A/N: Sorry if the last chapter was confusing. James has overheard a conversation mentioning somebody wit hthe same name and his father and expressing concern over his son, who may be James. James doesn't know exactly what is going on, so it was hardly fair to let all of you in on it, was it? You'll find out in this chapter.
You say it's your birthday
Well it's my birthday too, yeah
You say it's your birthday,
We're gonna have a good time.
Lily grinned. Lena had, as usual, risen before everyone else and had started playing a very appropriate song.
Happy Birthday to you!
So she was eighteen. Eight faces peered down at her.
"Everyone's here!" she marvelled. Thank you all so much."
Her day just got better. That evening, they had the aforementioned hootenanny inthe Room of Requirement.
James, however, sat back from the others, bouncing his rubber ball. He liked the rhythm it created.
"What's up, sweetie?" Lily asked, plopping onto the floor beside him.
"Nothing," he said. "Are you enjoying your party?"
"I will, when you come dance with me," Lily said. "Are you sure you're ok, you've been as bit broody lately."
"I'm fine," he lied. "Shall we dance?" she seemed at least semi-convinced, for the time being anyway. Later that night, he was back in his chair with his ball.
Thump
Thump
Thump
He repeated for the hundredth time the arguments he'd been holding in his head.
It was merely a fragment of a conversation he had overheard. And they were two apparent strangers. No details of any sort were mentioned, it would really be silly of him to jump to conclusions.
Thump
Here followed the three seconds in which James believed his own reassurances.
Thump
Thump
Thump
But…
Derry wasn't a very popular name. His father was the only wizard he'd ever heard of with that name. It was obvious that the two men were involved in the fight against Voldemort, and one could safely assume that they were members of the Order, like his father. The only Derry in the order, in fact.
Thump
He didn't know for certain, but he felt that he would bet at least a substantial proportion of the gold in Gringotts that the voices were those of two of his dad's closest friends, Bayswater and Tovey. The Toveys lived next door, and his mother often invited Diane Tovey over for tea…
Thump
Thump
And so it started all over again.
Thump
"James," Lily called.
"Sorry honey, what was that?" he asked, snapping back to reality.
"James!" Lily exclaimed. "It has been like this for weeks. I know why you've been ignoring me, too." James looked confused. "Sirius is just as anxious about the Quidditch Final, but he still leaves the time to talk to Lena, and Remus doesn't distract himself with bouncy things." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to shout, sweetie, but the day you realise you're becoming jealous of a rubber ball, you know you have to do something about it."
"Lily, sweetie, I'm so sorry," James said. He hugged her tightly.
"Its ok, I just want to talk to you," she said.
"Sorry," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Come with me," he said, taking her hand.
"My homework," she half-protested.
"If it is necessary, bring it with you," James said.
"It's not urgent," she replied. "I've missed you." He squeezed her shoulder as he led her towards their room beside the Astronomy Tower.
"We should meet up over Easter," Lily suggested. "Wander around London or something."
"Excellent idea," James said. "So Lena's staying with you?" he asked.
"Yes, mum is practically insisting."
"I wonder if Padfoot will stay with us?" James mused.
Sirius was wondering the same thing. He sat on his bed twirling the old key on a finger. He probably should go to the flat, but he hadn't been there since June, and it would be cold and damp. Plus the lumpy old mattress was a far cry from the comfy bed at the Potter's. He sighed and placed the key in his locker.
Later that night, Lena, on her way back form the bathroom silently opened the locker and removed the key. She hid it in her bag, and hurried back to bed before Sirius noticed her absence.
"Who's for a game of exploding Snap?" Lena asked on the train a few weeks later.
"No-one saw the key anywhere?"
"Sirius, sorry, but all eight of us have already answered that question," Lily said. "We haven't."
"Its ok, Padfoot, you can come back to ours until it shows up," James said.
"Looks like I'll have to take you up on that offer, Prongs," Sirius said. "Thanks."
"Ok, I'm going to teach you a new game," Lena said. "Who's in?"
Lily, James, Sirius and Remus volunteered and she dealt them one card each.
"Entertaining," Ally remarked. "What is this game called?"
"Misère," Lena replied. Around the crucial 7th hand, the deck exploded.
"I had that last trick!" Sirius complained.
