When Ginny and Hermione came downstairs, they found Harry and Ron in deep discussion with their Minders - Fred, George, and Bill. They were sitting at the far end of the kitchen table, heads together and finished plates shoved to the side. George was jotting down information as the meeting continued.
“Hem, hem....” Ginny made them all jump at her frighteningly accurate impression of their most despised former professor.
George rolled up the parchment and quickly tucked it into his dragon hide jacket as Fred got up and crossed the room, pulling Ginny into a bear hug. “Good morning, my most favorite sister!” His tone was obviously sarcastic in nature.
“Oh, get off me Fred! I know you’re up to something.” Ginny said as she pushed herself from Fred’s grip, not breaking eye contact with the rest of the group.
“Happy Birthday Harry!” Hermione took a seat at the table next to Ron.
“Thank you Hermione!” Harry’s tone was like Fred’s, a bit too chipper.
“So what’s going on with you this morning?” Ginny’s eyes were pleading for information at her older brother Bill as she took a seat next to him.
“Oh, just here doing our duty for the Order.... Besides, we wanted to wish Harry a Happy Birthday.” He did his best to look totally innocent.
“Yeah, and I’m a Cornish Pixie!” Ginny scowled at Bill, perturbed that he didn’t give anything away. “Has Mum been here yet?”
Ron shook his head, “No, these blokes here brought breakfast.”
“Mum went to a meeting with Dad this morning at the Ministry, so we thought we’d volunteer our services.” George smirked as Fred continued, “I think you’ll enjoy the scones, don’t you George?”
“I’m not eating anything if it was brought by you three!” Ginny jumped up from the table and started to rummage through the cupboards.
“It’s fine Ginny, really. I ate it and you don’t see me sprouting a third eye.” Harry added as he brushed his hair off his forehead to prove his point.
“So what is it you all are hush-hush about?” Ginny returned to the table with plates for her and Hermione. “I’ve lived with this lot long enough to know that something is rotten in Denmark.”
“Well, I just asked if our Minders here could do a favor for me. I wanted some things from Diagon Alley and since they all work nearby, I thought they could pick them up for me.” Harry had told the truth, just not the details.
“Oh, look at the time.” Bill shot up from the table after pretending to look at a watch that wasn’t there. “We’ll see you later, after lunch?” He asked Ron and Harry who nodded to confirm.
“Farewell!” George got up with a big wave that nearly knocked the side of Hermione’s head.
“We bid you adieu!” Fred fell into a ridiculously deep bow after leaving his chair.
Pop, pop, pop and they were gone.
“Well, that was convincing!” Ginny said as she bit off the end of her scone and dropped the rest to her plate.
“What would you like to do today Harry? We don’t have to work since it is your birthday.” Hermione asked while she buttered her scone.
“Actually, Harry and I have plans of our own.” Ron broke in before Harry could answer.
Taking up his lead, Harry continued, “Yeah, we’re still not done with the weeds in the garden and yesterday we-” He noticed that the girls looked quite disgruntled then added hopefully, “But we’ll be done this afternoon.”
......................................................................
Ron and Hermione left for Grimmauld Place at the usual time. But instead of their usual walks, Harry went straight up to shower as Ginny settled herself into the cushy chair next to the sofa, leaning her side against the right arm and her legs tucked up under her sundress as she read an old copy of her mother’s Witch Weekly. Harry emerged about an hour later, barefoot with his hair still damp, dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was holding socks in one hand and his trainers in the other as he bounded down the stairs, careful not to hit the second from the bottom.
“Hey.” Harry said as he sat on the sofa. When he finished tying his trainers, he stood up in front of Ginny, who kept her eyes glued to the magazine. Harry was beginning to wonder if she was still on about this morning.
“Miss Weasley, I believe that you owe me a turn this afternoon.” Harry held out his hand in an offer to help her out of the chair.
Ginny quietly cleared her throat and turned the page as if nobody was there, apparently the article titled ‘Which Do Do you Do? A Guide to Bewitchingly Beautiful Hair’ held more water than he did.
Feeling slightly deflated, Harry tried again, there was no way he was losing out to a hair guide. “Miss Weasley, will you give me the honor of accompanying me with a turn through the garden?” His hand was still out-stretched in front of Ginny.
