Faith Chapter 16: Who? What? WHERE!, a harry potter fanfic

A/N: Well, I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter. I should be writing a lot more often now, (at least, I hope, and ffnet actually allows me onto the site /sheesh). Again, a huge hug and great big thank you to all my regular reviewers – it means a lot to me.

A/N: And since I haven't put in a disclaimer for a long while, here's an update:

I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER (but boy, I wish I did).

And one more thing:

The book of the day award goes to: Kushiel's Avatar by Jaqueline Carey. Goooood book. Last of a trilogy.

Chapter 16: Who? What? WHERE?

The Great Hall was filled with noise as Ginny and Neville stood resolutely with their decision. Professor McGonagall looked about to have a heart attack as not one, but three of her Gryffindors were leaving her House. She buried her face in her hands as the noise washed over the teacher's table – how could she have not seen the problems in her own House? How could she have been so blind? The thoughts kept spinning in her head as she sat there, aghast at the pandemonium that was sweeping through the Hall.

Severus Snape sat quite still, not quite sure what to do. He wanted to smirk at Minerva, but knew that more than likely Madam Hooch would lambaste him into kingdom come if he did. He glanced over at Harry, watching the boy closely. Draco had kept his Head of House informed about Harry and how he seemed to be holding up; Severus could tell that while still ostracized by most of the school, the dark haired boy appreciated the protection and the support offered by the Slytherin House. Severus had cautiously guarded his hope that perhaps the boy could be persuaded to petition to switch Houses. But now – he's mine now, all mine and Albus I'll be damned if you try to use him without informing me first. Harry is not about to go off crusading to save this pathetic wizarding world until certain things are understood, if I have anything to say about it, Severus vowed to himself – knowing that more than likely the wily old wizard would find someway around Severus to get to Harry. But for a while, at least, Harry will be safe. Severus watched his House with pride; there were no exclamations, no cries of dissent as Harry walked over to their table. Just calm acceptance of the dark haired boy. He noted Draco's attentiveness to Harry and nodded with approval.

However, when Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom stood and petitioned for a re-Sorting, Severus spilled his tea all over himself. He looked at the Headmaster in surprise, what is the old coot up to? he wondered when the Headmaster agreed to their petition, taking his napkin and dabbing at the front of his robes. He frowned at the wet patch and finally gave up, clearing up the spill with a curt spell. He managed to look up in time to see the two Gryffindors approach the Head Table, as well as see Ron Weasley leap up from his seat and grab his sister by the shoulders roughly.

*_*

Ginny gulped when she heard the Headmaster's words. For one wild moment she considered withdrawing the petition, but when she glanced over at Harry, she knew she couldn't. She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders; she refused to be cowed by the angry stares of her soon-to-be-ex-Housemates. She was proud of her choice and firm in her conviction.

As she neared Ron, she saw him struggle out of Dean and Seamus's grasp and leap to his feet. His face was red and his eyes were wide. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her forcefully.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her, keeping his voice low. Ginny just stared at her brother, defying him. "This is Potter's influence, isn't it? You've been corrupted by him, you've been – been – put under Imperius or something, haven't you? Ginny, you can't do this; I forbid you to do this, as your older brother." He spoke frantically, hands tightening painfully on her shoulders.

"Let me go, Ron," she said calmly. He just stared at her. "I said, let me go, Ron." She repeated herself more firmly, the edge of anger creeping into her voice. Ron let go of her slowly, staring at her incredulously. "I haven't been corrupted by Harry at all. I'm not under Imperius – I'm doing this of my own free will. And you don't have the right to forbid me to do anything," she hissed back at her brother, her hands curling at her sides. Ron's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to snap back at her, but she pushed around him before he could answer. Neville followed her quickly, not wanting to draw Ron's attention to himself. Ron sat down slowly, shaking his head, muttering darkly as he watched her approach the front of the room.

Ginny approached the Headmaster, slowly coming to a stop before the older wizard. He looked down at her, his blue eyes sad. He spared her a small smile, though, and motioned for the Hall to be quiet.

"Do you, Virginia Weasley, wish to be re-Sorted?" he intoned carefully. Ginny gathered up her courage and nodded once, firmly.

