A/N: Well, one midterm down, three to go =/ Here's the next installment (no where near as big as the last one). So, what do you all like more? The big chapters or smaller chapters? Inquiring minds want to know.
A/N: oh, and I really did mean to get this out on Friday night – but after writing a five page paper on gender and race in the posthuman era – I didn't want to see a keyboard for several hours. So I went and watched X2…and OMFG NIGHTCRAWLER!!!!!! /boggle. Freaking great. Go see it…gooooooo seeeee itttttt……gah. Right. Now, on the the fic!
Chapter 7: Plans and Preparations
Harry had had enough. He muttered vile obscenities as he guided his Firebolt out of the window – again. The 'practical jokes', such as his door not opening, again, had been going on all week. On Tuesday he'd been dowsed with muddy water as he stepped out of his door on his way to breakfast. On Wednesday his food been covered with a vomit tasting powder, more than likely care of Fred and George Weasley, I should have never given you that money, Harry thought bitterly. Harry had tried to keep his cool, had tried to stay calm and pretend that the jokes and the pranks would soon blow over when they saw that he wasn't responding to them, but by the time his Thursday night detention had rolled around, Harry was ready to rat out the entire House to his Professor. He had had enough of the whispers, of the snubs and of the worms poured over him as he entered the common room. But unfortunately Professor McGonagall had been too busy to listen to him, only stopping into her classroom once during the whole detention, and that was when she had assigned him an essay on the morality of fighting with Housemates, which he was to finish during his detention. Harry had just stared at McGonagall's retreating back in shock and anger – then flushed as guilt ran through him. She was busy with the Order, he knew that. Why should he expect that she drop everything, just for him? Harry's mind had skittered over the events of the last couple of days and finally a cold feeling had come over him. He glared at the door through which McGonagall had disappeared. Fine. If she doesn't have the time to help me, I'll take matters into my own hands. He decided then and there that was war between him and the rest of Gryffindor House. If they wanted to play pranks, Harry was more than happy to oblige them right back. I'm a son of a Marauder – and Dad is probably rolling over in his grave that I've let this bullshit go on as long as it has. It's time to teach those prats a lesson.
His first order of business had been to write to Sirius. Harry had used part of his detention time to compose and write a letter to Sirius – a letter which he hoped the other man would get. He hadn't told his godfather the exact details behind his request for help in playing pranks – he'd just said that he'd been experiencing some problems with some people and he wanted to pay the back for all the grief they'd caused him. He knew Sirius would be keen to help, and Harry was looking forward to his owl, which he expected any day now.
Harry landed on the front lawn of the school and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He eyed the tower that he'd just come from a bit bitterly. Those unbelievable bastards, he snarled. How the hell do they keep jamming up my door? He snorted to himself and straightened his robes, which had gotten twisted about in his rush out of the window. He smoothed his hair down as best he could and shrunk his broom, placing it carefully inside his rucksack. He never noticed the two pairs of eyes that had watched his hurried decent and angry expression as he made himself presentable. The two pairs of eyes looked at each other in worried surprise. Whatever was Potter doing? And why did he leave his dorm from his window? The owners of the eyes saw the Boy-Who-Lived stalk off towards the school and they quickly followed, trailing him at a discrete distance.
Harry then stormed into the Great Hall and sat down grumpily at the end of Gryffindor table – alone as usual. The room was relatively full, the buzz from the tables creating a cacophony of sound that was particularly annoying to him that day. He carefully inspected his food, but nothing seemed wrong with it, as far as he could tell from just looking at it. He also took a quick look around where he was sitting, mentally slapping himself for not doing so before sitting down. Who knows what those twins can come up with, Harry thought irritably. I have no wish to spend the rest of my day bruised, battered, or covered in mud – again. He then took out his wand, checked to make sure there was no one paying attention to him, and cast a useful little charm he'd picked up from one of the books he'd bought from Flourish and Blotts. It was his secondary protection from the Weasley twins. If his food had been tampered with, it would turn a misty gray color – if not, nothing would happen and Harry would know it was safe to eat. He let out a small sigh of relief when nothing happened to the food – he was starving, and he really didn't want to go without breakfast yet again. He tucked in blithely, shoveling food into his mouth, ignoring the rest of his table, happy to concentrate on the plate in front of him and tune out the whispers and glances that came his way. Go ahead, try something, Harry thought, a touch bitterly at his gossiping Housemates. Payback's a bitch, and you're all over due.
