YAY! New chapter! Love it!

PAMS!

Hey Allison. Fantastic chapter. Yes, I'll be patient and wait to get my answers when you're ready to write them. I'll be watching for your next chapter.

Harry and I eventually went to bed last night, me sleeping for only an hour or so due to the repeated vision of my mother and that boy in the great hall, playing over and over again in my brain. I ended up sitting up in my bed behind the closed curtains, just staring into the dark and trying to rid my mind and body of the feeling that my mother had been feeling. Even though it was out of my control I felt like I was betraying Harry by these dreams and knowing what it felt like to be so attracted to another boy.

Since I wasn't able to sleep at all I decided that I was going to go and visit Dumbledore in his office to discuss my dreams. I followed the all too familiar corridor to his office, surprised that I didn't pass any professors along the way who liked to set the precedent to first years that sneaking out of bed after hours would not be acceptable.

I made it to the large statue in front of Dumbledore's office, realizing that I had no idea what his password was. I stared at the statue, its eyes just looking back at me blankly as I struggled to think of what it could be. After several guesses I gave the statue a rather thorough kick, which of course did more damage to my foot than the statue, but to my luck caused the statue to swing forward.

Professor Dumbledore who was in a long deep purple nightgown with stars on it appeared before me, looking up and seeming slightly startled as he found me right in front of him. Regathering himself slightly, having dropped the newspaper in his hands, he gave me a warm smile.

"Forgive me Abby. I was just a bit surprised to see you here at this hour."

"No, I'm sorry Professor. I shouldn't have just shown up like this," I said with an apologetic smile. "I was just wondering if we might be able to talk?"

Dumbledore looked at me over the top of his spectacles, a curious look on his face. "I would say let's go inside the office but seeing as no one is awake at this hour but you and me I think we'll be safe to talk here."

"I wanted to talk to you about these dreams that I have been having," I said looking out the window besides us.

"Dreams? What kind of dreams," Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know that they're dreams so much as memories. At least, they feel like memories, but not my memories."

"Whose memories?"

"My mothers," I said, turning back to look at him.

Dumbledore was quiet as he looked into my eyes. "Perhaps you ought to come into my office," he said, turning around and heading back up the steps without waiting for a response.

I followed him up the steps and sat down at the familiar arm chair that I had found myself sitting in quite frequently last year. He hurried around and sat down at the seat across from me, shuffling some things around on his desk so that he could rest his elbows upon it. It looked like he had been researching something since there were numerous books and papers spread throughout.

"So, tell me about these dreams," he said, looking at me seriously.

I relayed to him the dream that I had had over the summer and the new dream I had had on the Hogwarts Express and that night. Dumbledore listened to me intently as I spoke, leaning more and more forward with each word I spoke. When I finished he sat there quietly for a moment, looking down at a sheet in paper in front of him.

"And you say you don't recognize the boy in the dream?"

"No, professor, I don't. But in my dream you knew who he was and you seemed kind of concerned."

Dumbledore kept looking at the paper before he eventually shifted his glance up and looked at me. "There are some things that are going to change this year Abby; things that I will come to tell you in time, but as of this moment I don't want you to stress about."

"So these dreams do mean something?"

"Oh, they are not dreams but memories as you have guessed. And I have no doubt that they are your mother's."

"But Professor, how am I seeing them? I don't even know where my mother is let alone how to access someone's memories."

"I know this is frustrating Abby, but I need you to trust me when I tell you that I will give you answers, but not right this moment. For now when you have these visions I want you to want them down, but make sure that you keep them safe and only share them with those you trust with your life. Do you understand?"

"Of course Professor," I said with a little sigh.

"You go on back to your bed and try to get some rest. We'll be in touch."

Nodding my head I stood up and headed out of Dumbledore's office, leaving him there with a bunch of thoughts streaming through his head. As the statue slammed closed behind me I couldn't help but let out a little sigh of frustration. So these dreams, or should I say memories, were real, but what did they mean? And why was Dumbledore unable to tell me now? Kicking a stone that had crumbled off the wall I let out another grunt of frustration. As usual I went to Dumbledore for answers and instead left with even more questions.

Hey Allison. I read this when you posted and was afraid you'd post another chapter before I got to comment on this one. As I was reading her conversation with Dumbledore, I was thinking of questions to ask when I was finished reading, but you already asked them in your story. I just loved the way you wrote the ending of this chapter. All of it, but the ending was my favorite part, starting with, and going to the end; Now I hope you are able to write soon. I'll be watching.

Great Job Allie!!

Poor Abby! And Harry wouldn't feel betrayed, he loves her!! <3 !

PAMS!

Naturally even though I tried to get some sleep after returning from Dumbledore's office, it didn't work. I ended up showering and getting dressed before heading downstairs and planting myself in one of the plush chairs. Ginny and Hermione came down about an hour later, laughing about something but stopping when they saw my face.

"Are you alright Abby?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. At the touch of her hand a surge of thoughts and emotions came streaming into my body at once. Instantly I jerked away from her, jumping out of the chair so quickly it startled her.

"Sorry Hermione," I said as an apologetic look streamed across her whole face. "I just didn't really sleep well last night is all, so I'm a little jumpy."

Hermione looked at me like she knew there was something else, but decided not to push it. She shifted a look at Ginny who was looking at me curiously. I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror but based off of their expressions and thoughts I must have looked pretty bad. Before Ginny was able to say anything Harry and Ron came slumping down the steps, Ron's hair looking like he had stuck his finger into an electrical socket.

"You know there are these clever inventions called brushes," said Hermione, eyeing his hair in disbelief.

"It's too much effort this soon after I've woken up," said Ron, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

With an amused roll of the eyes Hermione led us out the portrait door and down the steps to the Great Hall for breakfast. I was lagging behind, finding myself not able to concentrate on the small chatter the bunch was indulging in. Harry had fallen back with me, taking hold of my hand which sent another surge of emotion and thought through me. It was so much all at once that I ripped my hand from his and fell back against the wall, gasping slightly.

"Abby?" Harry said, taking a couple of steps towards me. "Was it something I did?"

The group in the front at stopped and was turned around looking at us, concern on all their faces.

"What's going on Harry?" Ron called out.

"Just give us a minute," said Harry, waving them on so that they would go ahead. Hermione made a step to go towards me but Ron took hold of her arm and began to lead her down the hall away from us. "Harry can handle it," he mumbled to her.

"Abby, what's wrong?" Harry asked, whispering it to me so the few students nearby didn't hear.

"I don't know," I said, looking at Harry nervously. "Everything is just too much...it's like I can't control it. I hear everything, and when Hermione touched my shoulder and you took hold of my hand...the intensity of it all just knocked the breath out of me."

"Well what can I do? Should we go see Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked, the urge to hold me so strong, but he knew it would only make things worse.

