Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, I've been real busy with a lot of things and just finished an article that I was commissioned. So, sincere apologies on my part!
This is a pivotal chapter of the fic. Just read it by keeping that in mind. As I don't want to indulge on anything that is in the fic, I'll answer the major queries at the end of fic, with the help of Hermione, who has volunteered to come out of my fic and flaunt her know-it-all-ness. :cackles:
And I've corrected that horrendous mistake by FF for replacing my Prologue with Chapter 16. I've checked, all the chapters are where they should belong now. ;)
On to the dedications and thank-you-s:
I dedicate this chapter to Moon of Amethyst and Nilkalowen for their constant and watchful support of this fic. Thanks, you two!
A shout-out to one special Maverick, my dear brother Omair, who's appearing in CA exams next week. Trillions of Beasts of Luck to you, dear unrelated sibling of mine! I hope you show 'em real good, Ernie Mon! If not, I'm all ready for our F-16 idea. :winks:
Thanks to Bobboky, Nimbirosa, Nilkanowen, Omair, Suicidal/Prisoner of the Darkness, flamingoes gone wild, William Knight, Koky, Amy, Arch, Akanksha, Ninde Annare and AnnF for the wonderful feedback. I hope you all stick with the fic and review. ;)
Bobboky, Welcome to the fic! Thanks for liking the Griffin, I'm quite taken with the creature myself. :)
Nimbirosa, Eefil! Eefil:tries to hide somewhere as the author is quite is quite intimidated by eight Nimbirosas: Okay, let's have a deal? I have a very cool chapter almost ready for you and you'll love it. I can swear! So, just wait another chapter-which you'll snicker over as the Cho-truth will be revealed. So, just a little patience, eh:gives a winning smile: And a fickly, if you haven't read it already. Have you read, "LionSnake Prophecy's" by Rain? If not, you should, its link is in my fav stories.
Nilkanowen, From one perfectionist dunderhead to another. ;) I'll take a peek at your fics once things settle down at my end. Thanks for the wishes and here's really the next for you.
Omair, Chalo Cheeta Baba, you are all ready to battle the unknown. All the best and beast wishes-only for you! And many No-Thanks to you. I did work hard on the Griffin and this is not the last time you'll be seeing it. So, stay tuned! About the Griffin screech, did you forget Hagrid's class with Griffins? And the screech is described in another chapter as well, but as its a hint, I'm not going to tell you, exactly where. :grins evilly:
Prisoner of the Darkness, Sorry for all the inconvenience. I've corrected the mistake and you can now go and read the whole fic. Thanks for dropping by!
flamingoes gone wild, Hey! Thank you very much. They were very fine, but you've read Chapter 16 by accident then. You can start from Prologue now, which I've replaces the stray chapter 16 with. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story.
William Knight, Thank you very much! Actually, according to canon, Harry will not be an Animagus, therefore, I made my own reason for not making him one, by giving him the form of snake, which is because of Voldemort and his connection with him. If you read my A/N of last chapter, you'll get your answer. Thanks for dropping by!
Koky, Bunch of thanks for your bundle of reviews and pointers. The prologue is back, where it belongs. Quite an ideal reader you are! You are right, there is too much going on in Harry's life but what I love about his character is that whatever happens, he springs back up and tackles everything possible. You'll find these characteristics in this Harry as well. Real nice chap, wouldn't you say? ;)
Amy, Oh girl! Thanks for all those reviews. Short but sweet, so thanks a bunch, dear girlie! I hope you like the rest of the fic.
Arch, :Grins even more: Thank you very much for all the praises, sweetie. I haven't watched 'Dil Mange...' and believe me these days most of the Indian movies are very much sucky, as you eloquently put. ;) DDLJ is Dil Wale Dulhanya Le Jayenge: even when it was this mushy movie, I just loved the story! And what a coincidence, both my parents were in the army, Pops is retired now and Moms joined it for about 2 years after her MBBS. I empathize with you totally on the dating front, its sad but true. :sighs: And have you noticed that Jesse McCartney and Aaron Carter look alike or at least some similarity exists:grins: Take lots of care till the next time. Adios Amigo!