Harry was happily making his way through a pile of toast when a rustle of wings announced the arrival of the post. Harry looked up eagerly and spotted Hedwig amongst the owls heading towards Gryffindor table, carrying a large bundle in her claws. She swept down gracefully, dropping the package into his waiting arms before flying off for the owlry. There was a note attached to the bundle, which seemed to be a large box wrapped in an easy to carry bag for his owl. Harry tore off the note and scanned it over. It was from Sirius, as he had hoped.
Dear Harry, it read. Here's some things you might find useful. Moony and I put it together special for you. Moony says hello and a "blast it all Harry, write more!" But don't tell him I told you that. I hope you get those, a word was blotted out heavily, er, gits good. Do us all proud.
As for the Daily Prophet, here Harry took a breath – Harry hadn't heard from Sirius all summer, and the worry that maybe, just perhaps, that his godfather would turn his back on him had started to nag at him. He'd asked Sirius in his letter if the other man was mad at him, or if he'd even heard about what the Daily Prophet was printing; well, the older wizard had continued, they're all bloody fools, the lot of them. I don't know what's come over the world right now, Harry-lad, but rest easy that neither Moony nor I believe a word of it. As you know, we've been – away – and I don't know when we'll get a chance to owl you again, but we will, as soon as possible. Keep the letters coming – old Moony's a worry-wart (but don't tell him I told you that).
Give 'em hell, kiddo.
Love,
Snuffles
Harry smiled at the letter, relief chorusing through him, but also giving himself a mental slap on the forehead – he really should have known better. Sirius loved him, and would never turn his back on Harry. Then his smile became a grin as he eyed the largish package sitting on the table in front of him. If he knew Sirius, then the box was full of things Harry could use against his Housemates. He couldn't wait to get started.
Harry stood up quickly, stuffing a last piece of toast into his mouth, eager to look through the box before Potions. He eyed the time, I should have just enough time, Harry decided. If he was lucky he could find something to use right away during potions class. His grin took on a slightly evil glint. They were all going to pay. He cast a look over the table before he left, frowning slightly when he saw Ron clapping Neville on the back roughly, and Neville's own tense response. Odd, he thought, Neville's never usually that uptight, but then shook the thought off. His eyes then went to Ginny, who looked pale and drawn. His frown got slightly deeper. He was worried about Ginny. She hadn't talked to him all week, and from what he'd overheard from some Ravenclaws in the library, she'd had quite a row about him with Ron on Monday. I'll talk to her this weekend. Somehow. Harry decided. He'd have to get a note to her without Ron knowing – he didn't want the redhead angry with his sister again. Harry sighed, a bit of his good mood fading, and ran a hand through his already messy hair. He shook his head slightly, and left the Great Hall, heading for one of the many unused classrooms that dotted the castle. He'd need some privacy while looking through the package Sirius sent, and the library was just too far away from the dungeons to even consider going to. His pace picked up slightly, worries shelved in his mind for later review, and let a smile retake his face. He was going to make Ron Weasley's life living hell.
As he left the Great Hall, the same two pairs of eyes that had followed him into the Great Hall watched him go. Draco felt himself frown as Potter swept from the room with a disturbingly Slytherin grin on his face. He raised an eyebrow at Blaise, who shrugged unknowingly at Potter's strange, new attitude. Draco leaned closer to Blaise and the two of them began to try and figure out just what was going on in Gryffindor House.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Neville was unhappy. He sat surrounded by the other upper years of Gryffindor and felt strangely alone amidst all their chatter and happy smiles. He glanced down the table at Harry's lone profile and felt a sharp pang of guilt sweep through him. He turned back to his plate and poked at his food, not really hungry. He felt bad, really bad, about the way the rest of the House was treating Harry. He just didn't understand – the excuses the rest of the House made about their treatment of the other boy sounded false even to Neville. Ron was such a close friend of Harry's, I wonder what went wrong? It couldn't really have been the papers, could it? Neville's Gran didn't approve of the 'nonsense and drivel' that she believed the Daily Prophet produced, so it was only on Neville's return to Hogwarts did he finally get to hear about what had been printed about the dark haired boy all summer. And to him – what the papers had printed made no sense. Sure, ok, so Harry was connected to the Dark Lord – but evil like Him too? Neville shifted on the bench, glancing down at the dark haired boy once more – Harry wasn't evil. He knew that through and through, which therein laid the source of his guilt. Neville believed Harry's innocence – but was really too intimidated by Ron and the reshuffling of the House politics to do much of anything. Some Gryffindor I am, he thought with disgust. With Harry out of the way, Ron had become the center of attention in the House – a fact that the redhead seemed quite pleased about. It set Neville's teeth on edge. And there was no talking to Ron about his attitude towards Harry either – the scene between him and Ginny had pretty much cemented that. Still, Neville had felt he should try, well, something, in order to see of Ron would change his mind. And Neville was going to, until the a scene in the common room the day before had stopped him. Neville had come in after class, meaning to catch Ron alone and talk to him – but as he entered the dorm, the first thing he'd heard was Ron screaming at Dennis.