"Is there something going on here Potter?" came the usual drawl of Snape. We both turned to look to see him standing in the doorway of what appeared to be a storage room.

"No sir, nothing," said Harry, turning back to me instantly once he realized it was just Snape.

"It doesn't appear to be nothing," said Snape, shooting me a curious look.

"I'm fine," I said, pushing myself off the wall. Harry gently placed his arm on my shoulder to make sure I had balance. It sent another surge of emotion through me, but I controlled it from playing across my face. "Do you know where I could find Professor McGonagall?"

"I presume she'd be in her office," said Snape, still staring at me as if he stared long enough he might see into my soul.

"Thank you." I started to walk, Harry beside me just in case I fell over. We walked in silence, nothing but the thoughts of Harry and the other random students we passed filling my mind. We were fortunate that Professor McGonagall was in her office working on a piece of parchment. She looked up upon Harry's knock of the large, wooden door.

"Yes Mr. Potter, Miss Carson?"

"May we come in?" Harry asked. Professor McGonagall took off her spectacles and looked at me fully, instantly jumping out of her chair and practicing sprinting to me.

"What happened?" she asked, closing the door closed behind us and turning around to lead me to a seat. She placed both her hands on me, sending me crippling to the floor, screaming out in pain.

"Miss Carson?!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed.

"Touching her is too much," said Harry, bending down next to me. "She said she can't control her gift and it's making physical contact too much to bear."

Professor McGonagall bent down next to me, this time making sure not to touch me.

"When did this start happening?" she asked.

"Just this morning," I said, trying to stop my eyes from watering from the pain.

"Alright. We need to get you to the hospital wing," she said, standing up.

"What's happening to her?" Harry asked, standing up as well.

"I can't be a hundred percent sure, but if it's what I think it is we need to get her somewhere safe."

"Safe?" I said, using the wooden chair next to me to stand up. "Safe from what?"

Professor McGonagall had flung open the door to a set of scared first year faces. "I'm afraid our lesson for today will have to be postponed. Run along!"

They were practically shoved out of the way as she began to lead us down the hallway towards the hospital wing. The hallway was so crowded that the number of thoughts sent pangs to my head, especially since they were all thoughts about me.

By the time we made it to the hospital wing I was about ready to collapse. Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office, looking at me in terror, before rushing over to us.

"Do not touch her," said Professor McGonagall, stopping her as she reached out to touch my forehead. "It will cause her excruciating pain."

"Alright, well, come over onto the bed dear."

I slumped over to it, practically falling on top of it, before hoisting myself up and lying flat on my back. The room had started to spin from the pain in my forehead, almost like a migraine but a thousand times worse.

"What is happening to me?" I mumbled out to them.

"Something that we should have seen coming," said Professor McGonagall, leaning down so that her face was next to mine. "Abby, I need you to think very hard for me. When did you start having the dreams?"

I looked at her in surprise. "How did you know about my dreams?"

"Dumbledore told me of course, and he is on his way to here as we speak. Now, answer the question Miss Carson."

"The last week of summer," I said, the pain adding a fuzzy tint to the room.

"Ahh...Albus!" Madame Pomfrey called out.

"Professor Dumbledore, what is happening to her?" Harry asked, panic starting to come in his voice.

"Harry, I'm afraid this is not a good time for you to be here. I will come find you when you can."

"But..."

"Harry, leave."

After seeing the look on Dumbledore's face, Harry gave me one last worried look before leaving the room. Once the door was closed Dumbledore pulled the curtains closed around us, coming over to stand next to me on the other side.

"Forgive me Abby. If I had known it was going to happen this quickly I wouldn't have let you leave my office."

"If you'd known what was happening so quickly?" I asked, a rising panic starting to form in my chest.

"It's your mother Abby," Dumbledore said, looking at Madame Pomfrey who had pulled a small vial of something out of her pocket.

"What about my mother?" I said, looking at him strangely.

Before I could get a response my eyes drooped and I passed out.

Hey Allison. Great chapter! So intense. I wish it hadn't ended.
I like how you word your story. This sentence was especially good. It would be natural for Harry to hold her, and try to comfort her here, but, Harry is a main supporting character in your story, and it wouldn't do to have him hinder her (unintentionally) instead of help her. The way you wrote it, helps move the story smoothly forward while giving us your readers the feeling and emotional acceptance of Harry not holding her and comforting her.
I was wondering if the boy in her dreams with her mom is Tom Riddle. Just a thought. Don't answer me on that.
Very exciting chapter Allison. I can't wait for your next one. I'll be watching for it.

I didn't know how long I had been out cold, but by the time I had opened my eyes Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick had appeared at the bed by me. Professor McGonagall looked so concerned I could have sworn there were tears forming in her eyes. I shifted my gaze, which was slightly fuzzy to Professor Dumbledore, whose hand I now noticed was placed on the bed next to mine.

"Abby?" Professor Dumbledore said.

"Professor Dumbledore?" I said, my voice sounding rather scratchy. "What's happening?"

"It has to do with your mother."

"What about my mother?" I asked him, not understanding. "Did something happen to her?"

"Yes...she has made an eternal bond."

"A what?" I asked, struggling to keep myself from falling back into the deep, bottomless pit that I had just been in.

"A bond. Every phoenix animagi has the ability to form a bond with another person, but only if the person has magic in them. The process to creating such a bond is excruciatingly painful, which is why most phoenix animgais choose never to do it."

"So why would someone make the bond if its so painful to them?"

"Because of the rewards that come from making such a bond. The more powerful the witch or wizard the animagi makes the bond with the stronger their own abilities become. The bond allows the animagi to be so connected with the other person that they can always sense where they are and what they're feeling. They can tap into the person's magical abilities and vice versa."

Everyone in the room was completely silent as Dumbledore spoke, their eyes on me rather than him.

"So you think my mother made this bond?"

"From the physical pain that you were experiencing I have no doubts that she made the bond," said Dumbledore, his facial expression difficult for me to read. I was pleased to find that the fuzziness of the room was now gone so I could see the people around me clearly.

I was quiet for a couple of moments, my mind trying to process what I knew, and everyone else knew that Dumbledore was saying.

"My mother made the bond with Voldemort," I said, my eyes shifting down to my hands which were even paler than usual.

"Given the situation and how advantageous it would be for him, yes, I believe so."

"And the boy in my dreams is Voldemort isn't it?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I need to apologize to you Abby. I should have known that one you started accessing these memories between your mother and Voldemort that that meant they were getting ready to seal the bond. I guess a part of me was wishfully thinking that I was wrong."

"So basically because my mother made this bond that means that Voldemort is even more powerful than he was before?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, he will be much more powerful."

