Oh simple thing where have you gone I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
 

Hermione’s Pirates

Meanwhile back on the ship, Luna had finally managed to get the guns out of Teddy’s hands. Dean and Seamus, now out of the ocean, Ron came out of his room, just in time to drop anchor in the harbor behind the mountain where the castle stood.

“Do I look all right?” Captain Weasley asked his first mate.

“Smashing,” Ottery replied, suddenly blushing as he caught the whole crew giggling at him. He cleared his throat; they straightened up in their ranks. “That’s more like it.”

“Would you say, sir, we’re smashing?” Fred asked, laughing.

“Dashing, maybe?” George added, and Ottery blushed as red as the Weasley’s boy’s hair.

“How do you use this thing again?” Luna asked Teddy as they stood at the end of the front row.

“Pull back the hammer love,” the little bear said, “And then you pull on the trigger.”

“Like this?” she asked firing a shot.

In seconds, everyone was rushing to a boat mistaking the shot as a signal to begin the invasion.

“Are we under attack?” Ottery yelled.

“I think Luna just gave the signal for the attack,” Ron explained as he took Ottery’s hand and rushed over to Luna and Teddy. “C’mon we better get on one of the long ships or we’ll be treading water.”

:harry: :hermy: :ron:

So tell me when you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired & I need somewhere to begin
 

“Are you sure this is the right cliff?”

The sound of voices rose from the beach below her.

Lady Hermione leaned over the side of the balcony, looking down at the familiar faces belonging to those familiar voices. She had never been happier to hear them, but they were being a bit too loud for safety’s sake.

“Are you doubting my honor?” Teddy asked Ottery pointing his musket at the boy’s head.

“No,” the boy replied, moving the gun barrel away, “Just your skills as a navigator.”

Crack! There was the sound of a gunshot.

“You idiot! Are you trying to give us away?” Ottery exclaimed.

“No, I’m trying to get you killed,” the little bear replied tackling the boy, falling they started scuffling on the sands.

“This is the spot,” Luna said looking up at the castle above them as the clouds parted to let shine down the moonlight, which revealed the face of the cliff and the silver castle there.

Captain Weasley looked up to see a brightly smiling star, his Lady Hermione.

“Happy to see me?” Captain Weasley asked, but whether it was the sound of the crashing waves that didn’t carry the sound up right, or Hermione was still sore about having been made to wait so long to be rescued but she turned her back on him, though not before she had made sure he had seen her pouting.

“This is a pretty hour to be coming to a rescue. It’s midnight already,” she complained. Though in truth, it was 8 in the evening and Hermione could tell by the clock chiming in her darkened room. Lady Hermione had not lit the candles in her chamber from having been on the stone balcony looking out waiting for him all that time.

“If you want I can come back tomorrow, earlier.” Captain Weasley snapped back. Luna looked at him and rolled her eyes. Behind them Ottery was trying to keep the bear from poking his eyes. Luna giggled, but boys could be stupid.

“You know what, you don’t have to rescue me. I’ll just save myself.” She had turned around just long enough to yell that at him.

“Yeah, how?” He asked grinning self satisfied.

“There’s always Draco. He likes me you know? I’m sure I could persuade him to let me go,” she said cheekily.

“Oh, yeah? How?” Ron asked his roguish smile gone replaced by an angry expression.

“It isn’t a lady’s place to say,” Hermione said blushing as she spoke those words.

“Oh, so it’s like that?” Ronald asked. “Well I’m already here so don’t go getting any crazy ideas about bouncy ferrets.”

“I could just give myself to Pirate Lord Harry,” Lady Hermione said, turning to fix him with an angry glare.

“You wouldn’t dare?” he asked, almost threatening.

“Why not? He’s got this pretty castle and he knows how to treat a lady right.”

“I said no! Don’t you dare.” The boy exclaimed finally losing his temper, and though Lady Hermione didn’t outwardly show it, her heart was beating crazily at the idea that Captain Weasley might care about her.

“As if you could stop me. I think I’ll go tell him all my secrets right now.” She threatened walking away from the balcony’s edge to make it appear as if she were rushing off to Pirate Lord Harry’s arms, which consequently were busy around a certain red-haired serving wench.

Captain Weasley turned to look at Ottery who was standing there disheveled, his clothes torn in places, while Teddy lay in a heap in the corner all tied up, his mouth too, because from the look of it he was cussing up a storm.

“Now what?” Ron asked Ottery.

“Girls are too complicated captain. We should just forget this whole thing.” Ottery said, shrugging his shoulder.

“Boys, are just silly.” Luna replied. She took the wand from the back of her ear and pointed it up at the balcony’s edge, “hookus pookus.”

“That’s not even a real spell…” Ottery said as a grappling hook, rope trailing behind it, shot out of the end of the pirate girl’s wand. “Okay so maybe it is.” The dark haired boy growled as Luna looked at him.
:ron:

So if you have a minute why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know?
 

Back on the ship, a barrel covered over with a carefully folded white sail — to serve as a tablecloth — a single lit candle on a gold candelabra in the center of the makeshift table; the gramophone in the captain’s quarters playing soft music (Astrud Gilberto for those of you wondering … Corcovado [Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars] if you really want to get specific) but otherwise it was as silent as a prayer; as could be seen under the ship’s own lights, the Jolly Roger was empty. On the makeshift table two sets of dishes sat, two empty goblets, and the remnants of a finished supper. A distance away, in the shadows, could be heard whispers.

“Chocolate is love’s candy,” Seamus said.

“I hope love isn’t too particular. This is a Mars Bar,” Dean replied, holding out a candy bar to his sandy haired friend, who took it happily.

“It’s not the candy I’m after, anyways. It’s the love,” Seamus said as he took Dean’s face in his hands and … the song played softly, as the boys stood in the shadows leaning on the ship’s rails, too busy with each other to see the moonlight glistening on the ocean’s face, or hear the gentle sounds of the water lapping against the ship’s sides.
:gryff:

This could be the end of everything So why don't we go So why don't we go
 

There was the sound of gunfire along the shore as Captain Ronald ran with a very angry girl over his shoulders, followed by Luna who ran with a blushing Ottery over her shoulder; Teddy throwing bombs over his shoulder, while all the other pirates tried to not get shot by Pirate Lord Harry and his gang of ne’er-do-wells, and also not get blown up by Teddy who really wasn’t particular who blew up so long as he got a boom. A pirate was a pirate, after all, and they all blew up the same.

“You call this a rescue?” Hermione exclaimed from Ron’s back.

“I can drop you right here right now if you’d like princess,” Captain Weasley exclaimed.

His strong muscles beneath her, Lady Hermione thought for a second before she grudgingly replied with a, “No.”

“What was that? I can’t hear you?” Ron asked mischievously.

“I said you drop me and I’ll make sure you land right next to me! You uncouth, ill mannered, boy!”

Luna sighed, and dropped Ottery like a sack of grain on one of the longboats.

“You’re my hero Luna,” the dark haired boy said dizzily, as she pushed the boat away from the shore.

“I guess anyone can get shot in the bum,” Luna was saying.

“Yeah, but it’s usually by someone on the other side,” Ottery exclaimed as Teddy jumped in next to them in the boat, throwing a bomb over his shoulder.

“Quit your whining nancy boy, this ain’t the love boat!” Teddy yelled smacking the dark haired boy.

“And another thing Ronald Weasley, if you honestly think this lame excuse for a rescue is a sure guarantee of me landing in your arms then you’ve got another thing … ”

Ronald leaned over the frizzy haired lady and he kissed her.

On the shore Pirate Lord Harry and his pirates stopped and watched, Ottery, and Luna turned to look; Teddy had stopped whacking the dark haired boy curious to see what the fuss was about (okay so everyone was staring by now at Captain Ron and Lady Hermione) and they all awwed. There was a tear in Ottery’s eye. (The cuteness!)

“What were you saying, about this not being the love boat?” Ottery whispered at Teddy.

As their lips parted Hermione gazed up at the red haired boy’s eyes, and he smiled down at her, running his hands through her gorgeously frizzy hair. Suddenly, she slapped him, “Uncouth, ill-mannered, and disrespectful!” She screamed sitting down, crossing her arms, and pouting.

Ron leaned down quickly and kissed her again, as they sailed back to the ship, leaving Pirate Lord Harry on the shore with his mates crying and wishing them a safe voyage cursing them for getting away.


The End of Hermione’s Pirates, uhm for now, anyways ... Lady Hermione has a knack for getting kidnapped.

:gryff:

This could be the end of everything
 

So why don't we go Somewhere only we know?
 

The little Teddy Bear was walking out of the courtroom when his eyes caught sight of the dark haired boy lying on the ground, the man had turned around trying to disguise that he had been choking Ottery busying himself adjusting his gloves. The bear however was no fool; in a quick instant he had summed up the situation. Teddy had Ottery’s wand in his hand having retrieved it for the boy, well snatched it actually, from the Wizengamot; if there was one thing Teddy did not like it was proper decorum. Teddy knew the boy was unarmed.

“Oh snap,” Teddy the bear said pointing his weapon at the man.

“Protego,” the man exclaimed, as Teddy tried to disarm him.

There was a whole in the roof a second later where the blast had struck, ricocheted.

“Is everything all right down there?” A wizard asked peaking through the whole from the floor above. He fell back stunned.

Dumbledore who was walking out of the courtroom looked up in time to see the man sneering. A giant gust of wind sent the auror’s who were rushing past the Headmaster, to see what the commotion was, flying back into the courtroom, the doors suddenly slamming closed in front of the old wizard. Teddy had ducked and rolled managing to miss the spell, which would otherwise have sent him back into the court chamber. They were alone in the hallway now.

“It seems this disguise is ruined. Oh well,” the man said, transforming unexpectedly before them. His short-cropped, blonde hair turned black, his face grew sharper, gaunter, and far paler.

The doors at the end of the hall burst open. The stranger waved his wand casting a silent spell. Out of the floor a thick, stone wall burst out between him and the entrance into the hallway blocking further entry. “I guess I can take you with me, then,” he said turning to Ottery.

“You’d have to catch me first,” the boy cried out running down the hall in the opposite direction towards the only remaining exit.

“That’s easy,” the man said, calling up a gust of wind sending the dark haired boy slamming into the wall. He fell to the floor in a tired crumpled heap.

“This stuff never happens in the movies,” Ottery said as the man rushed over to where he lay.

“Crucio!” Teddy blurted out from where he was hiding behind a flower pot. The man ducked missing the blast.

