susan Bones…why don't you and Sophie join me? This isn't homework. I'm just working on my sketches," Ginny said.
Silently thanking Ginny for making things clear, Harry listened quietly. He didn't want to make any noise. He could hear chairs scraping and glass tinkling as the girls sat down. What followed was a brief conversation about the finished drawings in Ginny's sketchbook.
Then Sophie Moon lowered her voice and said, "I've been meaning to thank you for that special hair gel, Ginny. Phase one was a complete success." She giggled softly.
"You're doing the Weasleys a favor. Fred and George were looking for a test subject. I think they're going to call it Repel Gel. My only worry was that we'd never know whether it was the gel or Malfoy's personality putting people off. How did you ever get it into his kit?"
In her quiet lilting voice, Sophie explained. "I waited until he was 'busy' with my roommate. He and Pansy Parkinson can be really disgusting sometimes. With Draco out of the way it was easy to just slip into his dorm room. I'm pretty good at that Disillusionment Charm that Harry taught us. I can hold it in place for two or three minutes. Then I just vanished his regular hair gel and filled the bottle with yours."
Susan said, "Now even Crabbe and Goyle can't stand to sit near him for very long. They've started spending most of their time with Millicent Bulstrode."
"Just look at them. Do you suppose it's a love triangle?" Sophie added, making all three girls laugh.
With that comment Harry decided to tune out the girl talk and focus on exploring. The next room was clearly a potions lab. The "Accio Tanglewood!" spell still yielded nothing. What made Harry think it was a potions lab was the row of small ceramic jars and canisters that lined one wall. Thick and undecorated, the pots reminded him of the Potions classroom at Hogwarts with its rows of glass jars. Again the jars and canisters seemed remarkably empty. Absolutely nothing was made out of wood so Harry moved on.
In his mirror Harry heard Ginny say hello to Luna and Neville. Madam Rosmerta came to the table to ask if anyone needed anything. When she'd gone, Luna began to tell a long-winded story about Cornelius Fudge and his new plan to take over Gringotts using magically enhanced Puffskeins. Harry tuned them out.
The last room was a storeroom. Since there were no torches on the walls here, the room was dark. Lifting the white torch, Harry could see several small, open stone boxes on the floor near the door. Their lids were scattered and broken. More containers, also in disrepair, lined the far side of the room. But in the center of the room was a large stone box similar to the one he'd found at the end of last summer in the main cave upstairs. It was just like the stone box where he'd found his sword.
Excited, Harry wondered if there was any way to tell Ginny. He decided against calling out to her since he could still hear Luna telling her Puffskeins story. At last count, there were at least five people sitting with her.
He walked around the box to inspect it closely. Unfortunately the box didn't simply open for him as the one upstairs had. He tried to lift the lid using brute strength and it would not budge. 'Am I a wizard?' he asked himself and tried again, this time using his magical power to lift the stone. "Wingardium Leviosa!" It was practically the first spell he'd ever learned. The heavy stone lid lifted into the air. Harry floated it to the floor next to the large stone box. It was dark and deep. He had to lean over the side to see inside properly.
"Is that what you've been looking for?" asked Niniane, appearing again out of nowhere.
Harry jumped in surprise before answering. "I'm not even sure what's in here. I'm just trying to take a look." He floated the white torch over head. Niniane moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Harry and they both peered inside the large stone sarcophagus shaped box.
"Cool! I never saw anything like this before," cried a boy's voice that sounded very familiar.
Confused and slightly worried, Harry looked around the room. Only he and the ghost appeared to be there. And so far the box appeared to be completely empty. A moment later, he relaxed as Ginny said, "De…ean! That's my enchanted mood glass. And as you can see, my mood is gray and dark today. You better not mess with me. Give it back!"
"Sorry…Of course, here. Take it. I just thought it was weird that your mirror doesn't reflect my face." Dean sounded highly apologetic.
'No one wants to confront an angry Ginny Weasley,' thought Harry as he clapped his hand over the mirror. He'd forgotten that the mirror was stuck to the front of his robes so that Ginny would be able to see what he was seeing. He put his fingers across his lips, as if to say, "Shhh…" to Niniane.
The ghost just stared at him unblinkingly.
"Thanks for saving us seats, Ginny. It's really crowded in here today," said Parvati Patil. "Hope we didn't keep you waiting, Dean." Her voice sounded totally different when she spoke to Dean.