"We'll get some Muggle cards to play properly with," Lily said.
The train rattled on and eventually reached London. Lena found it strange that her parents weren't on the platform. Later that evening, she sat on the bed that had been crammed into Lily's room. It felt strange, but nonetheless she was grateful to Mrs and Mr Evans for allowing her to stay. She heard some commotion from the living room, which was just outside their bedroom door. Poking her head around the door, she found Mr Evans and Petunia glaring at each other.
"Petunia Melanie Evans, I don't believe you. You haven't told him?" Mr Evans asked.
"No, of course I haven't. Do you honestly think he would even consider marrying me if I let him know she was a – a freak?" Petunia retorted.
"Petunia, you will not use that word in my house," Mr Evans ordered. "Lily is your sister, and she is what she is. And you will treat her with respect, you mark my words. As for Vernon, if he loves you it will not matter. To be honest, anyone who refuses to accept Lily is not welcome in this family." Petunia looked ready to respond, but her father cut her off. "And yes, young lady, that can be extended to you. Furthermore, Vernon deserves to know the truth, denying him that is not showing respect for him, either."
"Sorry, may I ask why you are shouting?" Vernon said.
"You should probably ask Petunia – actually, no, I'll explain," he replied. "At least then you'll get the full story. Vernon, when Lily was eleven she received a letter telling her she had been accepted to a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first we thought it must be a joke, but when we thought about it a bit more, we realized that it made sense. Strange things often happened around Lily when she was younger. Take the Beatles concert we were at. We weren't squashed and we could hear them play, which would have been impossible. So we decided to look into it, and took her to the address on Charing Cross Road. Lily had apparently always seen a pub there called The Leaky Cauldron, but none of us had. Anyway, it turns out that there is a secret magical world, and our Lily is part of it. Sometimes, apparently, witches and wizards are born to people with no magical abilities."
Vernon stared blankly at Mr Evans.
"A witch?" he asked. "Are you pulling my leg?"
"No, he isn't," Lena said. "I'm a witch too." She took out her wand. "Accio book." The book Mr. Evans had been reading flew into her hands. Vernon paled, and pointed at her, gaping wildly.
"Stop it!" Petunia ordered.
"No, I am very insulted over what you said about Lily."
"You are no better!" Vernon exclaimed.
"Vernon," Mr. Evans said. "Lena is a member of this household and I will not stand to have her insulted any more than my daughter." Lena felt tears prickle her eyes. "Now, I think you two should go to the kitchen, Lily's headmaster will be arriving shortly." Petunia and Vernon did so. Mr Evans sighed.
"Are you ok, Mr Evans?" Lena asked. He stared into the fireplace, eyes watering.
"I can't choose between my daughters," he whispered, not to Lena, but to himself. Lena felt sorry for him, but was unsure as to what she should do. She was still standing rather awkwardly by the bedroom door when Dumbledore Apparated into the living room. She was slightly startled.
"Good evening," David greeted, appearing cheerful.
"Good evening, Mr Evans, Ms White," Dumbledore replied.
"Good evening, Sir," Lena said. "Why have you come by?"
"Well, I have managed to get the Evans' fireplace connected to the Floo network," Dumbledore explained. "Since Ms Evans is of age now, and with you staying here, I believe it will be useful. Now, in the interest of safety I'm protecting your fireplace with a password. Can you think of a suitable word?"
"The Kaiserkellar," David said. "Lily will understand." Dumbledore nodded and placed a charm on the fireplace. Lena had never heard of a password protected fireplace before, and she was intrigued.
"Hello," Lily called as she came up the stairs. "Oh, hello, Sir," she added, upon noticing Dumbledore. She glanced at Lena, wondering what prank she had pulled with Sirius to merit a visit at home from the Headmaster.
"Lily, dear, Dumbledore is here to connect our fireplace to the Floo network," David explained.
"Really? Can you do that with a Muggle house?" Lily asked.
"Well, in your case, yes, because now both you and Lena live here, and are of age," the Headmaster explained. Lily grinned.
"Can we visit the boys?" she asked her father. "We'll be back in an hour." David nodded, marvelling at the fact that she could get from London, to, well, anywhere in under an hour.
"Ok, go ahead," David said. "Isn't there a way to ask the Potters first?"
