School is in session! It's the same every year, really – new books, old lockers, scared little freshmen scurrying about the hallways. It just seems like summer flew by, and it was only yesterday that I was packing up my things and leaving! Too bad, really. I'm super busy this year (doesn't it seem like all the good Authors are?) so updates are going back to once a week, or whenever I have a bit of free time that isn't dedicated to school, volleyball, and extracurriculars. Stay tuned for further notes 'bout that.

So, about the much-anticipated contest: I have decided to extend it to this chapter as well, just incase anyone wants to offer another answer or didn't get a chance before. FYI: this does not mean that I haven't picked a winner yet – I've just decided to be fair to those people who were still chillin' on Labor Day Weekend.

Anyway, on we go!

Disclaimer: You'd think that by the twenty-third chapter, they'd finally start to figure it out. I disclaim everything.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Things were quiet at the Dursley residence on Sunday, the 21st of July. Harry was steadily becoming obsessed with the Rose Burns mystery. He had gone through every face he knew, and could remember seeing none of them at St. Mungo's. Neither Stan Shunpike nor Dolores Umbridge nor Lucius Malfoy had come to see him (at least, he hoped), but Harry wasn't giving up. A response from Hermione would be coming soon.

Just as Harry expected, Hermione's letter arrived that very morning.

Harry,

How horrible, about Ginny and Mrs. Weasley! I can't believe this has happened! Ron and his family must be suffering so. I wish I could be there with you all, but I'm in Greece now with my parents and the next flight to London isn't until the beginning of August.

Harry, I'm worried. If you were visiting the Burrow, there must have been strong magical protection spells guarding the area. So how did the Death Eaters break them? I hope you realize how serious this is, Harry. If Voldemort could penetrate the Ministry's defenses, I'm not sure how hard it would be for them to break Dumbledore's. I really, truly hope that you're safe at the Dursleys', but I wouldn't be surprised if Professor Dumbledore decided to relocate you somewhere else for the rest of the summer.

How are you, anyway? I know you said you were 'out cold' for a few hours, but are you sure you're alright now? Please don't feel as if you don't have the right to be unwell just because Ginny and Mrs. Weasley are in worse conditions.

As to your question about Rose Burns, I honestly don't know anything about her. But Harry – please don't dwell on it too much. You have a tendency to ignore pressing matters in favor of things that really don't concern you (for instance: the Second Task, Occlumency). You should be focusing on Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, not worrying about this Rose Burns character, whoever she may be.

Send my love to the Weasleys,

Hermione

Harry was torn between feeling angry with Hermione for scolding him and guilty for the truth in her words. Maybe she was right; maybe he should just set this mystery aside for the time being. But Harry couldn't think about the Weasleys – it was causing him too much pain.

So, in an effort to distract himself from his own thoughts, Harry scribbled a reply to Hermione and then resorted to an activity that had occupied much of his time recently – he went downstairs to help Tabitha with her chores.

o-o

"We're throwing a welcoming party for the baby," Vernon declared proudly as he stomped down the staircase, straightening his tie.

"What?" Lily looked up from the pile of laundry she was sorting.

"A party, Ms. Royce. For the baby. We're throwing one." Vernon spoke as if she were stupid.

Lily bit back another nasty remark. "That sounds lovely. Can I help in any way?"

"No, you'll be gone by the time of the actually party. End of August, you know. But you will stuff and address these envelopes." Vernon handed her a couple of stacks. "Here is a list of guests, blank envelopes, and the invitations. Petty did them up yesterday, bless her. She wants you to make her a chocolate tart, by the way. And a dish of martini olives."

"Mr. Dursley, where are you going? It's a Sunday, you can't possibly have work."

Vernon finished adjusting his tie. "My potential client in Bristol turned out to be a very religious man. I'm going to church with him. I'll be back by six, after our meeting, and I want all those envelopes to be done by then, so I can get them ready for mailing." He turned to the door.

Lily looked down at the list of names. "Wait, sir – there are over a hundred names here –"

But Vernon was already out the door and as good as gone.

Damn it. How am I going to get all of these done by six? Lily thought pessimistically.

"Need some help?"

Lily turned toward the staircase. Harry was grinning at her, ballpoint pen in hand.

o-o

"Honestly, Harry, you're a lifesaver. I don't know how I would have finished so many of these without you," Tabitha exclaimed, setting aside her fifteenth completed envelope.

Harry smiled. "Don't mention it." He couldn't think of any more adequate response, since 'I enjoy playing slave for the Dursleys' was a flat-out lie, and 'it helps take my mind off things' would have led to sticky questions.

Really, he couldn't have been happier with the task Vernon had supplied for them. It was careful, engrossing work, that couldn't be completed with a wandering mind. Harry barely thought about his friends at all, unless he came across a name like 'Molly' or 'George', when his thoughts would stray a bit from 488 Piker's Path in Hastings to St. Mungo's Hospital in London. Then, he would strike up a conversation with Tabitha.