“Incendio,” he replied sending a wall of fire towards the little teddy bear.

“Jerk,” Teddy said, jumping out of the way, but not before calling down a shower of tarantulas on his adversary.

The man screamed in terror, he suddenly became engulfed in a blue fire setting the poor spiders ablaze.

“Serpentsortia” Teddy screamed, a giant cobra leaping out of the end of his wand.

“Enough of this!” the villain screamed, the ground beneath the serpent crackled and crumbled as it opened up to swallow the creature.

“You’re right,” Teddy replied. He was done toying with him, “Avada K—,” he had began to speak.

“Teddy don’t!” A voice cried out.

Ottery was struggling to get to his feet. However, it hadn’t been him who had yelled. Two figures stood ahead of him at the opposite end of the hall, covering the only exit. The courtroom doors exploded outward in a shower of broken timber and splinters. Standing there, Kingsley Shacklebolt aimed his wand at the man.

“More trouble than I can handle,” the villain said, firing a half dozen stunners haphazardly in the direction of the courtroom.

Shacklebolt expertly ducked them, pushing the nosy Minister to safety out of the way of one of the blasts. Dumbledore deflected them, and rushed out after the man, who was running towards Ottery even as three other figures ran towards them from the other end of the hallway. The dark haired boy was smiling, distracted for an instant. He recognized them.

“A little something before I go,” the gaunt man said as Ottery turned to find him suddenly in front of him.

The dark haired boy looked up into his hate filled eyes, his sneering face, with only too much understanding, as he felt the knife sliding into his stomach. The villain threw him aside and disapparated.

“I really wish … it had been … Voldemort … or the Martians,” Ottery said falling to the ground and out of consciousness.


:ron: :ron:

Esta historia no se acaba ...
 

Premonitions

Ron shivered suddenly, as he walked down the street.

Harry had only taken notice of it, because it was a warm summer day — he wanted to go back to the Burrow to see if he could interest the other boys in a game of quidditch, or maybe in the afternoon they could go for a swim and late at night they could have dinner outside again when Mr. Weasley got home — the shiver had surprised him.

“Ron are you all right?” Harry asked curiously.

“Yeah, just felt a shiver down my spine. You know … like someone just walked over my grave. That’s what Ottery says it is,” the red haired boy answered.

And that was all the explanation Harry needed.

The whole point of coming to town had been to forget about the trial. Whatever its outcome it would be well and late before they found out, and he could see the shadow of worry crossing his friend’s face, so Harry had thought it best to change the subject, for Ron’s sake.

“Love the candy shop, but it isn’t like Honeydukes is it?”

“Few things are my friend. Few things are,” Ron replied as if he were imparting some kernel of wisdom to a mere child. They both smiled at that and laughed.

In the distance, unbeknownst to the boys, dark clouds rolled on, threatening a storm on the horizon.
:snape:

Don't blame me I didn't delete this fic in the first place ...
 

Urgent Emergency

St. Mungo’s Emergency Room

The hospital doors burst suddenly open magicked by Dumbledore who was bringing the wounded boy in, his body levitating behind the headmaster.

“What have we got?” a white robed healer asked rushing to the Headmaster’s side.

“A knife wound, to the stomach. I’ve managed to stop the bleeding, at least externally. He’s lost a lot of blood, breathing is ragged, his blood pressure and his SATS are dropping, and he keeps slipping in and out of conscience. I also think the blade might have been dark,” Dumbledore answered calmly, though his face betrayed his worry, and his last words boded a lethal outcome.

“We’ve got him,” the healer replied, turning to one of the nurses who rushed over with a stretcher.

“I’ve got a head trauma over here. This guy thought he could stop a rhino with his helmet. Obviously didn’t use the right spell,” another healer walked in reporting his case.

Dumbledore watched the brown skinned boy, disappear through the doors into the surgery rooms. Ottery looked so pale and fragile when the Headmaster had picked him up.

“My baby!” an old lady screamed. To which a man replied, “For the love of Merlin mom, it’s a paper cut and I’m thirty-five years old … go home already!”

From somewhere else another voice intruded.

“… And that’s what mixing saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur does. It makes gunpowder, and if you mix it in enough and proper quantities … ” a man bandaged from head to foot was explaining to a group of children who listened intently.

Dumbledore took a deep breath and turned around. It was better to wait outside. He turned to find a curly haired girl there next to him crying, there was a boy who looked to be about fifteen with his arms around her, but Dumbledore. Still you could not always judge things by their appearance.

“Is he going to be all right?” David asked tears rolling down his worried, angry face.

“I don’t know.” Dumbledore answered truthfully. He led them both outside, away from the crowded, noisy, and irritating waiting room.

“I thought … I thought he was — ” David was trying to say, but the words just would not come out.

:hermy:

Help ... *faints*
 

Bureaucracy

“Boss he could be anywhere,” Drexler complained.

“I don’t bloody well care. You know how far a person can apparate. It isn’t that far. It’s not like he’s in Romania or something, and what’s more he’s tired. He just went at it against the bear. He’s not going to be in his best shape. Find him!” Shacklebolt ordered, angrily as he set his team of aurors on the hunt.

“He’s still in the city.” Dumbledore had said, but the old man had not mentioned how he knew or why, but Shacklebolt had learned long before to trust the Headmasters instincts, not to question him on some things. Dumbledore had saved his life a few times so Kingsley had no reason to doubt him.

“He’s a metamorphmagus,” Tonks remarked quietly as she ran next to Shacklebolt who was almost running to the elevators.

“I know that,” he replied angrily.

“Then you know how difficult it will be to catch him,” Tonks said, wearing Moody’s face.

“You’re not suggesting … ”

“He was one of the bests Kings,” Tonks remarked. “I mean boss,” she corrected herself blushing suddenly and letting the disguise fall.

Moody head on a woman’s body had been funny, but Kingsley was on the job he couldn’t allow himself a moment to laugh.

The tall black man sighed. “I’ll ask Dumbledore to fetch him. I need you on this search. You’re my best man,” he said with a sarcastic grin. “You’d know how he thinks and were he’d go to hide.”

“With rats. If there’s one thing any city has in great abundance it’s no end of rats.” She said suddenly rushing out of the elevator on the top floor.

“We’ve got to get this guy,” Kingsley said angrily. “Ottery’s a friend.”
:albus:

Man I'm gonna get out of this town ...
 

Snakes Pit

“Ottery St. Catchpole is dead!” The words had been preceded by the sound of shuffling feet, and the door slamming as it was brusquely opened. Wormtail fell crashing to the floor, then rising again, jumped back from Nagini who was hissing at him as if she were hungry though she was merely annoyed at having been bothered from her sleep.

“What are you babbling about now you wretched worm,” Lord Voldemort remarked as he strode around the room his cloak billowing behind him in dramatic flair.

“As I said master, Ottery St. Catchpole is dead!”

The dark lord paused and began to laugh. One less obstacle on the way to Harry Potter, now if he could just get rid of the old man.

Don't look at me like that? I know how you're looking at me ...
 

Up on a roof

The brown haired boy sat with the curly haired girl outside of the hospital roof on the edge of the roof their feet dangling over the long drop to the street below.

“He’s alive.” David said still not believing his eyes. “He’s alive.”

“Was he dead before?” Mel asked curiously.

“I guess you wouldn’t know, would you?” he asked.

“Considering that last week it was 1945 and today it’s suddenly forty some years later. Yeah, no, I don’t guess,” Melissa replied sarcastically.

She regretted the comment quickly enough, she could see that David was going through a lot of pain, he’d clearly thought Ottery was dead. David was a sweetheart to have stalled telling her, but then again he had spent the last year trying to find her. There was simply no way she could doubt that he cared about her. She put her hand over his and squeezed it.

“You don’t understand Mel, it was after you disappeared. It was a long time ago, but Ottery died. I mean I thought he was dead. And suddenly he’s back and this time he’s really dying. It’s not fair. I just found him and if he dies again, I don’t think I could bear it.” David began to cry. It was a bit before he could recount the tale of the last time he had seen Ottery alive.
:minnie:

A whole other chapter ... yup.
 

A tale twice told or a death foreseen

“It was an Opera House in Italy on a Sunday night just letting out of Il Paggliacci. Ottery was being an as about how he was the clown always making other people laugh, while deep inside he’s always crying. You know what a drama queen he is.” Melissa nodded, tears rolling down her eyes too, boy could she remember, for her it was only yesterday ... she had seen him off at the airport back in 1945.

It was a beautiful night, that cold November evening when Ottery had taken David to see the Opera. It had been such a long time since they had had time together; Dumbledore had them going all over the globe looking for the artifacts.

“It’s a never ending job, it seems. Keeping magical articles out of the hands of muggles and some wizarding folk,” David explained looking down at the city street below where people went about their busy lives as if no one lay dying in a hospital room; oblivious to the pain and sorrow of someone sitting on a hospital ledge so far above them. David thought it was ironic. How quickly they’d know if he made them a part of that sorrow. He pushed the dark thought away, and continued recounting his story.

“He kidnapped me in Bombay. You should have seen him. Teddy was driving a jeep and Ottery was decked out in khaki shorts and an explorer hat using his wand to cut through the jungle. They drove in, scared off most of the Maharajah’s men and … the Maharajah would’ve killed us if that fool hadn’t of driven in suddenly all crazy like that.”

Talk about instant gratification ... uh huh ...
 

You got yang?
 

You know you better watch out ... some girls are only about that thing ... that thing
 

Aaaaaaaiiiiiight!
 

Listen to what I'm putting down ... hey baby I'm your handy man ...
 

Hey girls, gather round Listen to what Im putting down
 

Hey babe Im your handy man Im not the kind to use a pencil or rule Im handy with love
 

and Im no fool I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can
 

If your broken heart should need repair Then Im the man to see
 

I whisper sweet things, you tell all your friends Theyll come runnin to me
 

Here is the main thing I want to say Im busy 24 hours a day
 

I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can Come, come, come
 

“With friends like these…”

Knockturn Alley

A most wretched hide of mean beasts and foul creatures resides, and frequents the Bar of Dark Saints in Knockturn Alley. A home to shady dealings, and even darker magics, it is hidden and very well, in an out of the way corner of the darkened street. It was Teddy’s favorite gin joint, but he was not there that night.

“The otter is dead!” A man ran in yelling.

“What? You’re kidding me?” He was greeted with that reply.

“He’s dead I tell you.” The man insisted.