"Yes," Lily said. She took a handful of Floo powder from Dumbledore and threw it into the fireplace, which not only made the fire glow green, but also expanded it so as to allow a person to fit inside.
"Oakhampton Manor," Lily called, and stuck her head into the flames.
In her living room, Anna Potter looked up from her Daily Prophet.
"Lily! Hello, do you want to talk to James?" she asked.
"Well, it would be better to surprise them -- I just got my fireplace connected and James doesn't know," Lily explained. "Can we visit for a while?"
"Sure, come on over," Anna said. Lily beckoned for Lena to follow.
"Bye, dad," she called, and stepped through the fire.
"Mr Evans," Lena said, before she left. "Petunia does love Lily, deep down. "She'll realise it soon enough." David smiled. "And thank you so much for having me." She gave him a quick hug and stepped through the fire."
Sirius and James lived in their own area of the Potter Mansion. Lily followed Anna's directions, and they came to a corridor that curved around.
"Ooh, books," Lena whispered, having opened the first door. The room held dozens of bookshelves, desks and squishy chairs.
"How come it looks as if it has never been used?" Lily mused.
"Eep, this one has noise," Lily said. "It's a guitar. This is James' – the next must be Sirius'."
"Ok, one, two three—"
"Hello," Lena called from the door. Sirius' head snapped around.
"Lee!" he said, running towards her and enveloping her in a hug. "How did you get here?"
"I Floo-ed," she said. "Lily's fire is connected."
"Yay," Sirius said.
"So this is your room?"
"Yep," he said. "Its very teenage boy, isn't it?"
"Yes," he said. It was untidy, and covered with Quidditch posters. "But where are the pictures of semi-naked witches?"
"Took them down," Sirius said. Lena smiled. She loved how Sirius never lied to her. It would have been easy for him to deny their existence but he hadn't. "See," he was saying, "since I've encountered a certain witch fully naked, I find them very sub par." He kissed her softly on the neck. "How long do you have?" he asked.
"An hour," she replied.
"Excellent," he said, picking her up and carrying her to the bed.
"James," Lily called, entering his room.
"Erm, Lily?" he replied from a room from the side.
"Yes," she said.
"You have an amazing knack for catching me when I'm not fully clothed," he said. "I'm in the bath."
"The bath?" Lily asked. "You take baths?"
"Sometimes after a hard Quidditch practice it's the only thing that allows you to be capable of movement," he said defensively. Lily smiled and moved to his bed.
"Ok, I'll stop challenging your sexuality," she said. He chuckled.
"Lily, I assure you, you have never challenged my sexuality," he said. "You only ever serve to reinforce it," Lily smiled.
"How did you get here?" he wondered.
"I'm connected to the Floo network," she said.
"Since when?" he wondered.
"Dumbledore called over tonight and set it up." For some reason, this knowledge made James uneasy.
"Are you going to stay in the bath all night, or are you going to come out and see me?" she asked.
Later that night, James sat on his bed, bouncing the ball on the ceiling.
Thump
Lily had access to the Floo network, but it was password protected.
Thump
He had heard of such measures before, but only because his dad was an Auror. It seemed like Dumbledore was attempting to protect them.
Thump
With the current setup, Lily and her family would be able to escape quickly, but not allow most people to Floo in.
Thump
Was she in danger? Was what he had heard anything to do with it? This thought made him loose concentration and the ball ricocheted around the room.
"James, Sirius!" Mrs Potter shouted up the stairs.
"Sorry, mum," he called back.
"You have ice-cream in your hair, Lee," Sirius said, pulling a spec of blue from her hair. "Its not ice cream, is it paint?"
"Oh, Lily's neighbour was painting, it must have sprinkled me," Lily said. She filled her spoon with blueberry ice cream and held it to his mouth. He grinned and made a point of licking off every bit of ice cream. Lena smiled. He was so easy to distract.
Lily and James came into the kitchen.
"We're going for a bit of a walk, do you want to come?" James asked. Sirius looked at Lena, who nodded.
They strolled around the grounds, and Lily and Lena were quite impressed.
"Just how rich are you, James?" Lily asked, noting the size and quality of the mansion's grounds.
"Not that rich," James mumbled.
"This is their small, cosy house," Sirius informed them. "They have two or three more around the country."
