(Previously on "Of Mugwumps and Toadstools":
Outside, the storm had abated; the wind lessened and the thunder was now rumbling in the distance. Lightning flashed every few minutes, illuminating the grounds in white light while the rain still fell as steadily as before onto the flooded grounds.
Albus, Hestia, Irene, Balfour, Marmie, and Old William all sat down at the oak table. The lights around them grew dim, leaving flickering shadows dancing across their faces.
Then Albus opened his mouth and began to speak.)
Chapter Ten: The Mugwump
Albus Dumbledore was a man of many talents, a wizard of infallible faults, and a sorcerer of insurmountable wisdom.
He had seen many things, fought in many battles, encountered many adversaries; he was loved by all, respected by all, revered by all.
He had received the Order of Merlin, First Class, for defeating one of the most feared wizards for over a hundred years. He was Grand Sorcerer over Britain, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
Yet, despite his many titles, as he sat before the members of the Hesperus household, he looked, for the first time since Lord Voldemort's downfall, as if he was at a complete loss for words. Finally, he began. "As I related earlier, what I must speak with you about concerns your husband, Irene."
"But you said he had come to no harm," Irene stated.
Albus Dumbledore looked into the eyes of those gathered around him. They trusted him…they trusted his opinion. Must he sacrifice their trust in order to relay the truth?
He sighed, concern and worry etched into the very lines of his face.
"What I must tell you is of a far graver nature than that."
The children had all changed into their pajamas, had their hands and faces scrubbed clean of any remains of food or burns (Tobias was still rubbing his sore cheeks), and were now ready for bed. This usually took longer, but tonight, it only took five minutes, because that the twins were planning something, and that something meant they wanted to go to bed as quickly as possible.
At the moment, they were whispering to each other while Evander and Morgan opened their mouths obediently for Biddy as she Scourgified the inside of them.
"----no…see, I think I know another way----"
"----but if it is in there, then----"
"----then there's no way they'd be able to----"
"----to know, yeah, but if it isn't----"
"----but it has to be! I remember, cause last week----"
Evan and Morgan squealed happily, interrupting the twins' talk as Biddy moved forward to clean their mouths and teeth as well.
With the inside of their mouths frothing with bubbles, Evan and Morgan gurgled on their own spit, nearly choking through their giggles. They tried talking to each other, but with their mouths so full, it was hard to tell what they were saying. Finally Morgan composed herself long enough to try to sing.
Oohhh! Once dere was a siddy pud
Who cimbed and cimbed up when he could
Who t'ied to weach da fuzzy couds
An' bing the siddy bowdies dow'd!
Tobias and Alexandra, once they had the bubbles Scourgifying around their own mouths, began to sing as well. The song was one their mother and Aunt Hestia had made up when they had to get their teeth cleaned as well. Now, the kids looked forward to tooth-cleaning time, if only to be able to sing the old song and make up new songs of their own.
Biddy just smiled and shook her head. They did this every single night without fail, and yet, they never got tired of it!
She turned to her own little elflet, who blinked sleepily, teetering on the edge of the counter. He had had a very long day; first, he'd been told off by Marmie about the Dungbombs he had let off that morning; then he had created mayhem with the fireworks and was told off for that. And that was not even mentioning his fear of the Proseffor, then, later, floating around the room on the very same wizard!
There was a scramble as the children finally got tired of singing, spat in the sink---accidentally getting a bit on themselves as well---and raced each other to their beds.
"I got in first! I got in first!" Morgan exclaimed.
"Nah-ah! I beat you!" Tobias stuck his tongue out.
"Does it count if I touched it first?" Alexandra asked.
"No!" several voices chorused.
Evander sat atop his own blue blankets and hugged his stuffed turtle tightly. "Topples! D'you miss me? Huh?"
Dingy finally gave out and fell into the sink with a small thud, snoring lustily. Biddy smiled and picked him up, carrying him gently out of the room. As she dimmed the lights and wished them good night, she snapped her fingers, and the toys littering the room flew back to their proper places.
Morgan giggled as a few of her dolls zoomed out from underneath her covers to right themselves on her small shelf. Evander sneezed when his older brother's socks fell from his canopy and onto his head.
"Nighty-night, Biddy!" they called, rubbing their eyes sleepily and yawning.
However, as soon as the door closed, Toby and Alexa shot right back up again.