There was a moment of silence. Harry looked down at his feet, about to give up the fight to a twisted-bun-corkscrew-do. Defeated, he was taking his hand back when he felt her fingers slip inside his palm.
“Oh.... Mr. Potter!” she said in feigned surprise while letting him pull her to her feet, “I didn’t recognize you, without the dirt and all.”
“Yeah, I do clean up.” Harry smirked as her offered his arm, “Shall we?”
“Of course, lead the way.” She smiled as she took her place by his side.
Ginny and Harry walked in silence down to the garden gate. Harry had found that it was quite comfortable to walk with Ginny whether they were talking or not. The afternoon air was warm and sweet; wisps of high clouds marred the otherwise perfect blue sky. Harry was grateful to be here and glad Ginny had made him stay.
“So, have you had a Happy Birthday Harry?” Ginny asked, as she looked around at all the improvements he and Ron had made to the garden.
“Well, so far it’s been good. Anything is better than spending it at the Dursleys.” Harry stated matter-of-factly while Ginny slightly pulled his arm down as she stooped to pick a daisy.
They strolled along the outer path. Ginny stopped at various patches flowers as they walked, Harry watched her as she would smell each one, careful not to injure it as she cradled the blossoms in her hands.
Ginny has always been a bit of an enigma to Harry. She was his best mate's little sister in a family he regarded as his own and loved him as if he was. He remembered the day he saw her at the train station and how she ran to keep up with the train; waving, laughing, and crying all at the same time as it pulled out from the platform. Her clumsiness and awkward shyness towards him his second year, not to mention the fact that he had saved her from Tom Riddle’s diary, a scenario that would have brought Voldemort back and certain death to Ginny.
Over the past year, Harry had witnessed her kindness and the love she has for her family, delicate yet powerful. Her grief at the potential loss of her father, the immense joy at his recovery. Ginny had eased his fears of Voldemort possessing him, joined him in the D.A. and conspired with him against the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Professor Umbridge. And little over a month ago, she had fought along side him in the Department of Mysteries. Ginny had been threatened with torture by Bellatrix, suffered a broken ankle and hit with Merlin knows what spell. He remembered not wanting her there, afraid that she, along with Neville and Luna, would be more of a liability or hindrance than help. Just now Harry remembered what George had said about her last summer, “...size is no guarantee of power, look at Ginny.”** Harry agreed with himself, Ginny definitely has a spirit about her that’s as fiery as her hair is red.
Breaking from his thoughts, Harry looked nervously at his watch; Ron and Hermione would be back soon.
“Ginny?” He asked her quietly as she examined an odd-looking periwinkle flower.
“Um-hmm” She toned absently as she stood up from the patch of flowers.
“I have a surprise for you.” He said as she turned back towards him. He noticed that she was wearing one of the periwinkle flowers in her hair, it’s stem tucked behind her ear. It matched the polka dots on her white sundress.
“But it’s not my birthday...” Realizing that Harry seemed a bit fidgety, she smiled and said, “Oh, I love surprises!” Ginny had a good idea of what it was, but played along.
“Come on then, close your eyes.” Harry offered her his arm and led her down the path towards the hollow.
“Alright ... careful now, duck a little bit.... okay... open them.” Harry released himself from her arm in the center of the hollow and took a few steps back towards the opening so that she could take in the whole effect.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Ginny gasped as her eyes danced around the clearing.
The hollow had been transformed. All the weeds had been pulled and the flowers showed their appreciation with spectacular blooms. The shrubs were pruned back into round heaps of glistening green foliage. The garden furniture had been repaired and finished off with a fresh coat of soft white paint; you could even see the flagstone floor it was resting on. The tray table that was once covered in purple goo sat between the lounge chairs and now had a new wooden top. Above it, attached to the back hedge was a small silver banner that read in dark blue letters, “Happy Birthday Ginny!”
“This is really beautiful Harry, you and Ron did all this?” She turned and gaped at him.
“Yeah, I... we thought that you would like it. The twins and Bill helped too, they should be here in a while.” Harry said with a shrug, doing his best not to be embarrassed by her happiness.
“But, it’s not my birthday, it’s yours!” She said as she pointed to the banner behind her back.