"Only two," James said defensively. "And you're family has more."
"But alas, I will not inherit any of that. I'm pretty sure I was automatically removed from the will when I was sorted into Gryffindor. They all stink, anyway. I wouldn't want to live there."
"Sorry, James, can we go back to your previous statement," Lena said. "Only three houses?"
"Oh, stop mocking me," he said. "I was not involved in this at all. My dad inherited the Godric's Hollow house and the one in Kent, and my mum inherited this one."
"So you'll get them all?" Lily asked.
"Yes, I suppose," he said. "Hadn't really thought about it before." Strangely it was comforting, the thought that he had security in his life. His children would at least have a roof over their head. "Wow, scary thought," he said out loud, not meaning to.
"Yeah, it must be a lot of money," Lily said, and James didn't feel like correcting her.
"You're just after the money, aren't you?" Lena asked Lily.
"No, I've only just found out the extent of it," Lily defended. "But it is an advantage – security and all that." James smiled. Was she thinking the same wonderful yet terrifying thoughts as he was? He didn't have time to dwell on it, as the air was suddenly filled with ear-splitting screams. James' head whipped towards the source of the screams. They were coming from behind the trees separating their house from … the Toveys'.
"Who lives there?" Lena asked.
"Wizards," Sirius answered. "It's an attack."
"Death Eaters?" Lily whispered. James nodded.
"What do we do?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know," James said. The Toveys were being attacked, the Toveys were being attacked. He took a deep breath. He looked back at the trees. Branches were moving.
"Are they coming here?" Lily whispered.
"There are wards," James said. "They shouldn't be able to, but we should do something."
"What?"
"Let's just go over to the trees, as quietly as we can, and see if we can hear them," he said.
"Stunners, yeah?" The others nodded. They pulled out their wands. Sirius, who had been squeezing Lena, kissed her on the forehead. James squeezed Lily's hand.
They looked through the trees. Four figures stood at the other side. James held up three fingers, then two, then one.
"Stupefy," they said together. They spoke calmly, though even if they had shouted the commotion form the house would have drowned them out.
"Run!" James said, but he heard a series of thuds and no curses were shot back. Panting, he ran into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. "Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Derry Potter's office," he blurted.
"Dad!" he shouted.
"James?" his dad replied.
"Attack," he replied. "Toveys."
"You, and Sirius, and the girls?"
"We're fine, dad, there were people at the edge of their land, we Stunned them, I'm pretty sure, but—"
"You Stunned – James! I'm raising the alarm. Your mother's still at Hannah's?"
"Yes."
"Stay by the fire."
James took his head back.
"I think we must have got them," Sirius said. "Nothing seems to be happening; they would have come after us." Lena crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked very pale. The screams had lessened. They stopped abruptly. Tears formed in her eyes. Sirius squeezed her tighter.
CRACK
Someone Apparated just outside the back door. Lena snapped back to attention, pointing her wand at the figure.
"Potter, its Moody," a gruff voice called. Lena sighed when she saw his Auror robes. "That's it, young woman," the Auror replied. "Constant vigilance."
James sat on the Hogwarts Express as it made its way back to Hogsmeade. Lily's head rested in his lap, and he was looking out the window.
The attack had been awful. They had all been killed, Asprey, Diane, and their three daughters.
James had felt claustrophobic for the past week. He replayed the conversation he had overheard over and over in his mind. He had suspected that Tovey had been a participant, and he felt guilty.
"My, you are good at brooding," Lily murmured. James looked down at her.
"Sorry?"
"You've been very broody lately," she said. "Since… the attack. Are you ok?"
James felt an overwhelming urge to tell her everything – the conversation, his father's name, his increasing anxiety, and how this attack had made him nervous and guilty, how he felt it brought You-Know-Who one step closer to him.
"I'm fine, sweetie, it was awful, I've known the Toveys since I was little, it's just hard," he replied. He bent down to kiss her.
He was a good actor, too. Something had just hit him with an almost painful force.
She could be in danger too.
His feelings did not ease upon returning to school. Dumbledore mentioned the tragedy the first day back. One evening in the library, James' guilt was feeling particularly acute. It took him a half an hour for him to realize why. The fifth year Ravenclaw sitting across from him was Stephen Bayswater.