"It's over here!" Alexa whispered. Evan and Mory watched wide-eyed as their older sister and brother tore across the room to the toy box in-between the younger kids' beds. One by one, toys flew over the twins' heads to land on the previously cleaned floor. When Alexandra threw a large bouncing ball behind her, it bounced off of the dresser and landed on the toy Hogwarts Express, knocking it over loudly.
They paused, waiting to hear if Biddy was coming, but she obviously hadn't heard, so Toby turned to his sister and said loudly, "Ssssshhhhh!"
Alexa rolled her eyes and dug back into the box. Toys flew across the room as the twins burrowed deeper and deeper. When Mother had moved all of their stuff from the Rookery to the Mansion, she'd packed all of their toys into the box, making it all magically fit. Now there just didn't seem to be a bottom.
Finally, Alexandra found what she was looking for. In her hand she held up a small toy mouth which was humming slightly---the other half of the Magi-Monitor.
"Got it!" she crowed.
Toby, Evan, and Mory gathered on the floor around her as she blew on it to clear the dust away. At once the humming grew louder until they could hear voices, but it wasn't loud enough to hear what they were saying.
"Whassat?" Evan whispered.
"Aren' we suppose' to be sleeping?" Morgan said softly.
"Nope!" Tobias said. "We're gonna see what they're talking about. I wanna know!"
"Bu'…bu' they said----" Morgan started.
"Sssshhhh!" Alexandra whispered sharply. She held the mouth close to her ear and sighed in frustration. "I can't hear! It's too soft…maybe the magic's getting too old…"
"Here, hand it over," said Tobias, but Alexa jerked it out of his reach.
"No! I had the idea and I found it!"
"Hey! Listen!"
The mouthpiece, which was now closer to the dresser, had suddenly got louder.
"Look, see?" Tobias whispered. "It must be closer to the dining room over there or summat. That's why----"
"----We can hear it better!" Alexandra finished excitedly. She scooted closer to Toby's dresser, holding the Magi-Monitor further out.
And they could hear. Bits and snatches of the grown-ups' conversation drifted out of the magical mouth. The kids gathered around, listening intently.
"…It first began when I was here last, and I remembered you telling me, Irene, about your husband's absence…" Professor Dumbledore was saying.
Just then, the children heard a chair scraping against the floor and Uncle Balfour's voice. "Hold up a minute, Dumbledore. Perhaps it would be better to cast a Silencing Charm…you know, in case certain little ears are listening…"
The children gasped, their eyes growing wider.
Downstairs, Balfour cast his wand about the room, over the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and then---he hesitated, glancing out at the stormy weather uncertainly---the windows as well.
"All set," he said, moving back over to the table.
If he had known what the children were up to at that very moment, however, he would have remedied his error, which was leaving a few of the largest pieces of furniture unsilenced, including the China hutch.
The children let out a collective sigh, then settled in to listen. Professor Dumbledore was speaking again.
"…What I heard you say about John struck me as odd, Irene. Certainly the goblins didn't tax their workers as hard as you told me John was being taxed, I thought. Even with the knowledge that he is the wizard-in-charge of the Beast Controller division at Gringotts, it seemed positively ridiculous that he was called on so many missions."
Irene shifted in her chair, as though she was about to add something, but thought better of it. For once, even Old William was silent.
"I decided to ask a dear friend of mine who works at the bank to see if he could have a look around. To search out why John's immediate superior assigned him to every case that came in. Quietly, of course," Dumbledore added. Balfour nodded knowingly.
"But who…who is your friend?" Hestia asked him.
Albus suddenly looked stern behind his normally twinkling eyes. "I cannot divulge that. Just know that he is very close and I trust him deeply.
"Now my…confidante, is the better word…" he continued slowly, "agreed to help me investigate the matter at hand, even though it meant great personal risk to himself. He began to inquire about John Rosier to his co-workers and those above him. At first, all he heard were bits and pieces---just the basics, such as how widely known he is, that he is the best at his job, and that the goblins admire him greatly."
Albus leaned forward, folding his hands and resting his elbows on the tabletop. "This last bit caught my friend as rather remarkable, because goblins are extremely hard to please. Getting a number of them to admire you for your work is very rare."
"Aye, i's rare!" Old William butted in. "Me friend can' even get a decen' trade when he goes into business wit' them! They joos grunt at it an' walk away, complainin' on hoo bad it is!"