Akanksha, Got your mail and have replied to it as well. Who would know better than me about having a busy life:sighs: And, I have to give it to you-you really guessed me out! Real Nancy Drew, right here people:smiles: So, you get virtual chocolate-chip cookies for guessing that one. You'll hear more about the Scrolls in the future chapters. Thanks for dropping by larki. :)
Ninde Annare, Hey! I love to hear from you and no matter, even if you miss a chapter or two to review, you've been a loyal reader throughout and I appreciate that more than ever! Real Life is important and you have to work for it, anyways. So, here's hoping for better days for you. Take good care!
AnnF, Oooh! Another Nancy Drew in my reader list. Lovely:cackles: You've got that right like Akanksha. The gang's going to work on that next but before then, let's get over this Cho thing! Thanks for dropping by!
And without any further ado, here's another one:
February flew by in rapid blurry motions, faces kept appearing and disappearing, reality and dreams went hand in hand.
Harry dissolved himself in studies, Quidditch and Advanced Training classes with Lupin so much that he didn't had time to relax or even have some fun. Ron and Hermione kept on dragging him out of his busy schedules and extra classes, telling him to take it easy but got no positive response, whatsoever.
In the absence of Dumbledore, McGonagall handled the school very well. Hogwarts ran without missing a beat and if anybody had any doubts in McGonagall's leadership, like certain Pure-blood families, they had to chew their own words, because in spite of her physical frailty, she was not only able to take her Transfiguration classes but fulfill the duties of the Headmistress as well.
Dumbledore was delayed further because of the side-trips to Egypt and Brazil. However, McGonagall informed them all that his return was imminent in mid-March.
Harry hadn't dared to use Sirius's diary again. It seemed that whenever he did, he became so over-whelmed with the memories that he lost his concentration in everything real.
Ron and Hermione had complied with his staring into space, fiddling with food and not listening to lectures but doodling on his parchment. However secretly, they planned of chucking the diary away for good, but knew too well that they were just over exaggerating the matter.
Hermione kept on grumbling to Ron, seeing Harry's distant eyes and his brooding state but was warned persistently that Harry didn't want another one of 'Hermione-lectures' to calm his nerves, and she did surrender, but grudgingly.
Harry was not the only one who had become distant. There was another Gryffindor who was acting almost exactly like him. There was no Fred and George Weasley, or Percy for that matter to notice that Ginny had grown too much in her fifth-year. She was not an adolescent anymore, and a certain maturity had set upon her.
She didn't worry about trifle things anymore; she knew that she couldn't possibly please everybody-even herself. Moreover, she was getting less and less sleep and some doubts always circled in her mind. And when she did sleep, she saw strange shapes surrounding her...
She hid her feelings well with a smiling façade, warding off all the unwanted questions with the fact that she was just a little bit quieter than usual because of her up-coming O.W.Ls. She not only fooled her friends but her own brother; however, sometimes she did feel that Luna saw right through her charade of normalcy.
Ginny had discovered a beautiful friendship with Luna Lovegood and knew that above that spacey demeanor of hers, a very sensitive and sweet girl presided, who was just a little afraid of showing her real self to the world.
"Even in the darkest room, there is a ray of light!" Luna announced to no one in particular and flopped down beside Ginny in the Gryffindor table.
"What?" Ginny said, reluctantly coming out of her torpor and following Luna's gaze, which was resting on Harry.
He was doing the same thing he had been doing, since last month. Staring at nothing in particular and playing with his food. The current victim of Harry's sullenness was a piece of bacon, which was squished into peaces.
"Oh, Ronald, what's that?" Luna shrieked in excitement, snatching the Daily Prophet from his hand, causing the goblet near it drip all of its content into Harry's lap.
"What the-" Harry stood up and looked at his soaking-wet robes listlessly.
"I'll fix it," Hermione provided.
"Don't worry," Harry said idly, and waved his wand in a way that hot air issued from it, drying his robe. Hermione gaped at him but didn't say anything.
However, Harry didn't notice because he was busy staring at something else, entirely. There was a picture showing a tall man back-tracking a crowd from somewhere, the sweeping motion kept on repeating as the crowd dispersed. The picture was taken from such a distance that the man's face was completely concealed by shadows.
"Luna, can I see that?"
"Oh sure, I thought they at last found about heliopaths but the picture was of some stupid salamanders, showing off," she said in a disgruntled voice.
Harry took the Daily Prophet and straightened it to read, while the others peered beside him:
Three Muggles Found Dead!