I clenched my hands into fist, my body starting to shake in anger. How could my mother do this to me? How could she perform such an act that would help the very man that was trying to kill Harry and hundreds of other people for the mere pleasure of it all?

"Abby, I know this may be frustrating for you, but I do believe that Voldemort has your mother under some kind of influence that is making her go along with all of this. You and I both saw the look in your mother's eyes last year, and it doesn't take an auror to realize that something was missing."

I nodded my head. "But obviously my mother and Voldemort had something since those visions I had were not of them none, but when they were my age or even younger."

Dumbledore leaned his body so that more of his weight was against the bed. "Your mother and Voldemort were very close during their school years at Hogwarts despite my efforts to stop it."

"But how could my mother like such a man?" I asked, not understanding how anyone could find Voldemort attractive.

"Well that is what I am hoping we will be able to find out. Abby, what happened to you is a sign that you are still connected to your mother through your magic. You can choose to ignore it or try to explore it. I believe that this connection could help us get insight into what Voldemort may be planning, and why Voldemort after all these years has decided that now is the time he needs your mother's help."

"So what exactly is it that you need me to do?" I asked. "It's not like I have control over when I get these visions."

"No, you don't have control, but your mother's mind will be very vulnerable these next couple of weeks as she struggles to adjust to the new strength of her powers."

"Which means getting into her head won't be as difficult," I said, nodding in understanding.

Dumbledore gave me a gentle nod. "I don't want you to try and access her mind by yourself however, because I don't know how deep you'll be able to go, and how far the connection between you and your mother really is."

"But you think it's pretty far?"

"Given that you were physically experiencing the pain that she was feeling while they were performing the bond...yes I believe it is very far."

All of us were quiet for a couple of moments, letting the situation sink in.

"Harry will be in even more danger now, won't he?" I asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore gave me another little nod.

"I could do the bond right?" I asked Dumbledore.

Hey Allison. I totally wasn't expecting that! WOW! This is a very scary thought, but I'll ask it anyway cause I want to know. So Voldemort is bonded to Abby's mom now? Does that mean he can become a Phoenix now? But if he can, then he doesn't need the Horcruxes (sp?). When he dies he can just become born over again from ashes. And he won't be able to be killed. If her mom dies... can they break the bond before she is reborn again? And her mom is also bonded with Abby also right? And if Abby: Who does she want to bond with? Dumbledore so he can give her more strength and power? Or Harry so she can give him more strength and power, and not be able to be killed? I don't know. maybe my imagination is going wild, and I should just wait for your brilliant next chapter. I'll be watching for your next.

You have quite a number of questions here!! Hopefully the next part of this chapter will clear them up for you, but just as a general thing: no, Voldemort cannot become a phoenix now that he is bonded with Abby's mother. Abby's mother and Abby are bonded in a more general sense simply because they are mother and daughter. That just comes with them being blood and both being phoenixes.

"Absolutely not!" Professor McGonagall said, taking a step towards my bed in a rather threatening manner. In the already tight and confined space her gesture made it feel even smaller.

"Now, now Minerva, she was merely asking. Yes, Abby, if you wanted to, you could form a bond with someone."

I nodded my head a couple of times slowly. "And what exactly does it mean, when you're bonded with someone?"

"It's a blood bond," said Snape, who up until this point had been completely silent. "Once you make the bond it cannot be undone. It takes a very powerful phoenix animagi to be able to make the bond...most die trying because the process and pain they go through is simply too much for the body to handle."

"I never knew my mother was that strong," I said, furrowing my brows.

"We believe that Voldemort has been strengthening her magically to ensure that she didn't die. I'm not sure your mother would have been strong enough if he hadn't provided some aid," said Dumbledore, slightly apologetically.

"So, basically this bond provides unlimited power to whoever the person bonds with?" I asked.

"It all depends...you see bonds, especially blood bonds like these, will vary in strength depending upon the connection between the animagi and the person they are bonding with. Given that your mother and Voldemort have a history, I suspect their bond will be quite strong."

"History? How much of a history do they have?"

"That is something for another time. Now, there is an important thing that you must know about the bond," said Dumbledore, taking hold of my hand. "When a phoenix animagi chooses to make a bond with a witch or wizard they lose their immortality."

"Immortality? But Professor, I'm not immortal."

"Yes, Abby, you are. When you are in your phoenix form."

"But not when I'm in my human form," I said, the confusion of it all beginning to weigh on me.

"I understand this is complex, and honestly there is still a bit of mystery surrounding it all. Because phoenixes are immortal and cannot be killed, that in turn means that you are immortal. However, your body will still age and progress like that of a person that is immortal. If you were to be hit with the killing curse right now, it would kill you, however if you were in your phoenix form, then you would merely burst into flames and be reborn from the ashes in the human form that you are now, which is a teenage girl."

"So, when you make a bond you lose your immortality?"

"Correct."

"But why?" I asked.

"Because when a phoenix animagi chooses to make a bond with a mortal they sacrifice their immortal elixir of life and pass it onto the person they've bonded with," said Snape before Dumbledore could respond.

My mouth fell open slightly. "So you mean Voldemort is immortal?"

"Not immortal. Look at it as your mother granting Voldemort an extra life. If someone were to go and kill Voldemort right now, he would not die, but instead your mother would die in his place."

I now understood why Dumbledore had taken my hand to share this bit of information. "So basically you're saying we can't kill Voldemort without killing my mother first."

Dumbledore gave me a solemn nod. "Now you understand why the bond is such an extraordinary act to perform. Phoenix animagis have the choice of living forever, even after their human bodies are no longer able to function. They can transform into the beautiful animal and live the life of a real phoenix for eternity. By creating this bond, they are giving that possibility up. Really they are choosing death."

"So even if the person they made the bond with dies a natural death..."

"The phoenix will still die in their place, but ultimately the natural death causes would probably still take the person's life in the long run."

I was quiet, trying to let all of this information process in my head. Here was my mother committing such an act that made it even harder to kill a nearly impossible wizard to kill. Dumbledore made a gesture for them to leave us be for a moment, and they excited, the silence of just Dumbledore and I behind the closed curtain making the air all the more suffocating.

"How is this happening?" I whispered to him.

"I do not know, but really, deep down, we knew that Voldemort would go to whatever lengths necessary to strengthen his chances against beating Harry."

I nodded slightly, not feeling much comfort by the words.

"But what gives us strength Abby is how heavily Voldemort holds things like prophecies and set-in-stone concepts to be true. Voldemort doubts the ability to defy things, he doubts circumstance, and that is where we can find the strength we need to beat him."

"What would happen if I made the bond with Harry?"

Dumbledore let out a long exhale. "Honestly, I do not know that it would help Harry. Perhaps it would give him a back up life, like in those silly games muggles play, but ultimately you are of much more use to him as you are now than bonded with him."