“Finally! Who did it?” Someone else asked.

“It was one of his family you ask me. Heaven knows they’ve been trying the longest.” Someone else replied.

“You’re a fool.” The man who had run in answered, walking up to the dingy bar to get a drink (out of a bottle if you were smart, the glasses were dusty if you were lucky and worse if you weren’t).

“Who wanted that boy dead?”

“Who here didn’t?” Said another man laughing to much uproar.
:snape:

Yeah, yeah, yeah Come, come, come Yeah, yeah, yeah
 

When your time is come…

The providence of man is but to live and love and in the living and the loving to do good things if not great things, because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Every day must be lived as if it were the last. You have to love the hardest, live the fastest, and never regret anything. Shower the people you love with love is what Ottery had always said.

He hoped that he had done that well enough that he might reach his reward in heaven or if not he hoped that Buddha would send him back down to try at it again. Yes Ottery was evil like that he didn’t want to go to hell.

He lay on the operating room table growing cold and lifeless with every second, all the healing magic in the world unable to bring him back to life, because Death is the providence of God and there no man dare tread.
:albus:

Theyll come runnin to me Thats me Im your handy man
 

Sorrow’s home

The next morning at the burrow found Ron in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea when Hermione walked in sobbing, followed by Harry. Before he could say anything, the poor boy was still in his pajama’s wearing the otter slippers Ottery had magicked for him last Christmas, the bushy haired girl rushed into his arms and held him in a tight embrace.

“Bloody ‘ell,” he whispered looking at Harry unsure of what to do.

He started to pet her head rather oddly, unsure if that was the proper thing to do. Hermione was clearly distraught. Harry looked at Ron and tears rolled down his eyes too, but Harry’s face was angry, he clearly did not want to cry, it wasn’t right, but he couldn’t help it.

“What’s wrong mate?” Ron asked, knowing in that horrible instant, the way everyone knows from looking at someone’s face that the world is a darker place for the loss of someone dearly loved no longer being in it. “Harry?” He asked, but the boy refused to look at him his tears falling uncontrollably.

“It isn’t true. I don’t believe it. You’re a liar Neville, you’re a bloody liar and a lousy friend,” Seamus was screaming out in the hall. “And dam you for it. Dam you!”

The kitchen door opened as Luke led a distraught Neville into the room, the boy was clearly shaking white faced with shock, and behind him Seamus looked as angry as Harry. Dean walked up to him.

“Seamus, I’m sorry,” Dean said calmly.

“No. Shut up. Shut up, you’re wrong about it too. Shut the hell up!” Seamus said, “Just shut up!”

Then Ron saw Dean take Seamus in an embrace, the sandy haired boy tried to pull away but Dean would not let him go. “No. No. No…” he said and started to cry, crumpling like paper into the black boy’s arms. “No, no, no, no, no.”

Ron felt his stomach fall and before he realized it, he knew. Before he had dropped his cup, before it had smashed on the kitchen floor, before Harry had said it coldly and painfully, before it had been thrown out for all the world to hear, he had felt it. He could still see the boy’s smiling face sitting next to him just a week ago. There was that owl Ottery had sent sitting by Ron’s bedside still unopened from Azkaban…

“Ottery’s dead, Ron. Ottery’s dead.”

Ron held Hermione so tightly in that instant, he held her so closely because he felt that if he did not, he was going to fall. He needed her then, he needed her as much as she needed him because it was as if he were falling. But there was no time for that now … the moment passed and he held her close, kissing her hair trying to comfort her, suddenly knowing that he needed to be there for her, he needed to be strong for her, and for Harry too.

Dean was stroking Seamus’ hair as the boy cried on the kitchen floor. Neville was staring at the table blankly and Luke looked so out of place. He didn’t know what to do, he just stood there trying to ignore everyone’s pain. Ron didn’t know who to feel the sorriest for. He kissed Hermione again and sighed, her pain did not leave him the luxury of tears.

:gryff:

Your subtlety is contemptible ... comendible I mean ...
 

The memory of farewell or I love you Ronald Weasley!

A flashback

It was early in the winter, and it was snowing everywhere or so it seemed. Ron had invited Harry to stay at the Burrow, and Ottery who lived in the town was — oddly enough — at home for a change. The dark haired boy had come to visit. The lake was frozen over, and Harry, Ginny, Luna, Bill and Charlie were skating, the twins were on their brooms making sporadic attacks diving and hitting unsuspecting skaters with snowballs, and somehow in the midst of all that merriment Ottery had managed to corner Ron for a second under the old Willow tree, now barren of leaves.

“Ron, I … well I’m going to be going away again,” Ottery said.

“Why don’t you stay? It’s fun here at the Burrow and it’s almost Christmas …”

“I can’t spend Christmases here Ron,” Ottery replied, his usual cryptic self. “A friend of mine comes to visit my home and I can’t be here when he calls.”

“It’s fun, you’re the only one who can get the twins at their cracks, and Mum loves it when you tell your stories and you make peppermint bark and…”

Before he could say anything else Ottery had bent down and kissed the boy, stopped him midstream. Ron jumped back a little surprised.

“What was that?” He asked.

“Would you believe my lips were cold?” Ottery remarked blushing. In the background the laughter was coming from the lake and the mock sound of planes diving as the twins attacked, and not a few spells were sent up in retaliation.

“Ottery you kissed me,” Ron said.

“Guilty as charged,” the dark haired boy replied mischievously.

“But you’re a boy.”

“Uhm, that I’m sure of,” Ottery remarked. This was not going the way he had planned it.

“But I’m a boy too,” Ron replied both of them blushing.

“I hope so,” Ottery answered cheekily. “Otherwise I’m going to have to rethink a few things I was so sure of…”

“I don’t like you like that Otts,” Ron replied, looking at the ground.

“More’s the pity for me,” Ottery said the sadness in his voice more palpable than ever. “It’s just that my lips were cold then,” he lied, staring off into the distance. He couldn’t lie to Ron to his face and the boy was looking at him.

“I … I’m sorry, I …” Ron started nervously. He hadn’t meant to hurt his friend’s feelings.

“Don’t worry about it kid. My hearts in so many pieces a few more won’t kill it,” Ottery said quickly. He turned to see Ron looking at him unsure of what to do, and the dark haired boy took something out of his cloak then. “Merry Christmas Ron,” he said handing the boy a large box. He smiled as the red haired boy took it and Ottery disapparated.

Ron had opened the box to find something along with the funny pair of otter slippers he wore to keep his feet warm in the winter.

:gryff: ♥ :gryff:

And another post just because I can ... LOL
 

AN: Two more chapters I think to edit and this fic is done. I don't know if some of you 'anonymous' people ... at least the one's who remember to show up invisible are actually reading this but comments are love, even if it's just to say, "You suck Ottery go be an accountant!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111" At least then I'd know you were reading it and not just annoying me. :yes:

♥ Love,

~The management

Do you mean Petunia, dearest one? Not meaning to be picky, but I noticed it when re-reading the first page...*grins*

So I've just reached the bottom of page 2...My, Hermione has some wild daydreams...even mine don't get that bad! LOL
It's 2am and I'm practically asleep at the keyboard, so I'm going to leave it there for now. I'll pick up where I left off in the morning. After I've been into town to get some supplies for your Christmas card. I know exactly how I'm going to make it...you're going to love it. I know you will!

*kissesandtacklepouncehugsforever*
Shan-Shan
XoXo

Love's Funny but Shan-Shan is Lovey *runningtackleglomps* OMG don't read this fic LOL
 

Yes I meant Petunia, you're mean for not letting me know the exact post # now I have to look for it, and worse for letting everyone know ... because it makes it twice as awful because this posting is supposed to be the edited version *Smoochies you because he loves you just the way you are* Thanks for catching it Shan-Shan I love you. But did you see my secret siggy text? :lol: :glomp:

I think you're my only reader Shan-Shan so ... :glomp: I wuv you :loved:

Just coz I haven't properly spammed in a while...
 

A note from the management ...
 

It's okay if it's scrolly. No one reads this bloody thing anyways ...
 

Featuring EmoRon
 

A train, a cat, and the rain

It was raining, which Ottery would have thought fitting for the first day back to school. It had been steadily raining since the day he had been laid to rest on that sad little hill under the tree overlooking his plantation home of Tara just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole the village.

It was as he would have wanted it, just like the fights at his funeral. You don’t live to be near a hundred and not make a lot of enemies, some of them lining up to spit on your grave, others to make sure you really were gone, and not a few there to actually pay their respects, though surprisingly less than the ones who wanted to spit on your grave.

Ron was looking out of the window of the train as the rain came down. A moment alone to think on everything that had happened that sad summer. He had spent so much time with Hermione and Harry who did not want to be alone, and by turns they were always wanting to talk about it. The killer had of course escaped, though the search was still on for Lord Archer Armstrong, Ottery’s old enemy. Ron had gone ahead to find a compartment he had said and in all the shuffle before they could object, he had run in and found a empty compartment, pulled the curtain down, locked it and sat down alone.

“Something is clearly troubling you young man,” a familiar voice asked.

Ron turned expecting to find the smiling mischievous face of his old dark haired friend Ottery but instead sitting in the opposite corner staring at him was a black cat. He turned away.

“What, so sure are you that cats can’t talk?” He asked. Ron turned to find the feline sitting there staring at him. “The name’s Casper before you get any ideas ... and yes he really is dead. Didn’t you see the bear?” He asked knowingly.

“You can read my mind or something?” Ron asked incredulously. Just what he needed, to find that he was going mental. You weren’t supposed to hear cats talking and worse you weren’t supposed to reply to them.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Oh we’re going to have a fun term this year,” the cat said laughing heartily, though to Ron Casper looked as if he were merely mewing.

Just then the compartment door opened to let Hermione, Harry and Ginny in, and in the hustle the cat had jumped down and made his getaway.

“Hey wait,” Ron said. “I locked the door,” he whispered.

“Nice of you to wait for us Ron,” Hermione said acidly. Obviously going back to school was making it easier for her to go back to her bossy, nagging ways.

“I don’t want to go to school,” Ginny said without much conviction, with that said she walked out. She had walked in to sit down and then stepped out.

:ron:

We'll do it all
 

The cruel twists of fate

As the rain came down it washed over the trees and the grass, and the cheap wooden cross that Ottery had requested as his marker.

“Even in death he’s a cheapskate,” thought the man standing over the grave.