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
In a shocking turn of events, three Muggles were found dead near the temple of Ramses III in Thebes, the day before yesterday. The Muggle Police in Cairo thought that it was the work of some tomb-raiders, which is quite usual in that area, but after further investigations, it was revealed that nothing was stolen from any tomb nearby, as they searched over the whole Valley of the Queens.
Muggle Healers, called doctors, weren't able to explain the deaths; however, the Ministry of Magic today, released an official statement about these deaths.
"We have received concrete information that the three Muggles found dead near the temple of Ramses III were killed by the Killing Curse, classified as one of the Unforgivable Curses. The matter was mostly handled by the Muggle regulatory authority of Cairo. None of the Muggles killed have any relations with the magical world, therefore, the intent is debatable."
A Ministry official states that this turn of events lead to only one possibility. After the horrendous attacks by the Death Eaters on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the foreboding silence has been at last broken, proving that the Death Eaters are still at large.
Hermione finished reading and exchanged worried glances around the group. All their heads swiveled towards Harry, whose face was setting in a grim expression. He was clutching the pumpkin-juice goblet, like he wanted to crush it into pieces.
Slowly Harry loosened his grip, coming out of his stupor.
"Ron, Ginny, Quidditch practice - go change," Harry ordered, the corners of his mouth barely moving because of his clenched jaws. He was out and about from the table in a second and without uttering another word, stalked off towards the common room.
"Hermione, did you check the History section?" Ginny asked, staring after the retreating figure of Harry, like others, fumbling for a new topic.
"Yes, couldn't find any mention of a Ventosus Scroll," she answered glumly.
"Did you check the Restricted Section?" Ginny whispered to her.
"Yes, that too..." Hermione said glumly.
"I could write to my dad," Luna provided.
Hermione glanced at her skeptically, "Er... Luna... um..."
"Yeah, why don't you send an owl? You can borrow Pig if you want," Ron provided helpfully, totally missing Hermione's reaction while she glared at him murderously.
"Thank you, Ronald!" Luna shrieked in delight, as if she was going to hug him, but she turned and sauntered towards the Ravenclaw table instead.
"Er..." Ron at last noticed Hermione's glare-but too late.
"I'm going to the Library." She stood up and banged her books on the table ceremoniously and followed Harry's anger-trail.
"What did I do?" Ron asked in total bewilderment.
Ginny sighed and debated the fact that should she lecture her own brother on girl-matters or not.
"Why are you so friendly with Luna, suddenly?" she asked, without answering his question.
"To shut her up, what else? Or she would have gone on and on about Fudge's secret heliopath army or Umbridge's teddy-bear club," Ron said, scrunching up his nose disgustedly, following his sister to the common room for their brooms.
Ginny laughed indulgently and shook her head. "Ron, grow up!" she said, while Ron still looked baffled.
"How many inches should I grow more to grow up?" Ron said looking down from his height of six feet.
"You are beyond help, brother," she said simply, patting his arm and made her way to the girl's dormitory.
Harry was out of his bed at daybreak. The dream had been the same again, even after practicing Occlumency, he kept on hearing his mother's voice but as always, wasn't able to see anything. He had predicted to himself that after seeing his mother in Sirius's memories, some kind of link may reappear like the one he had few months before, when he saw her going through a dark tunnel in a semi-dream-vision. However, nothing of that sort happened and he had to contend with more work and practices to keep his mind off of it.
He had been working hard in Quidditch practices, and following Wood's steps, he was scheduling three practices per week. Ginny had grumbled on his utter blindness to her O.W.L. studies but he turned a deaf ear to her complaints, as the match against Ravenclaw drew nearer.
This particular match was crucial because Slytherin had already beaten Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Gryffindor needed another win to reach the finals, because the Slytherins were already leading.
The constraint happened in Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw match, when the game took almost ten hours to finish. Due to high winds, the Seekers were unable to see the Snitch but the Ravenclaw Chasers had plenty of time to score. Even when McGonagall had kittens about such a long match, it was finished according to the international Quidditch rules. That's why Ravenclaw was anxious to defeat Gryffindor to reach the finals, because while Ravenclaw lost against Slytherin, they lost by a very low margin of thirty points, so they still had the average margin over Gryffindor.
The pressure was building and the whole school was anticipating the match. Ravenclaws normally were on good terms with Gryffindors, but because of the match, they were keeping their distance and no more smiles were exchanged. While Hufflepuff sided along with Gryffindor, Slytherins just sauntered smugly around without any preference, causing discord as usual.