"But if it turned out to be necessary...could I survive it?"

"That no one has an answer for. I believe you and Harry have a remarkable bond naturally, unlike any other I have seen before. Maybe that would be enough, or maybe you are strong enough to survive it on your own. Either way, it is too hard to say, and truly I do not think we are in a desperate enough situation for you to be considering such things."

I gave a little nod of the head. "So where do we go from here?" I asked.

"These events," said Dumbledore, looking at me from over his spectacles, "have even further intrigued my interest. You see I believe you can only understand a man if you understand his past. I would like for you, Harry, and I to explore Voldemort's past...to really dig down and study it. Perhaps through this I will find the answers that I am looking for."

"And what answers are those?" I asked.

"In time, all in good time. Meet me tomorrow evening with Harry in my office. There is something I would like the two of you to see."

With that Dumbledore was out of the chair and exiting the curtain, leaving me no time to ask questions or protest. I realized that my shoulders had been tensed the entire time, and that now that I was alone I could finally relax them. I turned my head sideways so I could look out the window that was enclosed in the curtained area with me and closed my eyes. In order to kill Voldemort I would have to watch my mother die, or in fact kill her myself. How does a child knowingly support the death of their mother? The death of the woman that brought them into the world?

I let the warm tears stream down my face without any attempts to stop them. Decisions were what made us, and more often than not these decisions were hard.

Hey Allison. All I can say is oh my goodness! OK, so her mom bonded to her so that if Voldemort dies then he will come back to life and her mom will die, but being bonded to Abby she will come back to life and Abby will die? Voldemort is willing to be killed so that these things will happen, thus killing Abby so she can't be a help to Harry? He sure is a piece of work isn't he!
I'm anxious to find out what Dumbledore means by this: The part where Voldemort doubts the ability to defy things. I think he has an ability to defy death seeing as he has Horcruxes. (just what is the plural of Horcrux?) Anyway, Dumbledore always knows so much more than the tidbits he gives Harry, and Abby, even Snape to an extent.
Well, Allison this was an intense chapter. It is heartbreaking to think of having to kill her mother. But this is what I don't understand. Won't they be playing right into Voldemort's hands by killing her mom, sense she will come back to life, and Abby will die? Or will they have to do it while she sleeps or something to keep her from changing into the Phoenix?
Can't wait to read your next chapter. I'll be watching.

Perhaps in order for this to make more sense I should be using the word connection instead of bond for Abby and her mother. Abby and her mom aren't bonded in the way that her mother is bonded to Voldemort. Abby and her mother are merely connected kind of like how Voldemort and Harry are connected to one another. You know how Harry can see into Voldemort's thoughts? Well Abby will be able to see into her mother's in the same way. So, theoretically speaking, if they kill Voldemort and Abby's mother dies, then that's it. Her mother would be dead. It wouldn't impact Abby at all. I hope this helps to clear things up

I was left alone in the Hospital Wing for a long time until finally I decided I couldn't stand being in there anymore. I pushed myself out of the bed and began to leave, not even bothering to try and make myself presentable. I was angry and frustrated and hurting at the fact that one sick and twisted man was capable of destroying so many lives. How could one person care so little about things so important as lives and families?

As I walked down the hallway a couple of students stopped mid sentence, staring at me with their mouths open. I didn't acknowledge them, and even when those concerned enough asked if I was alright, I didn't respond. I was breaking and I was dipping...fast. By the time I made it to the seventh floor in front of the familiar fat lady portrait I was ready to explode. The fat lady looked at me, the wine glass in her hand falling and shattering at my appearance.

"Well dear heavens child, are you alright?"

"I've been better," I said with a sarcastic smirk.

"I should say so. Do you need to talk about it?"

"No, I don't," I said, looking down at my feet. "Fortuna Major."

The fat lady swung open after a moments pause, sending along her sympathies as I passed through. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all sitting in the common room at one of the small tables, all four of them looking over instantly as the portrait swung open. To my surprised the common room was completely empty outside of them. I realized I had no concept of what time it was or how long I had been breaking down in the hospital wing.

"Oh my god Abby, what happened?" said Hermione, flinging herself towards me with so much force she nearly knocked me over as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "We were so worried, but Professor Dumbledore refused to let us anywhere near the hospital wing, and believe me, we tried everything!"

"Harry was ready to whip out his invisibility cloak," said Ron, just to emphasize Hermione's point.

"Abby, what happened?" asked Harry, taking my face in his hands now that Hermione had released me from her grip.

"I have to kill my mother." The statement came out flat and unattached, leaving the four of them staring at me as if I had just spoken in a language they didn't understand.

"I'm not sure we follow," said Ginny, breaking the stunned silence.

"My mother has made a bond with Voldemort, meaning that now he is stronger and in order for him to die I have to kill my mother first."

"I don't get it...a bond? What kind of bond?" asked Ron.

"The bond that phoenix animagi can make. But Abby, that is an incredibly risky process...I didn't think your mother is strong enough nor willing to go through the pain involved in such a thing," said Hermione, worry spreading across her entire face.

"How do you know so much about it?" Ron asked in amazement.

"It's in that book I gave Abby last year. Only a few animagi have ever tried it, and most of them have died in the process. I think only one man survived, and I guess now another if that really happened."

"It really happened. I felt it...that's why I started having all of those problems," I said with a shrug.

Hermione exhaled deeply, returning to her seat at the table. "I don't understand what you mean though. Why does your mother have to die?"

"Because, when a phoenix animagi makes a bond with another person, when that person dies, they die in their place. It's like giving the person an extra life."

Ron's mouth fell open so far I was pretty sure a quaffle could have fit in it.

"Oh my god," said Hermione, choosing to cover her mouth in shock of it all rather than leave it open for everything and their brother to climb into.

"Why would your mother do that?" asked Ginny. Realizing how accusatory that sounded, Ginny apologized and hoped that she hadn't caused any offense.

"Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort has done something to her...something that is making her basically bend to his will."

"That's the only logical explanation," said Harry, giving my shoulder a rub. "We know your mother would have never chosen to do this on her own accord."

"Of course not," said Hermione in that "well that was a stupid remark" kind of way.

"It doesn't really matter at this point," I said with a shrug. "Either way in order for us to even have a chance at Voldemort, she needs to go first."

The room was silent and all their eyes were on me. "I'm so sorry Abby," said Hermione weakly, knowing that it wasn't enough to make anything better, but wanting to help.

"It is what it is," I said with a shrug and a very dry chuckle. "I'm going to head to bed so, night," I said, unwrapping Harry's arm from around me and heading up the steps. Even though in the hospital wing I thought I wanted to be away from my bed and my misery I was realizing fast that that was really the only place I wanted to be.

