Update (5/26): I apologize for my negligence! Gomen nasai! I have so much going on... and I hate to admit it, but I lost chapter 8... It was one of those chapters that wasn't originally planned... I woke up at like, 2 in the morning, and went "Holy SHIT!" and wrote out that chapter. Then I woke up in the morning and was like.. "Did I write that? Damn, it's good!" Then after typing half of it, I promptly lost it and I have to rewrite it. I apologize! -low bow- Forgive me! It will be worth the wait! I swear...


3-28-05: Yes. I'm 'updating'. Adding a very pissed off author's note, that is... Oh, dear, I'm angry enough to hurt someone I'm afraid. I think that a certain website should justshove it's new rating system up it's own arse... -mad-. Grrr... I... have nothing else to say on this subject, except I had to up the rating a tad...-goes to stab VERY sharp objects into the wall-


A.N. -sitting over in the corner eating a blueberry muffin- Oh, hi! Erm… muffin? -sigh- Yes I know, it took me forever and a day to get this posted…-hangs head- I have a kagillion excuses, but you probably don't want to hear them. I'm sorry. Forgive me?

One of the main "reasons" is that I had chapters 7 and 8 written in 1-2 page chunks of important events that I knew needed to happen… but I wasn't sure of the order until last night (And when I was finally sure of the order, it took me a while to write it out because my sister slammed my right hand in the car door and I'm a tad slower at writing with my left.)

Soooo.. without further ado…

But first:

The-Ever-Lazy-One: Thanks, I love criticism, believe it or not (as long as it's constructive). Here's Harrry's sorta-kinda break down and your Narcissa question thangy is answered.

Kisa Ryu-san: Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. The evil pen of impending doom! I love it. BTW, my mom said maybe for Wednesday or Thursday. Call me when you get back. Oh, and thanks for listening to this ahead of time.

TheSecretCharacter: Yeah, Key Club is a community service organization. We have a GSA too. I'm in it, believe it or not. Oh, did you ever e-mail me about your theories? Cause if you did, I never got it.

Ryo-sama: I don't blame you for being busy. I still love you. What time are you coming over on Fri? Call me.

EVERYONE: HAPPY EASTER!

Soooo.. without further ado… (again lol)


Chapter 7- Visitation

At about mid-afternoon, Harry decided to go to 12 Grimmauld Place to see his friends.

"I'm going home for a bit," he announced to Narcissa, who was reading in the den.

"Be back in time for dinner," she replied. "Oh and Harry? You helped Draco back to his room, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," Harry answered honestly. Was she mad?

Narcissa stared at him for a second, then broke into a grin, winked at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

Harry gave her a confused look, the, grabbing a fistful of Floo powder, tossed it into the fireplace and said, "12 Grimmauld Place!" He stepped into the fireplace whilst wondering if Narcissa's little name calling fest had been merely a matchmaking ploy, or was she really mad at Draco? Knowing Narcissa, it was probably a combination of the two.

The room was empty when Harry arrived, so he exited it to wander the halls. The first person he ran into was Remus, who engulfed him in a huge hug.

"Harry!" Remus said. "Welcome home. How are you?"

"Good," Harry answered truthfully. "Good. Narcissa is really nice. She cooks well too. Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"I'm glad you're happy," said Remus. "Ron and Hermione are in the dining room with Molly, Ginny and the twins." He sighed wistfully. "I just got them believing my story too…"

"What story?"

"The one where you ran off to be an elephant trainer in the circus."

"WHA-"

"I'm just kidding," Remus assured him. "I told them that you'd tell them if you thought that they should know, and they accepted it."

"Thanks," Harry said. He rushed down the hall and into the dining room. "Hey everyone."

"Harry!" Ginny squealed.

"Hi Harry," said Hermione.

"Where were you?" Ron asked. "Remus wouldn't tell us."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, looking up from her work. She looked to be doing Ancient Runes homework because she was busy drawing intricate signs. "He'll tell us if it's any of our business!" Then she went back to her work.