He sighed, hoping that he wouldn't meet the same fate as Georgia, Maria and Anne Tovey.
Lena stayed with Sirius the night after the attack. She had snuck out to the living room and Floo-ed to see Sirius because she couldn't sleep. She couldn't get those screams out of her head. Except in her head, it wasn't the Toveys screaming, it was her mother and father. It was reminding her of those painful memories, and she was doing her best not to relive them. Sirius held her tightly, fed ice cream to her, and told her silly stories. She was letting him in this time, having learned the hard way before. She was eternally grateful to him for the support.
It was getting a little better each day. She knew she would get there in the end.
She had plenty of things to keep her mind occupied once she was back at Hogwarts. With Quidditch, exams and Sirius, her life hectic, to say the least. Everyone was feeling the stress as the exams drew nearer. Peter was even working hard, and it was beginning to show.
"Peter, when and how did you manage to learn how to conjure a Patronus?" Professor Deschanel, the charms teacher, asked.
"Oh, er, Lily Evans has been helping me," he said.
"Really? Excellent work, Peter. Twenty points to Gryffindor. Ms Evans, can you please stay behind after class?" Lily nodded, blushing.
"Take a seat, Lily," Professor Deschanel said, once everyone else had left. "Tea?"
"Yes, please," Lily said.
"Peter is coming along unbelievably," Deschanel said. "You have achieved more with him in a couple of months than I have in six and a half years."
"Surely that isn't true—" Lily started.
"It is," Deschanel said. "I've been offered a place in Beauxbatons. I would start in September."
"That's great news," Lily said.
"Yes, but I have yet to mention it to the Headmaster, so I would appreciate it if you would keep it quiet."
"Why are you mentioning it to me?" Lily blurted.
"I want to ask you if you would consider taking over from me." Deschanel said. Lily almost choked on her tea.
"Me?" she asked. Her professor nodded. "B-but I'm only eighteen! I have gone to school with everyone here, to start teaching so soon—"
"Lily, I'm just asking you to if you wouldn't mind me giving Dumbledore your name," Professor Deschanel said. Lily was stunned.
"Ok, yes, I'll think about it," she said. "I mean, give him my name, he might not even ask me…" Deschanel hid her grin. "Oh, but Professor?"
"Yes?"
"I can't make this decision without James," she said.
"That's ok; I just don't want it to get around."
"Thank you, Professor."
"No, thank you Lily."
"Charms teacher?" James repeated. Lily nodded. "You would be spectacular."
"I'm so young, though," she said. "But I do love Charms, and helping Peter has been interesting, but…"
"What?"
"James, I don't want to put pressure on you, but where do you think we are going? I'm only asking because committing to this could mean moving into Hogwarts, and I want to know if that will be ok."
James swallowed. That question had floored him. He honestly didn't know how to react.
"You kind of put me on the spot, honey," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Well, I love you and I do, eventually want to settle down. I suppose whatever happens, happens. But don't let it stop you from taking the job, if that is what you want."
"Well, I don't know, but that is one less thing to worry about. Thanks sweetie."
"Ok, now I have to get something done tonight so I can go to Hogsmeade tomorrow," James said.
"Are you coming?" Lily asked. He nodded.
"Quidditch is scheduled for early in the morning, then we can go in the afternoon. We all need a break."
"Oh, this is fun," Lena said. "You know, not studying."
"Yes," Sirius agreed. "We have walked around the town, played in the playground, looked at the houses, raided Honeydukes and Zonko's, so what next?"
"Meet the others in The Three Broomsticks?" Lena suggested.
"Good idea," James piped up, sneaking up behind them. "I'd kill for a Butterbeer—" He stopped when he turned the corner, and berated himself for his choice of words. His throat felt dry. Four men, black robed and masked, were leaving the building. Whether they had Portkeys or Apparated, James couldn't tell, but he noticed that one figure was holding a person in a Hogwarts robes. James broke into a run, but by the time he got there they were gone. He burst into the inn, with his wand out. Students were huddles in groups, in corners and under tables, but there was no Death Eaters present.
"What happened?" he asked.
"T-they came and took someone," as sixth year Hufflepuff said.
"Who?" Lily asked.
"Rosmerta, have you alerted someone?" Sirius asked.