From the sound of it, Dean, Parvati, Lavender and Seamus were joining Ginny's already crowded table. Seamus started asking her questions about Hermione and Ron. In his Irish accent, he said, "It's not the same since Hermione's been…ill. Your brother's so worried, he doesn't tell jokes anymore."
Then Harry heard Ginny ask Dean to order her another butterbeer and excuse herself from the table. Once inside the loo, she checked to make sure she was alone and pulled the mirror to her nose. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Harry twisted his robe up so he could look into the mirror himself. As his face appeared in her mirror, Ginny gasped. "I thought you weren't going to show yourself while you explored," she said reprovingly. He'd be safer if he was invisible.
"It's the only way that I could convince my guide to appear. When she could hear me, but not see me, she was a bit uncooperative." Harry laughed. "So you're hiding in the loo?"
"Pretty much, yes. I'm hiding in the loo…I don't see why you find that amusing, Harry." She thought she heard a muffled "sorry" so she continued. "Have you found anything? Why's it so dark?"
Harry dropped his robe so the mirror would face what he faced once again. Harry held the white torch high so Ginny could see into the darkness. "Here… see for yourself. We're in one of the storerooms or maybe it was some sort of workroom. I don't think anyone's been here in hundreds of years. I found a box like the one the sword was stored in, but it seems empty. All the containers and things are empty. They're perfectly clean — not even a speck of dust on anything. Isn't that a little strange?"
"Have you tried a Revealing Charm?" Ginny asked.
Feeling silly, Harry ran the "Appareo" Charm over the interior of the stone container. Nothing appeared. "Accio Tanglewood!" was no use either.
"Whatever this used to hold, it's empty now." Harry had heard what Seamus said about Ron not telling any jokes lately. He couldn't help but feel foolish, searching these empty rooms when his two best friends had bigger problems to solve. Speaking to Ginny he said, "What difference would it make if I found a piece of tanglewood? There's no guarantee that it'd ever be of any use. I mean, maybe I should be spending our time on finding a cure for Hermione instead of wasting time wandering around this old cave."
Before Ginny could say, "Nonsense…" the ghost of Niniane let out one of her pathetic wails. Ginny was thankful she was in the loo until Parvati walked in and gave her a sympathetic look. She put the mirror in her rucksack and cast a quick Silencing Charm on it.
On instinct, Harry put his hand out to pat Niniane's arm. Because she was a ghost, his hand slipped right through. The cold from touching her made him shiver. Harry asked, "What's wrong?"
Between ghostly sobs, she choked out a rambling speech about how much she'd missed him. He heard her out without interrupting. Clearly, she was thinking of someone other than Harry, probably Owain.
When her sobs seemed to be a little quieter, Harry said, "I'll visit again soon. I…I just need to find something."
"To cure your friend? Why not just take her some of the spring water?" She made it sound like the most practical solution in the world.
It got his attention. Harry asked, "What spring water?"
She looked at him in that sad, strange way and said, "The fountain with the two birds…it guards the entrance to the cave…the water from the spring there should cure anything. Take her some."
Harry knew what she meant. He'd passed the stone statue set into the hillside a couple of times now. It had two birds and a basin full of debris so he was a little frustrated by her suggestion. "I'm not who you think I am…I've only seen that fountain a couple of times, but it has no water that I can see."
"But you can call upon the water to flow with a song," she said, leaning toward him admiringly.
Shaking his head at her, Harry wondered if she would ever keep it straight. She must be thinking Owain had returned to keep her company. Or she must want that to happen so much that she couldn't understand the truth. He'd met other ghosts who were lost in their own agonizing fantasy, the Bloody Baron sprang to mind, but she was the saddest ghost he'd ever met.
"Harry are you there?" Ginny asked.
Her voice surprised him out of his reverie. "I'm here. Have you been somewhere else?"
Ginny giggled and said, "Parvati walked into the loo just as your ghost friend let out that howl. She thought I'd made that noise so I hid the mirror in my rucksack and put a silencing charm on it. I couldn't convince her that I hadn't been crying…Don't be surprised if Parvati gives you a piece of her mind later for leaving me alone in a pub. Did I miss anything?"
Looking nervously at Niniane who had composed herself at last, Harry said, "Er…I'll tell you later. I haven't found what I came for…but, maybe I found something better." He wanted to choose his words carefully so he wouldn't upset the ghost again. "I…that is, Niniane has told me something interesting. The fountain outside the cave used to have a spring…the water flowing in it that was supposed to cure anything. Maybe it would help Hermione. What do you think?"