The tension was palpable when the Gryffindor team filed along the house tables in the Great Hall, their nerves on edge. Ron looked green with worry and Seamus looked ready to drown in the nearest goblet-even Jack and Andrew were behaving themselves, the shoveling-ceremony all but forgotten.
Katie and Harry had been emphasizing on the Beater capabilities in them and were successful in prizing an uncanny talent – the Bludger Backbeat feat. It was an open secret that they were not very good with their clubs when it came to swinging the Bludgers forward but they were somehow successfully able to send the Bludgers flying backwards very accurately. Ron attributed it to their backward minds but, nonetheless, Harry was proud on his Beaters, who hadn't sent a single Bludger towards their own team-mates since last three practices, which was a feat, considering their previous record.
He wasn't too worried, except for the fact that he was going to play against Cho after almost two years. He knew it in his heart that he didn't have any feelings for her; however, he was aware of the fact that he couldn't stop looking at her when she did pass him by.
Harry shook his head furiously, as if trying to shake those thoughts out of his mind.
"Harry, calm down," Hermione said, clearing the spilled juice from his goblet on the table.
"Yeah," he answered, distractedly looking at the Ravenclaw table, receiving a very charming smile from Cho.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry said under his breath bowing his head low, while gripping it between his hands, like it would come off if he let go.
"An excellent day for such an important Quidditch match! Welcome to the second to last match of the season. Put your hands together for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," Dean Thomas announced in a spirited voice.
As the audience clapped around, Dean continued, "I give you the Ravenclaw team: Boot... Buchanan... McLain... Davies... Bradley... Chambers and... Chang.
"And I give you the Gryffindor team: Bell... Weasley... Finnigan... Weasley... Sloper... Kirke and... Potter!
"The Quaffle is released, and Davies in possession."
Katie had instructed the team to score as high as they could, because of Ravenclaw's high point average.
Harry scanned the ground for signs of the Snitch but couldn't find any. With the corner of his eye, he peeked at Cho who was following him at a distance, which was well for him, as he didn't need reminding that he went wonky whenever he looked at her.
"Bell sweeps down and with Finnigan on Davies's tail, grabs the Quaffle at the perfect time.
"OWW!" Dean mouthed sourly.
McLain's Bludger had almost knocked Katie from her broom, but she kept steady with her years of training, though in the process she lost the Quaffle to Chambers.
"Ooooh, Ravenclaw wants to play dirty!" Dean spat.
"Show 'em Gryffindors!" he yelled vehemently.
"Thomas, no biased commentary, please!" McGonagall shouted half-heartedly. She was upset like any other Gryffindor.
"Chambers enters the scoring area while Weasley prepares for battle. Another deadly Bludger is on its way and-" Dean said in a bored voice.
A tone of amazement crept into his voice as he continued, "a very well placed Bludger by Kirke, making Chambers quite empty handed. Ginny Weasley in possession.
"Was I dreaming or that was actually a Bludger Backbeat?" he said, amazed. "Hats off to Kirke for pulling that one off!
"Boot looks flustered as the red queen inches closer," Dean said offhandedly, while McGonagall gave him a sidelong glance.
"She swerves and with a terribly long arc scores the first goal of the match! Gryffindor: ten to zero," he finished satisfactorily.
Harry veered to his right for another round when he came face to face with Cho, who in turn smiled at him in such a charming way that he felt his heart flutter in his chest.
"Focus! Focus!" he scolded himself.
What in the hell is the matter with me! he thought shaking his head, while he headed upwards to get some air.
"Looks like our Seeker is a little disgruntled, today. Well, he can't help it, can he? His life's always in such danger, with You-Know-Who always on his tail and what not."
"Thomas! Stop talking about Potter's life and continue commentating!" McGonagall growled threateningly.
"Just providing some background info, Professor... er..." Dean faltered, seeing the fumes almost emanating from McGonagall.
Clearing his throat he continued, "Davies in possession, protected by Buchanan and McLain like a royalty, while Weasley looks more than ready for another quick save."
A loud collective groan issued from the audience as Ron was hit with two consecutive Bludgers, allowing Davies to score freely. Fortunately, Ron's robes tangled with his broom and he was saved from a face-first fall to the ground.
Dean swore loudly. "Squirmy little cheats! Foul, Foul, FOUL!"