“Well, I thought we could share our birthdays.... today, if you don’t mind. We’ll be back at Grimmuald Place for yours so we thought it would be special for you to have it here while we had the chance.” Harry was studying the jagged edge of a slab of flagstone, afraid to look up a Ginny.
“But....” Ginny said as she sat down on the repaired bench. “I haven’t gotten you anything for your birthday, we haven’t been allowed anywhere and...”
“Don’t worry about that, you showed me this place. I’ve enjoyed spending time with Ron working on it.” Still scrambling for his words, Harry added, “And I look forward to our walks, and there’s something else you can help me with, it’s something that I’ve wanted but I need your help to get it.”
Ginny looked perplexed as she examined the daisy she had picked earlier in her lap, softly brushing each petal with her fingertip. “Well, what is it?” She had no idea of what it could be. Ginny didn’t have anything she thought that he would want.
He walked over and crouched down in front of her. He cupped his hand under hers as it held the daisy and brushed her hair away, revealing the periwinkle petals and her sun-kissed freckled face. He showed the same tenderness he had for her when she was sitting on the settee, the first time he saw her after his vision.
“Ginny,” Harry’s voice was barely audible “Ginny, I want us to be friends, good friends.” He took in every line of her face in a feeble attempt gauge her reaction.
“Well, I thought we are,” Ginny uttered, keeping her gaze on the bright yellow center of the daisy. “Aren’t we?”
Harry took a deep steadying breath and slowly swung himself up to take a seat next to her, still cupping her hand but unable to see her face. “Ginny, I know about your... dreams. Your nightmares.”
“I suppose Ron and Hermione told you?” Ginny asked with annoyance.
“Yes and no.” He had crossed an invisible threshold of no return, “They told me that you were screaming for me. I know that Voldemort was torturing you and I couldn’t stop him.”
“How did you know that? I didn’t tell anybody, they couldn’t have known that.” Panic started to grab hold of Ginny.
“I know that Ginny, because-” Harry took a deep breath as if he were about to dive into the sea, “Because I had the same dream.”
Ginny was silent, so much so that Harry thought that she had stopped breathing.
“I don’t know why we had the same dream, Ginny, but I know it’s not Voldemort.” Harry was making an attempt to relieve what he thought were her worries. “I’m sorry that you suffered, and that in my dream.... your dream.... I couldn’t help you, no matter how hard it tried. I’m sorry. I just need to know that I have your friendship and if you want mine. I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
Harry could hear that she was breathing again as she drew quick sharp breaths followed by stifled sobs.
“I understand if you don’t want my friendship Gin, unfortunately it comes with risks.” A little voice inside his head was telling him that she would turn his offer down.
“It’s okay, really.” He drew his hand back from hers; somehow it felt like he was letting her go as he fell away into the darkness.
“Oh no you don’t Potter!” She forced through a sob as she reached out and grabbed his hand back. “I know what being your friend means, Harry. You have a lot of friends mind you and I would like to count myself as one of them.”
“But...”
“But what? Honestly!” she jerked her hand from his, “I may have had a silly little crush on you years ago, but having your friendship means the world to me Harry. I don’t care what I dream, what you dream, how many Death Eaters I come up against or if Lord Voldemort sends me to an early end.” Ginny was talking so fast that it all came out in rapid procession.
“I will always be your friend because I care about you! Not because you’re Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, not because of that scar on your forehead, not because you’re my brothers best mate, not because Hermione and I are friends, not because my mum and dad think of you as one of their own. I, Ginevra Molly Weasley am your friend come hell or high water and Voldemort be damned!”
Ginny was now standing above a cowering Harry who was gaping at her from the bench, much like he had done to Ron a few nights ago. But instead of storming off and taking the easy way out like he had, she stood there shaking madly and looking at him as tears slid down her red face.
“Gin, I didn’t mean to upset you... I’m...” Harry was struggling for the use of speech.
“A stupid git, I know. Good thing I can look past it!” She gave a stuffy laugh through her tears.
“Friends then?” Ginny held out her hand in forgiveness and acceptance.
“Friends” Harry took her hand as she pulled him into a hug.
