Never A Memory

A/N: This site has done some reconstruction. Confused me at first, but I got the hang of it quickly. I like it.

Anyhoo, this chapter, though long in the posting of it, turned out pretty well. It was harder to write than I had anticipated. I knew that it was going to be a two-part section when I walked into it, but I had thought that the first part would be easier than the second. It seems that its the opposite.

It's also written a bit differently, which is probably why it took so long to write. There's more narrative than there is dialogue and alot of misleading narrative association. It begins with a general narrative and quickly becomes soley Harry Potter's point of view. I like it that way because it reminds me of how JK Rowling wrote her books. Everything is seen from Harry's perspective. We don't know what's going on until Harry does, and if he makes an incorrect assumption, so do we.

The second part of "The Hearing" will be very similar. I also refuse to give anything away about the next update because I'm so friggin' excited about how it will turn out.

In fact, I was so excited about that I realized I was writing part two before actually switching to the next chapter, lol. So, therefore, expect a nasty cliffhanger. I apologize in advance.

In any case, I hope you enjoy it.

*grins*



~The Hearing~
Part One

"Witnesses"
***

There was some speculation that Harry Potter had disappeared the day before the Ministry's hearing to avoid punishment for his actions because no one voiced seeing him since he left the Minister's Office the day prior. However, when Harry Potter--unusually impeccably dressed with finely pressed Auror's robes, the Order of the Phoenix emblem embroidered on the front, and his normally wild black locks tamed with some sort of charm to lay just-so around his face and neck--showed at the door of the Ministry’s Court Hall an hour before the hearing, a breeze of murmurs whispering in his wake, no one was sure if they were relieved or disappointed.

Harry spoke to no one, even Hermione Granger or his partner, Ronald Weasley, and kept to himself in one corner as officials, Department Heads, Aurors of the Malfoy Case, and witnesses began crowding the space in front of the large double doors, everyone waiting semi-patiently for the doors to open. Rita Skeeter was allowed to come as a witness, but she was forbidden her notorious notebook and magicked quill. In fact, she was the only member of the press allowed into the hearing, would be called first to the stand, and then would be asked to leave immediately thereafter. The column she had written had already caused seemingly irreparable damage and she would not be privy to anymore confidential information regarding Draco Malfoy, nor those involved in his case.

Eventually, the large oak doors opened and they were admitted inside.

Someone Harry didn't recognize touched his elbow discreetly and ushered him to a seat behind and to the left of where Minister Scrimgeour already sat. Harry became immediately confused, even though he refused to show it in his face. Normally, the accused would either sit isolated in one corner on a high stand as witnesses were called to a lone chair in the middle of the circular room. If they were deemed dangerous, the accused would be remanded to a small, barred cell with long, steel thorns pointed inward to keep the accused docile before, during, and after questioning. For Harry to be seated so near the Minister of Magic during his own hearing was odd. Harry wondered if it was Scrimgeour's way of sending a silent message to the Department Heads and officials that made up the Jury.

Said Jury made little to no noise as they began filing to their seats around the room, their chairs stacked high along the walls of the circular room. The gathered witnesses were directed to a row towards the back, all but obscured by shadow once the lights dimmed, illuminating only the Jury and the lonely chair at the center of the room. Harry wanted to speak to the Minister as everyone finally took their seats and settled into silence, but he knew better.

Harry watched as Hermione Granger took a seat near Arthur Weasley, interested in the fact that, though she claimed to be the voice behind Rita's column, she was permitted--as was her right as the Prime Secretary and Head of the Muggle Affairs Division--to sit alongside the other Department Heads and not with the shadow-cloaked witnesses. Aurors stood standing near where the witnesses were seated and Harry could just barely make out Ron's shock of red hair, the shine of Anin's bald head, and the glimmer of Severus Snape's oily locks.