"Yes, sir," she said. Time seemed to slow as everything seemed to become excruciatingly clear to Ginny. She could hear the small sounds of people shifting in their seats, the sounds of cutlery being fidgeted with. She shifted from one foot to the other and felt a light chill run through her. The moment passed and time began to thankfully speed up again.

"Then step forward and be re-Sorted," Dumbledore held out the Sorting Hat to her. Ginny stepped forward carefully and took the Hat from him, placing it on her head carefully. The Hat spilled over her eyes and she was blinded.

Ah, Ms. Weasley, back again, are we? A voice whispered to her. She shivered and nodded. You're a quiet one, now aren't you? Just as well. Now, where to put you? Ginny felt a sliver of apprehension run down her spine – if the Hat put her back in Gryffindor…

Oh, you'll not be going back into Gryffindor, missy. You're far too cunning for that House. You are loyal, and possess a healthy vicious streak, you do. I know just where I'll put you…

"SLYTHERIN!!" the Hat boomed out, nearly deafening her in the process. Ginny let out a relieved sigh and plucked the Hat from her head, happy at having her sight returned. She looked over at the Slytherin table and noticed Harry staring at her, his mouth slightly open, totally in shock. He caught her eye and snapped his mouth closed, and then offered her a tremulous smile, which she returned. She waited patiently as the Headmaster transfigured her badge and she ran a cautious hand down the new device. She turned to the Slytherin table and made to head over to it, but a commotion in the Hall made her stop.

"How could you! Ginny Weasley, you'll be disowned! You traitor! You – you – you dishonor the Weasley name!" Ron shouted, struggling to rise from the Gryffindor table. He was being restrained by an angry Dean and a sick looking Seamus. Fred and George said nothing – they only stared at her, their normally happy faces set in ugly, angry lines. Dumbledore looked at Ron for a long moment, and the weighty gaze made the redhead pause and quiet somewhat. Dean and Seamus let up on their hold of him, and Ron shrugged violently, shaking their hands off. He stared up at the Headmaster, defiant and yet scared at the same time. The temperature around the Headmaster seemed to drop a few degrees.

"Another comment like that, Mr. Weasley, and I'm afraid points will have to be taken away," the Headmaster's quiet voice was clear in the silent Hall. A few gasps could be heard from the student body as the normally jovial Dumbledore threatened to take points. Ron paled visibly and nodded weakly. The Headmaster gave him another long look, and then motioned for Ginny to head over to her new House table. She flashed him a grateful smile that he returned, before heading eagerly over to the Slytherin table. Dumbledore then motioned for Neville to step forward.

"Do you, Neville Longbottom, wish to be re-Sorted?" The Headmaster's eyes were kind as he looked at Neville. The sandy haired boy gulped and nodded. There was a wordless commotion from the Gryffindor table, but when the Headmaster looked up, it quieted immediately. Neville took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Yes, sir," he said softly, but clearly; proud that his hands were steady and his palms where dry; well, mostly dry and not really trembling, he amended. Dumbledore smiled at him knowingly and held out the Sorting Hat.

"Then step forward and be re-Sorted." Neville took the Hat with a faintly trembling hand and placed it on his head. There was a long moment of silence, in which Neville began to panic, before the Hat started to speak.

Ah, and now Mr. Longbottom. How interesting that you ask for a re-Sorting. You are a true Gryffindor through and through. Your parents would have been proud of you, the Hat whispered into his mind. Neville felt the prick of tears, but ruthlessly suppressed them. But, Gryffindor is no longer safe for you, that's for sure. No, Mr. Potter needs you – needs your strength, and your friendship; your loyalty and your courage. Yes, Mr. Longbottom, I believe I'll place you in…

"SLYTHERIN!!" There was dead silence in the Hall, and Neville almost fancied he could hear a whimper come from the Head Table. He sneaked a glance back at the Potions Professor, who was staring at Neville in horror. Now, this could actually be fun, Neville considered after a moment, plucking the Hat from his head and handing it back to Dumbledore. Professor Snape can't really yell at me anymore, since I'm a member of his House now. He must be so pissed, Neville fingered his newly transfigured badge as he walked over to the Slytherin table. As he approached a spot opened up between Blaise and Harry. Neville slid into the spot gratefully, finding himself across from a startled Ginny who was sitting between Pansy and Millicent. Ginny flashed him a smile, which he answered. All eyes had followed him to the Slytherin table, and Neville cleared his throat softly as he looked around at his new Housemates. The Headmaster then called for everyone's attention.