Ginny went to her brother's rescue as Madam Hooch called a timeout. Ron bravely held up his hands telling his team-mates and the audience that he was fine and motioned to Harry to continue with his Snitch-hunt making a flying bird motion with his hands. Harry didn't have to picture a very bushy head bobbing up and down in the Gryffindor stand. He just hoped that Hermione clipped her nails before coming to the game.
"I've just been informed that the filthy lit-" Dean announced.
"Thomas!" McGonagall warned.
"The last move was not a foul but is known to be the Dopplebeater Defense. Looks like the Ravenclaws are studying more than the capacity in their heads," he finished, totally disgusted.
"Ravenclaw scores, bringing the game to equal, ten to ten."
After another hour to the game, Gryffindor was leading by twenty points with fifty to thirty; Ravenclaws were playing very well and every defensive tactic was used by both the teams.
Harry knew he didn't want to catch the Snitch so early, so he kept Cho busy by misleading her throughout the game. He steered his Firebolt lower, feigning to skim the corners of the pitch.
He was zigzagging through the Chasers, recognizing Seamus going for a Transylvanian Tackle, when he saw Cho steer her broom in the opposite direction. With a slight touch Firebolt did the same and he was following her towards the Ravenclaw-side of the pitch. To his horror, Harry saw the familiar golden glint, just below the center goalpost.
He gathered speed and like an arrow was beside Cho, right on course. He felt her register his presence, as she glanced towards him smiling and blew him an unexpected kiss. He became flabbergasted not only at the gesture but at the sudden mellowing sounds of the spectators.
His vision blurred and through all the haze, he saw the most beautiful girl riding an ancient Fireball.
She must be a princess... Why else she would be grasping a golden tiara with wings?
With a blink of an eye the vision was gone, replaced with the looming ground coming towards him by leaps and bounds. He felt his muscles convulse, as he realized that he was hanging from his broom with his right hand. The noise was turned back on and he heard angry shouts, half drowned by scattered clapping and jeering. The feeling of utter foreboding settled upon him as his head swam along the possibilities of such noise. He lost his grip and within a heartbeat, darkness swallowed him.
Ginny was chasing Chambers when she heard the telltale sound of the whistle of the Snitch being caught. The play ceased and all the players looked around in bewilderment to find which team had won.
The crowd erupted in such force that nothing was audible except the unintelligible shouts and jeers. In the middle of complete disarray of robes and brooms, she saw Ron streak towards the ground.
"Ravenclaw wins." Dean's dejected voice reverberated in the Pitch.
Ginny couldn't believe her ears but somehow Harry didn't catch the Snitch, meaning... She shook her head; she didn't want to dwell in that particular thought. She followed her brother and the rest of the Gryffindor team towards a specific spot on the ground.
Nothing was visible except the numerous heads. So instead she looked at Cho, who was being hugged by the Ravenclaw team.
There was nothing false about her winning grin as she showed off the limp Snitch in her hands to her team-mates. Ginny had seen a very similar smile before; Padma Patil always had it before making the final move that almost always won her one of the best-looking boys in the school-a prelude they called as moving-for-the-kill.
Ginny seethed in contempt as she averted her gaze towards the Gryffindor team, which was slowly joined by the entire Gryffindor House. She didn't even want to think of consequences but the crowd's reaction reflected her own dread.
She remembered too well that Harry only had lost a game before, and it was only because of the arrival of the Dementors. She couldn't fathom how he lost against Cho...
However, all thoughts scampered away from her mind as soon as she saw Harry levitated by Ron and Hermione. Every other Gryffindor was gasping at the sight of his bloody robes and the odd angle of his left foot.
"Make way. MAKE WAY!" Hermione was screaming hoarsely at the crowd. Ginny was alarmed to find her face streaked with pink lines magnified by her spilled tears.
"A stretcher would be better," Ginny suggested, yelling above the hubbub and conjured a stretcher with her wand.
"Yeah." Ron looked at her distractedly and along Hermione positioned Harry above the stretcher and made their way towards the Hospital Wing, scattering the crowd.
Madam Pomfrey came sputtering in indignation, meeting them along the way to the Hospital.
"Quidditch, I tell you! Why don't they just kill them all now and save time?" she said pursing her lips, her voice shaking with ire.
What a brilliant plan! May be Potter will die and I'll be able to get back to my life for good, a person surrounded by the milling crowd of students thought.
What was all that about? Potter fell and Cho won the match? A thing no one would ever dream about!