Draco was not there. Neither was Blaise Zabini, Father Ernst Alt, or Maximus Cure. Understandably, Cure would be remanded to his cell as he continued to brew the final stages of the Inversion Enchantratem and called to the witness chair only if the Jury deemed it necessary. And Draco...well, the Ministry may wish to keep him safely inside the Suite until absolutely necessary. Harry couldn't imagine the Jury dismissing Draco Malfoy's testimony altogether. The Slytherin would be here eventually; Harry was sure of it.

But then Harry spotted Dolores Umbridge smiling smugly in his direction...and he was not so sure.

However, when all was said and done, Blaise Zabini should definitely be here, for the prosecution's sake as well as his defense's. Father Ernst Alt had as much right to be here as Anin or Mackle, and especially Dolores Umbridge, whose status was smeared by her actions at Hogwarts during the war. Only her loyalty to the Ministry kept her a job within these walls; and Harry gritted his teeth against the sudden bile that rose in his throat.

He was uncomfortable with so many people missing when Dolores Umbridge, with no clear reason for being here, was present. Harry didn't like it. Something was...off.

In fact...many things were 'off'.

The woman who had ushered Harry to his seat made her way to the center of the Hall. Harry tried to place her, thinking he had seen her before, but couldn't remember her name. She was close to her sixties, if not already well into them, fine-boned, fair but not pretty, and seemed to carry an air of quiet dignity and intelligence. Her face held the self-same shrewdness of Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts newest Headmistress, and had graying auburn hair that fell straight and just past her ears. The woman wore dark judiciary robes and a square hat. She opened her mouth to speak.

"The Ministry has decided to conduct this requested hearing as an Auror's Annual Review," the woman said, her clear voice cutting through the silence like a knife; and, suddenly, Harry realized where he knew her from. He still couldn't remember her name, but when he was fifteen, this woman had been at Harry's hearing after he had been charged for Illegal Use of Magic for Underage Wizards. Harry remembered that she had been something of an advocate for him and had voted to drop all charges after Dumbledore had proffered a Squib to testify that there were, indeed, Dementors attacking Harry and his Muggle cousin Dudley at the time of the crime. Harry's green eyes wandered back over to where Dolores Umbridge perched in her bubblegum pink robes and watched her smug smile tighten into something that more resembled a grimace.

"Forgive me," Umbridge interjected in her sugar-sweet voice. "However, I was under the impression that one Harry Potter would be charged with--"

"With what?" the woman said, her clear voice never wavering; as if she had expected this comment from Umbridge. "Dolores, the Ministry fails to see any distinct crime committed by Auror Potter. And while his actions may be proved to be inappropriate and unfitting for duty, as far as we can tell, he has done nothing illegal and his behavior can be dealt with by the customary review board."

"Madame Comfrey." Umbridge smiled sweetly, but Harry could read the contempt in the curve of her pink lips. "If there was a proper investigation, I'm sure SOMETHING could be found to clarify the necessity of a formal hearing. The people have requested one, after all."

Madame Comfrey--the woman's apparent name--returned Umbridge's smile icily. "While your impromptu request for a 'proper investigation' is duly noted, the Malfoy Case calls for more haste and less...meddling. Today, we will publicly investigate and ascertain whether or not we, as the Ministry of Magic's Judiciary System, can responsibly continue to allow this particular Auror to remain Head Auror on this case. If he proves worthy, we will drop this matter soundly and continue as planned. If not, he will be removed completely from this case and his full punishment will be assessed at a later time. I should add, this decision is not up for debate." Madame Comfrey gave Umbridge a pointed look before turning to Scrimgeour and offering a small bow from her tiny waist. "Let us begin."

Harry saw Umbridge stiffen before relaxing back into her seat. Harry frowned. True, it had always been obvious that this horrible, horrible woman had it out for him...but it seemed that even though Harry wasn't going to be charged with any actual crime, and therefore, wasn't going to be humiliated with a formal trial, Umbridge seemed pleased that the 'Annual Review' would be public. It almost seemed as if Umbridge had a plan.