I quietly climbed into my bed, not even bothering to tuck back the sheets or change into pajamas. I gave a lazy flick of my wand and my curtains closed all around me. No one had even stirred when I came in. I laid there, staring at the small lamp on the nightstand next to my bed. As I stared, small shards of frost began to fill up the sides, going and going until the entire thing was a frozen block of ice. I hadn't realized that my breathing had quickened during this release of emotion, but I did notice when my curtains parted with no one there to do it.

The curtains closed again and Harry slipped off the invisibility cloak he had wrapped around himself. I shifted my body slightly so there was room for him to lie down next to me, which he did, before wrapping an arm around me.

I didn't want him here. I didn't want him to see me breaking like this because I knew that he would blame himself, and I couldn't handle it. I couldn't even handle the blame I felt upon myself for letting this happen to my mother. I was stiff and distant, but after a couple of minutes my wall broke. Turning over so that Harry could wrap his arms around my completely, I laid my forehead against his chest and sobbed, my tears soaking his shirt.

He didn't say a word, he just held me, his lips pressed against the top of my head.

He didn't need to say anything. I knew he understood. I knew he was one of the few who could really understand the hatred I had towards Voldemort for taking my family from me.

Hey Allison. Thanks for the explanation.
You wrote this chapter very well, and I could feel Abby's heartbreak, and her need to feel like she wanted to isolate herself. Know amount of sympathy from her friends could make her feel better. I'm glad she is letting go of her pent up feelings though. And Harry is the perfect person to be there for her.
Great work Allison. I'll be watching for your next post.

Thanks Connie

I woke up to the sound of an owl hooting near my ear. I opened one of my eyes to see Harry's owl Hedwig staring at both of us. Harry's invisibility cloak had been thrown over the bottom half of our bodies, making us look like we had no legs. I looked up at Hedwig and chuckled slightly.

"Don't worry Hedwig. We still have our legs."

The owl gave a little hoot before turning around so we could have some privacy. I rolled over to look at Harry, who had forgotten to take his glasses off. They were askew on his face, and taking my right hand I rightened them. Harry jerked awake at the action, looking around somewhat frantically before he spotted me with an amused expression on my face.

"We better get going. It is the first day of classes after all," I said with a little smile.

"Ahh, but we have no classes this morning," said Harry, flopping down.

"Actually, I think we may be able to have potions," I said.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Well I heard Professor McGonagall telling another sixth year that Professor Slughorn accepts students that have gotten E's on their O.W.L.s which means we could take potions this term."

"And why would we want to suffer through potions if we don't have to?" asked Harry, already starting to roll back over.

"Because," I said, giving him a little shove, "if you take potions you can continue on with your dream to become an auror."

Harry rolled back over and looked at me. "I see your point." Harry paused for a moment, shot a glance at the small clock on my nightstand, and looked back at me. "Alright, let's go."

I opened the curtain slowly, but found that the entire dormitory was completely empty. Of course, I could have just as easily deciphered that from the lack of thoughts outside of my own and Harry's.

"How are you this morning?" Harry asked, standing up and walking towards me.

I gave a shrug. "No point in crying anymore over something that I can't change. It's sad, but I don't think my mom wants to be his puppet, and as her daughter I should be the one to save her from that."

Harry gave a little nod. "I'll be here to support you the whole way, as I always am."

I gave Harry a warm smile before pulling open the curtain around us. We both went into our appropriate bathrooms and showered, changing into our Hogwarts robes before heading downstairs. Ron was already in the common room, surprisingly, and was reading the Daily Prophet. He looked up upon our arrival and smiled at me warmly.

"Hermione had History of Magic this morning, so I went and had breakfast with her," said Ron.

"We were thinking we should take Potions," said Harry, shooting me a mock annoyed look.

"But we didn't get Outstanding on our O.W.L.s...well you did Abby, but Harry and I didn't."

"Professor Slughorn will accept Excellents as well," I said with a smile.

"Alright, might as well go Harry. That way we can still try and become aurors."

"That was Abby's thoughts," Harry said, taking my hand in his.

"Well, let's get going then. While I am sure Professor Slughorn will be nicer than Snape, it's best not to be late," I said with a little smile towards them both.

The three of us walked out of the portrait and down towards the dungeons. I was pleased to see that I was back to being able to block out the thoughts of people as I passed them, and felt even better knowing that Harry could now hold my hand without piercing pain going through my entire body. The three of us just kept us small talk the entire walkway until we ran into Hermione.

"There you three are," said Hermione, coming towards us with that frazzled look that she always has when her mind is going through all the homework she has to do.

"Are you two coming to Potions?" Hermione asked. "I saw Professor McGonagall and she said..."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," said Ron, cutting her off before she could finish.

"Oh good. Well, let's get going then," Hermione said with a smile.

The dungeons were just as dark and gloomy as they had been last year, even without Professor Snape in them. As we approached the door to the classroom Professor Slughorn came into view, his rotund body giggling with laughter as he conversed with a boy from Hufflepuff whose name I couldn't recall. He looked up when he saw us and smiled at us brightly.

"Hello, hello," he said to us with another laugh as we entered into the classroom. He gave me a little nod, of which I returned. I could tell from his thoughts that Professor Slughorn enjoyed adding students to his collection, people that would bring him fame and fortune, and to him Harry and I would be incredibly valuable.

Hey Allison. Wonderful writing. It's nice to be able to come up for a breath of fresh air when you've been captivated with the intensity of your posts. I'm really enjoying the reading experience I get when I read your ff. It's good to see Abby is able to have a healthy attitude about her mom, and not go into a state of depression. I know he's not a bad guy, but I never liked Slughorn. I hated teachers like him when I was in school. If you wasn't popular, than they treated you like it's a chore to put up with you being in their class. So unfair. Great writing Allison. I'll be watching for your next post.

I AM SUCH A HORRIBLE READER!
You can hit me for not reading...or commenting:tackle:

And you are such a wonderful writer! So yay for that!

POOR ABBY! I feel so bad for her....Having to kill her mom...I mean, harsh... I don't like voldemort..And I love what you have written...Despite how sad it is..

PAMS

~Abby~

Thanks for the comments and so sorry for going so long without posting anything!

When we entered the room I noticed that Professor Slughorn had removed all the chairs, leaving just the tables with three tiny cauldrons positioned atop each one. We filed in, standing around towards the front of the room, the only spot big enough for everyone to stand. Once Professor Slughorn was sure that everyone was here that was supposed to be here, he closed the classroom door and scurried over to us.

"Now, I have some very exciting potions to show you today, as well as a special little contest that the winner of will be receiving a price," said Professor Slughorn, beaming out at us all excitedly.

I shot a look to Hermione out of the corner of my eye, her face already beaming with the competition thrill she always got with academic challenges. I turned my focus back to Professor Slughorn, who seemed to prefer looking at me and Harry more than anyone else in the class.