"Now, given the historic events of this morning, classes will be cancelled for today. Thank you," Dumbledore beamed out over the Hall, his gaze lightly skipping over the Gryffindor table. Everyone cheered, and Neville was grateful that he wouldn't have to deal with the school and his ex-Housemates right off the bat. Now the question is if I can survive Professor Snape as my Head of House…

*_*

Harry picked at the food on his plate, not really hungry since he'd already eaten earlier. He kept glancing at Ginny and Neville, still utterly gob smacked that the two had chosen to be re-Sorted with him. How did I end up with such good friends? he wondered to himself. He smiled to himself faintly and took a long pull of pumpkin juice. Ginny was currently feeling out Pansy and Millicent; both girls had immediately begun to chat with her when she had sat down. Ginny looked as though she was having a good time, if a rather odd one. Neville was talking quietly with Blaise, as was his wont, his pale cheeks lightly stained with a blush. Harry glanced at Draco from the corner of his eye, and noticed that the blond was also finished with his food and was watching his dorm mates along with Harry. Draco leaned closer to Harry and whispered into his ear.

"Pansy and Millicent are in heaven; they have a new girl in the dorm. We'll all be surrounded by fashion magazines in about five minutes, just wait," the blonde's breath brushed along Harry's cheek and he shivered from it, even as he laughed at Draco's comment. The blond grinned at him briefly before returning to his pursual of the people around him. Harry sighed and propped his elbow up on the table – only to be nudged by Draco a second later. Harry turned to look at him and noticed the blonde's stern look at his posture. Harry looked at him incredulously. You can't be serious…Harry thought, but straightened up none-the-less. Draco beamed at him and Harry just shook his head. Oh god…he winced suddenly, a hand reflexively half raised to his scar before he could stop himself. He tried to follow through with the motion, to make it seem as though he meant to run his hand through his hair, but when he looked up, he saw that he hadn't fooled the surrounding Slytherins. Pansy was staring at him, one eyebrow raised archly, waiting for his explanation. A swift glance at Draco showed the same type of reaction. Dearest skies above, I'm surrounded by mother-hens…Harry realized faintly. The concern that surrounded him almost had him panicking for a moment – he wasn't used to so much true affection; it was hard to get used to after his life with the Dursley's. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face. C'mon Harry. Get it together. Be strong, show no fear. You're in Slytherin now, you have a reputation to uphold. He opened his eyes and his smile seemed to come a tad easier.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked quietly, shifting closer to Harry minutely. Harry nodded, one hand fidgeting with his napkin as his other rubbed absently at his robe. He faintly took note of the fact that he needed to get rid of the robe he was wearing – it was much too threadbare and stained in a few places. Definitely not suitable for a Slytherin to be seen in. Harry fancied he could see the wheels turning in Pansy's head even as she eyed his robe – the petite blond was not about to have any shabbily dressed students in her House…

"I'm fine, really. Just a touch of a headache. Probably from adrenalin, that's all," he said soothingly, setting down his napkin and picking up his fork. Draco gave him a look that said he clearly didn't believe the dark haired boy, but he'd humor him. Harry swallowed a sigh and managed not to wince as another spike of pain went through his head. The random attacks of pain were nothing unusual to Harry – they'd been a steady part of his life since the night he took the Vision Potion. At least I've not had a full-blown vision in front of everyone, he thought then surreptitiously knocked on the bench next to him. Draco gave him an odd look.

"What are you doing?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Harry gave him a faintly embarrassed half-smile.

"I – er, it's a muggle superstition. I thought something and didn't want to jinx myself, so I knocked on wood," Harry explained, blushed slightly at Draco's expression. The blond was looking at him as though he'd grown an extra head.

"Muggles are odd," the blond muttered, shaking his head as he looked away. "I don't know how you can stand to live with them." Harry sighed – they had had this conversation already about fourteen times, but the blond never seemed to understand Harry's point.