Despite Madame Comfrey claiming that Harry would be subjected to a 'Review' rather than a 'Hearing', everyone with two wits to rub together knew that what was about to unfold was in fact a 'Hearing', even though they weren't going to call it one. Harry glanced at the Minister of Magic and realized this was Scrimgeour's way of saving face and not necessarily an act of kindness. Yes, Harry Potter had a better chance of keeping his job because he wasn't being charged with an actual crime and so therefore, yes, it was highly unlikely the Ministry of Magic's most famous Auror would be sent to Azkaban, but, no, this was not a favor to Harry Potter. This was a way for Scrimgeour to neutralize all bad publicity to the Ministry and, specifically, the Auror's Division, and dump it right on Harry. It was all the same to Harry. In fact, he preferred it that way because it would take the heat off of his partner and his partner’s fiancée.

However, there would still be witnesses presented and their testimony to consider. There would still be judges discussing presented evidence and a jury delivering a final vote at the end of the day. And Harry still had to prove the need for him to remain on the Malfoy Case.

They weren't going to call it a 'Hearing', but that was what it was nonetheless.

The first witness, Rita Skeeter, was led to the lone chair at the center of the Hall. She spoke enigmatically, and her words mirrored that of her column. Rita refused to reveal the identity of her source and no one could force her to. After much deliberation, Rita Skeeter was dismissed. Everyone knew her damage had already been inflicted; there was no real reason to draw it out further.

Harry Potter didn't miss the wink Rita Skeeter sent Dolores Umbridge before she left the hall and narrowed his green eyes.

Madame Comfrey had sat next to Harry during Skeeter's testimony but had barely acknowledged his existence beyond that. Harry leaned in and whispered: "When will I be called?"

"At the end," Comfrey whispered back, her thin mouth barely moving.

Every Auror involved in the Malfoy Case were then called, one by one, to the lone chair. Each explained their involvement and each denied any suspicion of a scandal. A few were forced to admit to disapproving of some action on Harry Potter's part, mostly concerning the oddity of the Wisconsin Incident. However, every single one of them deduced that, had it not been for Harry Potter's actions during the event at Willow Station, Draco Malfoy would have surely lost his magic--killing countless Muggles as he did so--and quite possibly lost his own life as well.

During every Auror's testimony, Umbridge asked the same question: "Be that as it may, would Draco Malfoy have been in that position at all if Harry Potter hadn't abandoned him in America?"

And the answer was always a variation of: "I don't know."

But more than a few made a point of describing countless occasions where someone had been charged with the safety of another and made mistakes, inevitably resulting in some sort of mishap. Namely, Albus Dumbledore, Barty Crouch, and, specifically, Cornelius Fudge, who, as Minister, had been charged with the safety of the Wizarding World and ignored the testimony of a fifteen year old boy and slandered the name of the most prestigious Wizard of the age, Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore, resulting in the only defense against Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters infiltrating the Ministry to steal the former Prophecy was a band of misfit teenagers calling themselves Dumbledore's Army. There were deaths and injuries and everything thereafter spiraled downward from catastrophe to catastrophe until, finally, the Eve Battle--and Draco Malfoy--ended it all for good two years later.

Each Auror was careful not incriminate Minister Scrimgeour himself in recollections such as these; however, the allusion was there and lost only on the dimwitted few.

Then, finally, Harry Potter's partner Ronald Weasley was called.

Harry watched with bated breath as Ron made his way to the chair, knowing, that if asked directly, Ron would have to admit to Harry confessing his affair with Malfoy to him. Harry could have kicked himself. He should never, ever have done that.