"Now, this first concoction is something that can be considered rather dangerous if wielded properly, but is quiet pleasant to those who smell it. Can anyone go ahead and tell me what it is?"

Taking a step forward Professor Slughorn removed the cover of a small cauldron sitting on the small table in front of us. Instantly wafts of whatever was inside came streaming out, filling our nostrils. Instinctively I noticed several girls near me start to lean forward slightly.

"That is amortentia," said Hermione, not even bothering to raise her hand. "It's a love potion that smells different to each person depending on what they're attracted to."

"Very good Miss Granger. Ten points for Gryffindor!"

Unlike the rest of the girls who had moved so close to the cauldron that they were practically on top of it, I remained where I was standing. I took a deep breath in, letting my own person pleasures coat the inside of my nose. I could smell the hot cocoa, like the homemade kind that my mother used to make me when I was little, mixed with the smell of summer rain, and slightly to my embarrassment the hot almost husky smell of Harry in his Quidditch robes after a Quidditch match.

"Now, generally, this potion allows the person to smell whatever they love most deeply and genuinely. Often times people will smell the smells of their soul mates, or of things that make them feel comfortable. Anyone care to share what they smell? Miss Granger?"

Hermione didn't even bother to lift her eyes from the cauldron when she answered Professor Slughorn. "I smell freshly mown glass, new parchment paper, and spearmint..."

A wave of panic shot through me as Hermione started on the last thing. To my own astonishment my panic seemed to hit Hermione, causing her to stop mid sentence and pull away from the cauldron.

"Toothpaste," she concluded, turning her head slightly to look at me.

Ron, who had been staring at Hermione, took an uneasy shift in his stance.

"Very well. Now, can anyone tell me what this is?" Professor Slughorn asked after replacing the lid back on the cauldron. He picked up a tiny tear drop shaped vial that held a thick golden substance inside of it.

"Felix Felicis," Hermione said with amazement. The quick response drew another smile out of Slughorn.

"Correct Miss Granger! Another ten points if you can tell me what it does."

"It gives you luck," said Hermione.

"Excellent!! Now, this is complete and pure luck. This is also the prize for the person in this class that is able to successfully brew the Draught of Living Death. You will find that the steps for making it are in your textbooks. Begin!"

We were all so startled to be starting class already that we stood there in a moment of shock before finally moving to the various tables. Harry, Hermione, and I took a table while Dean, Ron, and Seamus took the table right next to us.

"I'll go grab us some books from the shelf," said Harry to Ron, both of whom didn't have books. Harry came back and threw Ron the newer copy while he kept the tarnished one for himself.

"So, what did you smell?" Harry asked nonchalantly as he flipped open his book.

I shot him a sly look. "Only if you'll share."

"Of course," said Harry with a sly smile back.

"Homemade hot cocoa, summer rain, and..." I lowered my voice so only he could hear. "The smell of you in your Quidditch robes after a match."

I couldn't stop my cheeks from blushing, and much to my surprise the confession got Harry's cheeks turning a little red as well.

"So, what did you smell," I asked, refusing to let him chicken out now.

"I smelled treacle tart, a broomstick, and your smell that evening during the summer when we laid out under the stars," said Harry with a little smile.

I smiled back at him, remembering the special flowery scented spray I had used especially for that night.

"Well, it's official, the potion says we're destined," I said with a mock-defeated tone.

"Yeah, looks like we're stuck with each other," concluded Harry in the same tone.

"Darn," I said with a "shoot" snap of the fingers. "I guess my future with Draco Malfoy just got shot down huh?"

To that Harry and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Hey Allison. So cute and sweet. Very enjoyable. I always feel like I'm missing out on something during that part. I wonder what she was really going to say. Maybe Ron's mouthwash smells like spearmint.
I wonder what Ron smells... Sausage and pancakes probably. Nice work Allison. I'll be watching for your next post.

Thanks Connie

The three of us began working on our potions, each of us feeling slightly overwhelmed by how difficult the potion seemed to be. There were just so many steps and so many mini details in each of the steps that it seemed to take forever to just get through one. I figured potions was usually the quickest subject that I forgot, given that it wasn't really something that you could practice as easily as casting magic or reading a book.

I was in the process of trying to cut into a sopophorous bean that was not cooperating when I heard Hermione give an exasperated sigh.

"I just don't understand why this is so difficult," she said, leaning over her book and glaring at it, just praying that the book would somehow magically give her a solution to her problem.

"Try crushing it with the edge of your knife," suggested Harry, crushing his own bean. I watched as a river flow of juice came out of before Harry poured it into the cauldron.

"Crush it? But the book clearly states cut it," said Hermione, shooting Harry a curious look.

"I'm just saying it's easier that way."

I too was looking at Harry, who wasn't bad at potions but it certainly wasn't his strong suit. Leaning over his shoulder I glanced at the book at he was using. Scribbled in slanted writing next to the step was the suggestion to crush the bean rather than cutting it. He looked at me with a sly smile and I gave a gentle shake of the head. Deciding that it was worth doing it his way rather than struggling with my way, I began to crush the beans as well.

"And how are the potions coming along over here?" asked Professor Slughorn, leaning over my shoulder to peer into my cauldron. "Looks like you two are doing well, although Miss Granger you seem to be struggling slightly," he said, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Just a minor blip," said Hermione furiously cutting into her beans. "It'll be alright."

"Yes, well, if anyone can do it it is you!"

I looked at Professor Slughorn out of the corner of my eye. I could sense from his mood that he was up to something.

"So, Miss Carson, I heard that you had a trip to the hospital wing the other day. I certainly hope that you are alright?"

So, Slughorn was an eavesdropper. Guess I couldn't say I was surprised given that the man was willing to do anything to be associated with people he saw as star status.

"I'm alright yes," I said with a gentle smile. "I was just feeling slightly under the weather."

Hermione and Harry continued to work on their potions, but they were watching our conversation closely.

"And, if you don't mind me asking, did it have something to do with you being different?" he asked, whispering it so that the students nearby didn't hear me.

It wasn't a complete secret that I was a phoenix animagi, most knew I was, but only those closest to me really knew what it meant for me to be a phoenix animagi. What powers I possessed, what I was capable of doing. I preferred it that way. If people knew everything I could do they may be less inclined to hang around with me.

"No, it didn't," I said, keeping a completely relaxed and even face as I lied through my teeth.

"Ahh...well that's good. I just find your condition fascinating."

I stared at him for a moment, not liking his word choice of condition before I continued with my own potion. He was waiting for a response but clearly I did not have one. He was about to start speaking again when a giggled squeal distracted him.