"They're my only family, Draco. I have to stay with them," Harry replied tiredly. He wanted, more than anything at that moment, to slump forward onto the table and lean on his elbows. The blond sniffed disdainfully, but let the argument drop. They sat for a while longer, watching the hall quietly, letting the others around them fill the silence with their chatter. Finally, Draco stretched slightly and looked at Harry.

"Well, shall we head off to the dorms? I'm sure you, Ginny and Neville would like to get settled in," the blond said, the other ex-Gryffindor's names easily rolling off his tongue. Ginny glanced at him, startled. Draco had never called her by her first name before – hearing it come from him helped to hammer home the idea of the Slytherin House's acceptance of them.

"That sounds great," Harry said quickly, happy to get out of the Great Hall and away from the stares of the other students. They rose quickly, Pansy and Millicent joining them after a moment. They made their way out of the Great Hall, not noticing the small knot of Gryffindors that got up and followed them out.

They were half way to the dorms when Ron's angry voice stopped them all in their tracks. Harry's back tensed forcefully, and Ginny's eyes went wide. When they turned, they saw that most of the Gryffindor fifth year was arrayed behind them, with a smattering of sixth and seventh years accompanying them as well. The Slytherin's were definitely outnumbered.

"You bastard," Ron spat at Harry, a vein in his forehead throbbing ominously. "Look what you did to my sister. She's become a filthy, bloody Slytherin snake because of you." Spittle sprayed from Ron's mouth and his gaze never wavered from Harry. Harry gulped, but stood his ground.

"Get your head out of your ass, Ron. Ginny is her own person. I didn't make her do anything she didn't want to do. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my House – Slytherin has shown more courage, more loyalty and honesty than the vaunted Gryffindor House in this last week. I'm proud to be re-Sorted into Slytherin – now I wont have to worry about my own Housemates trying to trip me up as I go down the stairs, lock me into my room, curse my door or ruin my projects," Harry hissed at Ron, his anger bubbling up. The redhead sneered at Harry.

"You're a liar, and we know it. Slytherin House is full of nothing but losers and Dark Wizards – it always has been and it always will be." Ron spat at Harry's feet. Then his gaze turned to Ginny. She stared back at her brother, refusing to back down.

"And you," Ron began, an ugly expression twisting his face. "Mum and Dad – this is going to break them. How could you Ginny? How could you become such a cowardly snake?" Ron asked, true bewilderment crossing his face. Ginny opened her mouth to snap back at him, and then closed it after a moment. He'll never understand, she thought, so instead she just settled on shrugging.

"Ron – I don't think I can explain it to you. I mean, I could, but you wouldn't understand it. You wouldn't want to," she said sadly. Ron's bewilderment fled as anger flooded back into his face.

"Oh, now that you're a high and mighty Slytherin your logic's too hard for me to understand? God, no wonder you fit into Slytherin so well – you've always been a little spy, betraying me and Fred and George to Mum every chance you got." Ginny's hand flew to her mouth, the words hitting her hard. She turned to Fred and George, but saw no understanding in their eyes either. A gentle hand on her back steadied her, and she looked for the owner. Pansy smiled faintly at her from her side, her eyes proud at the newest Slytherin girl.

"You leave her alone," Neville spoke up, stepping in front of Ginny slightly, shielding her from her brother's gaze. Ron turned to the other boy, his face twisting with disgust.

"And you. If your Mum and Dad knew what you've done…" was all Ron got out before Neville punched him in the nose. The action seemed to shock everyone – Neville most of all. The redhead put a hand to his nose and wiped away the small trickle of blood. His eyes widened as he stared at Neville.

"You little –," Ron began, balling his hands up, meaning to take a swing at the other boy. Professor Snape's silky tones stopped him though.

"Just what exactly is going on here?" Professor Snape stood behind the Gryffindors, arms crossed in front of his chest, looking down his long nose at them. He sneered at Ron and let his gaze linger on Hermione darkly. The curly haired girl paled a bit at the evil look, but stood her ground.

"Nothing, sir," Ron muttered, turning back around to stare at Neville. "We were just leaving." He pushed by Neville, bumping his shoulder roughly as he walked past. "This isn't over," the redhead hissed, quiet enough so that Snape couldn't hear him. Neville didn't bother to respond. The rest of the Gryffindors skirted the bunch of Slytherins, with Seamus lingering the longest. He tried to catch Harry's eyes, but the dark haired boy refused to look at him. Defeated, the Irish boy trailed after the rest of the Gryffindors, occasionally glancing back at them as he left.