He spat on it and walked away, Lord Archer Armstrong, his revenge enacted felt accomplished, but empty somehow. The question now was what to do with the rest of his wretched life? Running from the wizarding law and the muggle law and he had only that stupid dead boy to thank for that. Even in death Ottery was a nuisance. He pulled up his cloak as much for the rain as to hide himself.

He had not taken it. He dare not take it. He told himself that he had some modicum of respect for the dead boy. So Archer had left him lying there sitting at the foot of the cross. The old hand sewn teddy bear, with Ottery gone the spell it seemed had been broken, and Teddy lay quietly to sleep next to the boy’s wooden marker.

:slyth:

Everything *sings to Shan-Shan and wonders if she's paying attention*
 

Birds of a feather

“I’m going to find him, and I’m going to kill him,” David said.

“You’re going to waste your life looking for revenge. Ottery wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“You need to be quiet about that sir,” David said to the old wizard, respectfully though there was the threat of discord in his voice. “You kept things from me. Both of you and I don’t think what either of you thought or think counts for much right now.” David said as tears streamed down his cheeks. He cursed as he stood up and walked out of the Headmaster’s Office. He had not lost Ottery once, but twice, and this time David was sure the boy was gone from him forever.

“I’m going with him,” came Melissa’s voice softly from the chair next to the empty one David had been occupying.

“You should take some time to get acclimatized. Perhaps there’s something the Ministry or I can do about getting you back to your time Melissa.”

“As sweet a sentiment as that is Professor…I guess Headmaster now.” She spared her old teacher a smile and he returned it. “I can’t leave him that way. David’s my link to the past, he’s … he’s … all I’ve got now.”

“He’s the only one who knew how much Ottery meant to you as well.” The old Headmaster replied, just then looking all the years he was.

The curly haired girl nodded. She was out of tears, a long time ago she had learned that nothing much ever came of them other than puffy eyes, and a great big ache in your chest. She could do without the puffy eyes, and the pity they usually garnered. The Headmaster stood up, and Melissa followed suit. He had a school to greet and she had to pack for a trip around the world. It seemed she was always going somewhere or another.

:albus:

On our own
 

Loneliness is my friend

Ron did not feel like the company of his friends just then, he didn’t have the heart to argue with Hermione right now so after a bit, like Ginny he walked out without a word, despite the frizzy haired girl’s protestations.

“What’s wrong with him, Harry?” Hermione asked suddenly, her face torn apart by worry and grief. “What’s wrong with Ron?”

Harry well knew what was wrong with the boy. Ron was the strongest of them all in character. He would not let himself cry, not in front of them, not even at night when they all slept in the same room, at the darkest hour when everyone was asleep. Ron was keeping it all inside because it hurt so much. Ottery and Ron had had a lovely friendship, not like Harry’s and Ron but just as special. Harry had never envied it, or been jealous of it, because it was different, and though he was not a part of it, he had been friends with Ottery as well, everyone had been, in some way or another. The older boy had always been in their lives, from the very beginning, like an older brother, like a best friend, like Tom Hanks in Bossom Buddies, except without the drag. Ottery was just funny, and suddenly now he was gone. Not gone like on one of his adventures, or on one of his trips but gone as in forever, gone away never to come back. The idea took some getting used too.

“He’s broken hearted Hermione.”

“What? Doesn’t he think the rest of us are too?” she snapped suddenly.

“Yeah, I’m sure he does Hermione. But he’s been a little bit too busy holding you and taking your hand to have a moment for himself to cry,” Harry shot back suddenly and wished he had not. They were the closest of friends, but some things were kept between men … and Harry felt he had betrayed that.

Hermione shut up at that and stared out the window, her eyes welling up with tears. Harry was about to walk out too. He really did not need that, girl’s blubbering was enough to drive any man to madness. Half the time you didn’t know what brought it on, you just knew it was something you’d said and it was all your fault even if she had made you say it in the first place. Then you felt sorry for it and found that nothing you said or did could stop the flow of tears.

Neville opened the door, behind him Dean and Seamus.

“Do you mind, everywhere else is — .”

“Come on in,” Harry said, glad for the company, he turned to find that
mysteriously somehow Hermione’s eyes had suddenly dried.

Dean sat next to her, and Seamus next to him.

“Are you all right?” Dean asked Hermione.

Seamus for his part looked listless and bored. He wasn’t talking to anyone he was just staring at the luggage in the racks above as if bored with the whole of existence. He had been like that since mid-summer when they had gotten the news. Dean spent every waking moment with the sandy haired boy trying to coax him to take an interest in things but nothing seemed to work, still Dean would not leave him alone, would never leave his side.

Neville seemed to be taking it the best of them all, ironically enough, everyone pretended they did not know, that they were not awake in the middle of the night when Neville woke up to cry himself to sleep. Ottery had been everyone’s friend it seemed. Well almost everyone’s.

:snape:

We don't need
 

With enemies like this … no wonder he went looking for better.

“Good riddance if you ask me,” Crabbe said. “Ran around acting like a bloody prefect always telling us what to do. No big loss anyways,” he ended.

Draco lay sprawled out on a whole seat of the train, eyes closed not listening to his minions’ idiocies. They were muscle, if he needed conversation with some mental acuity there was Blaise and Nott. More Blaise than Nott, the former boy had a sharp tongue and a wandering eye. Pansy at least looked pretty when they talked, but the danger with her lay in that her beauty was distracting. He missed her since she had gone with Nott, but his pretending-not-to-be-interested ploy was working. At least he hoped, Draco couldn’t tell Pansy was always laughing and touching Nott whenever he happened to pass by. He smiled it away and ignored them, playing at being civil.

“Won’t be stopping us in the halls anymore,” Goyle said.

“There was that time he turned all my knuts into frogs,” Crabbe remembered.

Draco interjected, happy to have something take his mind off of Pansy & Nott for a bit.

“What’s so bad about that?” Draco asked. Just how many knuts could Crabbe have lost anyways right?

“They were in my pants,” Crabbe answered.

“And he was wearing his pants,” Goyle interjected. “At the time.”

Yup, that had been Ottery. Draco smiled in spite of himself, as he saw the green lush countryside passing by under the darkening clouds. Life was going to be emptier without him, but one day he would have had to have been taken care of, and Draco would have loathed to have been the one to have do it. Perhaps it was for the best. Ottery out of the way the road to the scar head was suddenly easier. But what did he care about such things, he had just not wanted to soil his hands with blood.

Not unless he had too. (Yes, my Draco is darker).


:malfoy:

Anything
 

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

“Oh, Pansy,” Nott was whining, as she slapped him, a little harder this time.

He had gone to the trouble of getting them a compartment to themselves at the back of the train away from Prefects and Gryffindors and everyone and she wanted to [/b]think[/b]. She wanted time to think. He wanted to make out, as much as he admired Pansy’s mind it was her beautiful lips and her adoring eyes and her shapely figure that kept him awake nights.

Theodore ran his fingers down her arm entreatingly, and Pansy swatted them away. She loved toying with him, sometimes she scolded him playfully but at that moment she was not so much interested in getting him all hot and bothered as getting him to stop bothering her.

“Please,” he begged. He bent down and kissed her neck as his hand wandered and she slapped it away again.

“Why do boys have to be so uncouth?” She asked. “Next time I’m slipping a mouse trap down my bra and we’ll see how well that trick works again, okay?”

Nott looked at her penitently.

“I’m obviously in need of a scolding.” He replied suggestively.

“What you’re in need of is an a— ,” mercifully for me *the narrators blushing* the train drove into a tunnel just then so I couldn’t hear what she said, but I’m sure it was nothing nice.

In the darkness of the tunnel — it was daylight however, grim the cloudy sky was outside so the train lights had not come on yet — there was the sound of a scuffle and when the train exited the tunnel Nott was lying on the floor of his compartment on his knees holding his most precious possessions, while Pansy straightened her robes.

“I don’t think this is going to work out Nott. You’re not as smart as I thought,” she said walking out of the compartment and into a red-haired boy.

“You clumsy— ,” she stopped herself realizing who it was.

Ron did not reply but merely walked past her to the end of the train car and outside. He needed air badly.

Pansy suddenly had a wicked thought. Ronald Weasley really was one of the cutest boys in her year, she had felt his muscles under his robes for a split second *Ottery squee from the afterlife* but she had never paid him any mind. How could she, he was beneath her, in class, in his poverty, in his intelligence, in everything, but this chance encounter had made her notice him.

You didn’t have to love a man to be with him, her mother had always told her. Men were for the most part, a means to an end. It had been Pansy’s mistake to fall in love with Draco. But suddenly there was Ronald Weasley, fun and jealous revenge all rolled into one gorgeous red-haired package. She was going to enjoy breaking Draco. She started after him, then.

:hermy: :malfoy:

Or anyone
 

Grooming

“I can’t believe you haven’t opened the letter yet,” there was that voice again that sounded so hauntingly like Ottery’s. Ron turned to see the black cat again, licking himself.

“Do you have to do that here?” The red-haired boy asked.

“We’re very clean creatures I’ll have you know, and I was simply combing my hair,” the cat snapped back licking his paw and running it over his head despite the boy’s objections.

“How do you even know about the letter?”

“If you’re expecting me to say, ‘because I wrote it,’ you’re out of luck friend. I’m not that fool boy or some reincarnated version of his soul. He’s gone, deal with it. You’re yet to lose a lot of things in your life. That’s why it’s best to hold onto them closely and strongly as long as you can, because no matter the strength of your grip you’re going to lose everything someday.” Casper said sagely.

“If you’re done with the philosophy lesson,” the red-haired boy exclaimed angrily making to walk back inside the train, the fast wind whipping through his hair.

“Don’t be a fool Ron. He’s gone, but Harry’s still here, and there’s yet much to do.”

“Saving the world was Ottery’s job.” Ronald replied wearily.

“And you remember what Ottery told you?” The cat asked.

A lonely tear rolled down Ron’s eye, as he whispered, “Saving Harry’s life is your job.”

:hagrid:

If I just lay here
 

The last boxcar, the baggage compartment

Pansy walked out of the train car to find nothing, then she walked to another and still no sign of the boy. She had been careful to look inside to see that he had not taken up a seat with anyone in the other compartments. There were not that many cars behind them, they had been close to the end, when she smiled. Past that door was the end of the train, there was nowhere else he could be except in the caboose, watching the tracks go by. She thought it was funny. Draco liked to do that too sometimes, to clear his head. She had found Draco there their first year. Sitting with his feet dangling over the rails, she had thought him so brave then, doing that. Draco had pretended to throw her over the side and she had screamed up a storm so that Professor Flitwick had come to check, and she had lied to him about what all the yelling was about. It was not the first time Pansy had lied to cover up for Draco, nor would it be the last.