At first Harry wanted to pull away, uncomfortable with such close contact, but at the same time felt at peace within her delicate embrace. Her head pressed against his shoulder as her forehead fit perfectly under his chin. He could feel the softness of her hair beneath his cheek, the dampness of her tears through the collar of his t-shirt and her beating heart on his chest. Before he could fully take in the experience, she pulled away quickly as if she just got an electric shock.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, feeling like he did something to make her jump.
“Yeah, I.... Oh never mind.” She brushed the hair that had stuck to her tear stained face away and gave a small sniff.
“Er,” Harry was good at thinking on his feet whenever danger was involved, but slammed into a brick wall with Ginny. He needed to change situation they found themselves in, for once it was awkward silence, so Harry resorted to the thing that he and Ginny had spent the most of their time together doing.
“Miss Weasley,” he offered his arm as usual, “Will you please accompany me back to the house? I believe Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will return soon and I have a few more surprises.”
“Mr. Potter, you’re too good of a friend indeed.”
.........................................................................
Ron and Hermione returned to the Burrow with Lupin and the rest of the Weasley family, except for Charlie who was still in Romania and the estranged Percy. They had each brought gifts for Harry and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley brought a large picnic basket filled with ham and roast beef sandwiches, treacle tarts, bottles of Butterbeer, and a large chocolate cake riddled with sixteen white candles and fifteen pink ones. As with any Weasley celebration, they all headed to the garden.
“Mum, come and look what Ron and Harry did!” Ginny was pulling her mother towards the hollow where they disappeared for awhile.
Fred, George, Mr. Weasley and Lupin were discussing what Harry could only guess were recent events within the Order.
Seizing his chance, Harry found Bill setting up a table in the garden and decided it was a good time to ask him if we got what he’d asked for.
“Hey, Bill.”
“Harry.” Bill replied as he magiked several chairs around the table.
“Did you get it?”
“Sure did, it’s in the green box on the mantle. Everything is set up and ready to go.” Bill smiled at Harry who was looking back at the house. “Your welcome.”
“Thanks Bill!” Harry called back as he hurried along the path back to the house.
When Harry returned, the party was in full swing. They had to keep it low key of course, but it was fun to see everyone happy, momentarily leaving Order business and the ever-present war behind them.
Harry walked to the head of the table where everyone was enjoying dinner and got their attention.
“First, I wanted to thank everyone for making this possible. To Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for letting us stay at the Burrow and treating me like I’m one of the family. And Professor Dumbledore, Bill, Fred and George for their skills.” Harry looked at each person, except for Dumbledore who didn’t attend, and then he continued. “Thanks to Professor Lupin in whom I put our trust. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The best friends I could ever have.”
They all smiled at Harry in appreciation of his gratitude. Harry had set the green box he was holding down in front of him on the table. “I have this,” He pulled out leather bound book. “But it only has pictures of parents and me.”
Harry forced himself not to dwell on thought, “I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind it if you all helped me add a few more... pictures.” Harry pulled out a wizarding camera and set it down on the table next to the photo album. “I realized that I don’t have any pictures of the people who matter most in my life as I know it now.”
“Oh, Harry! We would love too!” Mrs. Weasley was holding back tears as she left her seat to hug him.
“It’s okay Mum, he’s not going anywhere.” Ron made a feeble attempt to get her to sit back down.
“I know, I know.” A flustered Mrs. Weasley returned to Mr. Weasley’s side.
“So, who wants to go first?” Harry grinned as he looked around the table.
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, gifts, cake and two versions of Happy Birthday, one for Harry, the other for Ginny. Any Weasley festivity wasn’t complete without the antics of Fred and George, but given the situation, it was kept to a minimum.
Harry got all the pictures he wanted. He took pictures of everything and shuddered at the thought of acting like a particular Gryffindor shutterbug by the name of Colin Creevey. Bill set up the camera to take a picture with everyone in it. He was looking forward most to the pictures of his friends.
As the sun set in the west, turning the sky a brilliant red, the party came to a close. Harry thanked everyone for the gifts and the wonderful time they’d spent together before they left the garden most of them headed back to headquarters for last minute details. It was now just the four of them. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry retreated to the hollow, reminiscing about the day while watching the stars peek through the darkness.