Neville took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Now that the Gryffindors were gone he massaged his hand. His knuckles hurt. Why do people punch each other if it only makes your hand hurt anyway? Neville paused after a moment, realizing that Professor Snape had yet to leave. Oh bloody hell.

"And why, Mr. Longbottom, are your knuckles bloody?" Professor Snape purred. Neville gulped and glanced up at the Potions Master. The man didn't seem angry, just amused. Which just confused the hell out of Neville. He should be angry, hell, he should be yelling at me for breathing right about now…

"I – uh, punched Ron?" Neville stammered. Blaise snickered and Neville flashed him a hurt look. Blaise immediately looked apologetic.

"Sorry, Neville. It's just – you didn't just punch him, you bloodied him. Right nicely too," Neville blushed at the praise and glanced up at the Professor. The dark man had a smile on his face and it was directed at him! This is where I die, isn't it? Neville wondered.

"Well done, Mr. Longbottom. Although, perhaps next time you stick to curses instead of fists. Mr. Weasley is proficient in common, base types of fighting – it would be best to fight him with magic, something he isn't so apt at." The Professor's cool, dry tone brought snickers from all of them – even Ginny, surprisingly. She had expected to feel hurt, or angry whenever the Professor made a cutting remark about her brothers, but instead she felt nothing. That can't be good, can it? Or is it just shock? She didn't know.

With a shooing motion, Severus sent the children back on their way. His eyes lingered on his newest additions, still a little shaken by their arrival in his House. I can't believe Neville Longbottom is in my House, he thought disbelievingly. But Severus had caught the spat between Longbottom and Weasley, and was impressed at the quiet boy's gumption to strike the redhead. After all, Weasley has height on him, and I'd say a good deal of weight. Longbottom wouldn't have stood a chance, Severus sighed and made a mental note to schedule tutoring sessions with his newest Slytherins. They'll need all the help they can get. He spun swiftly on his heel and strode down to his private lab, happy that he would get some time to work on his own. He had an idea for a potion that he had worked out only in theory and its properties were just begging to be explored…

*_*

The Slytherin dorms were different from how Harry remembered it. They seemed more inviting now – more cozy. The dark color scheme was the same, but instead of making the room seem cold and impersonal, the dark colors instead seemed to exclude a sense of protection and envelopment. The cool, gray stone floors were covered here and there with large, thick rugs; black, green and gray patterns creating a sense of a forest floor. The walls were often lined with books, interspaced with portraits. The paintings themselves would have at first looked intimidating and cold – if one didn't see the sparkle of amusement in the eyes of the portraits themselves. The grand fireplaces were already roaring when they entered and Harry stopped to stare at the flames, mesmerized by their beauty. A light touch on his arm broke him from his reverie and Neville gave him a small half-smile in apology.

"C'mon. They're going to show us to the rooms," the sandy haired boy said quietly. Harry nodded and followed Draco and Blaise down a long hall that branched off the main Common room. Pansy and Millicent led Ginny down another hallway, her eyes wide and bright as she took in the new surroundings. The boy's hallway was dim, but not too dark; the floor was covered in a thick rug that swallowed their footsteps. The walls were made of the same dark gray stone that the floor was, and every other space between the doors a small lamp lit the way.

"Since there's so few of us now, fourth years and above have their own rooms. This is yours, Neville. Blaise is next to you on the right." Draco pointed to one door that was half way down the hall. He then pointed to the one across the hall from it. "And this one's yours, Harry. I'm next to you on the left." Harry nodded his understanding while looking up and down the hall. All of the doors were the same, non-descript gray color that the walls were. It made the doorways almost blend into the wall, making them somewhat hard to see. He counted swiftly and realized his was the tenth door down on the right hand side. Good idea for the doors, Harry realized slowly. This way no one can tell which room belongs to who. He had to smile at the Slytherin paranoia even as he was grateful for it.