She opened the door that led to the caboose and screamed suddenly, but not for long as she fell down stunned.

:slyth:

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
 

A Ron & Ottery Flashback (Circa PoA)

It was beautiful but then when friends are around things tend to be more beautiful.

“Red and black checkered pajamas Ron?” Ottery asked from where he was sitting next to the lake by the Burrow. The younger boy shushed him quickly. It was late and Ron had had to slip out of the room he shared with the twins, and they were likely to wake up at any moment.

Ottery smiled mischievously at the red haired boy, he thought Ron looked cute in them, and his blushing, and his hair all undone only made him look even cuter.

“Why’d you want to see me?” He asked. “Out here? This late?”

Ottery smiled mischievously still, in reply.

“I learned a new spell and I needed someone to practice it on.” The dark haired boy replied.

“I’m not your guinea pig Otts. Last time you turned me into a cat and I almost ate Scabbers.” Ron objected.

“Yeah well, that rat can run,” he said disconcertingly. He didn’t know why but he did not like the rat.

Ron sat next to him on the fallen tree trunk that served as a bench or a backrest (really depended on how you sat on it) as the dark skinned boy took out a chocolate frog and handed it to his friend.

The boy ripped the corner of the package off spitting the end out of his mouth. In an instant it had blazed up and disappeared. Ron turned to find Ottery putting his wand away.

“Sorry, not too keen on litter,” he said.

“I woulda picked it up,” Ron lied, and Ottery ran his hands through the boy’s hair.

“C’mon then, be a pal, and I’ll show you how to do the trick. It might come in handy someday.” Ottery lied.

Usually the spells he learned only came in handy for getting you into trouble or exploding things, not that exploding things wasn’t fun in it’s own right, just last semester Ron had exploded Draco’s hat at the end of term feast – much to professor Snape’s chagrin as he could not put the boy in detention. But seldom did Ottery know a spell for something useful like making mountains of chocolate. The obvious danger with transfiguring objects into food was that the spell might wear off and you’d find your stomach full of wood chips or some other such rot.

“Please Ron,” the dark haired boy begged, his eyes pleading with the boy.

He loved his friend, and though he knew it went against his better judgment —
but then again what was judgment for if not for keeping you from doing fun things — Ron nodded and Ottery whooped loudly so that Ron had to shush him through a mouthful of chocolate.

I don't quite know
 

How to say How I feel Those three words Are said too much
 

They're not enough If I lay here If I just lay here
 

“Why did you want to learn that spell?” Ron asked Ottery as he sat on the tree trunk, wingless. “You’re just like Hermione, always learning new stuff.”

“Hermione, eh?” Ottery remarked landing next to him. Ron blushed. “So that’s my competition,” the dark haired boy added in a whisper.

“Shut up,” Ron replied looking at the ground.

“You’re right. She’s already won, if I remember correctly.” Ottery said playfully. He loved picking on the shy boy, Ron blushed so sweetly.

“So, why did you?” Ron persisted.

“I thought you’d wanted me to shut up.” Ottery replied giggling.

Ron pushed him off the log.

“You never know what you might need when you’re out in the world.” Ottery said. There were times he could be so serious, you could almost forget you were talking to a fifth year (who’d been at Hogwarts for three years now come to think on it…but that thought was soon out of Ron’s mind).

“Because it’s your job to save the world,” Ron replied smiling, throwing Ottery’s words back at him. He always said that.

“Just like saving Harry’s life is your job,” Ottery replied, reminding the boy of his sacrifice that first year.

“It’s not my job. I’d do it for any mate,” Ron answered blushing.

“I’ll make sure you never do it for me,” Ottery said, and Ron looked at him curiously. “It would be a pity to squander it,” Ottery clarified.

“Shut up.” Ron said just as seriously.

The dark haired boy wanted to kiss him then for being so sweet and kind. Ron had meant that. But Ottery knew that love is a funny thing, love is a fickle thing.

“Want to go for a swim?” Ottery asked, as he did away with his wings and with another flicker of his wand his cat ears and tail.

“You just want to see me out of my pants,” Ron said cheekily.

Ottery shrugged, and blushed. Ron pulled his shirt up over his head and started running to the lake, “Catch me if you can.”

The dark haired boy ran after him laughing.

:ron:

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
 

In present times

Ron looked at the cat again.

“I know Ottery was an awesome liar. Truly one of the greats, right up there with Brutus, Delilah, and Cleopatra, but you have to understand, I’m not him. The sooner you realize that the sooner you can spare yourself heartbreak,” Casper answered coldly and firmly.

“Yeah, you couldn’t be him,” Ron said as he turned to walk back into the train. I loved him.

“I wouldn’t suggest using that particular door. Your beloved Hogwarts Express is being hijacked.” The cat replied. “I would definately try the roof first.”

:ron:

Forget what we're told Before we get too old
 

Trainnapping

“Drop the wand or I blow the kids head off,” the Death Eater said pointing a wand under a second year’s face. The girl was crying timidly.

“She’s in Slytherin,” Harry said coldly.

There was a loud crash as the large trunk that Hermione had been hovering over the masked man’s head came crashing down knocking him out. In the same instant Harry had yanked the girl away and turned his back on the Death Eater to cover the Slytherin girl with his own body. She was crying hysterically as Harry asked her if she was all right.

“You pig,” a blonde haired girl was saying as the door at the end of the car burst open and another man went crashing through it. Behind her Ginny was smiling.

“Nice work Luna,” Ginny said rushing over to kick the man to make sure he was out. Seriously, trying to scare girls that way was plain mean.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked.

“It’s an ambush or something,” Hermione replied. “Just like at the Cup Harry. They’re probably after you.”

“You’re a smart one, stupefy,” a Death Eater screamed from the other end of the compartment, blasting Hermione and then hitting Luna with the same spell. Ginny jumped back into a compartment next to her ducking a blast, and Harry tackled him. The youngest Weasley found herself in a compartment full of unsorted first years all of them crying, and cringing in fear.

“It’s going to be all right, who’s got a copy of their transfiguration book I can borrow?” Ginny asked trying to make her voice soothing.

“I-I-I-d-do.” An Indian girl said handing Ginny her copy of the very big volume.

“Are you going to change them into something?” A dark haired boy asked.

Ginny smiled, “Not exactly.”

She stood up and ran out into the hallway, wand in one hand and the book in the other. All the children rushed to the door to see what she would do. Ginny was casting a spell over the book, which started to spin over her hand and she flung it like a boomerang at the Death Eater who was trying to choke Harry. It hit him in the face and came back to Ginny, she flung it again using her wand to guide it. It flew around again and again gathering momentum as she flung it at the Death Eater until the man fell to the floor in a crumpled beaten heap.

“Harry are you all right?” Ginny asked smiling a little as the children behind her applauded and whistled.

“Yeah, I’m all right. But Hermione, and where’s Ron?” He asked.

:harry:

Show me a garden that's burstin’ into life *blush*
 

New Heroes for a darker age

“I swear this is more fun than shooting fish in a barrel,” the dark haired boy said laughing. He flung a Death Eater through one of the glass windows of the train, he hoped to his death but they were driving over nice grassy countryside so the most the boy could hope for was a few broken bones, hopefully all of them.

“Avada K—”

“That spells just too long.” The boy laughed as he threw a piece of paper at the Death Eater’s chest where it exploded before she could finish her spell and she was thrown back against the train wall. “See? I didn’t even need to use one to stop you.” He walked up to the woman and put his boot on her neck choking her. “If you ever try that again in front of children I’ll crush your windpipe and we’ll see if you can ever use another unforgivable.” It had been a menacing whisper.

He dropped a sprinkling of sleeping powder on her and walked ahead carefully looking into every compartment. He had to make sure that the main engine wasn’t in their hands, the worst thing that could happen was the train stopping. And where the devil was that stupid cat?

:slyth:

Let's waste time Chasing cars Around our heads
 

With hostages like these …

“Stop your whimpering Longbottom,” Draco said nervously.

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one bleeding to death,” Luke threw back at the blonde haired boy as he held the blood soaked handkerchief to the boy’s arm.

Neville who was leaning back on the seat was sweating profusely and breathing raggedly. It had been Neville’s misfortune to have been in the way of a poisoned blade meant for Harry.

“Shut up, worm,” the woman said slapping Luke hard across the face. Draco smiled at that. He guessed, and rightly, he was untouchable, the sons of Death Eaters were not being harmed.

“I’m o-okay,” Neville lied as he flinched at the pain.

“What are you going to do with us?” Nott asked annoyed and angry as he held the unconscious form of Pansy in his arms. “Are we hostages or what?”

“Silence!” The woman screamed, then realizing who had asked thought to answer his question and thus quash any thought of their helping their friends escape. “You’re insurance should the aurors show up before we finish what we’re here to do.”

“Which is?” Nott asked.

“Normally I like inquisitive children. It’s a sign of a curious mind, but right now I’m busy. The next one to ask a question gets the cruciatus curse.” She remarked, and Nott sucked his breath in hard suddenly. It was his cousin Augusta Nott, and she meant what she had said.
:malfoy:

I need your grace To remind me To find my own
 

Ron the last boy scout?

“You’re pretty agile for a boy,” Casper the cat said as he walked across the top of the train following after Ron Weasley.

Ronald for his part was hoping that the sticky slime spell the twins had taught him would hold out. He also hoped that Fred and George were all right, and Ginny. The cat had told him they were under attack that was why Casper and his companion had boarded the train. They were part of a group, he went on to explain that the letter would clarify everything and added something about the O.L.B.. But Ron, unaccustomed to walking on the rooftop of moving trains, had not been paying too much attention.

Somehow or other Casper had slipped them into another universe and he was now slipping them back. During the course of their conversation on the train they had not been on Ron’s world but rather one almost identically like it. Ron had opened the train door twice and found that out. One minute he was looking in on a group of Death Eaters in the luggage compartment and when next he opened the door on a dinner car full of passengers dressed as if out of some 1930’s film. It had been quite disconcerting, especially when the maitre d’ had called him a stowaway and come running after him.

“What universe are we in, now?” Ron asked the wind whipping at his face. It didn’t really matter if he said it aloud, the cat could read his thoughts as well but he couldn’t help giving voice to his thoughts.