"What do you mean he's never meant to hurt anyone!? He lives off the attention of getting people hurt and then 'rescuing' them! How many times has he been in the Hospital Wing over the years? How many times has Hermione or I or any number of others been in the Hospital Wing because of him? Dennis, it's no use. He's either mad or gone Dark – either way the House needs to be wary of him. I don't want you or any of the other younger years alone with him at any time, is that understood? Lord knows what he'd do to them," Ron had finished pompously, affecting an air of embattled patience. Neville had stayed glued in the doorway, eyes wide at Ron's performance. Neville had crept upstairs slowly, not believing his ears or eyes; thankful that Ron was such a night owl. Neville was usually asleep by the time the redhead came into the room, so Neville was spared the hateful, spiteful diatribe against Harry that Ron liked to spit out at all times. He'll never listen to me, Neville had mourned as he entered his room. What am I going to do?
The problem had nagged at him all night, and it wasn't until he was just about to drift off to sleep that the answer came to him. He'd follow Harry after lunch and find out where he was going. It was common knowledge in the House that Harry disappeared after lunch and his last classes only to reappear for dinner some hours later. Ron and Dean had tried to follow him once, but the smaller boy had quickly lost them. Ron had made it clear that he thought that Harry was heading to the Forbidden Forest to contact the Dark Lord, while Dean maintained that the dark haired boy was off to the library. Either way, Harry's behavior had done nothing in lessening the suspicions of the House in regards to his nature. If anything, it had merely increased it. Neville thought over his plan. Alright. I'll follow him today at lunch, and if I lose him then I'll just go to the library and look for him there. He nodded to himself, proud that he had a plan. If he found Harry in the library, he'd then grab Ginny and they'd go and talk to the other boy, and try to tell him that he wasn't alone. Neville nodded to himself. Harry'd know what to do about Ron – and maybe why the redhead was acting the way he was. And if not – well, Harry deserved some friends that wouldn't disappear at the drop of the hat, that was for sure. Neville smiled a bit to himself; he was Lancashire stock – and they stuck to their ideals, and friends, come hell or high water. And it's usually high water, Neville thought fondly, remembering the torrents of rain and the rising streams that would turn into mini-rivers at the drop of a hat. His home was surrounded by wild country, and Neville loved it. Except, Neville's smile dimmed a little, for those nasty muggle mills that were everywhere. The wild land was full of different plants that Neville loved to study and sketch.
A nudge to his leg brought Neville out of the happy memories of the rough, wild country of his home and back to the present. He looked up and saw Ginny gazing at him intently. Neville frowned at her slightly. She glanced around quickly, and using the distraction of the owl post arriving she mouthed we need to talk. Neville nodded slowly, signaling his acceptance. Then he was hit up side the head by a package from his Gran's tawny owl. He rubbed his head ruefully and glanced at the mean bird that had quickly flown off. Only Gran would keep that miserable bird around, Neville thought darkly. He glanced sheepishly at Ginny and shrugged. She smiled at him softly, eyes twinkling. Her expression altered abruptly when Hermione leaned in next to her.
"Is there something you forgot to tell us about you two?" Hermione teased, looking back and forth between the fourth and fifth years. Ginny blushed, and her eyes narrowed slightly, but she tried to control her expression. Ron had overheard Hermione's question and turned to them.
"What was that Hermione?" Ron asked, looking at his sister darkly. He was still mad at her for her outburst at dinner. Hermione smiled at her boyfriend, trying to distract him from his anger.