It seemed, however, that the interrogating judiciaries had become more interested in the actual case since the revealing testimony of the previously-called Aurors. As Ron droned on, answering the rapidly asked questions, Harry could have eaten his shoes out of frustration as everything--EVERYTHING--about the Malfoy Case was revealed in full. The warrant for Draco's death, the reasoning behind the St. Mary's venture, the Inversion Enchantratem, the Prophecy, the suspension, the few days after Harry came back from Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and the battle with The Gatherer and his army of Death Eaters, the willing incarceration of Draco Malfoy, the threat of the Dementor's Kiss, the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, and the untrained Wizard that they had brought back to England to give his professional opinion on the impending exorcism of Maul, the Black Tulpa.

Soon, Ron's voice was drowned out as the murmuring between the judiciaries and the officials around the room rose to shouts and high-pitched exclamations of fear and discontent.

Harry squirmed in his seat as Scrimgeour stood to his feet, pounding a hammer against the rail and shouting for order. Harry saw Dolores Umbridge smiling and felt sick as she turned her beady little eyes in his direction. He saw her arsenic-glossed, maliciously-sweet smile widen and her thin lips part. Harry jumped to his feet to try and drown out whatever she was about to say but was pulled violently back down by Madame Comfrey. As Harry's butt slammed into the seat of his chair she hissed: "Don't push it, Potter!"

Something very akin to panic began to boil in his chest, and Harry looked wildly at Comfrey as the elderly, surprisingly strong, judiciary stared expectantly across the hall at Umbridge.

Umbridge rose slowly to her feet, her beady eyes bright and slightly feverish, and let out a sharp little giggle. Harry wasn't sure how she did it, but that small sound, like so many years before at Hogwarts, slowly quieted the large, circular Court Hall filled with unsettled Wizards and Witches. Every head turned towards her and Umbridge sat delicately back into her seat.

"I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this being kept quiet," Umbridge said in her deceivingly sweet voice, sending a meaningful glance in Madame Comfrey's direction. "However, all the incredible revelations Auror Weasley has been testifying here today only proves the utmost necessity to make sure that only the most capable Wizards and Witches are involved in this...this..." Umbridge paused, trying to think of the perfect phrase. "Potentially problematic situation," she finished finally. Hermione rolled her eyes. Umbridge gazed icily down at Ron. "Auror, were you aware of Harry Potter's scandalous actions with his sworn ward, Draco Malfoy?"

Ron blinked. Harry nearly smiled.

Almost. But not quite.

Dolores Umbridge should have re-worded her question.

"No," Ron said firmly. The Veritiserum he had taken before being called to the Witness Stand forced the truth from him; and Ronald Weasley, blessedly oblivious, had not, indeed, been aware of any scandal.

At the time of the scandal.

Umbridge frowned. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," Ron replied, visibly forcing himself to relax. "I am perfectly certain I was unaware."

Hermione smiled and Harry caught it out of the corner of his eye. Harry knew that look and wanted to pull at his hair.

What was going on?!

Scrimgeour took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder to exchange a glance with Madame Comfrey. Comfrey nodded slightly.

"Are you satisfied, Dolores?" Scrimgeour required mildly, looking tired.

Umbridge looked flustered. "Hardly. However..." Umbridge shrugged and lifted her chin. "Call the next witness, if it pleases you, Minister."

A sigh of relief swept through Ron's body as he stood to his feet, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Severus Snape replaced him in the lone chair. Harry swallowed nervously.

By some stroke of random luck, Harry had won one battle. If Ron had been forced to admit to Harry's confession in Germany, Harry would certainly have been discredited. Especially after the unraveling of the finer, more disturbing, points of the Malfoy Case.

However, Ron managed to escape that interrogation, giving Harry some time.

Harry managed to figure out that Scrimgeour, Comfrey, Ron, and--quite possibly--Hermione, as well, had devised a plan to use the imminent danger of the case as a way to divert attention away from Harry's misconduct and, thereby, causing the Jury to desire Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, to remain as their default hope against this new threat. So far, it had worked.

But then...