“Yours of course. A fat lot of good you’d do in mine when the Death Eaters are here. Harry’s in that car, but there are hostages over here. I guess it’s your choice now.”

“Is Harry all right?”

“He is. For now. If you don’t mind, my companion is going to get very upset if I’m not there. Especially if he needs to use special magic.” With those words the cat went bounding from one train car rooftop to another car rooftop, fighting against the wind as if it were nothing; as if the train where not moving and as if he couldn’t fall off a moving steam machine. All of these things Ron was only too aware of.

The red haired boy dropped down with a thump, staying crouched down hoping no one had heard him. Sadly, someone had. The door in front of him began to open, and someone pointed a wand at him.

“Try anything and — ,” before the girl could finish he had thrown himself at her.

Inside the closest compartment, Luke punched Draco in the face, and knocked the wand out of the girl’s hand.

“Gerrof me you,” she thrashed about complaining.

“Stupefy,” Luke said. He held back the temptation to kick her; she was a girl after all.

Ron stood up helped by the gray haired boy.

“Thanks. Are you all right?” he asked seeing Luke’s bloodstained hand.

“I am, but Neville’s … ” he pointed at the boy who was looking very pale and very sleepy, neither of them good signs.

“We need to get him some help.”

“How far are we from Hogwarts?” Luke asked.

“Not very close, otherwise they wouldn’t have dared attack. Why aren’t there any aurors here?” Ron thought aloud. “And why are they attacking the Hogwarts Express?”

No one had any answers.

“Are there any Death Eaters behind us?” Ron asked.

“No, she was supposed to take care of us, cover their exit you know. The others all went ahead. At least a good dozen of them.” Luke replied.

“You stay and watch Neville.” Ron ordered him.

“All right,” Luke said reluctantly. He wanted in on the fun, but his best mate was in serious need of help and he didn’t like the idea of leaving him with a bunch of Slytherins. He broke the girls wand in half and sat down with Neville wiping the sweat off his face as Ron tied the Death Eater’s hands with his tie. They weren’t set to learn binding spells until this fourth year.

:ron:

If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
 

How do you while away the time?

“Did I miss anything?” Casper asked stepping lightly into the hall of the car before the main engine.

“When I get, oh f — this,” the boy said, “Asharath,” he said the unearthly words and every Death Eater in the compartment was out cold.

“I applaud your control, but there are children present.” Casper replied in a tone that belied his seriousness.

“You were here to help me focus,” the boy threw back

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Yes mother,” the dark skinned boy replied opening the door to the other train where the conductor waited wand in hand. “Expelliarmus,” the boy said before the old man could stop him. “I’m not one of them,” he remarked opening his cloak to reveal a gold pin in the shape of the Hogwarts crest with an otter in the center.

The conductor sighed in relief and sat down at his station.

“I’ll stay here and guard things, then,” Casper said.

“Just make sure you don’t send me somewhere else by mistake,” the boy remarked as he ran to the back of the train.

The cat turned to the man, and asked, “Do you have a deck of cards or a game of wizard’s chess, perhaps? We might be a while.”

:harry:

Forget what we're told Before we get too old
 

♥ Love’s Funny ♥

“Ronald!” the frizzy haired girl screamed running to the boy grabbing him in a strong embrace. She started to cry.

“Hermione I’m all right,” he said patting her back. He was beginning to get the hang of the whole ‘soothing girl’s’ bit, at least that’s what he had been thinking when Hermione suddenly slapped him.

“What if you hadn’t of been?” she asked, holding him tightly again. “You stupid, stupid as. What if you’d been hurt?” she asked sobbing into his robes. “The last thing I’d ever have said to you were silly mean things, if you’d, if you’d … if you’d …”

Harry walked over. Ron rolled his eyes as if to say, “Girls, you know. They’re totally mental.” But if no one had been around just then the boys would’ve hugged, so glad were they to know each other safe.


:harry: :hermy: :ron:

Show me a garden that's bursting into life *blush*
 

Sorrow’s Beginning

Dean was standing against the train window, a wand at his throat.

“All I have to do is move it, and I give him a second smile.” (Cut his throat if you’re not up on gangster talk). The man threatened.

Seamus looked at him with that same disinterested look in his face, but Dean could see in the boy’s eyes a steadily rising rage. Before Dean could say anything to stop him, Seamus had taken out his wand and shoved it at the Death Eater.

“You think they just work for spells?” He asked as the man cringed where the boy had poked him in the eye.

“Seamus!” Dean said impressed, but the sandy haired boy had dropped his wand and rushed the man, slamming his fists into him, kicking him and hitting him with all his strength and all his pent up rage, cursing up a storm of steady obscenities. All Seamus’ anger and his hurt were pouring out of him. Dean saw the boy’s knee come up and he heard the man’s nose break. Seamus was merciless. But he was crying. The man fell to the floor and Seamus kicked him again and again and then went for his wand and Dean came up between them. Seamus had meant to stab him with it.

“Seamus, stop!” Dean screamed. “Stop!”

The Irish boy turned to look at Dean, his face contorted in pain, tears rolling down his soft cheeks. It wasn’t fair a friend of theirs was gone forever, someone close and dear. He couldn’t help but feel that someone should have to pay for that. Someone should have had to pay.

Dean held him as Seamus cried out his anger, howled his pain, and cursed the unfairness. Dean ran his fingers through the boy’s sandy hair soothing him. It was going to be all right it was going to be fine. He didn’t know how, he didn’t know why, but Dean knew he was going to make it be all right, somehow, for his best mate, for that boy who had been his friend since that first day at the train station.

:gryff:

All that I am All that I ever was It’s here in your perfect eyes
 

The opposite side of the coin

“Every dark has its light,” the spectacled boy was saying as he bent down and smiled at the Death Eater. “You don’t want to meet my lesser half.”

The man disapparated before the boy’s eyes.

“I was afraid of that.” The blonde haired boy said.

“You couldn’t have shackled him then?” the small blue dragon at his side remarked.

“Shouldn’t you be invisible?” The boy threw back, as he pushed his glasses back up on his face, they were forever sliding down his nose. “Children are watching.” Sure enough, it seemed every first year in Hogwarts was staring from the doors of their compartment.

“Oh, f — ,” the dragon started.

“Not in front of the children,” the boy protested as the little dragon disappeared.

The door at the end of the train opened and the dark haired boy walked in looking up to find the blonde haired boy pointing his wand at him.

“Fancy meeting you here,” the boy in the glasses said, smiling guiltily.

“They’re gone, the f — ,” with every new obscenity, the blonde haired boy closed his eyes, sighed, tried to control his breathing by counting to one hundred. He hated working with Andy, he really did.

:dementor:

They're all I can see I don't know where Confused about how as well
 

Just know that these things Will never change for us at all
 

Pandemonium

News of the incident traveled fast. By the time the children had safely arrived at Hogwarts, in mad droves their parents stormed the gates of the school. You’ll remember you can’t apparate in the school grounds. (Hermione asked me to tell you all that).

Neville Longbottom was rushed to the infirmary, as were a few other students. Most were met in the Great Hall by their worried parents. There was a lot of crying and protestations, demands were made to take the children back to their homes that instant, but Dumbledore’s speech soon set things to right.

Warning them that there was no safer place for their children then Hogwarts, which they all had to agree with, tempers checked, and their worries unfounded, Dumbledore soon had reason restored and all of the parents decided their children were safer at the school and they had come to the conclusion that the ministry were a lot of fools who needed to be kept in check. It had not been Dumbledore’s intent to shift the blame but a mad crowd will see it’s own unreason. And why not? Government is a stupid beast, which is why you have to watch it so closely.

As night settled and everyone was fed, the parents too, the children were seen of to their beds and to their common rooms. Their parents had their fears assuaged again by the Headmaster.

By midnight, the castle lay quiet, Filch patrolling the castle and Hagrid and his dog Fang patrolling the school grounds. In all the serious hubbub no one had even thought to mention anything about the Triwizard Cup, but Rita Skeeter would soon take care of that.

:albus:

If I lay here If I just lay here
 

Clearing out the otter’s office

Andrew and the cat were the first to walk in.

David was sitting in Ottery’s chair behind the boy’s desk, his tear-streamed face looking over documents and old photographs. Across from him, a curly haired girl turned around and stood up, suddenly.

“Who the hell are you?” Melissa asked surprised, but not unprepared, her wand in hand.

“Down cat,” Andy said and was met with a quick, sharp slap.

“I thought I was bad with women,” Herodotus (he’s the blonde haired boy with the glasses and the little blue dragon) remarked as he slipped his glasses further up his nose.

“What’s wrong with being called a cat?” Casper asked from where he was sitting on the desk facing her.

“It’s all right, Mel.” David replied, “They’re friends.”

“With friend’s like these … ” she started.

“That’s cliché by now, Mel.” David said smiling sadly. His sense of humor lay dead again but the ashes still held some embers sparked by the memories he was rummaging through.

:hagrid:

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
 

Ron reads his letter…and we find out about the O.L.B.

Everyone was asleep. Despite the commotion and the battles on the train, the students had somehow managed to fall asleep, equally as tired as they were excited from all that they had witnessed and been a part of. When they arrived at Hogwarts and had been fussed over by their parents, and after they had eater their supper they all ran to their beds and crashed, tired and too weary to talk — though there were of course the few exceptions.

No one said anything when Luke took Neville’s bed by mistake. The gray haired boy had been exhausted and hadn’t bothered to change into pajamas but had just plopped down on Longbottom’s bed and was soundly snoring as his face hit the pillow. Neville would be spending the night in the infirmary along with Draco who had a broken nose, and the other injured students.

Harry did not feel as if he could sleep so Madame Pomfrey had given him a vial of sleeping draught, enough for all of Gryffindor Tower should the other boys need it. Seamus had curled up to sleep on the sofa in front of the fireplace and Dean who would not leave his side stayed with him. So, they had fallen asleep together on one of the large, soft couches, keeping each other peaceful company in their sleep. Leaving Ron alone, in his restless wakefulness. He had feigned dropping off to sleep, so as not to worry Harry, but listening to his friends’ soft snores, he sat up in bed and took the letter out of his trunk laying it on his lap.

It looked so frail, written as it was on crinkled soft paper just a little stronger than onionskin, and smelling of strawberries.

He smiled at that.

Ottery loved strawberries and the boy had thought his favorite cologne was too strong so he always scented his missives with strawberry scent, the silly, stupid boy.