I looked up to find Lavender Brown looking at Ron with that creepily devoted look that she gave him, despite the two never even having exchanged words. Ron had a kind of embarrassed smirk on his face as Lavender squealed with joy again.

"Is something amusing you Miss Brown?" Slughorn asked, heading over to her table.

I could feel anger steaming off of a body near me, and I didn't need to turn to know who it was. It was almost like watching the Titanic sink with Ron and Hermione. It made so much sense for the two of them to be an item, but somehow neither of them was willing to just step forward and say how they felt. I knew that Harry and I had our rough patch last year with Cho Chang and Harry, but I thought we had come over it smoothly.

"She's just disgusting," said Hermione, her frizzy hair making her look slightly like a mad woman.

"Don't worry. I doubt Ron would even consider being with someone like that," said Harry, giving Hermione's arm a little rub. I didn't have the heart to tell that two of them that right now Ron was loving the adoration that Lavender was giving him. It was the adoration that he wished he could get from Hermione. What Ron didn't know was that Hermione did have that kind of adoration for Ron...she just didn't show it that way.

The three of us continued with our potions until Slughorn called time. I leaned over and looked at mine, the color slightly more blue that the purple color that it was supposed to be. I looked over at Harry's which was the perfect color and gave him a little smile.

"Looks like you'll be taking home the prize today huh?" I said, giving him a little nudge with the shoulder.

And I was right. Harry's potion was perfect and Slughorn granted him the liquid luck much to the dismay of everyone else in the class. As we started to exit the classroom, I noticed Professor Slughorn's look, like the one little kids get when looking at new toys in a toy shop window, and I couldn't help but think that we might need it to survive this year with Professor Slughorn.

OH! I loved the bit with the smells, and her describing ron and Hermiones love...


Can't wait for more, but I am also curious as to what Hermione was going to say instead of toothpaste, sorry for missing the last chapter, please post more soon!


PAMS

I had never known that two words other than Lord Voldemort could cause such a stir amongst the people at Hogwarts. I had been sitting in the Great Hall, munching on a piece of wheat toast while glancing over the Daily Prophet when a felt a rush of anxiety and nerves come pulsing at me. I turned to look up, finding Ron sitting next to me, his hand shaking unsteadily as he tried to pour some orange juice into his goblet.

"You alright Ronald?" Hermione asked, looking up from her own copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Yeah...yeah...I'm fine," he said letting out a shaky laugh that didn't have anyone fooled.

Hermione turned her head to look at me, her eyebrows raised with confusion.

"Quidditch tryouts," I whispered, while Ron's fork fell out of his hand with a loud clank. Hermione gave Ron an exasperated look before giving her head a little shake, and returning to her Daily Prophet article.

I turned my head to the door, figuring that Harry would be making his way in soon. I smiled slightly as he walked in moments later, dressed in his Quidditch attire. He slumped onto the bench next to me, leaning over to give me a kiss of the cheek before piling some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"So, are you excited?" I asked him, folding up the Prophet and tucking it into my bag.

"Yeah, but a little nervous too. I was kind of surprised about being nominated as Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, but I'm going to try and do my best!"

"Don't be silly," I said, giving him a little elbow to the side. "You'll be a great Quidditch Captain!"

Harry gave me a bashful little smile before taking a sip of his orange juice.

"I'll be...right..uh, right back!" said Ron, flying out of his chair with his hand over his mouth. A couple of Gryffindor's chuckled as the door closed behind him.

"Poor Ron," said Hermione, a look of sympathy on her face. "He looks so nervous!"

"In all honesty, he kind of has a reason to be," said Harry with an apologetic smirk.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"He's trying out for Keeper."

I nearly choked on my orange juice, Harry having to smack my back a couple of times before I stopped.

"Why that reaction?" asked Hermione with a glare.

"Because Cormac McLaggen is also going out for Keeper," said Harry.

"Oh," said Hermione, her cheeks flushing slightly.

We turned our heads slightly to look at Cormac who was surrounded by a group of Gryffindor girls. Cormac had blonde, somewhat curly hair, surrounded by a smooth almost angelic face that would make him the kind of model you would expect to see on the cover of Witch Weekly. He was toned and tall, and I knew for a fact that he loved nothing more in life than being doted on.

I found it a sad occasion when I was stuck in a tight area with Cormac. There really wasn't much that went on between the ears, other than a constant tally of how many girls were looking at him, and how he looked to himself in whatever reflective surface he could manage to find.

I raised an eyebrow at him as he turned to look at us, a loud and rather fake laugh emitting from his mouth. The girls surrounding him swooned which Hermione and I shot each other skeptical looks.

"He seems kind of...slow," concluded Hermione, choosing the nicer term to use.

"Yeah, he's not the smartest bloke around but he is lightning fast when it comes to catching a quaffle."

"Does Ron have a chance at all?" asked Hermione, hopeful.

"Yeah...if he's got luck on his side," said Harry, stopping when he saw Ron close to returning to the table.

I turned my eyes slightly back to Cormac as Harry and Hermione continued some small chat, sending words of encouragement to Ron. As I watched Cormac talk I couldn't stop my eyebrows from rising when I caught a glimpse of his thoughts.

Surrounded by girls and only one that he hoped would catch his eye. I turned back to Hermione and gave her a little smirk. Interesting.

I forgot to say thanks for the comment last time...sorry

After quite a bit of coaxing on all of our parts, Ron managed to consume a reasonable sized breakfast that would at least get him through the Quidditch tryouts without a hungry belly to add to his woes. The four of us headed down the rather long walk across the grounds until the sight of the Quidditch pitches appeared as small dots in our visions.

"Has it always been this far away?" asked Ron, turning to look at Harry.

"Yep, it has," said Harry, giving Ron a reassuring slap on the back.

I could tell that Ron's worst enemy was himself and that if he didn't find a way to calm himself down this was going to be a mortifying experience for everyone involved.

"So, what do you think it will be like...having Professor Snape as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" asked Hermione, hoping a change of subject would help the mood.

"Can't imagine it'll be any better than what it was like having him in Potions," said Harry with a deep sigh.

"I second that...although I doubt he'll make it past this year anyway," I said with a little shrug.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Well look at our Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers' track record. It's terrible. Not one teacher has survived more than a year all five years that we've been coming to Hogwarts and I doubt it is going to change this year."

I looked around at all of them, feeling their confusion. I let out a little sigh that made me feel so much like Hermione I had to stifle a laugh.

"Professor Quirrell turned out to have Voldemort in him and died, making him gone after our first year. Our second year was Professor Lockhart who even if he hadn't lost his memory would have been fired for being a fraud anyway, so he was gone after our second year. Professor Lupin was ratted out as a werewolf, so he was gone after that year, and our fourth year was Professor Moody who wasn't really Moody, and now his imposture is rotting in Azkaban with no soul, and last year was Professor Umbridge who so far as we know is in St. Mungo's trying to recover from whatever the centaurs did to her. So, it seems only logical that something will happen to Snape that will make him incapable of filling the post for a second year."