Marmie glared at him for interrupting, but Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, you're quite right," he said. "The goblins have learned never to trust wizards over the years. So my friend continued asking around, asking only those who were quite careless with what they told others. 'Why is Rosier needed so much?' he asked. 'Certainly there are other wizards who can take on these missions instead?'
"At first, he told me, no one would give him a straight answer, until he went to John Rosier's immediate head----"
"Harmgryph," Irene finished for him.
Albus inclined his head in her direction. "Harmgryph. It was then that my friend struck gold. The goblin was reluctant at first, but after some, shall I say, judicious monetary persuasion, he decided to relate all that he knew, breaking Gringotts custom of keeping one's mouth shut about such personal matters."
Irene, Hestia, Balfour, Marmie, and Old William waited with bated breath while Albus Dumbledore paused.
He looked very grave indeed and seemed to be quite reluctant to tell them what exactly it was that Harmgryph knew about John Rosier. He stroked his beard and looked around at them all over his half-moon glasses. Lightning flashed outside and the rain fell harder than ever before. The long candles on the table flickered wildly as a gust of wind seeped through the smallest of cracks.
Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued. "Harmgryph told my friend that John Rosier was secured for all of these missions for a reason. The foreign ministries and other countries only call in Gringotts teams when they cannot do the job themselves, and they need the best to do it. So they ask for the best man to do the job; this being, of course, your husband, Irene.
"Now, you told me that ever since John was first promoted in 1988, he began going on more and more missions. He was gone all day at work, and became increasingly needed in the field. Most of these missions were, in fact, ones that he went on alone."
"Yes…" Irene whispered. "He told me that much."
"But what he didn't tell you…in fact, what he never told anyone due to strict policies, was what happened on those missions. During those first years, it was John's whole team who went out. Sometimes, the missions went splendidly: they were able to tame whatever rampaging beast was misbehaving, they were able to save whatever treasure the animals were supposed to be guarding.
"They went so splendidly, that it wasn't until late last year that the Goblin Authorities noticed anything strange. They were so used to the praises they had gotten for their Beast Controller division that they didn't even think that the problems they were having might possibly come from them."
"Problems? What do you mean?" Balfour asked suspiciously.
"Problems that are bound to happen with such an organization as the Gringotts Bank." Albus went on. "The goblins, in fact, fear these problems so much that they are very stingy about who they do business with and which wizards they hire. Problems such as stolen treasures, foreign rebellions and boycotts against goblin work…problems such as missing Sphinxes, dragons, and Chimaeras…and of everything that could break free from the enchantments guarding it, and disappear entirely from the Wizarding radar, those are possibly the worst creatures imaginable."
He looked around at them all somberly. "You do not want those kinds of creatures loose in the world."
Irene looked confused. "But…I still don't understand what all this has to do with John."
"This has everything to do with John," Albus said, standing up. "The treasures that were stolen, the beasts that went missing…they all happened when John Rosier went on those missions."
Irene stared at him, her mouth half-open. Lord Balfour jerked up, Hestia gasped audibly, Marmie's cup of tea clanked loudly onto the table, and Old William blinked in surprise.
"Weel…tha' was unexpected!" he said.
Hestia glanced at her sister, then asked, "But you can't mean…I mean they can't----"
Albus nodded somberly. "They do, Hestia. And as much as I hate to admit it…I think I do, as well."
Irene stood up suddenly. "No! It can't be…they must be wrong, Dumbledore. It has to be someone else, John wouldn't!"
Dumbledore walked over to Irene Rosier, his eyes never leaving hers. "Do you honestly know what he would or would not do at work, Irene? You never see him anymore, your children never see him anymore…you told me yourself that you were concerned that his work might not be what he says it is, that he is keeping something from you----"
"But not this! Anything but this! Even if he wasn't gone a lot…even if I haven't seen what I have already…I just…it's just…not possible!" She raised a shaky hand to her face and wiped away a tear.
Albus Dumbledore moved towards her, hand extended. His eyes softened, and when he talked, it was in the gentlest of tones. "I know you don't want to believe it. And you're right…it might even be someone else. He might be completely innocent…but you have to face the possibility that he really has done those tings, Irene. For your own sake."
Irene stared out of the window, at the frightening gale outside. A few remaining fireworks exploded in the distance.