"Thanks Draco. I wonder if the Headmaster had our stuff moved over…" Harry trailed off as he opened his door and poked his head inside. Yup. Thank goodness for house elves, Harry mused. Hauling all this down here would have been a pain. He turned back to the other Slytherins and flashed them a quirky half smile. "Well, gonna get all this set up," he said awkwardly as he eased back into his room. He really wanted a few minutes alone to process what had happened to him. Draco's eyes narrowed at him for a moment, then he nodded once.

"Alright then. But if you could meet me just before lunch in the Common Room, I'd like to talk to you about joining the House team." Harry blinked at Draco, stunned. He nodded hesitantly and softly closed his doors as the other Slytherins turned away, talking with Neville quietly. Harry sighed when his door was firmly shut. Alone. He looked around his new room avidly.

The first thing he noticed was the space. It was large, much larger than his old room in Gryffindor tower. His bed was a large four-poster, made of dark wood with dark green hangings. All of the furniture was done in the same dark wood that gave off a warm feel to the dark haired boy.

He moved to his trunk and opened it up, making sure everything was there. He set his rucksack down on his desk and moved his hands over it, enjoying the feel of the fine-grained wood beneath his hands. The desk had numerous drawers and compartments – Harry felt his attention perk as his questing fingers stumbled upon a secret compartment in one of the drawers. It was disappointingly empty, but nice enough to have anyways. Although, I doubt that it's placement is a secret to Professor Snape, Harry thought with a faint smile.

He quickly set up his books, making sure his extra quills were neatly kept inside a separate small drawer, and keeping one entire lower compartment slowly for his parchments. He considered hiding his other books that he'd bought, but discarded the idea. Instead he just set them up with the rest of his textbooks, making a nice row across the top of this desk. I think I'm going to like it here, he thought as he studied his new room. He liked the feel of it – warm, inviting; protected and safe. Although, I wonder if there're any secret tunnels leading from the dorm to outside…He trailed off as his mind started planning out escape routes from the dungeons. With Gryffindor Tower it had been easy – just jump out the window. But with the dungeons…I don't think that Professor Snape would allow Death Eaters to get this far anyhow, but it never hurts to be prepared. Decided, Harry slid into his seat at his desk, getting a feel for it. Carefully he pulled out a sheet of parchment and carefully wet a quill. He settled in for good bout of planning, happy that he could get to work on something immediately.

End Chapter 16

Review Responses:

Athenakitty: yes, Harry will live after the school year ends. Faith is going to be the story of Harry's fifth year, then there's a summer interval, then sixth year, summer interval, etc. So, yeah. He lives =) Slytherin for Neville, oh yeah. His gran will be fine with it – a little put out, but what's done is done. And Bill wont care about what House Ginny's in – he's going to be too busy letting his brothers have it to really worry about it; and besides, he doesn't care if she's in Slytherin, she's his sister. I like Bill, what can I say?

Kristine Thorne: Thank you =) And Hermione was supposed to sound blatantly hypocritical this chapter. And she'll be eating her words – big time =)

Kamatazi Yumi: lol. Dunno about the actual snogging, but romance angst will be appearing in a couple chapters (I think. But then again, Faith has its own way of deciding that something that should take me a chapter to write will actually take me four chapters to write…/shrug) Thank you for the review!

Thistle5: You're welcome! And thank you for reading!!

Usagi Serenity Yui Cosmos: I will look for those stories soon =) Thanks for the rec. I've been reading Madam Bovary lately, so…haven't had much time for other reading. I don't like Gryffindor. I went and did one of those little internet test things and it said Slytherin all the way. Woohoo!
Lady Ktulu: lol! Thank you for the lovely review!

No Idea: thank you for the review!

Alex: now, I wouldn't say that, but thank you very much for the compliment. I'm very happy that you're enjoying the fic and thank you for reviewing!

Redrum: Harry was such a Slytherin in the books, wasn't he? I completely agree with you. He shoulda been in the darn house from the beginning! Grrr…Ah well. At least with fanfiction, the – the – the fallacies of the books can be corrected. (Don't ask, haven't had caffine yet, I have a strange sense of humor). Thank you for the review!

Bthatcher2002: Pandemonium. It's not just a structure in Hell =) I'm glad you're enjoying the fic, and the next chapter should be out relatively soon!