After a long pause from all of them Harry gave me a little rub on the shoulder. "You know, I think you're on to something."

"I do have to admit, the history is hard to ignore," said Hermione with a slight frown.

"If you think about it, that position has more bad luck than we do!" said Ron with a slight grin.

The four of us chuckled slightly, not realizing that we were now right in front of the Quidditch pitch. Ron stopped laughing, and his face took on a slightly green tint.

"Well good luck Ron," I said, giving him a reassuring squeeze of the arm. "Just concentrate on the quaffle and you'll do brilliantly!"

"Thanks Abby," mumbled Ron with a meek grin.

"We'll be in the stands for support," said Hermione, the wave of her desire to comfort Ron so strong I thought I was going to reach out myself and hug him. Deciding to prevent the situation from getting more awkward or tense for Ron, I took hold of Hermione's hand and led her towards the stands.

"He'll be okay, won't he?" asked Hermione, looking over her shoulder.

"Harry is there...he'll be fine," I said with a little smile.

Hermione and I took a seat closer to middle of the stand, since we were uncertain as to which set of hoops Ron was going to be defending. Ginny along with several others were already down on the field, Ginny giving us a wave and a thumbs up when she saw us.

"Stupid sports," mumbled Hermione.

"He's going to be fine," I said, shooting her an exasperated look.

"Easy for you to say! Harry was a natural seeker!"

"That doesn't mean he doesn't get nervous! Trust me, Ron will learn to control the nerves just like Harry does."

Hermione stared at me for a couple of moments before giving me an apologetic smirk.

"It's alright," I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and giving her a little squeeze.

I was about to offer more reassurances when I caught such a forceful wave of hope, admiration, and longing that it nearly brought me to tears.

"Are you alright?" asked Hermione, looking at my slightly teary-eyed eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I just..."

I leaned forward in the bleachers, looking to where the feeling was coming from and I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, about to say something when her eyes landed on Lavender Brown.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said, shooting me a furious look.

Lavender had her eyes on Ron with a kind of fierce longing that one usually associated with crazy people that were convinced that something either belonged to them or didn't belong to anyone at all. The whole "if I can't have you then no one can" look.

"Looks like you've got some competition," I said, giving Hermione an elbow to the ribs.

"Oh please. Ron would never be interested in someone like her," said Hermione, complete confidence in her voice, but I could feel it faltering. "I mean, he wouldn't be right?" asked Hermione, looking to me for reassurance.

"No, of course not," I said, giving her a little pat on the hand. Of course I had to admit that kind of adoration was hard for anyone to ignore or not at least appreciate a little.

Hey Allison. I love your writing! I enjoyed your new chapters and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in your next chapter. I noticed you didn't use Harry faking putting the Felix Potion in Ron's drink. Also, I loved this part: I'm so happy you gave her real feelings and not just a stupid airhead crush type infatuation. Great work Allison. I'll be watching for your next.

Thanks Connie I'm glad you're enjoying it! And don't worry...that lucky potion might be coming in somewhere late

Based off the positioning of the people on the Quidditch field I could tell that Harry was talking to the group of students. From our height and with the combination of the wind it was impossible to hear what Harry was saying to them, but even I could sense that whatever he was saying was important.

After a couple of minutes the crowd broke apart, the students mounting their brooms before taking off into the air, and flying to their appropriate positions. As Ron had a shaky push to the ground I felt Hermione's hand clamp tighter around my wrist. Just a couple of seats down I felt Lavender's anxiety as well. Amongst the two of them I couldn't help but start to feel slightly nervous myself.

The first part of the tryouts centered around those auditioning for the roles as beaters. Now that Fred and George were gone, our team had quite the gap. I was pleased to find that the two boys seemed to fill the role pretty well, and had quite good control over where and when to hit the bludgers. Next came the chasers, one of which was Ginny who Hermione and I cheered for rather loudly. I wasn't too concerned though, because Ginny proved herself to be quite a weapon during the Weasley quidditch games held at the Burrow during the summer.

Harry saved the hardest part for last, and that was determining who was going to be Gryffindor's Keeper. Cormac had taken his position at his set of rings while Ron had moved to his own. During the chasers auditions Ron had been blocking the shots pretty well, but now that it was just him, Cormac, Ginny, and Dean on the pitch it was a completely different ball game.

"So Harry said that they will have three shots thrown at them by the chasers, and that whoever has the best record will get the spot," said Hermione, looking at me with a look of hope and panic.

"So, all he has to do is block three shots. Piece of cake," I said with a non chalant shrug. Hermione let out a squeaky laugh.

Down the way I could hear Lavender muttering "come on Ron" under her breath repeatedly. Luckily, Hermione was too transfixed on Ron to notice. I took a deep breath as Dean caught the quaffle from Harry and started his way down towards Cormac. Not to anyone's surprise Cormac made a rather easy save.

Next came Ginny who took a second quaffle from Harry. I watched as she flew down the pitch, not realizing that I was holding my breath. Hermione was squeezing my wrist so tightly I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Hermione muttered furiously under her breath.

I couldn't stop myself from exhaling loudly as Ron blocked Ginny's toss with his left foot, losing his balance on the broom slightly before regaining it. The amount of relief that flooded through Hermione and Lavender was almost too much to bear.

The same flood of relief came moments after when Ron blocked a rather difficult throw from Dean with a swat of his left hand. Unfortunately the flood of relief wasn't meant to last, because nearly at the same time both Lavender and Hermione realized that this shot would determine whether Ron made the team or not.

Hermione turned and looked at me with panicked eyes. "Abby, you know Cormac is going to win this in the long haul."

I looked at her, not wanting to say the obvious outloud. Cormac was after all a much smoother and skilled Keeper.

"It's out of our hands Hermione," I said, giving her hand a little pat with my hand that still had feeling.

We both watched Dean rushing towards Cormac, the quaffle perched and about to be released when I felt the thought rush into Hermione's hand. Before I even had the chance to say "Hermione" it was done.

"Confundus!" Hermione whispered, covering her hand with her mouth so no one would see it.

We watched as Cormac shot the opposite direction of where the quaffle went. Cormac looked down at his broom with a look of utter complexity. I hardly had time to shoot Hermione a look of disbelief before Ginny was heading down towards Ron end. We watched with mouths wide open as Ron solidly blocked Ginny's shot with the top of his head.

Hermione and I were both out of our seats and clapping, along with Lavender that had let out such a squeal of relief that several other students around us turned to look at her with concerned expressions.

So that was it...Ron was our new Keeper with two...I mean three... incredibly happy fans.