"Who was taken?" Lena repeated Lily's question.
"He was a Ravenclaw," a third year piped up. "I think he was in fifth year." James almost choked.
"Stephen Bayswater," he said, and turned around and ran out.
"James?" Lily called the door, but he was running furiously to the castle. He didn't stop until he reached the stone gargoyle.
"Sugar Barley," he panted, hoping the Headmaster hadn't changed the password. Luckily, it opened. He felt he would explode if the stairs didn't hurry up. He knocked hard on the door.
It opened of its own accord. He stepped inside, looking around for Dumbledore. He wasn't here. That was fine. He would just wait around for the headmaster to come back. James reached into his pocket and pulled out the rubber ball. Absently, he bounced it.
Thump
Thump
Thump
He sat in the chair, his mind rolling over everything that had happened to him for what seemed like an eternity.
"Mr. Potter, how can I help you?" Dumbledore asked calmly, descending the staircase down to his office.
Thump.
"There has been an attack in Hogsmeade," James said.
Thump.
"Stephen Bayswater has been kidnapped."
Thump.
He stared at the headmaster.
Thump.
Thump.
He stared back, his blue eyes not wavering.
Thump.
"What is going on, Sir?"
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"Sir?"
Thump.
Thump.
Dumbledore sighed.
Thump.
"It will be fruitless for me to say nothing," he said.
Thump.
James nodded.
Thump.
"You had best find your friends before I explain."
Mid-bounce, the ball ricocheted off the leg of a chair and smashed into a table. A spindly silver object quivered, but remained intact.
"They are involved?" James asked. Dumbledore nodded. James picked up the ball, and headed out of the office. He couldn't believe it. Lily was in danger too, and no one had thought to inform them. He quickened his pace as he was crossing the entrance hall.
"James," Lily said, walking through the door at that precise minute. "What's wrong?"
"Dumbledore has something to tell us," James said, relieved to see her. "Something that should have said a while ago."
"About what?" Lena asked.
"I'm not too sure," James said. "But I really want to find out." Confused, the others followed him up the grounds and too Dumbledore's office.
"Ah, you are back," Dumbledore said. "Tea? Biscuits?"
"An explanation would be better," James said shortly.
"James!" Lily hissed.
"Perhaps, Mr. Potter, you could go first?" the Headmaster suggested. "I would like to know your story."
James told the story of his walk back to the castle, and the conversation he had overheard.
"They used my dad's name, and it has been going over and over in my head for months. I was fairly sure they were the voices of my neighbour, Tovey, and his friend, Bayswater. Now the Toveys have been attacked and Bayswater's son has been taken, and it would seem to convince me I was right. So I came to Dumbledore wanting an explanation, and he told me to get everyone else," James finished. The Headmaster sighed.
"Mr. Bayswater has also been captured," he said. "He was taken from work. Professors are at the minute escorting students back to the castle." He stared at the desk for a few minutes.
"Mr. Bayswater was an outstanding man. He put himself in incredible danger to gain information for those of us attempting to resist Voldemort."
There was a collective shudder.
"Our spies risk their lives regularly, and on occasion they obtain information that will undoubtedly uncover their identity. Mr. Bayswater and Mr. Tovey came to my office in February with just such information. They reported to me that Voldemort had singled out nine students at Hogwarts that constituted a threat to his power. You are sitting in front of me. That is what they came to tell me, and it is how they were found out. I hooked Ms Evans' fire to the Floo network, and that is what tripped alarms."
A few minutes passed in complete silence. Eventually, Lena couldn't hold it back.
"Is that the reason – I mean how long has this—"
"Does it have anything to do with what happened to her parents?" Sirius finished. Dumbledore stared at the desk again.
"It is still not clear, but it s likely that he took the decision based on this, yes," Dumbledore said. "It is together you pose the threat. The combined talent and power of the nine of you have given Voldemort cause for concern. You are faced with a choice, an unenviable choice: be united and in danger, or give up your friendships and relationships and be safer."
There you go. Surprised? Two chapters in a week, pretty good! I am aware that it is the same amount as was updated in the last year, and I do apologise. With book 6 on the way, I want to get as much done as possible.
Hope you enjoyed it, the next one shouldn't take too long. Thanks a million to Podge, for his help with the last scene.