I just wish all this gets over soon. I'm tired and losing my patience. If this fall doesn't kill Potter, I'll have to switch to my last resort...
Potter, your days are numbered... A sinister smile spread across that person's face.
Author's Note:
As I said before, today, Hermione Granger has decided to step out of my fic and volunteered to help me rap few things up.
Hermione: Oh, hello, Tania.
Tania: :waves: Hiya, 'Mione.
Hermione: :glares: Never, ever, call me that!
Tania: :puzzled look: Er... why not?
Hermione: Because my name is Hermione, not 'Mione, which horribly resembles mayonnaise, mind you.
Tania: :apologetic glance: Ah, sorry, Hermione.
Hermione: No problem. :smiles:
Tania: So, why were you so eager to come out of the fic:wants to kick herself for asking the know-it-all such an obvious question:
Hermione: Glad, you asked me that, Tania. I was eager to help you out in the podgy punctuation and some horrible styling errors that you've done before. :Tania blushes in the background:
Here are a few things that you can do to correct your work. :Tania looks astonished at the pile of slips that is sticking out of a file handed to her by Hermione:
Tania: Er... I'll try my best, Hermione.
Hermione: I hope you don't mind? I do like to be thorough.
Tania: :gulps: Yes, yes, I realize that now...
Hermione: So, you've been getting a lot of questions and here's list of them that I made.
Tania: :is speechless after seeing a ten foot long parchment:
Hermione: Tania, are you all right:looks concerned:
Tania: I'm peachy. Uh... don't worry about me. :smiles meekly while sifting through the list:
Hermione: Tell the readers, why are you torturing Harry so:incredulous tone:
Tania: This question is nowhere in the list. Are you making up your own?
Hermione: Er... well, this was the only question I could ask you from Harry-which was suitable for the audience-as he's hopping mad at you. Honestly, he is!
Tania: :sighs: He'll love me by the end. The only thing I can say to him is to have his seat buckles on, because he'll be going for a rollercoaster ride, soon!
:Seeing Hermione on the verge of asking another questionable question, Tania butts in and starts on the first question from the list:
Sirius's Diary: Here's something that I'm proud of. I thought long and hard on this one. How to make Sirius return without causing any discrepancy; my only answer was a diary. I know the rule that Harry can't see Sirius again is a major bummer but I needed to do that—
Hermione: Honestly! He was sick for days because of that. Why don't you just kill him now?
Tania: He won't be killed. Not by me at any rate. You should ask that question to your beloved J. K. Rowling. So, patience, Hermione, patience; it is the key. :winks:
Hermione: Was that a Dumbledorish hint? If it was, you are not even near.
Tania: You just don't know. :gives Hermione a sympathetic pat:
Hermione: :glowers: Tell me about the Sirius Sightings? Why are you teasing your readers so?
Tania: Ah... the Sirius Sightings. Well, honestly speaking, it is no coincidence and people will find out soon enough.
I should also discuss the mysterious person, who is eager to finish off Harry. The person is a student and that's all I can tell you for now.
Hermione: What are you up to with Harry/Cho/Ginny triangle?
Tania: Er... this one is tough! But, let me put all your minds to rest. H/G is what I plan to do. Cho might stink things up for a while but not for long!
And that reminds me about any Hermione/Ron.
Hermione: I'm temporarily deaf. I can't hear you. Lalalalalalaaa lalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaa!
Tania: :yells over all the horrible singing: There is definitely more Hr/R coming. Stay tuned!
Hermione: Finished yelling:smirks: So, have you made any new changes to the fic?
Tania: Yes, surely. Have edited the whole lot! So, a peek on previous chapters would be better.
In the next chapter: A Challenge for my readers: I've given all of your enough proof before and in this chapter to guess what's Cho really up to. Just a hint, its related to a Fantastic Beast and I haven't discussed it yet. If anyone has FAB by JKR, they can guess what I'm getting at. At any rate, you all will be getting the truth about Cho in the next chapter, so it's time to note your guesses.
Hermione: Finally, we are at the end. :sighs in relief: Just review this author, readers. Only I can tell you, how much obsessed she is with her writing.
Tania: Always the nit-picky, Hermione.
Hermione: Don't point your finger. You share my birth date, girlie. :Portkeys back into the fic:
Tania: Ah well, at least that's finished. Let's look at the cliffy. :Runs and hides:
Yells from the hiding place, "I will update soon, though! So, keep on reviewing and hitting that GO button."