Hermione leaned back into Ron’s chest as they were cuddled up together in one of the lounge chairs, while Ginny relaxed in the other. Harry laid down on the bench, gazing at the waxing moon. When all the stars had made an appearance marking the late hours of the evening, it was then that Ron and Hermione got up, wished them good night, and returned to the house.
Harry was perfectly content to lie there all night. He was contemplating the evening, he wondered how the pictures would turn out - Bill said that we would get them developed for him. He hoped that Ginny had enjoyed herself and didn’t mind sharing her birthday with his. Harry was glad that they talked about their friendship, he was relieved to know that it meant just as much to her as it did him. Harry was touched by what she said, even though she was yelling it at him.
He remembered their embrace, her arms wrapped around his chest. How fragile she felt, the softness of her hair, her tears, her heart against his chest....
“Harry?”
“Hmm?” Harry answered, still lost in his musings.
“Harry?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Harry.” Ginny was curled up in the lounge chair, her legs tucked under her dress in an effort to keep warm. Her face was as pale as the reflected moonlight. “Harry!”
He snapped up and walked over to her, the _expression she wore told him that it wasn’t good.
“Ginny, what’s wrong?” He said urgently as he settled down next to her. Ginny pulled her legs in tight to her body wrapping her arms around her knees.
“What’s wrong, are you okay?” Without thinking about what he was doing, he looked deep into her eyes as she looked into his.
Something had hit him. Harry was thrown off the chair and fell back, catching his head on edge of the bench with a crack, knocking him out cold.
“Harry, Harry.... Harry I’m sorry.... Harry, wake up..... You’re scaring me.... please, wake up.”
As he came around he heard someone talking to him, slowly he opened his eyes. It was Ginny. She was kneeling, cradling his head in her lap, and brushing his jet-black hair off his face. He slowly pulled himself up off her as he felt a rather large knot on the back of his head.
“I’m sorry Harry, I’m so sorry, I... I don’t know what happened...” Ginny was keeping her cool, but he could see the underlying fear of what just happened beneath her facade.
Harry had a pretty good idea of what caused his current headache and he knew with absolute certainty that it wasn’t the bench. If lessons in Occlumency had taught him anything, it was the effects what it felt like to have your mind broken into, that he had inadvertently broken into Ginny’s mind again and was on the receiving end of her powerful refusal of his presence.
“It’s okay Gin, I’m fine. It’s not your fault, don’t worry.” He tried to console her and take responsibility for his actions. “Come on, it’s getting late and you look like your freezing.”
Harry got up first and then helped Ginny up off the ground.
“I’m sorry Harry, I really am.” She said as she brushed off her dress.
“Don’t worry about it. It was probably some weird charm your brothers put on the chair, you know how they are.” He wasn’t happy with the thought of lying to her, but supposed it was better than the truth.
“Well, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Ginny gave a shiver as she held her arms close and left the hollow.
“Ginny, wait up!” Harry said as he trotted to catch up with her. She was already at the gate. “Here, let me get that.”
“Thanks” Ginny kept her gaze to the ground.
Harry let her through the gate and left it open as he walked to catch up to her again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hooded figure silhouetted in the dim moonlight cross the grass a few yards in front of them, heading for the front door. His instincts kicked in. In one swift movement he threw one arm around Ginny’s waist and pulled his wand from his pocket as together they fell flat out in the thick grass. Ginny let out a little squeak as Harry reached to cover her mouth to silence it.
He whispered urgently into her ear. “Ginny, stay calm. I just saw a Death Eater, I don’t know if there are others, they’re here.”
She nodded an inch that told him she understood and he released his hand from her mouth.
“What are they doing here? Ron and Hermione, they don’t know.”
Harry’s mind was racing. Were they there for him, no.... Lupin wouldn’t. If the Fidelius charm was still in effect, they wouldn’t be able to see us...
“Harry, come on. Sitting here isn’t going to help them.” Ginny was tugging at his arm breaking his thought; it had only been a few seconds.
Just as they raised their heads to peer through the grass, they heard two ‘pops’ followed by bright jets of light coming from the shadows of the yard towards the two figures that had apparated between the Death Eater and the house. One of the figures fell as it was hit with a blue jet as the other lunged behind a shrub after a red jet of light left his wand. Harry grasped his wand so tight at the sight of it, his fingernails dug deep into his palm.
