I decided to post early. Don't expect that to happen often, though.

RANT{

Guest reviewer 't', I can only assume you did not read the heading at EACH MAJOR SCENE BREAK, because if you had, you would have seen the location and DATE that each chapter takes place in.

}

For those confused about what happens when, look for the closest heading above the scene in question. If it only has an italicized location, assume same day. If it has no heading after a scene break, assume same date and same location.

Example Heading:

Month Day, Year

Location

December 17th, 1996

Potter Manor

Lily Potter watched her son Nathan with concern. Ever since the surprise attack at Hogwarts, and the spell controlling him was lifted, he had been inconsolable. For the first few days, he had not stopped crying, not even to eat or drink. Even now, though, he was not emotionally well.

It was, to a degree, understandable. He had lost two good friends, and nearly three others, and it was shown that not even Hogwarts was safe anymore.

When she had tried to get him to talk about that, he scoffed and said, "Hogwarts was never safe," or "My fault." He did not speak, or listen, for long before tuning her out completely.

Finally, she turned and left. Dinner wouldn't cook itself, and with Nathan' state of mind right now, he needed all the normalcy she could provide.

-o-

The Burrow

Ron and Fred Weasley stared morosely at their chess game, long forgotten. How could they do something so... so... normal without him?

Since that night, when the chaos bombs that Fred had helped make took his brother from him, Fred had been inconsolable. What if he had ignored 'Nathan's' command? What if he had built them differently, making them need two different activators? What if? Would George still be alive?

Fred was not alone in the guilt department. It hadn't been solely 'Nathan's' decision to develop the bombs. Ron had been the one to convince the others of their usefulness, and he was the reason they were approved at all. What if?

Blinking back the tears they both knew were coming, they tried to resume their game. But both of them knew it wasn't likely to happen.

-o-

December 27th, 1996

Great Hall, Hogwarts School

"What are we going to do to help these resistance groups?" James Potter asked Kingsley after an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Nothing."

"What? You must be joking! We can't abandon them like this! Voldemort was our problem. We failed to stop him, and now he's killing innocent people on the mainland. We put them in danger! We have to help them!"

"We cannot spread ourselves so thin," Shacklebolt said with a weary sigh. "If we dispatch forces to those countries, we are lessening our ability to defend Britain against more attacks like the one at Hogwarts."

James flinched. "I- I know. But if we keep him busy out there, maybe-"

"My decision is final, James. We are not leaving our borders."

-o-

January 2nd, 1997

Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts School

"I hereby call this, the last meeting of the organization Chimera, to order," Nathaniel Christopher Potter proclaimed sadly. "If have taken the liberty of defining some standing orders for all of us, before we dissolve for the last time.

"First, Daphne Aurora Greengrass, I entrust to you the key to the Chimera vault, with the understanding that you are to pay any current bounties on Death Eaters until all active bounties have been fulfilled.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, to you I assign the task of maintaining the Chimera records and strategies, with the request that you give copies to the major organizations opposing Tom Riddle.

"Fred Weasley, to you I give possession of the materials and equipment of the labs in the Chamber of Secrets, with the request that you develop products to aid in keeping the public safe.

"As for myself, I take as my responsibility to monitor the passages to the Chamber of Secrets, so they may never be used to threaten Hogwarts again.

"Do you accept your tasks?" Nathan asked solemnly.

A chorus of "I do" echoed through the Chamber. With those last words and a tearful goodbye, the four surviving members of Chimera, who had endured so much for so long, finally broke apart.

- - -o- - -