"I wonder where the baby's going to sleep, anyway," Harry remarked when he came across a Ronald and Nancy Jeevers in High Clampton. "The Dursleys obviously won't put it in my broom cupboard – they would care about it too much."

Tabitha pursed her lips in the act of stuffing an invitation into a blank envelope. "I remember Petunia telling me that they were going to start redecorating the guest bedroom – the room I'm in now – once they find out the baby's sex."

Harry didn't look up from his letter. "So what room will you go into?"

Tabitha smiled strangely. "I'll be gone, Harry."

Harry looked up at her. "Oh. Right."

In truth, he had never really thought about Tabitha's leaving Privet Drive. During her short stay, the two of them had grown very close, or at least Harry thought so. At least, much closer than he would have foreseen. If he had to give it a name, he would call what was between them a friendship, although it wasn't anything like his bond with Ron and Hermione. It was…well, Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it. But he did know that the closest thing he had ever had to it was with Sirius. He could only hope that his relationship with Tabitha wouldn't end in a similar way.

But it would end. It would have to, once the baby came, in only a few weeks, and Tabitha handed the care of Number Four back over to Aunt Petunia.

Harry realized that he hated that baby now more than he had before.

o-o

"Can I ask you something, Harry?" Lily spoke a little while later. She was now close to the end of her pile of envelopes.

"Sure." Harry, also, was almost finished.

"Why did you lie to the Dursleys about where you went yesterday?"

Harry paused. "They don't like my friends very much. I guess you could say they have a bad history together."

Lily said no more. She had already treaded into dangerous waters by mentioning the Weasley family. But she thought that Harry would be expecting her to say something about the previous day, and she wasn't going to dare ask him if he'd had a good time.

Another silence passed between them while they each returned to their own work.

"Done." Harry said brightly, about ten minutes later. He leaned back in his chain casually, cradling the back of his head with his hands. It was a posture that reminded Lily strongly of Sirius.

"So am I." Lily checked her watch. "And we finished three hours earlier than Vernon expected. Harry, I can't thank you enough."

"I told you, it's no big deal," he insisted, although smiling.

Lily rose from the table. "Well, I'm supposed to be baking a chocolate tart for Petunia."

"Can I help?"

She laughed. "Harry, I think it might be best if you stayed away from the kitchen after that cake incident." Harry reddened. "And I thought that you cooked for the Dursleys before I came here?"

"I did! I can cook meat and chicken and that sort of thing. But I never baked. Aunt Petunia always liked to make cakes and cookies for Dudley by herself, so I didn't get much practice."

Lily smiled. "In that case, you can open a tin of olives."

Harry made a revolted look. "Pregnant people are disgusting."

o-o

A letter was waiting for Harry on his bed when he got back to his cupboard after dinner that night. Seeing Ron's handwriting made him grad for it as fast as he could.

Harry,

We got some great news today. The Researchers have found the curse that Ginny was hit with. They reckon they'll be able to find the cure within the next few days. After that, Ginny'll spend a bit of time at St. Mungo's and then she'll come back and stay with us at the Leaky Cauldron, since we obviously can't go back to the Burrow.

At the next part of the letter, Harry could see that Ron's handwriting grew very shaky. It got stronger, though, as he read on to the next paragraph.

No news on Mum, though. They're not sure when, or even if, she'll wake up, or what state she'll be in after that.

Thanks for writing to Hermione for me. She owled me earlier, said she's be coming up to London in August. I would ask you to come too, but Dad says you probably won't be able to, because of the security breech. Which reminds me – Dumbledore came to the hospital today to visit, and he told dad that he want to talk to you and him tomorrow, at St. Mungo's. Dumbledore said he could come for you tomorrow at around noon, if it's okay with you. Just send me back your reply with Hedwig and Dad'll forward the message to Dumbledore.

Ron

Harry had expected Dumbledore to call on him, even before he had received Hermione's letter that morning. Even so, he was glad that he was finally going to get some information on Saturday's events.

Ron,

I'm so glad that Ginny is going to be alright. As for your mum – well, she's a very strong person, and I'm sure that she'll get through this.

Tell Dumbledore that I'll be waiting for him at noon. See you then.

Harry

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Likes? Dislikes? Review and let me know!

Some people thought that Harry was out of line when he started picking on Tabitha last chapter, or that the scene moved too fast. Well, understand that the boy had just had a horrible day, and pretty much deserved to yell at whoever he wanted to. I know I would.

No trivia this week, since I'm continuing the Joke Contest, as I said up there. So good luck!

Review replies are not up, but check again later in the week. Sorry, I just can't do it tonight!

Enjoy the first weekend of the year (gulp)!

LaRohaZeta