AUTHOR'S NOTE And here's the penultimate chapter! There's one more to come (after my beta reads it), then that's it! Thanks for all of you who read and reviewed, or those of you who just read – I hope you've enjoyed it!

Remember that I jumped Gabrielle's age so that the Gabrielle/Harry pairing isn't quite so creepy.

Also, thanks as always to my beta Lauren. She rocks.

DISCLAIMER I don't own any of them.

They were gathered in the cornfields between Lana's house and the Kent farm. Harry and Hermione especially had insisted on finding a place where no one would see them.

No one said anything. Lana held onto Cho for dear life. True to her sister's promise, she had not forgotten anything about the story of Liza's disappearance.

Finally Harry said, "I guess we should go soon. Remus will want to report on, uh, everything."

Lana tightened her grip of Cho's arm. Cho looked at the faces of her friends, then at Lana and Clark and Lex. "I can't," she finally said.

Hermione frowned. "Can't what?"

"I can't go."

Lana's eyes lit up. She threw her arms around Cho. Lex smiled. "So I take it that means you'll be staying in Smallville?"

Cho smiled shyly back. "At least for a while."

Hermione and Gabrielle shared a look, then tapped Lana on the shoulder. "Can we borrow your sister for a moment?"

Lana frowned, but nodded. The two witches pulled Cho away from the others. "You're not coming back with us?" Hermione asked.

Cho shifted uncomfortably. "What would you do if you suddenly discovered everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie?"

Gabrielle opened her mouth as if to argue, but Cho stopped her. "I know that my adopted parents love me and I love them too, but all of a sudden I've found out that there was this whole other life that I was supposed to live." She smiled. "More memories have been coming back – good ones. Plus I have a sister here."

Hermione smirked. "Not to mention a young attractive bald man to help introduce you to Smallville."

Cho blushed. "There is that."

Hermione sighed. "We'll miss you."

Cho hugged her and Gabrielle fiercely before they rejoined the others. Then she hugged Bill, Ron, and finally Harry. Lana too hugged Hermione and Gabrielle. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?" asked Hermione.

Lana grinned. "For letting me keep my big sister!"

Hermione laughed. "Not that I could ever stop her if she put her mind to something. You should have seen her playing Quidditch."

Lana frowned. "Quidditch?"

"She was not as good as Harry, of course," Gabrielle added with a grin.

"What's Quidditch?" Lana asked.

Cho came to Lana's side and linked her arm through her sister's. "I'll tell you about it sometime." She grinned. "I'll tell you about the time I almost beat Harry Potter."

Ron snorted. "Come on, Cho. It wasn't that close."

Harry chuckled. "Thanks for the support, mate. But to be perfectly fair, Cho was preoccupied by the dementors on the ground."

Lana gasped. "Those horrible things from the cornfield?"

With a wry look, Cho said, "They weren't real dementors. Just Draco Malfoy trying to torment Harry." Then she shrugged sheepishly. "But Ron's right. It wasn't that close."

Clark shook Harry's hand. "Thanks for the rescue," he said.

Harry smirked. "Doesn't happen very often, I bet," he said.

Shaking his head, Clark said, "No. And thanks for everything else."

"No problem." Harry paused, then added quietly, "Clark, I think you should know that we are going to have to tell some people about you. Not many, but the higher members of the Order need to know."

Clark did not look happy, but nodded. "I trust you to tell who you need to."

Harry turned to where Lex was talking with Bill. "Hey, what are you three doing the third weekend of October?" he asked.

Lex and Clark looked at each other and shrugged. "Nothing as of right now," Lex said. "Why?"

Grinning, Harry took Gabrielle's hand. "It just so happens that Gabrielle and I are getting married that weekend. We'd be honored if you came."

Lana nodded enthusiastically. "We'd love to come! Where is it?"

"At our old school back in Britain." Harry looked at Cho. "I'll owl you the invitations."

Cho nodded, but Lana looked confused. "Owl you?" she asked.

The witches and wizards laughed. "Little sister, you have a lot to learn!" Cho said.

Harry hugged Cho one last time. "We'll keep an eye on you," he said. "On all of Smallville. Promise that if those meteor rocks start affecting your magic, you'll send word right away."

She nodded. "I promise."

"Good." He looked at Bill, Ron, Hermione, and Gabrielle. "Ready?"

They each nodded. A chorus of goodbyes rang through the cornfields, followed by five loud pops. Lex, Lana, Clark, and Cho were left standing alone.

"I should probably get going," Clark said after a moment. "My dad needs help with the farm." He waved, then turned toward his family's house.

"I have to get back to the mansion," Lex said. "Lots of work to do." He smiled at Cho. "Come by sometime." He gestured to Clark and Lana. "These two practically live at my mansion anyway."

Cho laughed. "I'll do that."

"Good."

Lana and Cho were left alone. They stood in silence for a moment. "So," Lana finally said slowly. "What do I call you?"

Cho frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lana looked at the ground and asked, "Do you want to Liza? Or Cho?"

"Oh. That." Cho sighed. "Am I allowed to say I don't know?"

"Sure." Lana smiled. "I'm just glad you're here. But you'll have to give me time to get used to it if you choose Cho."

"Deal." Then Cho wrapped her arm around Lana's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go home."