He wouldn't…John couldn't have done those things! It must be someone else…it has to be someone else! He's my husband! He…he promised me that those things were in the past. I told him I would never doubt him again, after…after everything that had happened. It just…it can't be true!
She turned towards Professor Dumbledore.
"I need proof," she said.
Dumbledore studied her face, her searching eyes. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Yes…yes, I am. Whatever you tell me cannot be worse than this."
"All right," the Headmaster said softly. "I shall tell you, then…"
Upstairs, the children were sprawled on the floor around the Magi-Monitor, listening intently.
Evander fingered his stuffed turtle's shell. "Is Mummy gonna tuck us in?" he whispered.
"Yeah, Evan, now be quiet," Tobias said.
"Is Daddy alright?" Morgan asked loudly.
"Yes! At least…er…I think so…"
Alexa turned to her twin brother. "Toby? I don't really get it. What did Daddy do?"
Tobias studied a small catch on the rug. "I think…I think what they mean, is that…that the goblins Daddy works with don't trust him anymore."
"Does Mum trust him anymore?" she asked.
"I dunno. She sounds like she wants to, but doesn't know yet."
"But should we trust Daddy? Did he do something bad? Is he gonna get in trouble for it?" Alexandra persisted.
"I don't know!" Tobias said, frustrated. "From the way they're talking, it sounds like he did something really bad. But Mum said it might not be him who did it."
Evan looked up, alarmed. "But I chust him! I chust him bunches!"
"Doesn't Mummy still love Daddy?" Morgan asked fearfully.
"Yeah," Toby reassured her. "Don' worry, she loves him. And he still loves us, so that means that we can love him back."
Alexandra turned over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.
"It's like…like when you stole that cookie, Mory," she said. "Remember? Mum said we could only have one, and then when she wasn't looking, you took two."
"I 'member," Morgan said mournfully.
"Well, that's how she feels about Daddy. She was mad that you took two, and you had to go sit in the Corner for it, but when your time was up then she said that she loved you and only wanted you to be happy and do what she said." Alexandra explained, "That's how it is with Daddy. He does something naughty and has to get…erm…wha's that word, Toby?"
"Disciplined."
"Yes, disciplined. He has to get disciplined for it, but after he does then she's gonna hug him and say that she loves him and just wants him to do what he's told and be happy about it. Just like how she does with us, really. Grown-ups aren't all that different."
"Bu'…bu' Daddy doesn't get in trouble like kids do!" Morgan protested.
Tobias just shrugged, "Well, maybe this is a first. Like Evan doesn't get in trouble as often as me an' Lex do. Maybe Dad's just not good at getting in trouble."
"Sh!" hissed Alexa, waving them to silence. "They're talking again!"
Hestia watched as Albus Dumbledore sat down heavily in his chair. He smoothed his long, silver beard, then folded his hands on the table and looked at Irene.
"It was on the Grecian Mission when things first went wrong. The Goblin Authorities think that it may have started even before then, but they have no proof that the two things are linked," he told them.
Irene didn't hear any of it. She was still stuck on that first sentence. Grecian mission…the Grecian mission…the Long-Lost Temple of Athos…Chimaeras rampaging…those bloody Grecian warlords…John leaving on Christmas Day…
She sat up. "The Grecian Mission?"
Albus Dumbledore nodded. "The one and only."
"But…but what happened? John didn't say anything when he came back, but he acted rather odd, like something had…" Irene furrowed her brow, thinking about that day two-and-a-half years ago.
"It was thought for a long while that the Chimaeras broke loose from their enchantments, but after investigating the matter thoroughly enough, it was found that they were instead released----"
"But he couldn't have!" Irene broke in, "That was the longest he had vacationed with us for a while, I remember. He got the call on Christmas Eve and left in the morning. He wouldn't have had the time to travel there by Portkey----"
"Which is why they never even began to be suspicious until later on, a full two years later," Albus continued resolutely. "Every time he went on a mission, something happened."
Irene was shaking his head, pressing against the corners of her eyes to keep from crying. It couldn't, it just couldn't be true…
"Most of the times, it was just a small mishap: a Sphinx disobeyed her captors and changed her riddle a full two weeks ahead, just in time for them to not be able to enter for some reason. Or a Minotaur behaved out of the norm and charged at John's team when they were about to collect some pile of gold he was guarding as well. Those were just the little things that no one thought twice about. Of course, the division never linked any of them to their leader, because he did such a good job of getting them out of trouble again…almost too good, in fact."