"I think Neville and Ginny have forgotten to tell us something, isn't that right Ginny?" Hermione placed an arm around the smaller girl. Ginny forced an abashed smile on her face, tramping down her anger savagely. Ever since Hermione got together with Ron she's become the biggest busy body ever, Ginny thought snidely. God I can't stand her anymore. Ginny risked a glance at her brother, waiting for his explosion. She was surprised, however, by Ron's dark expression turning into a grin. The redhead turned to a nervous looking Neville.
"Er, you see – " Neville began, but Ron just clapped him heartily on the shoulder, causing the smaller boy to wince slightly and smile tensely.
"So you're dating my little sister then, eh? Good show, mate. Congratulations. I'd be proud to have you in the family," Ron boomed, causing Fred and George to look over, expressions perking up.
"What's this, a new family member?" Fred exclaimed from his seat on the other side of Hermione. Ron grinned at him and nodded, hand still clasped on Neville's shoulder. Neville suppressed a wince at Ron's heavy strength and looked past him. Harry had stood up and was looking his way. Neville wanted to try and catch his eye, but the black haired boy just skimmed over the crowd, before leaving abruptly, a large parcel in his hands.
"Our Gin's gone and gotten herself all grown up. Oh Lord!" George cried dramatically, throwing his arms around his brother's neck and pretending to sob loudly. His exclamation had jerked Neville's gaze back to the gathered Gryffindors. He felt his face turning red and looked at Ginny, flicking his eyes to the door. She gave him a faint nod, a pained smile and a Look. It dawned on Neville then – if the House thought they were going out, they'd leave them alone more often and they could go and track down Harry without any problems. Neville had to bite back a grin at Ginny's sly planning. It was perfect, if a little embarrassing. At least now we can escape to the library together and not be asked about it, Neville thought positively. He nodded very faintly at Ginny and saw her sag a little with relief. Neville then turned back to Ron and forced a shy grin on his face.
"Well, we hadn't, uh, planned on telling anyone just yet. It's sort of new for both of us," like less than five minutes new, but who's counting? Neville stuttered, much to the amusement of the elder Weasley boys. But they believed him – and that was the important part. Neville had pulled off the half-truth wonderfully. Ginny beamed at him. Ron then turned his gaze back to Ginny, who tensed slightly, grin fading a bit as she faced her brother.
"You see, Gin? I knew you'd come around," Ron said fondly, eyes warming as he looked at his sister. Ginny gave him a wobbly smile in return, joy and pain both shooting through her. She loved her brother – yes, but he hurt her too. Ron held so tightly to his black and white view of the world that he would never be able to see the gray that Ginny had found herself living in since the Chamber of Secrets. Her experience with Tom Riddle had changed her, she knew that. And she also knew that deep down in her soul her very nature had been changed by him. She no longer looked at the world with truly innocent eyes – Tom had stripped her of that. She still had dreams about his mind moving through hers, his control over her body, and the feel of the blood sliding slick through her hands. She suppressed a shiver and rubbed the palms of her hands on her tattered robes, trying to rub away the memory of the dark, silky feeling. It didn't really work. She looked at Ron and her brothers and wondered what would happen if they ever found out about her memories or her dreams. They were a tie to Voldemort, just like Harry's – she wondered if they would turn on her too. Ron reached over and patted her hand, smiling at Hermione as he did so. The older girl finally removed her arm from around Ginny's shoulders, much to her relief.
"Mum and Dad will be so happy when you tell them," Ron continued. Ginny looked at her brother in a bit of a panic.
"Not yet, Ron. I want some time to get used to it myself before Mum comes rushing over and making a huge deal out of it," Ginny said quickly, trying to stall. The hell of it was, her mother would come, too. She'd have me betrothed and married before I knew it. And I don't even think Neville likes girls, much less me! She sparred a glance for Neville, who looked relieved. Ron's face took on a bit of a frown.
"Gin, you're going to have to tell Mum and Dad sooner or later," he pointed out. She shrugged and tried to keep her smile on her face.
"I'll tell them over Christmas holidays," she said impishly. Ron snorted at her, and finally laughed a little.