DarkWolfyOne: Thank you for the wonderful review!

Kapies: That was my original plan, but I just couldn't separate them. So, Neville got stubborn =) Thank you for the lovely review!

RaNdOm Hp FaN: lol, I agree! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Litine: Thank you for the review!

Godless infidel: oh ffs…and that ladies and gentlemen is why I hate spellcheck sometimes. Thank you for pointing that out. Heh, originally I had posted the story before I spell checked, earlier in the day. It was one of the few times that I was happy that ffnet takes such a long time to get the stories up. But, dangit! I thought I'd caught everything. /sigh. Thank you for the review, and I'll try to catch them all, next time!

Mia: lol, more Neville on the way. Thank you for reviewing!

Frizzy: Thank you very much!

VB: Thank you for the wonderful review! It's all about Slytherin!!!

Dyan: lol, hope this came out quick enough =)

Ysabell: Thank you for the lovely review! I know Neville is, by canon, not really a Slytherin, but I decided to stick him there anyway. Hopefully the reasoning seemed logical enough! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

SparkySparkles: !! Don't cry!! But I'm happy you're enjoying the fic! Thanks!

Fiera: Oh, it's going to get ugly in the Weasley family! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for the wonderful review!

Renee Fay: Nope, haven't read the 5th book, probably wont for 6 months or so. I seriously have a pile of books up to my mid-thigh that I've started and haven't finished, so I'm going to be working on those for a while. Thank you for the lovely review!

Tenshi-Chikyuu: Thank you for the wonderful review! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic!

Catherine: thank you for reviewing my fic!

Incoherant: Thank you for the lovely review!

Fatalonie: "roxxor" is gamer speak for you rock =)

Cat: thank you very much for the lovely review!

Coriander: Will try =)

Silvrei: Seamus has a bit of a clue, but he's being a bit of a chicken. As for Neville and Ginny, right now Slytherin is really the only safe place for them, and the Hat knows it via Dumbledore. Thanks for reviewing!

Pseudonym: Lol. Thank you for another wonderful review =) I've heard about Harry's attitude in Ootp, and it's one of the reason's I'm putting off reading it all the way through. The parts I have read make me want to punt the book across the room, so…it'll be a while, I'm sure before I get around to it.

The Dead of the Dawn of Leo: they're teens! Must have angst! Slash romance build up! =P

Kathi C: Neville and Blaise are planned to be a couple. Lucius will be popping up here and here throughout the story. He may or may not have a larger role at the end of the story – I'm not sure yet. And as for Percy, well, you'll have to wait and see! ; )

ShaeLynn: lol. Yeah, no fifth book, reasons stated many times above. Blarg. Thanks for reviewing!
kickedoutofthegoblet: thank you!

MaggiePie: I'll continue to post the updates of glassesreflect. I'm glad that helped you out!

Belle: Thank you for the wonderful review! Yes, anticipating books can be frustrating. I wish Laurell K. Hamilton would come out with her new Merry Gentry book /growl. Ah well.

Arianrhod: LOL. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter =) The Weasley boys freak, as you've seen in this chapter, and Sirius should be present in the chapters soon.

BabyPufoo: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. At least Harry's with people who'll support him now, through thick and thin, like the Gryffindors should have done. I have various ideas for Ron in the future, so stay tuned!

Lu: Thank you very much!!!!

Rayvern: Thank you! Unfortunately Harry wont turn dark, just develop a rather interesting and sardonic view of the world. =)

Redredredred: LOL.

SephyGirl: Haven't read the fifth book, nor will I for a loooong while. The parts I have read make me want to either take a lighter to it or punt it across the room. So, in my world, there is no fifth book =)

Tinabinna87: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Kimmy: lol, thank you for the review!

Coriel: will do!

Nox: I'll try and include some of Pansy's needling of Hermione =) Thanks for the review!

Creamy Mimi: ::calls 911::

Stormy1x2: Hope this was fast enough for ya! Thank you for the review!

Ryllis: Lol, I know I'm going to have fun writing the Quidditch scenes.

Jamie Lynn Potter: Yep, all Slytherins! Thank you for the review!

Oh, and one more thing – should I keep responding to all of your reviews or would you rather I keep the posting to just the story itself? Thanks.