"…Like it had all been set up and he was a part of it," Lord Balfour said.
"Exactly," Albus nodded appreciatively. "Now, on second look, it could have been about anyone in the division. Unknown to them, however, the higher Goblin Authorities are now looking into the business. It is very clear to them that they have a bug working on the inside."
Old William furrowed his brow. "An' wot's insects got to do wit' banks?"
"No, no, my dear Master Rhum, you misunderstood me. Forgive me, it is a Muggle phrase that I have adopted for this very use. A bug on the inside, you see, means that you have a double-agent, someone causing problems while posing as one of Gringotts' very own…in this case, as they now believe John Rosier is doing, and has been doing for quite a number of years."
Irene sighed, frustrated. "But you said that it could have been one of his co-workers! It might not be him at all, it just looks like it was. Perhaps someone even framed him!"
"Yes, Irene, I know!" Albus Dumbledore said sharply, his eyes blazing. "Believe me when I say that it is vitally important that we prove him innocent if, indeed, he is! You don't believe he did it and I most certainly do not want to believe he did it, but what we think does not matter in this case! It is what the Higher Goblins have looked into and believe is true; it is what they think that will be his final judgement!"
"What do you mean?" Irene asked sharply.
"Goblins have different ways on figuring out if what a wizard says is true happens not to be. They have different methods. If they find that he has been doing these things to Gringotts Bank then, by the gods, you do not want to be in any way associated with him when they come for him!"
Everyone stared white-faced at their guest. His words had hit them all like one of the lightning bolts flashing outside.
Could what he was saying be true? Was John really that far in with the goblins? Did he really do it?…Or was he framed, as Irene seemed convinced?
"Albus…" Hestia began, shakily. "With all that they have against him…which would be better for his and Irene's well-being? That he is innocent, but without a way to prove it…or that he is guilty and by confessing his crimes can get off more easily than he would if he didn't?"
Albus just shook his silver head, as if he had already given up on that question himself.
"I honestly don't know, my dear Hestia. If a wizard embezzles from Gringotts and…succeeds…it is far worse than if he were to try, fail, and then be found out. Goblins do not forgive and forget. They hunt down those who have wronged them, whether it is allowable by wizarding laws or not----but the worst part of the matter is, Decree 66 officially states that if a wizard, or any other creature for that matter, has wronged Gringotts Bank and its goblins in such a manner…than it is up to them to determine punishment, and no Wizarding law can stand in their way!"
Irene drew a shuddering breath. "And you…you can't do anything to…to prove…that he is innocent?"
"I have tried, Irene. I have researched the matter time and again. The simple fact is, there is very little evidence for his innocence." Dumbledore sighed. "Mind you, I'm not very sure the goblins want to believe that he is guilty either. Despite the mishaps, he has been the very best that they've had for a long time now. If they cannot trust him, then there is no way they'd be able to trust any of their other Wizarding workers as well. It would be the Rebellions all over again…"
Irene raised a shaky hand to her face to wipe away the tears now freely flowing. But Albus Dumbledore wasn't yet finished.
"My friend learned from Harmgryph that this last mission---to the Caribbean---to which John Rosier was assigned was one that the Higher Goblins had set up for him. It was supposed to be a very difficult mission, covering a number of months, to give them time to analyze him…to watch him discreetly while he still thinks that everything is going just fine. If he is embezzling from Gringotts, they will find out on this mission, and if he isn't…" He looked tiredly around at them all. "Well, let's just hope that they finally find the proof that even I haven't been able to uncover."
Hestia snorted and shook her head wryly. "So, basically, John's life hangs on the whim of a specist goblin? Aren't they going to have a---a trial or something? Can't anything we do have a say in the matter?"
"Hestia---it doesn't look like we can----" Balfour said, but Hestia interrupted him.
"No, Balfour! It doesn't look like you will do anything to stop it. Whether he's guilty or not, Albus, there must be something you can do----!"
The Professor gave another heavy sigh. "I have told you, Hestia, that there is nothing I can do that will over-ride them in this matter! It all depends on how the mission goes----"
"You said that he was back already!" Irene said. "You said that you went to St. Mungo's and he was there! Can't you ask him? Doesn't he know anything? Hasn't anyone told him that he's being watched? If he's innocent, then he'll have no clue, and it could be that if he makes even one mistake, the goblins will jump all over him for it!"