Umbridge seemed dead set against this plan; plainly using all her power to keep the interrogation pointed towards Harry's 'supposed' philandering. Umbridge would realize her mistake soon, and would definitely not make the same one again.

All the same, Harry was confused, thinking that it was all prolonging the inevitable.

Harry would eventually be called to the stand. And he would then be forced to admit to his affair with Draco as he had to the Minister two days prior.

Were they waiting for something? What were they waiting for?

Severus Snape managed to look utterly bored as he lounged in the lonely, uncomfortable chair. "First question...?"

The Jury still seemed to be dazzled and confused by the fearful news of an enraged and powerful Tulpa trapped inside of Draco Malfoy's body. Someone finally managed: "What is your involvement in the Malfoy Case?"

Snape's thin lips twisted and he rolled his eyes, one black brow lifting slightly. "Draco Malfoy is my godson..." Snape stated slowly.

He was in on it too, Harry decided. They were stalling for something. What was it?

Umbridge was looking suspicious as well. "We know and understand you relativity to the ward, Professor," she snapped. "How HAVE you been involved in the Malfoy CASE?"

"Would you like the whole of it, Dolores," Snape asked in his bored, slow drawl, "or would you like a summarized version?"

"I'm losing my patience," Umbridge replied in a sing-song voice.

Snape tilted his head to the side. "While wondering why, of all people, you would lose your patience at a time like this would be more amusing than it would be relevant, I assume that what you really want to know is my less amusing and rather more relevant opinion on the Auror in question?"

Umbridge made a show of attempting to look disinterested while being obviously disgruntled. "Among other things, yes; why don't you start with that?"

"I have always been of the opinion that Harry Potter is an arrogant, incompetent buffoon," Snape said mildly, sneering in Harry's direction. "However," Snape said abruptly, "the 'Auror in question' owed my godson a life debt and had dedicated his first years as an Auror to protecting Draco Malfoy. Therefore..." Snape paused. "Therefore, it is probably my duty to acknowledge said Auror's most sincere motivations for this case and, furthermore, I should point out that the column that caused this trial was incorrect. At least, on one account. It was my and Headmistress McGonagall’s collaboration that originally sent Draco Malfoy to America. Ronald Weasley was informed first and it was us three who eventually convinced Potter." Snape's lips twisted again as he handed a nearby Auror a letter from the Headmistress of Hogwarts confirming Snape’s statement. "I also know for a fact that Potter was not aware of Maul's Prophecy until Draco himself had told him; only hours before the attack by Cruent Mantle and his band of misfit Death Eaters."

Umbridge's face turned stony. Harry wanted to cheer. The murmurs began to rise around the room again.

"Don't you think that Potter should have unveiled this Prophecy long before it became such a threat, Professor?" Umbridge asked through clenched teeth.

Snape smirked at her. "I was privy to Voldemort's most inner circle, Dolores, and not even I knew of the Prophecy. Though, there were quite a few accounts where Potter made some extraordinarily insulting inquiries on the House of Slytherin..."

Harry winced.

"Insulting inquiries?" Dolores inquired, interested.

The answer lies within Slytherin. Harry closed his eyes.

"Potter asked me to study a list of suspects before whisking off to investigate elsewhere. All the names were Slytherin students of mine. A personal disagreement between the two of us, nothing more."

"Hmm." Dolores thought for a moment, but whatever she was going to ask was interrupted by another judiciary, asking their own question. This inquiry, and the many that followed it, directly concerned the case and, while most of Snape's views on Harry's actions therein seemed sour at best, none of them were discriminatory. Snape's answers dripped like molasses from his thin, twisting lips and the Jury soon tired of his bored voice and slow, grating answers. He was dismissed and as Harry watched his retreating form, he thought he felt something close to appreciation for the oily sadist that used to instruct his Potions classes in the surliest fashion.

Mary Heart was called to the stand; her answers mirrored much of the same.

Trisha Knockwood had nothing negative to say.