"What could it hurt, Harry?" Ginny sounded sad, as though she had no faith in their ability to find a cure for Hermione. Harry could hear, but not see her because his mirror was still attached to the front of his robes.
Niniane moved close enough to the mirror to see Ginny talking.
"Hello." Ginny said as her little mirror filled with the face of the ghostly auburn haired beauty. Niniane didn't answer so Ginny asked, "Can you still hear me Harry?"
"Yes…I'm going to take a closer look at that fountain. It's back at the entrance of the cave, behind some bushes."
"What does it look like?" Ginny asked.
Harry had to think about it for a moment. "I don't know…it's just a fountain that's sort of set into the side of the hill. Keep the mirror handy and I'll show you."
As Harry moved toward into the outer room and toward the stairs, Niniane followed silently. "I saw myself in your device. What is that?"
"This?" Harry asked, smiling. "It's a mirror. You've never seen a mirror before?"
She shook her head. "Not one that shows my face so clearly."
Harry hesitated. He didn't know how to explain that she'd seen Ginny's face, not her own. "A real mirror just reflects the light…like a lake that is very still…But this is a charmed mirror…that was Ginny you saw. You're both beautiful redheads, but otherwise there's not much resemblance."
"I want to keep you all to myself," Niniane said, her lip quivering. "The old man can't keep us apart any longer. Now that you're here, we can be together all the time."
Harry asked, "By 'the old man', do you mean Myrddin? Who tried to keep us apart?" He knew he was risking another meltdown on her part, but he was curious about Owain's story.
Turning to him with a breathtakingly beautiful smile, she said, "Myrddin began to follow me everywhere. He found out that I'd been…trying…to gain as much power as I could. But I was doing it for us…so we'd be untouchable. That's why he did it. He sent you away…all those…errands. That's what he called them. He was going to keep us apart forever. I had to do something. Do you forgive me now?" She looked so hopeful.
"Yes…I forgive you. Doesn't seem like we had a happy ending though. What happened in the end?"
Suddenly bursting into an angry, unintelligible tirade, she wailed and carried on about it. She may not be a reliable source of information, but she was never dull. She ended by turning on him and screaming. He did understand her last sentence. "Now you show up here with this other woman, this Ginny. You've betrayed me…after everything..." She threw herself down on the floor of the cave and buried her face in her arms.
"I didn't betray you. I'm not Owain…remember…I'm Harry." He tried to use an even tone to calm her down, but reliving her tragic past was apparently too much for her. Perhaps ghosts don't handle their emotions the same way that live people do. She seemed beyond speech so Harry slipped away, retracing his steps. A few minutes later he walked out of the cave into the sunshine.
While Ginny tried to follow the story that Niniane was telling, she didn't get to hear it all. As the ghost became more vocal, she was forced to slip her mirror back into her silenced rucksack or risk everyone at the Three Broomsticks thinking she was insane. She'd already stayed in the loo a little longer than anyone would think was normal.
When she stepped out into the pub, she realized that all of the students were gone. It was still early in the afternoon so that was odd. Ignoring the stares of the other patrons, she went back to her table, pulled out her Charms book and lifted her warm butterbeer to her lips.
The door to the pub opened, briefly flooding the cozy dark interior with bright sunlight. Ginny focused on reading her book instead of looking up so she didn't see the figures of Dumbledore and McGonagall until they were next to her table. She reached down to open her rucksack so Harry could hear what they were saying, but a strange sound, almost like music, came from the bag so she closed it up tight.
Professor McGonagall spoke first, eyeing Ginny through the little square glasses perched on the end of her nose. "Ah, Miss Weasley. Are you so dedicated to your studies that you must read during a Hogsmeade visit? That must be an interesting book for you to miss all the excitement of the afternoon." McGonagall pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow.
Staring up at the two professors, Ginny asked, "Excitement?" Her eyes were wide and innocent. She really didn't have any idea what they were talking about.
Blue eyes sparkling with charm, the Headmaster explained. "The students have been asked to return to the school. The Hogsmeade visit has been canceled because we received word of a plan to release Dementors in the village. It's just a precaution. None of the creatures have been sighted." He appeared to be totally calm as though he was simply discussing the weather.