"Alright Gin. But promise to tell them then, ok?" He asked. Ginny nodded, cheering inside. Ron then turned back to the conversation he was having with Dennis and Dean, stopping to laugh for a moment at the twin's continued theatrics. Ginny glanced at them around Hermione and rolled her eyes at them.
"Oh, quit it you two. You'll bring Professor Snape down on all of us," she hissed at them. Fred turned to her, an outrageously hurt and shocked expression coming over his face.
"She wounds me! My heart! The great Helen has spoken! I am lost!" Fred exclaimed and fell back into his twin's arms. Ginny just snorted at their pretense. Her gaze wandered away from them, landing on the Slytherin table across the room. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy lean close and whisper intently to one another. She thought that for a second their eyes had met as the two Slytherin's glanced across the room to the Gryffindor table. What are they up to? Ginny wondered, turning back to face her plate. The whole Slytherin house has been pretty quiet this year, she noted. Ron had seemed to follow her gaze and his own expression was darkly suspicious as he looked at the two Slytherin's talking together intently.
"Slimy bastards," Ron muttered. "Mum was right – they never should have allowed that House back this year," he muttered. Ginny tilted her head at her brother and tried to make her gaze and expression look as blank as possible. The sillier they thought her, the easier it would be to get information from them.
"Why's that Ron?" she asked, hoping that Ron would run his mouth and not clam up. "I never could understand Mum when she went off on them. She'd always been pretty tolerant before, you know?" Ron looked at his sister in surprise.
"You mean she never sat you down and had a talk with you?" Ginny frowned and shook her head. "How odd. Oh, wait, you'd gone over to stay with that friend of yours in Hufflepuff, what's her name, Amanda, right?" Ginny nodded, remembering the week she'd spent with her friend. "Well, Percy'd come home while you were gone and had a long talk with Mum. Apparently he got his hands on something at work, he never would say what, but anyhow, it was something pretty bad, you can be sure of that. Whatever it was, it blew Mum's top and she's been dead set against Potter and the Slytherins ever since that day." Ron said to her, looking over at the sparsely populated table with undisguised hate. "Anyhow, whatever Percy said to her seemed to make connections in Mum's head with whatever she'd been hearing in the, ah, meetings, she goes to. You know the ones," Ron gave his sister a meaningful look and she nodded quickly. "Anyhow, after all that, Mum sat all of us down, including Dad and had a long talk with us." Ron leaned forward and Ginny got close to hear his whisper. "Mum was the one who confirmed all the stuff about Potter. She said his scar was a direct connection between the two of them, and whatever Voldemort got off on, so did he. And apparently even the Headmaster himself was worried about Potter's sanity this summer; he sent letter after letter to the boy, along with packages that Mum thought was maybe potions. She wasn't sure. So that's why we believe the articles. Don't you see, Gin? If Mum believes it, then who're we to argue?" Ron sat back, taking in Ginny's shocked face with pleasure. There now, he thought, she understands now. Everything will be just fine. Ron smiled a little, pleased with himself.
If her brother were a mind reader, he would have been greatly shocked at the thoughts that were running through Ginny's head. Of all the silliest things I've heard in a thousand years, Ginny fumed to herself, quickly turning her eyes to her plate so her brother wouldn't see her anger. What the hell was Mum thinking? Was she thinking? Percy is a git, a stuck up, paranoid, awful git and we all know it. What was she doing, believing him? Ginny pushed her oatmeal around. Well, he was always her favorite, a voice inside of her pointed out. Percy could do no wrong in her eyes, you know that. And if her precious baby boy came home with a lie to tell, wouldn't she believe him over anyone else? Ginny tried to deny the soft silky voice in her head – the one that spoke with the voice of Tom Riddle, but really, she couldn't deny the logic. Percy was Mum's favorite, all the other children knew it. It had caused a bitter rift between Bill and their Mum for a long time, or at least that's what Bill had told her. Bill and Ginny had always had a close relationship – Ginny had always felt out of place with all the boys, and Bill had felt alone because of the rift between him and their mother. Charlie was distant from Mum too, but no where as bad as Bill. Bill had rebelled against the rules that Mum had laid down and had left for his job as a curse-breaker with a light heart – he couldn't get out of the house fast enough. Of all of her brothers, Ginny missed Bill the most. He'd understand about the Chamber and what happened in there, Ginny thought sadly. He also wouldn't put up with Ron's nonsense, she also realized. God, I wish he were here. But Bill was still away in Egypt and would be there for at least another year. Ginny glanced up at her brother, but his attention was directed at Dean now. She looked across from her and caught Neville's gaze, which was troubled. She jerked her head towards the door slightly and he nodded. Ginny stood up and tried to smile brightly at the surprised expressions of those around her.