Umbridge was developing a twitch in her jaw.

To appease the disgruntled Jury, Maximus Cure[1] was sent for and interrogated; his wily, eccentric answers belying the handsome, airy figure he cut. Harry was struck by how different Maximus Cure seemed from the Michael Deans he met in Wisconsin. Harry supposed that was the trick of being a con.

Harry grimaced as Cure made light of how Draco had seemed to disappear from under both their noses and ended up nearly imploding himself at Willow Station. Harry noticed how Cure averted his eyes when he tried to joke about that, seeing that it pained him to think he nearly killed the Malfoy heir. Harry couldn't tell if it was for show or not.

Cure claimed he didn't know how, exactly, Blaise Zabini managed to have him released, but asserted that it was more than probable that Draco Malfoy could survive a second "session" with the Inversion Enchantratem in a controlled environment...given that the exorcism is successful. At that, many eyes turned towards Harry, who forced himself to lift his chin and look as bold as possible.

Before Cure was sent away, their eyes met, and Harry felt a sense of regret and sadness peek out from behind the wildness of those clever, hazel eyes. Something pulled in Harry's chest. He knew Cure's file, but it had been Blaise who had explained that Michael Deans had been his friend, not some hapless classmate. It had been Deans' idea to experiment with the Inversion Enchantratem and Cure had gone along.

Harry understood the swell of guilt that never, ever went away, that thing that stays lodged in your throat no matter what you do, preventing you from expressing the full extent of your remorse. Being responsible for the death of a friend was something Harry Potter knew too well and Harry looked away first.

Umbridge, whose twitch was becoming even more prominent as her frustration grew, finally demanded that they call Harry Potter. Harry tensed.

Comfrey stated that there were more witnesses to call.

"With much of the same testimony," Umbridge countered. "We are here to ascertain Potter's misconduct! I think it's time to hear HIS testimony."

Harry bit his lip, feeling incredibly nervous all over again. Dolores Umbridge was going to tear him to pieces.

"I do not think that will be necessary," cut a voice from the very end of the hall. "For the grounds of this trial can be proven to be delivered illegally," Draco Malfoy finished as he emerged from the shadows of the entryway, an entourage of four Aurors, Blaise Zabini, an uncomfortable, hunched-over Wizard Harry had never seen before, Percival Weasley, and the pale blond head of the dreamy-eyed Luna Lovegood in tow.

“I can prove the illegality of the column written by one Rita Skeeter and the involvement of former Secretary Dolores Umbridge,” Draco Malfoy stated clearly, his voice carrying across the Court Hall, his grey eyes flashing and his mouth curving into that infamous sneer.

~*~


[1]: I accidentily wrote "Cruent Mantle"'s name here and just recently fixed it due to Mangacat and Queen Bodicea's watchful eyes. Thanx guys. WHen I read your reviews, I said, "No way!" but I sure did. Yes, Cruent Mantle is dead and it was Maximus Cure they sent for and interrogated. Just an embarrassing typo on my part. Thanx again for the help!

A/N: If anyone is interested, thrnbrooke brought up an interesting topic in her review to the last chapter and my response is posted below. I would love to hear other opinions on this topic. Feel free to add to the discussion. :)




Lilith: Woops! I must have missed your review when I was responding to them. Sorry about that!

I'm glad you liked that bit about Revelations. I've been leading up to it for so long, I was afraid people weren't going to get it. :P

I think Draco cares a great deal about Harry, it is just that, its in his own way. I foreshadowed this during the briefing with Ron and everyone going over the Prophecy a few chapters back, when Snape discussed how Purebloods often express 'love' and that it often looks different than what others think affection and genuine caring is.