"I…I'm ready to go, sir." She fumbled around with her papers and her rucksack, putting all her things in the outer pouch. She needed to contact Harry -- to warn him not to return to Hogsmeade. "But…I…uh…."
"You need to perhaps contact Mr. Potter? At least, you can tell us where he is," Professor McGonagall said. Both professors seemed to be aware that something was up.
"I don't know…" Ginny studied her bag, trying to think of something to divert their attention. It didn't seem right to make up some lie about Harry's location when they were only concerned with his welfare. She was really coming up empty, so she tried stalling, "I…I came into town with Harry, but…."
Professor Dumbledore said graciously, "Perhaps…we could prevail upon you to use your mirror to call Mr. Potter."
Under his amused and curious gaze, Ginny opened the top of her bag and breathed a sigh of relief that the music, or whatever it was, had stopped. She pulled out the mirror. "Harry," she said as if she were just calling him now. When he answered she spoke quickly before he could say anything. "I'm here with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. We're all wondering where you've wandered off." She smiled weakly at the two of them. McGonagall maintained her icy expression, but Dumbledore seemed terribly amused by something.
Deciding it was best to turn her back to them, she said more quietly, "Well?"
Louder than necessary, Harry said, "I'm just up the street in front of Honeydukes."
Breathing a sigh of relief in spite of herself, Ginny handed the mirror to Professor Dumbledore and said, "He's in front of Honeydukes."
Still looking amused, Dumbledore said, "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Weasley." Into the mirror he asked, "So if you're all finished with your candy purchases, we would like all the students to return to Hogwarts immediately. We have reason to think there may be a problem with Dementors in Hogsmeade today."
"What kind of problem? Where did you hear about it?" Harry asked. "Aren't the Dementors controlled by Voldemort?"
"I hardly think we should discuss that here," Professor McGonagall interrupted with a snort.
Without changing his benign, almost cheerful demeanor, Professor Dumbledore spoke quietly with Harry for a moment. Soon they all walked safely past the pillars with the winged boars and the gates of Hogwarts were swinging closed behind them. Since they were none the worse for the supposed Dementor attack, Harry couldn't help but wonder what else was on Dumbledore's mind. He seemed intent on securing the castle. Harry was left to wonder as the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall bid them goodbye in the entry hall.
"Interesting choice, Dementors," said Harry when he and Ginny were finally alone. "It would only take a few Aurors to repel them. I know they're awful, even repulsive…but why make an attack that could so easily be beaten."
Feeling something cold blowing in his ear, Harry rubbed his neck with both hands. Peeves floated in front of him, cackling. Then he winked at Ginny and shot away with an insane giggle.
"That sounds like a question for Ron." Ginny laughed softly. "I'm just glad the professors seemed to believe you. That's twice you've used Honeydukes for your cover story. Maybe you need to come up with a new one, Harry."
He grinned back at her, slipping his hand into hers. "I've had a terribly lucky day…First at the cave, then in Hogsmeade. Maybe you bring me luck, Ginny." She'd been a really good sport going along with his plan to go back to the cave instead of focusing on Ron and Hermione's problems, as he maybe should have done. He lifted up a big bag of candy and said, "I did get a passel of chocolate frogs to try to cheer up your brother."
"Would have come in handy if there'd really been Dementors, too." Ginny took an unsuccessful swipe at the bag. "Let me see what else you bought," she said as Harry held the bag out of reach.
"You'll just have to be patient," he said, knowing that by implying that he'd bought her something, he was inviting a full scale invasion of his trunk and other personal possessions. He knew her well enough to know she couldn't resist a challenge or a present. 'Well, let her look. I'll just have to find an untraceable hiding place.'
For a moment, Ginny considered Harry's facial expression and body language. He had a self-satisfied grin and he was holding his rucksack as though it contained gold. The Honeydukes bag was probably just a ruse because he was still dangling it just close enough to tease her. Feigning disinterest, Ginny turned away from him and said, "You didn't have time to buy anything all that good. You only had about five minutes alone in Hogsmeade today…and you spent it buying Ron some chocolate frogs…which was really sweet of you, Harry." She looked at him sideways and smiled.
When she stopped trying to take the Honeydukes bag away from him, Harry was confused. Thinking he'd never figure Ginny out completely, he said, "Let's go give these to Ron. I'd like to check on Hermione anyway."