"But if he's guilty, than it won't matter anyway," Balfour argued. "You told Dumbledore that you'd at least consider it, Irene."
"Don't tell me what I should or should not be considering!" Irene shrieked. "I have known that man since I was fifteen! We were in the same classes together, we graduated together----"
"He was a Slytherin, Irene!" Lord Balfour yelled. "I knew better than to trust him, and I thought that you did as well, especially after what happened in 1974! His whole family were Death Eaters!"
"AND I MARRIED HIM!" Irene shouted. "It took me five years to forgive him! I have lived with him in my house, slept with him in my bed----I've had his children, for Merlin's sake! I did not just do that all on a mere whim!"
"I'm just…I'm just saying…that sometimes we are…blinded…by the people we love…" Balfour put his head in his hands. "I'm not saying that it is him, I swear…I want to believe just as much as you do, Irene, that he was framed…but, I mean to say, that if Dumbledore can't prove him innocent…well, who can?"
Irene ran her fingers through her hair haphazardly.
"I can," she said simply. "And I will. I'll go to St. Mungo's…I'll ask him straight out…he's never lied to me before…I swear, he never has!" she said, as if trying to convince herself.
Albus Dumbledore stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "That would be wise, Irene. I want you to bring him back here immediately. We do not want him to be taken into goblin custody without a full trial. I shall question him on the matter myself. We will get to the bottom of this!"
Irene nodded. "I'll get my things, then."
With a simple wave of her wand, she removed the Silencing Charms and walked out of the room, hurrying up the grand staircase.
In the nursery, the children gave a squeal of surprise. They jumped over all of the strewn toys and threw themselves onto their beds, yanking the covers up from under them to make it look like they had been sleeping all along.
The door creaked open and Mum peered in to look at them all. Four beds filled with four sleeping occupants amid a room covered with toys everywhere.
"Good-night, children," she whispered before she shut the door again.
Tobias and Alexandra opened their eyes to look at each other.
"Whoa!" Tobias whispered.
With Irene gone, there was a silence. Balfour sat in his chair, head still in his hands and massaging his temples. Marmie and Old William just looked at each other with dazed expressions.
Balfour shoved his chair back and strode out of the room. "I'll…I'll go help her…" he muttered.
This brought Marmie out of her reverie. "Yes, I should go put dinner away…wouldn't do to have all the mice squirming around it…"
Old William stared after her. "Weel…no reason fer me ta hang aroond, then!"
And he, too, left the dining room, leaving only Albus and Hestia to stare at each other across the table.
"You're hiding something, aren't you, Albus?" Hestia asked softly.
He stared at her for a second longer, then inclined his head. "Yes, I am."
"Would you care to tell me what it is?" she asked, as though dreading the answer.
Albus removed his tall hat and looked at it in his hands, smoothing away the wrinkles. After a few moments, he answered. "John Rosier wasn't scheduled to return home until the end of July. Something has happened on that mission, and he was injured during the course of it. I think that it went awry, and the Rosiers are in much deeper than I could ever have feared. John now lies in a hospital bed, unaware of the danger he is in…unaware of the suspicions he is under."
Hestia looked at him, confused. "But why didn't you tell her?"
"Because," Albus Dumbledore looked back at her, his eyes saddened with grief, "I believe that she has enough on her plate to be getting on with for the moment."
Author's Note: And so the bomb drops. We now know what it is that surrounds the Rosier family. Merlin,will they have some very tough times now...
...And you also see why I wrote Once UponA Rosier Christmas as well! That Christmas Eve was vital for the telling of my story. So John Rosier was a Slytherin, and his whole family were Death Eaters...does that mean he was, too? Have you decided to trust him, or not? This story can go either of two ways, and it has only a few more chapters until it's finale. After that, I shall be taking a well-deserved break, then I'll launch right into The Tempest!I hope you have all had as much fun reading these as I have hadwriting them!
Oh, and thank you again, those of you who reviewed Things That Go Bump In The Night! As I have said so many times before I loverecieveing your reviews and writing back replies. Good luck to those of you who are writing stories on as well! If you haven't alreadyinformed me, than tell meabout your stories and I can read them and tell you what I think of them!
Cheers! And, as always, don't forget to tell me you love me!