And so, what Draco has up his sleeve--which I partly cliffhanger-ed this chapter with--is something that Draco designed while operating from this place. I hope you enjoyed the update and thank you so much for your review!



paigeey07: Awesome. Thanks for your review!



genxster: Funny you should mention that. There's more of that irony here and more to come in part two. Thanx for your review!



genxster: I had debated internally about the birthday present thing. I always wanted to throw it in, but I got sidetracked with the plot. I am very happy that you enjoyed. Yes! I never thought it would be realistic for them to shag every friggin' chapter, though I've read parody's that have them doing that and I enjoyed it immensely. Namely "Gay Aurors" is one of them. Very funny story.

It's also more "sweet" to have them seperate and dealing with seperate things and allowing these seprate things to strengthen their relationship, even if it doesn't seem that way at face value.

Ha ha, I have this song called "Passive" by A Perfect Circle that I've been obsessing over these past few months. It's an incredible song. You should check it out, even if it is slightly OT. Evil plan? *chuckles* A little. It eventually angers Harry, though Draco thinks he's doing the right thing.

Crap, I'm giving away too much.

This is the downfall of responding to reviews. I trap myself.

Thank you very much for your review and I hope you enjoy the update!



thrnbrooke: That's an intresting response, thrnbrooke. "Correct Host" Hmm. My intention was to show parallel themes between Father Alt's belief's and the Wizarding World's problem with the Black Tulpa. Also to distinguish similarities between "Tulpa" ( a known phenomena of condensed energy ) and "Angels" whose origin is fairly unknown but are described to have form at times, but posses many of the same characteristics of "Tulpa". I'll get more into this in the next chapter.

However, the allusions to Revelations was a way to hint that "Lucifer" or "Maul" or "Memnoch" or "Satan" or "Legion" or whatever, has been trying to engage in the physical world for ages and Father Alt remarks that this is why Exorcists exist in the first place.

So, when saying that Draco isn't the "correct host" is a very interesting concept you have brought up. Perhaps, it is more that everytime a possession is thwarted ie by 'exorcism' or something similar, you could say that the host was incorrect because it didn't work, when using a "based on results" theorum. However, during the time of possession, the "Tulpa" or "Demon" or "Angel" or whatever, thinks, presently, that they are in the right host until they are thwarted. One day, however, they may not be. And, thus, The End of Days, or Revelations, or Judgment Day, or Armageddon, or whatever religion wants to call it.

So, I think that your term is food for thought, thrnbrooke. I am always amazed at how you leave so few words in your reviews, but they always seem to have the most impact.

Hoping you enjoyed the update and thank you very much for your review!



Mangacat: No worries. You helped out a ton, thus far. Thank you so much for your review!

I always meant for Alt to be a cool character. I'm glad you liked him. Redemption is a common theme in this story and Father Alt embodies this to the fullest. I hope you enjoyed the update!


Anon: Yikes, I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner. Well, here you go and Part Two should be out soon. Please don't strangle me. I...I don't think that would be on my top ten most pleasant experiences list. Thank you very much for your rview and I hope you enjoyed the update!



QueenBoadicea: You, like thrnbrooke, post reviews with such impact. Very perceptive. I love it. Yes, the exorcism is going to be dark and gritty. Many reviewers didn't like the chapters where Maul was narrating because it made them uneasy. It's going to be worse during the exorcism chapters. Yes, Alt is out of the game, and yes, it's strange for Alt to take comfort in someone like Draco. Why do you think he does?

Hmm. I had intended the "chicken shit" comment to be funny and a phrase of endearement. I apologize for not making that clearer. Harry had already visited Draco, but did not give Draco the present when he did. He forced Snape to do it for him. So, essentially, Draco was admonishing Harry for not giving Draco the present himself when he had the chance. *shrugs* It was an iffy part of the chapter to begin with. As I mentioned to genxter, I wasn't sure if I wanted to edit it out or not.

However, thank you very, very much for your review. I hope your enjoy the update!



Paige Taylor: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the update!



gage: I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your review! :)

Thanx again, everyone, for your maganimous reviews. I appreciate them so much!