The late afternoon sun slanted across the neat white beds in the infirmary. They could hear Ron's voice talking quietly behind the screened in area of Hermione's bed. Coming around the screens quietly, Ginny and Harry saw Ron sitting in a chair near her pillow. Ron was talking quietly to a sleeping Hermione.
Ginny walked straight to her brother and put her arm around his shoulder. "Anything happen while we were gone?" she asked.
Looking at his sister sadly, he shook his head. "No…she slept the whole time."
"You look like you could use a rest, too," Ginny said. Ron didn't budge. He just looked at Hermione without smiling.
"Or at least a shower and shave," Harry said, waving his hand in front of his face as though Ron smelled bad.
Sounding an awful lot like her mother, Ginny said. "Harry's right. We'll stay with her. You go take a break and…maybe have an early dinner. Then come back."
Figuring he knew what Ron was worried about, Harry pulled his old D.A. coin out of his pocket and held it up. "Do you still have yours? If the date changes, that means Hermione woke up and you should hurry back here."
Ron shook his head again. "I don't know where my D.A. coin is…we haven't used those since last year."
"Here…take mine," said Ginny, fishing around in her rucksack for her coin. When she finally found it, she picked off the lint and handed it to her brother with an encouraging smile.
Ron almost smiled back, but he settled for nodding before he stood up to leave. "Make sure you let me know the moment she wakes up…and tell her to drink the potion in the blue bottle…all of it. Check to be sure she finishes it…Snape said she has to have every drop."
Ginny picked up the unlabeled blue bottle and examined it. Harry nodded and threw the Honeydukes bag to Ron. "Oh…I almost forgot. Here's your chocolate frog fix."
Ron opened the bag and laughed. "Thanks, Harry. I haven't had this many frogs since Fred and George sent some last year." Smiling at his sister and friend, he said, "One of these is bound to have an Agrippa card."
It seemed to Harry that Ron had said that for his sake. He didn't really care about saving Chocolate Frog cards any more. He just wanted Hermione to be well again, but he knew Harry was just trying to cheer him up.
Watching as Ron left the room, Harry said, "I wish there was something I could really do for them. If it were one of us…we'd have Hermione to help figure something out. She'd probably find some obscure super pepper up potion in some old book no one ever thought of reading. I don't know…but I know she…she wouldn't just sit around and hope someone else came up with something." He hated the thought of relying on Snape to come up with a cure. Snape never had a nice word to say to Hermione. How could he be her best chance?
Ginny listened without interrupting. They stood on either side of Hermione's bed so she had to reach across to take his hand. "You always give it everything you have, too. Even when you're busy with a mystery of your own."
"That's just it. She's done so much for me." He looked at her sorrowfully. "I wish I could help her."
Tilting her head and looking carefully at Harry before speaking, Ginny asked, "What happened to finding a cure in the fountain by the cave?"
Harry's jaw clenched at the memory. It was frustrating enough that the lower rooms of the cave were empty, but the fountain was worse. "When Niniane said that the water from the fountain could cure anything, I was sure we were on to something great. I did go look at it and…I tried to make it work. To make the water flow…."
"Can you describe the fountain for me?" Ginny interrupted. "I didn't get to see it. I had to put the mirror away because it started making some strange noises." She was almost afraid to ask what the noises were.
"It's made out of a gray stone and the big round part below is full of leaves." Harry wasn't sure how to describe it. He wasn't sure what she wanted to know.
Ginny prompted him. "How big? What color? Plain or decorated?"
Making strokes of gold light to draw in the air, he tried to draw what the fountain looked like. His drawing basically looked like a large lopsided rectangle with rounded edges. Ginny looked at him skeptically like she wasn't sure what to say. She bit her lower lip.
"It sort of has two birds at the top that look like they've been frozen in flight." The two blobs he drew at the top could be some kind bird, but if he hadn't said what they were, no one would ever have known. He kept trying to draw as he explained. "They sort of stick out over the bowl area down below, but it's all made of the same grayish stone, the birds and the basin are all one piece."
Harry looked at his finished air drawing, and burst out laughing. "Except the size, it doesn't look anything like this." The drawing disappeared.
Since he was laughing, Ginny didn't have to hold her laugh in any longer. When they finished, she said, "Did you try singing like a bird to get the water to turn on?" She had a big grin on her face because she was pretty sure she'd heard him try singing.
"It's not like there was a tap. And I sing about as well as I draw." Harry's face became serious. "I did try singing…I even charmed the statues to sing birdsongs."