"No, no," Harry said. He took a deep breath. "I was at the Malfoy Manor."

"WHAT!" Ron yelled. The others reacted just about as well. Ginny passed out, George began choking on whatever he'd been eating, Fred dropped his (empty) plate (which shattered), and Mrs. Weasley spit out her mouthful of water (she'd been taking a drink). Hermione's facial features hadn't changed, but her hand had jerked violently to the right, causing her to draw a heavy black line straight off her parchment and onto the table.

Tonks entered the room at that exact moment, and, seeing Ginny on the floor, rushed to revive her.

"What happened here?" she asked as Ginny began to come around.

"Oh, I told them that I'd been at the Malfoy Manor," Harry answered hesitantly.

Tonks made a disgusted sound. "Why were you over there?"

"Welllll…" Harry paused, trying to decide whether or not to say it. Tonks' raised eyebrow persuaded him to continue. "Cause…. I'm engaged to Draco Malfoy."

This reigned in another mass bad reaction. Ginny passed out again, accompanied this time by Mrs. Weasley and George (who'd never stopped choking). Fred dropped his new plate and rushed to help his twin and Ron was making nonsensical noises. Hermione had inadvertantly performed some unfocused magic and her quill had burst into flames, causing her to singe her hand and begin muttering a solid stream of curses (luckily her wand was safely in her pocket).

Tonks wrinkled her nose and her short purple hair turned puke green. "Ugh. Does Dumbledore know?"

"Ummm, I suppose he probably does," Harry answered. He hadn't really thought about it before. "But, I'm not sure."

"Oookay, let's make this a tad easier," Tonks said as she changed her hair back to it's lavender color. "Who do you know knows?"

Harry considered this carefully. "Well, me, everyone in this room, Draco, Narcissa, Lucius, Remus, my mum…. and I think Jordan, Jesse and Jonathan Lestrange know. Not sure about them…."

"Let me get this straight," said Tonks. "A small portion of my family, the majority of your family, most of the Weasleys, Remus, and Hermione know that you're going to marry my evil cousin?"

"Well, uh, yeah, you could put it that way," Harry agreed.

Ron finally came back from the land of extreme shock and asked, "Why?"

Harry shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably as he realized that he didn't really want anyone to know that his mother had done anything that was less than perfect.

"Is someone forcing you?" Ginny asked as she sat up.

"Are you under a spell?" Hermione asked.

"Hey, yeah," Ginny said. "Maybe that's it. Did someone put a spell on you?"

"I bet it was Lucius Malfoy," Fred volunteered.

"Or that evil Lestrange woman," Ron said.

As he watched them try to piece it together, feelings that Harry didn't even know he had made their presences known. Looking back, he still doesn't know what came over him.

"Shut-up," he said. No one heard him, as they were too preoccupied. That just added fuel to the fire. "SHUT-UP!" Harry screamed.

An odd scilence fell over the room as everyone looked at Harry on shock. The last time anyone had seen Harry this enraged was a whole year ago, before fifth year (dismissing, of course, the end of the year episode in Dumbledore's office).

"Did it ever occur to you," Harry began in a quietly furious voice, "that you are all wrong? Did it even cross your minds to just let me answer the stupid question?" He paused to stare at each and every one of them in turn.

"No. No, it obviously did not," he answered for them. "You know what else must have never occurred to you close-minded people? Hmmm? Perhaps the fact that I might want to marry Draco Malfoy!"

Everyone in the room (except Mrs. Weasley who was still unconscious, and Tonks) looked like he or she had been personally betrayed.

Tonks stood up and set a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I think you should go now."

Harry nodded silently and turned and left. He was halfway down the hall whe he heard his name.

"Harry!" Hermione called. Harry turned around. "You know, if you ever want to tell me, I'll listen." Harry nodded and left.

-tbc-


A.N. Seems like Harry is lashing out at the wrong people, ne? Poor boy doesn't even know quite what he's saying. Tsk, tsk. Well, you'll have to wait an extra week for chapter 8, but it's a doozie. You'll like it. Buh-bye for now!