But he was gone now and … the cat was right. Ron had best open the letter. It was just … it was going to be the last thing Ron would ever get from him. He would never again read new words, see Ottery’s face, or hear his voice (Ron meant to avoid Casper if it killed him).

The red haired boy sighed one last sigh and tore the seal. It was golden wax and had the Hogwarts crest with an otter on it. The letter read as follows:

Yes my handwriting is actually that pretty, right, Shan-Shan? *smoochies*
 

Before you ask, the note was in invisible ink ... *pokes* It's for Ron not you
 

And just like that the last trace of Ottery St. Catchpole was gone from the earth forever. Ron felt a tear roll down his eye, in the silent night. It was a while before he slipped on his otter slippers, and walked quietly out of the room towards Ottery’s Hogwarts home.

:ron:

I hope that means Alfonso is filming the 6th movie ... *crosses fingers*
 

One journey ends as another begins

Ron walked up to the darkest loneliest tower of the castle. It was the southernmost one, and it overlooked the mountains surrounding the school. The tower was always empty. Abandoned, or so everyone believed, but that was really Ottery’s secret home. Why the boy had his own house no one quite knew, but boy did Ottery know how to throw a party. It was supposed to be a secret that he lived there, outside of the Gryffindor Common Room but even the professors knew. How couldn’t they with the crazy things they did there after a quidditch match? To Ottery, it had never really mattered who won, a victory was an occasion for a party.

Ron walked across the courtyard cursing himself for not borrowing Harry’s invisibility cloak. It was cold, and at the very least it could afford him some warmth. Ron sighed as he stood in front of the tower (it was designed so that it had no door and thus was impenetrable). The red haired boy looked around to make sure no one was there to hear him. He blushed as he said the password.

“Ron is Ottery’s love bug,” he whispered.

The wall moved back creating an arch, a sunk in threshold, and an oak door, with gaslight lamps lighting the entrance on either side. He walked in quickly.

It was warm inside the tower. The walls were covered in gaudy pop art tapestries, and comic book pages, where they were not lined with bookshelves on which sat books of every shape and size, on every subject, amidst magical baubles and magical things.

They were very rare, but they were there too, hidden quietly in shadow sometimes, but always with brilliant brightly polished silver frames. They were pictures of Ottery and his friends past and present. Oddly enough, they were never there during the parties, but Ron had chanced to see them a couple of times. Ottery was always trying to hide them or make of them that they were nothing, but they were amongst the dearest things he owned, which is why he had so few.

Ron began his way up the stairways. They lead up to the top of the tower. All the while he looked over the books and baubles, when a silver framed picture caught his eye. He did not recognize it. Ron was shocked to find the photograph was black and white. He stopped, picking up the frame, and looking more closely he found a very young Ottery with two other boys. It must have been taken when he lived in America but the picture looked odd somehow.

Ottery looked very young. He was standing in the center of the picture, wearing overalls, he had his arms around a brown haired boy and a blonde haired boy both of whom were holding fishing tackle and very smelly fish from the looks and gestures they were making as they posed for the photograph. One minute they were posing for the shot, laughing for the photograph and the next they were running to get away from the smelly fish.

It would not have looked awkward to Ron, all of the boys dressed in the same blue jean overalls, their pants bottoms rolled up, standing barefoot by a river except — . It was not the way the fishing lines were made of tree limbs, or even the funny straw hats that gave them away, nor even the steamboat in the distance, even that would not have been a clue except for the people onboard the ship all being dressed like Ron’s great great grandmother, nor the boy and a black man paddling past in a raft; they were all of them dressed too much like they belonged in a museum.

There was the sound of loud voices. They distracted him and he took out his wand starting his ascent back to the top of the tower and to Ottery’s office. He would have to come back for the picture later. That mystery would have to wait for another day …

:ron:

Y aquella noche caminamos juntos sin importar la lluvia
 

Arguments like fine wine…

“The name’s Casper,” the cat told the girl. “You must be Melissa.”

“How did you know?” The girl asked surprised a little. She did not lower her wand, which she pointed at the unkempt, dark haired boy. Would it kill him to tuck his shirt in, and why were his robes unbuttoned?

“Long curly brown hair, and a sassy disposition. Ottery always spoke fondly of you.” The cat replied, causing the girl to blush inadvertently at the remark.

David was surprised to find her speechless. It was quite a feat with Mel, but Casper was no slouch in the shutting-people-up department. The cat and Teddy had a running rivalry to see who could silence the other. It had gone on and off again for years and it aggravated everyone so much that they were never allowed to talk to each other, each of them always wanted to have the final word.

“The blue dragon there is Ampersand and the blonde boy with the glasses is Herodotus.” The cat continued.

The dark haired boy cleared his throat, and the cat nodded, “So, what are you two — ”

“Hey!” the sloppy boy complained stomping his foot. Casper had not introduced him yet.

The door swung open and a red-haired Gryffindor walked in pointing his wand at all of them. “Don’t any of you move or I’ll … I’ll … I’ll blast everyone of you.”

“Oh Merlin!” Casper sighed, “Not another American cowboy?”

Andrew glared at the cat before turning to answer the newcomer, “Just who are you, the Wyatt Earp of wizards? You think you can draw and immobilize us all faster than one of us can get you? I say we rush him.”

Ron stood his ground.

“It’s all right,” David said. “That’s Ronald Weasley.”

“And just who are you?” Ron asked. Out of the group he recognized only the cat.

“No time for that,” came a familiar voice from around Ron’s ankles, there was a puff of smoke from a Cuban cigar and Teddy walked into the room. “I know who killed Ottery.”

:snape:

aquella prisa por saber quien eras y por rozarte un poco
 

Why can’t more British heroes be American Cowboys? Or Teddy to the rescue, WTF??!!!!

“Speaking of American cowboys,” the cat said condescendingly.

“Stow it fur ball. I ain’t got time for you just yet,” Teddy replied chomping on his cigar contemplating if he shouldn’t tear his seam to take out the gun and put an end to their constant arguing once and for all. Then he really would have the final word.

“Teddy, what the devil are you doing here?” David asked.

“Mel, what the hell are you doing here?” Teddy asked in turn.

“No. I think the most important question is, what the hell are you all doing in my office? Oh, my god can’t a dead guy get some privacy?” A familiar voice came from behind the bear.

:ron:

¿donde estabas? habia sido antes por ese lugar
 

An extra guest at the party

Ron dropped his wand. Melissa and David both stood up. Herodotus sat down. Casper yawned from where he was sitting on the desk and laid down for a nap. Teddy went for a sword on the wall (well a stool actually he was too short to reach the sword on the wall). And Andy just looked perplexed, the boy had his mouth open to say something but he shut it just as quickly unsure exactly what to say. A process he repeated a few times finally just scratching his head in perplexion. Ampersand the dragon trudged out of the room.

“Dude, wtf?” Andy asked, breaking the silence.

“Language please. There are ladies present.” The dark haired boy said giving Andy a stern glare then turned surprised to see the curly, brown haired girl. “Mel, what are you doing here?” Ottery asked.

David ran from around the desk to hold him but slipped right past the boy.

“Ottery?” he said holding nothing, his back to the boy’s ghost.

“I … I’m really dead,” the dark haired boy said. “I thought they were just kidding.”

“Wow!” Andy said impressed at Ottery’s new status, still scratching his head in surprise.

“You can’t be dead. I’m going to kill you,” Teddy remarked sword in hand.

“What’s going on here?” Ron asked.

Ottery smiled at him. How he longed to … but this is ss but he sighed and took the seat behind his desk.

“Why don’t we all sit down. You can let me tell you all what’s going on.” The boy said.

“Splendid idea,” came the warm, low gravelly voice of Professor Dumbledore from the doorway. He apparated chairs for everyone and took the center seat across from Ottery, staring at him eye to eye. “Why don’t we start with you?”

:lol:

creo que si, te habia visto, y no me atrevi a hablar
 

Now I’m here … sort off … we can sort things out

“Fine! Let’s start by saying, this is all your fault you know!” Ottery’s ghost yelled at Dumbledore rather crossly, standing up and knocking things from the desk with the suddenness of his movement.

“Saint Peter wouldn’t let you in?” Mel asked taking a seat. In the same instant Teddy had questioned him, “How’s purgatory?” As the little bear put the sword back on the wall.

“No, Saint Peter wouldn’t ‘not let me in’. It wasn’t my time and I don’t know what Purgatory looks like I didn’t go there Teddy!” the dark haired boy shot back angrily.

“Perhaps a few explanations are in order,” Dumbledore began looking at David pityingly. Ottery turned to look at his shocked friend embarrassedly.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Ottery took his seat again his anger quelled at least for the moment and everyone started to talk at once.

“Hey, one at a time,” Ottery started. He wished he could pick up the black cat and use him as a gavel to call the meeting to order, but the whole being a ghost thing was still new to him.

“I thought you’d died all those years ago,” David said quietly, in an accusatory whisper, far stronger than any angry exclamation.

“I faked my death, David,” the boy answered him, ashamed.

“Obviously,” Melissa interrupted crossing her arms and glaring at the boy. She hadn’t seen him in days so for her it was easy to be cross at him. Ottery however, had not seen Melissa since the accident years ago in Rome, almost a half century ago.

“It was to protect you.” The boy went on. He didn’t think a confessional in front of all their friends was the best place to discuss things, but it hurt Ottery to see David that way. And how he’d missed his dearest friend. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Ottery continued sadly, then turned surprised to the brown curly haired girl. “What are you doing here Mel?”

“Your spell backfired remember? I ended up here a few days ago and David rescued me. But how are you dead now?”

“You mean as opposed to before?” Teddy interjected. The boy glared at him and the bear, sent a puff of smoke towards him. “Archer Armstrong killed him,” Teddy continued. “But I know where the basilisk is hiding.”

“Well that’s swell, you guys have to avenge me,” Ottery remarked pleasantly.

“Sounds like fun,” Andy said, his hand on the pommel of his sword.

“But first things first don’t you think Ottery?” the voice of the Headmaster injected a sense of reason into the proceedings.

“You’re right. I’m not really dead. I’m just displaced. That’s the real reason Saint Peter wouldn’t let me into heaven, and why I didn’t go to purgatory,” Ottery replied glaring at Melissa and Teddy in turn. “I need to get my body back,” the boy finished.

“I’ll take care of that,” Herodotus volunteered standing up. “It should be in the little town you were born in, no?”

“Uhm, you can’t.” Teddy interjected rather more sedately than was normal for him.