Adopting what she hoped was a sympathetic face, Ginny asked, "And it didn't work?" She was wondering if the strange sounds she'd heard coming from her rucksack was Harry singing or the birdsong charm he cast.
"Oh…the charm worked. They sang…a really snappy tune, but no water appeared. I was trying to think of something else, then you called and said Dumbledore was there so I Apparated to Honeydukes."
She patted his arm reassuringly. "Maybe you just need to figure out the right singing charm."
"That's just it, Ginny. Where am I going to find the right charm? I can't figure out anything. We need Hermione for research. And what about this…" He pulled the black phoenix statue out of his pocket, tossing it in the air a few times like he was catching the snitch. "I've been trying to figure this one out for months. Wish this was something useful."
Ginny caught the statue right out from under his nose and examined it. "How do you know that it isn't useful?" she asked, handing it back to him.
"I've been carrying this around, asking everyone — even Professor Dumbledore — what they think it is. No one seems to know." He put the statue on the bed between them.
"Have you tried putting spells on it?" Ginny asked.
Giving Ginny an inscrutable look, he said, "I'm ashamed to say that I haven't. What's wrong with me? It's like I sometimes forget that I'm a wizard…Appareo!" Blue light for the Revealing Charm shot from the end of Harry's hand toward the stone. Instead of deflecting the spell, the statue seemed to absorb the blue light.
"Try something like transfiguring it to fly. After all — it's a phoenix." Ginny seemed happy to be experimenting on the little statue.
As before, the stone seemed to absorb the light from Harry's spell. They tried several others with the same results.
"I guess we need a new approach. What do we know about the stone?" Ginny asked. It wasn't in her nature to just give up.
Harry shrugged and said, "It's pure obsidian. I don't know anything about rocks. Do you?"
"Obsidian sounds more like a person from the country of Obsidia than a rock. Are you sure that's what it's called?" Kneeling on the floor and leaning on the bed so she was eye level with the statue, Ginny held her head up with her hand as she studied the stone closely.
Harry thought she looked cute concentrating so hard. Grinning at her despite his frustration that they weren't getting anywhere with the stone statue, Harry said, "That's what Hermione told me." Glancing up at his sleeping friend, he felt a little guilty. Here he was having fun with Ginny while Hermione couldn't stay awake. "She also said that Obsidian is made when a volcano meets the sea…a sort of glass. But I don't know what difference that would make…neither did she."
Ginny picked the statue up and held it to the light to see if she could see through it. It did seem translucent on the thinner parts of the carving. "Do you think that's why it absorbs light, Harry? Because it's made out of volcanic glass?" she asked.
"Don't know," said Harry with a shrug.
"What did Dumbledore say?" Ginny asked, setting the statue down, but still looking closely at it.
Harry sighed and tried to remember Dumbledore's exact words. "Like Luna, he thought it might hold some sort of phoenix spirit. But he said that he didn't know what it was…oh, and that a phoenix is a firebird. I guess that's why they're always red and gold." Harry smirked and said, "Maybe we should try setting it on fire…"
Ginny surprised him by saying, "Sure…why not…it can't hurt anything."
Shaking his head at her, he said, "You can tell you're related to Fred and George sometimes. We can't just set fire to something here."
"I didn't mean on Hermione's bed. Wait here." She went to the storeroom and came back with a small cauldron. Then she put the little phoenix statue in the middle of it and said seriously, "Go ahead, then."
Harry looked at her admiringly, then cast the spell for fire. "Incendio!" A flash of fire obscured their view, but when the flames died down, the stone remained as black as always. Sighing, Harry said, "I really thought we were on to something. I thought maybe it's black because it had been set on fire so many times."
"Try this…Erubescere!" Ginny said. Nothing happened. As before, the stone absorbed the light from her wand. She shook her head.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"Robbie Johnson used that spell to turn his plant red in Herbology. I thought since a phoenix is supposed to be red that maybe…."
She made a lot of sense to him. "Erubescere!" he said softly. The light from the spell reached out from his hand and struck the black stone. As they watched, the stone began to shine as though lit from within, transforming from deep black to a brilliant crimson.
Ginny gave a shout. "You did it, Harry. Now it's red anyway." She smiled and looked up to see if he was as excited as she was — at least this was some progress. Looking into his face she saw Harry's eyes open wide as they filled with a flash of tiny flames.