“No....” Ginny clasped her hand to her mouth... “No.”
A burst of light flew open the front door of the house. Two more figures joined the fight. Harry felt helpless, it was happening all too fast. He made to stand up as a familiar green light lit the sky above the Burrow. It was the Dark Mark. Just as soon as it appeared, the fighting had stopped. The Death Eaters were gone.
Harry stated to run as fast as his legs would carry him through the darkness towards house and the crumpled figure on the ground in front of it. Ginny, however, was already ahead of him. One of the figures saw them running and in turn, ran to head Ginny off. She was fighting with the figure, as Harry drew closer, he saw that it was Lupin.
Ginny was screaming at him, “Let me go, let me go!” She was beating her fists against Lupin’s chest as he struggled to contain her.
“Ginny, he’s alright.... he’s not dead.... Ginny....Ginny calm down.” Lupin’s voice was firm yet soothing. “Ginny, are you okay.”
Ginny had stopped her struggle and was now crying into his chest. Lupin looked up at Harry who was now standing in front of them, torn between helping Ginny and who ever it was the others were attending to. From the light of the doorway, he could see that a Weasley had fallen and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
“Harry, come here please. They just need a minute to check him over and it’s best if you two stayed here for the moment.” Lupin jerked his head as if pulling an invisible string towards him and Ginny. “There’s nothing you can do. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, we’re okay. We we’re in the garden, we we’re on our way back when we saw a Death Eater walking up to the door. He didn’t see us... I don’t think.”
“Good, they shouldn’t have been able to see you.” Lupin cut Harry off before he could start asking questions. “I believe that Ron and Hermione are in the house with Tonks.”
Lupin glanced back to the scene in front of the house, then put his hands on Ginny’s shoulders and pulled her from him. “Harry, I want you to take Ginny back to the house. I want all of you to pack your things immediately, you won’t be coming back.” He turned his gaze to Ginny who was wiping her face with her hands as she stood next to Harry. “Ginny, you can go and see him now.” and gave Harry a look that told him he was to stay by her side.
Lupin lead the way back, followed by Ginny and Harry. The crowd around the fallen Weasley had grown. Tonks, Ron, and Hermione stood in silence, staring down into the middle of the circle.
Mrs. Weasley was sitting on the ground, talking softly to herself and George. “I knew this would happen, I knew it.... oh George, you’ll be okay.”
Bill and Mr. Weasley tended his wounds. There was a large diagonal gash that stretched from his shoulder to his sternum. It was oozing blood and a gooey yellow substance. Harry had noticed that his dragon hide jacket bore the brunt of the spell as it had a matching burn mark. Fred was kneeling down next to his twin, tears welling in his eyes.
Ginny left Harry’s side for her mother’s. She didn’t say anything as her mum wrapped one arm around her shoulder. “He’ll be okay, dear.”
“Yeah, stop your blithering, I haven’t died yet.” George let out a feeble laugh as his eyes winced in pain, looking directly at Fred he added with a hint of a smile, “We’ve got to figure out what that spell was, it might have other uses.”
“Can you stand, son?” Mr. Weasley asked George as he slowly sat him up.
“Yeah, I think so.” George answered.
Both Mr. Weasley and Bill helped him up to his feet while George gnashed his teeth in pain.
“Molly, we need to take him to St. Mungos.” Mr. Weasley told his wife.
“Of course.” Mrs. Weasley turned to Lupin and Tonks, “Remus, can you make sure that the rest of them make it back safely?”
“Certainly.” Lupin accepted the assignment, “Let me know if there’s anything else, take care.”
With that, Bill and Mr. Weasley eased George into the house, followed by Fred and Mrs. Weasley who gave a quick hug to Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry before she left.
They all stood listening to the familiar sound of the floo being activated, whisking them away to St. Mungos. When it was quiet again, Lupin and Tonks ushered them back inside under the eerie glow of the Dark Mark.
** OotP, U.S. Edition, Pg. 100
A/N: Thanks again to my Beta Whizzbee and Beta/Mod. Bogus. Thanks for sticking with me and reviewing, I really appreciate it. Next Chapter, Marked. Until then...