The sleeping cat opened an eye and looked at the bear, a smile playing across his face. He began to swish his tail in delight.

“As much as being a ghost is fun Teddy,” Ottery began sarcastically. “And I’m sure you’d like to keep me that way. I want my body back.”

“We can’t get it!” The bear said flipping the cat off.

“I’m not going to stay a ghost forever Teddy just so you can get your hands on Lex’s fortune.”

“Someone took it, you git!” He screamed suddenly.

“What?” Everyone remarked but none more vocally than Ottery.

“What do you mean someone took it?” The boy asked standing up again.

“I mean someone took it for a Sunday drive. What the hell do you think I mean ‘someone took it’? Someone took it! It’s not in your grave anymore.” Teddy replied acidly.

“Took it where? For a Sunday drive?” Ottery asked.

“Teddy already said that,” Ron corrected softly so only Ottery could hear.

The boy turned to him. “Yeah, well being dead kind of throws you for a loop. Know what I mean?”

“I was chasing Archer, remember? I was playing possum and when I went after him … someone robbed your grave. I got back and it was empty.” Teddy explained.

“Well that sucks,” Andy remarked, but was met with so many stern glares he wished he hadn’t.

“Of all the annoying … What about the Martians?” Ottery asked suddenly.

“What Martians?” Everyone but Dumbledore asked. The headmaster simply looked at the boy pleasantly.

“The ones coming to take over the earth.”

“Oh, yeah, those ones,” Melissa said. “Plumb forgot, what with your recent death and the fact that I’m forty years out of my time. Did I mention I just only met almost everyone in this room?” The girl ended acidly.

“Yeah, sorry Mel, I haven’t forgotten you.” Ottery said.

“Pity you can’t say that about everyone,” David said under his breath. It hurt that Ottery could lie to him so easily.

“I need my body back.” Ottery complained. “Then I promise you can all take turns beating me in it.”

“So you’re not dead.” Ron asked.

“Well as long as I don’t have a body, yes, I’m as good as dead.” Ottery explained.

“Lucky for you. I’ve a mind to kick you’re a— ,” Teddy and Melissa said in unison.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to bring things back to order. There was a lot to be done.

:albus: :albus:

y como si esto fuera un sueño, te encuentro aqui conmigo,
 

Ottery wishes Ron would help him sort out his priorities

By the glow of the flickering gaslight the group of wizards, the witch, the cat and the bear sat quietly, looking at one another. As much because most of them had only just met, as because Ottery’s ghost was presiding over the meeting, and then there was Dumbledore sitting in their midst. Herodotus was fighting the urge to ask him for his autograph. Ottery had promised it to him a long time ago, but he had likely forgotten to get it, and somehow it didn’t seem right to ask Ottery about it now when he was dead and all.

“It seems we’ve got our work cut out for us.” Dumbledore interjected after the long pause.

“You’re right of course Wulfie,” Ottery said. “First of all Mel, no one says ‘plumb forgot’ no one says ‘plumb’ anything unless it’s ‘plumbing’ or the fruit. I mean this is the later 20th century here, you sound like something from the revival theater.”

“Well sweetie, as much as I’d love to be up on the lingo,” Melissa started annoyed.

“There you go again.” Ottery interrupted.

“I’m going to slap you three ways from Sunday when you get your body back.” She threatened.

“I’ve missed you.” Ottery said. “I’ve missed you all.”

“If you’re going to start crying I’m going to get Myrtle,” Teddy threatened.

“You're right Teddy. What’s important is I can’t be a ghost and save the world. I want my body back,” Ottery complained.

“Yeah, how else am I going to kick your a— ,” Melissa started and again Dumbledore cleared his throat.

“And how am I supposed to kill you?” Teddy asked.

David remained coldly silent where he stood watching Ottery from across the room. The dark haired boy could feel his friend’s gaze on him. He had so much to explain and so many apologies to make, but Ron looked so forlorn Ottery wanted to hug him right there but he couldn’t do anything as a ghost.

“Looks like a job for the OLB.” Herodotus said again crushing the unpleasant pause.

“I vote I be made acting leader, since Ottery is indisposed,” Casper added licking his paw.

“Hey!” Ottery complained. “I may be dead but I’m still right here.” He objected his feelings clearly hurt.

“What’s the O.L.B.?” Ron and Mel both asked at the same time.

“You’re looking at it sister,” Andy said flirting.

“I’m not your sister, cowboy,” she replied quickly.

“But I can be your cowboy if you’d like,” the boy added cheekily.

Ottery rolled his eyes before answering. “It’s a group of friends. My close friends.”

“And a few enemies,” Teddy added, taking a puff from his cigar.

“We started it after you disappeared Mel, partly to search for you and to help fight evil in the wizarding world. It’s membership is made up of people from all over the wizarding world.”

“Yes but what does O.L.B. stand for?” Mel asked.

“Ottery’s Love Brigade,” Dumbledore answered. The ghost of Ottery blushed.

“I move to change the name now that our dearly departed leader is … dearly departed,” Casper the cat threw in humorously. “In addition to my first motion to make me acting leader.”

“When I get back I’m going to kill you. See how you like it kitty.” Ottery complained crossing his arms. “This being a ghost really sucks.”

“Saving the world again?” Dumbledore said. “I’m sure it can wait until morning. I’ve got to let the students know we’re having a Triwizard Tournament.” The Headmaster added.

“What, with me dead? No fair I can’t enter.”

“What’s that?” Ron asked.

“Whatever it is, is it dangerous?” Andy asked, adventure flashing in his eyes.

“You can’t play,” Teddy replied. “Hogwarts, Durmstrang, & Beaubaxtons are the only schools playing.”

“How did you know that?” Ottery inquired.

“I was in France, I’ve got friends.” The little plush bear replied smirking.

“Dude this sucks,” Ottery complained yet again. “Nobody ever tells me anything.”


:ron:

y parecia que ya lo habia vivido...aquellas frases que yo ya habia oido,
 

The Rescue or Ottery’s Legion of Superheroes

“Are you sure this is the place?” Ottery asked.

“I followed him all the way here, it’s not my fault he picked a nasty dingy rundown shutdown hotel to be his hideout, okay?” Teddy replied.

“Will you two just shut up so we can get this adventure over with,” Mel complained.

The boys glared at her.

“You know, this being the only girl in the O.L.B. really sucks.”

“Who said you were the only one?” Ottery replied cryptically.

“So, what? Are we going to sit around like idiots on this rooftop or do we apparate on that rooftop and start kicking some as?” Andy asked.

Ottery looked at his small army. David, Melissa, Teddy, Andy, Ampersand the dragon, Herodotus, and a very reluctant Casper the cat. He missed Ron being there, Ottery had fed him some stupid line about having to protect Harry from Martians that could drop down any minute but it could well be their last adventure, Ottery knew. The dark haired boy had asked them if they had wanted to risk their lives and they had all agreed though he did not understand why he had earned such loyalty. Somehow he thought perhaps it was misplaced, but it was there.

“Well the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get in the Triwizard Tournament, and I can get my body back and we can do something about those pesky Martians.” Ottery replied.

“Getting me back to the forties wouldn’t hurt either. I don’t think I want to be around for this rap stuff.”

“Tell me about it,” Ottery started complaining.

“So, what are we waiting for then?” Mel said.

“For right!” David said.

“Because it’s Right,” Andy continued.

“For justice,” Casper said the next part, stifling a yawn.

“Because it’s just us.” Teddy said puffing on his cigar.

“For Ottery,” Melissa said rolling her eyes. She couldn’t believe the idiot had actually put that in their creed.

“Because … because … Do I have to say it?” Herodotus asked, pushing his glasses back under which he was blushing. Ottery gave him a scathing glare, and the boy swallowed hard. “Because he likes cute red haired boys.”

“Dude, I love having a motto. Time to save the world again, kiddies,” Ottery said and with that Ottery’s Love Brigade apparated on the rooftop of the Hilton Hotel.

:minnie:

aquellas manos que ya habia sentido,no, no, juro que esto ya lo habia vivido,
 

Epilogue

It was a bloody fight but they all came out alive, if worse for the wear, and while they captured Archer Armstrong they did not find Ottery’s body with him. It would be many adventures more before he got it back, and many years before Melissa returned home and the world became a safer place from Voldemort.

In the end everyone was happy. Ron married Hermione after a long courtship, Ginny and Harry running off and eloping. Ottery and David ran around the globe chasing after those wretched beetles and running errands for Dumbledore, and though you can’t ever say they lived happily ever after, because no one has a perfect life, with their love and friendship and Ron and Hermione’s dozen kids, and Harry and Ginny’s half dozen and Uncle Ottery and Uncle David coming around with truckloads of chocolate one could say they came pretty darn close. Even if the Martians never did come, like Ottery said they would. But you can’t always be right.

:mwaha: Fini :mwaha:

en esas noches que soñe contigo, sin tu saberlo te habia poseido
 

*tacklepouncehugswithsmoochieskissessmoochiessmooc hiesandmorekissesplusabitofrupertandronandallthelo vethatmyheartcangiveandhugglesandhaveimentionedsmo ochies?*:loved: :glomp:

:music: If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
And all that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?:music:

You know that's the official theme song of the SS/OsC now right? *glomps*
 

This is going to be a stupid question, but what's OsC? *hides* It doesn't stand for OtterySt.Catchpole does it?
As for episode 2...well now you've just ruined the surprise. I was going to do it tonight...Karaoke! Hell yes! I'd love to sing that with you...I love that song, and I love you, and now I'm going to think of you everytime I hear that song...
And it's not what I HAD on my wall. It's what I HAVE and what I will have on my wall until the morning I leave and it makes its way into my suitcase. That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Until you did this!
Anyhoo, it's dinner time and I've got a card to finish, so it is with a heavy heart I say farewell. For this moment, anyway! And you should be in bed, young sir...*kisses and huggles forever and always*
Love you endlessly, dearest one.
Shan-Shan
XoXo

Fancy meeting you here ... *smoochies and goes to bed*

Nothing my sweet Shan-Shan can ever say is stoopid. Except the word stupid ... I know it's like weird right? LOL *glomps* Yes OsC=Ottery "PWN'd by Shan-Shan" St. Catchpole.

I just finished reading you new/old fic. So awesome! I loved Teddy, and his antics, and I am glad that Ottery didn't die....at least all the way die, but I only have one question for you...what happened to the disk in the beginning of the fic? Teddy was supposed to have it with proof?

An explanation to soothe your consternation ...