Harry didn't make a sound. The flames she saw in his eyes disappeared, but she could feel something behind her softly moving her hair. In a flash of fire, a phoenix had appeared. It hovered just behind Ginny, its wings beating the air gently.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Notes to reviewers. Thanks!
Lourdes: Thanks for your review! Your words went a long way to alleviate my update guilt. I appreciate your patience and your kind words.
Orion The Hunter: Thanks for writing a review!
C. Rose: I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for taking the time to read and review!
Gryphonmistress: Part of the torch mystery is solved. Rhys' part in things should be cleared up soon. Hermione's not out of trouble yet. Snape is a character that I love to hate in J.K.R.'s books. If Alan Rickman didn't play him in the movie, I'm not sure I'd have any sympathy for him at all. Thanks for writing a review!
athenakitty: Draco's repel gel was just phase one. I don't know of a Muggle substitute for tanglewood. Do you mean it's a real tree? I thought it was just a music festival. Thanks for reviewing!
Sword of Darkness: I want to torture him first! Thanks for writing a review!
Nightwing509: Thanks for your kind remarks! Updates should be speedier now that I am back to working with my laptop.
Jlatmil1: Thanks for reviewing! I have done some research, but I'm no expert. Seems to me the real story of Myrddin/ Merlin has changed several times through the centuries…so why not change it to fit my story better? Carmarthen is supposed to have been the birthplace of Myrddin (pronounced merthen). The town is named after him. Hart Fell is a real place in Scotland marked by a Muggle plaque. The real Myrddin was supposed to have gone wild after a battle and lived in the woods there. Sometimes he changed into a stag, hence the name Hart which means stag. Owain is the name of a Welsh hero. Niniane was supposed to have trapped Merlin in a cave after bewitching him into teaching her all he knew.
bluemoon52292: I appreciate all your nice comments. Thanks for writing a review!
katepotter13: Thanks for reviewing! I'll try!
Craaminator: I got the "Breath of Nundu" idea from Fantastic Beasts so it's almost canon. Thanks for writing a review!
rosepetal13: Thanks for reviewing! I'm still thinking about that ferret idea.
ginnyNharryseceretlove: Thanks for writing! I'll try!
Ghost Magic: Sorry about the delays. I'll try to write faster. Thanks for reviewing!
LunaLovegood61: Hermione's not all right, but they are all working on it. Thanks for writing a review!
Allan: Thanks for your review! I appreciate your feedback.
maniclotr: Thanks for the nice comments in your review! I appreciate it.
gopha-gurl: Thanks for reviewing! I'll try.
SilverWarrior: You've been paying attention! Thanks for reviewing!
Raiining: Thanks for "author alerting" my story. I appreciate the kind comments in your review!
Iluvatar: Thanks for writing a review!
Rusty Shackleford: Thanks for reviewing! To answer your question — it looks that way.
JD22: Sorry about the delay. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happened to Hermione. Thanks for writing a review!
Jeni Black: Thanks for all of your reviews! I appreciate all of your feedback -- especially your speculations about Rhys. Thanks for writing!
Snuffles007: Thanks for reviewing! Updates should come faster now. Thanks for your patience.
corwin: Eavesdropping isn't the best way to get the story straight, but Harry will find out more later. Thanks for writing a review!
Bongie: Thanks for writing! I'll try.
Mrs. Sakura Potter: Thanks! Just one more King Arthur comment — did they have to kill off Ioan Gryffydd? Thanks for reviewing!
Ms. Miss Prongs: Thanks for writing a review!
KFelton: Thanks for reviewing! I'll try.
Musicfacn013: I appreciate it. Thanks for writing!
Jack-A-Roe: You guessed correctly. I do want to hex Snape! Thanks for writing a review!
Marauder4eva: Thanks for your kind compliments. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far. I can't wait for the real book six! Thanks for writing a review!
Margaret: Thanks for reviewing!
gunderson: Thanks for writing a review!
Froggy1: Thanks for reviewing! And thank your friend for recommending my story, too! I appreciate it. You're right. There are plenty of wrenches in the works.
Miaka Chan5: I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for writing a review!
Lady of the Dragons2: Thanks. What a nice thing to say! I'll try. Thanks for reviewing!
VilleValo: Dumbledore does look an awful lot like Merlin, doesn't he? Thanks for writing a review!
words-are-mine: They're my favorite ships, too. Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: Want to tell me what you think? Please review!