"Well, we're off. See you later," she said as cheerfully as she could. Neville came around the table and they waved a little at their smirking Housemates. As they left the Great Hall Ginny cast a glance over to the Slytherin table once more and noticed that the two boys were now acting as though nothing of interest was bothering them at all. Ginny felt her eyes narrow as she looked hard at Malfoy's face. He's up to something, she realized after a moment. I wonder what. She looked away and caught her lower lip between her teeth and started to worry it – a nervous habit she'd never been able to break herself of. She looped her arm through Neville's, who looked down at her oddly, before relaxing a bit.
"Where to?" he murmured. She frowned and looked around quickly.
"There's no time before class. Meet me after lunch?" Neville paused and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I was planning on following Harry after lunch and trying to find out where he was going everyday," Neville murmured. Ginny smiled up at him.
"That's simple enough to answer. He goes to the library. Amanda told me so the other day," she said. Neville looked at Ginny oddly for a moment and then smiled a little.
"You're one devious Gryffindor, Ginny Weasley," he said softly. She shrugged a little uncomfortably, looking away. "I'll see you at lunch?" Neville asked. She turned back to him and nodded.
"See you then," she said as he escorted her to the door of her first class. He squeezed her hand once and then let go, waving a goodbye to her as he set off for the dungeons. She watched his retreating back for a moment, lost in thought, before slipping into her classroom noiselessly.
End Chapter 7
A/N: Due to the fact that I have nasty arthistory midterms next week, expect these next couple of chapters to be on the shorter side. No more 18 page chapters until late next week, sorry =(
Review Responses:
Usagi Serenity Yui Cosmos: You never know =) thank you for another lovely review! I'll try to update as soon as I can.
Kristine Thorne: Thank you!! And as for Seamus, well, maybe he is, maybe he isn't =)
BlackDragon: Oh yeah, the prank war will commence within the next chapter. Muwahaahahaha.
Maizeysugah: Thank you for the wonderful review! And yes, I'm a Slytherin at heart =) I love the House. Thanks again!
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor: Severus will freak, that's pretty much a given =) As for Harry and Draco – I'm gettin' there don't you worry. They have a ways to go yet, but they clue in eventually. Well, Draco has, but Harry's still in a bit of denial…
Uncle Trapspringer, Knight of the Rose: hehe more pranks to come! Thank you for the review!
SparkySparkles: Thank you! Unfortunately…Ron hasn't come to his senses yet, at least in the hardcopy version that's slowly eating up my notebook. =) Thanks again!
Nox: Yes this is Harry/Draco slash…I'm gettin' there =) It'll be a while yet before the boys get it on, hell, even admit it, but they do, so bare with me =) thanks for the review!
Maxie: As soon as the blasted midterms done and I storm the history department for a change of grades, I'll get the next chapter up. That should be relatively soon =) Darn history TA's /grumble… Thank you for the review!
Lady FoxFire: (this is me gaping is surprise) I got a cookie! I got a cookie! Wow, thank you. And I like it! Neat!!!! Thank you!
Relle: Sry to keep you up =) thank you for the review! Next chapter comin' as soon as I can. It's mostly written up, I just have to type and edit about three times =) thanks again!
Tenchi-chikyuu: yes I do =)
Zeynel: Thank you for the wonderful review! I love Neville's character – he's just so cute! Thanks again!
Athenakitty: Oh, yeah. Fudge and the rest of the wizarding world will realize that Harry was right all along and then they panic =). And Harry, well, he gets to tell them a great big, huge "I told you so!"
Sinayah: Thank you for the lovely review!
MyLadyOfSongs: Thank you for the wonderful review! I understand your cringing – I usually do it too. But, don't worry, the OC wont go rampaging through the story like some MarySue on crack, she'll be nice and contained in the background. =) Thanks again!
Renee Fay: =) I'm sorry.
Fatalonie – the Grinning God: Don't worry. Ron has burned his bridges pretty darn well with Harry. And I'm not tellin' =)
Diane: Wow, thank you for the wonderful review!