9: Death Watch?
When they appeared in the Creeveys’ living room Harry noticed that all of the furniture had been pushed back against the wall since his previous visit. Justin Finch-Fletchley was standing in the corner by the door. He stared in surprise at the manner in which they had arrived. George immediately let go of Harry’s arm; Ginny kept her arms around his neck and gazed up into his eyes.
‘That was my first time,’ she whispered huskily. George choked; Harry chuckled.
‘I hope you enjoyed it, then,’ he smiled. ‘You can let go now, Ginny.’
‘But I don’t have to,’ she purred.
‘The next lot will be Apparating right where you’re standing,’ panicked Justin. ‘If you could just move through into the kitchen, please. The Creeveys are waiting to meet you.’
George left immediately; Justin looked worriedly at Harry and Ginny.
‘Come on, Ginny,’ Harry pleaded. She released him and strode from the room.
‘You’re doing a good job,’ Harry told Justin as he followed Ginny, ‘I’m sure that you won’t have trouble with any of the others.’
‘And Justin,’ he added, ‘Colin knew what he was doing, we all did, and we all made our own choices. He chose to go back to Hogwarts, and he chose to stay and fight, even though Professor McGonagall had ordered him to leave. It’s not your fault that he died.’
Leaving Justin speechless Harry followed Ginny through the open living room door into the narrow hall. The front door was to the right; to the left, Harry knew from his previous visit, the hall led into the kitchen. The kitchen door was open and Ginny stood in the narrow hall, waiting for him.
‘Come on, Harry,’ Ginny sniffed sadly. Her mood, like his, had changed, ‘let’s go and say goodbye to Colin.’ They smiled mournfully at each other and Harry took the lace gloved hand she proffered.
They walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where George was already shaking hands with Mr and Mrs Creevey and Dennis. Harry solemnly shook hands with Colin’s parents and introduced Ginny as his girlfriend.
‘I recognise you from Colin’s photographs,’ Mrs Creevey told Ginny, smiling sadly, ‘he always said that you were very easy to photograph.’
Looking through the window Harry could see that the house, though small, had a long rear garden; and that there were more than two dozen teenagers standing in it.
‘Most of Colin’s classmates are already here,’ Dennis explained to Harry, while Ginny was talking to Mr and Mrs Creevey about Colin. ‘They arrived a few minutes ago by bus, from up the dale. The Minister arranged Portkeys for them, because none of them were taught to Apparate. They were taken to a derelict barn near Wearhead and Justin organised the bus.’
The Dennis Creevey who Harry remembered was very much like his older brother; small, enthusiastic and excitable. The black suited, black tie wearing Dennis he was talking to was fourteen or fifteen, and looked about twelve, but he was so much more mature.
‘We’ve all had to grow up quickly,’ Harry observed. Dennis looked at him, surprised, Harry realised, that he had continued a conversation instead of trying to leave.
‘I wish we hadn’t,’ Harry continued, ‘so many good people dead, and all because of a madman. We’ve got to do our best to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again.’
Harry suddenly realised that Mr and Mrs Creevey, and Ginny were silent, listening to his musings.
‘I’m sorry,’ Harry turned to face Mr and Mrs Creevey, ‘I’m thinking aloud.’ He paused, ‘I am truly sorry for your loss. Colin deserved a life, a good life. He…’
‘Mr Potter,’ Mr Creevey interrupted gruffly, ‘When Colin first came home, and told us about the great Harry Potter, I wasn’t impressed. I suspected that you’d turn out to be some big headed show-off, someone who was simply famous for being famous. You proved last weekend, and to my wife and I yesterday morning, that you’re a better man by far than I thought you’d be. I’m sorry, and thank you.’ He reached up and patted Harry on the shoulder.
Harry did not know what to say. He was saved by the arrival of Luna, Hermione and Ron. Hermione and Luna appeared to be arguing. When Mr and Mrs Creevey turned to greet them, Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand.
‘Let’s go outside,’ she suggested, ‘and you can meet my classmates; Colin’s classmates.’
Harry looked out into the garden. There were three steps down onto a small paved patio. The lawn extended some forty yards down to a stone wall, beyond which were thick bushes; then, he assumed from the sound of running water, a river. He waited at the door for Ginny to pass, but she insisted that he went first.
When Harry stepped onto the patio Ginny stopped on the step above. In her boots she was almost as tall as he was. She grabbed his shoulder, turned him round, stood on tiptoe, kissed him lightly on the forehead, and then stepped down next to him. All of the sixth year students were watching them.
Ginny’s classmates were standing in several nervous looking groups. As he looked at them, Harry realised that he could easily identify the pure bloods; those standing uncomfortably in ill-fitting Muggle clothes. In the largest group, Harry recognised Jack Sloper, and many others whom he couldn’t name. It looked like every member of Gryffindor House from Ginny’s year, Colin’s year, was here. There were many students from other houses, too, standing in smaller groups. A frumpy round-shouldered hook-nosed girl stood alone. The lonely girl wore ugly black-rimmed spectacles and an ill-fitting black dress. She stood hunched, slumped and sad. George, too, was standing by himself and looking rather lost.
‘George,’ Ginny called, ‘come and meet my classmates.’
He slouched over to join them, his hands in his suit pockets. The good humour he’d shown at breakfast, and while playing Quidditch, had now completely vanished. Ginny led Harry over to George and linked her free arm through her brother’s. She then led them over to the lonely girl, who seemed terrified by their approach. She backed away. When that failed to divert them, the girl tried her desperate best to be smaller than Harry: that failed too.
‘This is Fenella Gray,’ Ginny said, ‘Fenella this is my brother George, and this is Harry.’
‘Hello, Fenella,’ Harry said, George grunted.
‘Hello,’ Fenella whispered, glancing, like everyone did, at Harry’s forehead to find the scar.
‘Fenella was in the school camera club with Colin, they did a lot of work together. Colin thought very highly of her, he once told me that she was the most talented photographer in the school.’
‘Really?’ Fenella whispered. Her knees and hips were bent and her spine curved forwards. She had finally managed to look up at Harry.
‘Colin was better, much better,’ she said tearfully, shaking her head.
Harry watched at her carefully, she was obviously very upset at Colin’s death, but she looked worried, possibly even frightened, about something. Was it simply being close to “the Chosen One,” he wondered, or…
‘Did you supply Colin with photographic equipment this year?’ he asked shrewdly.
At this, Fenella burst into tears.
‘Colin didn’t tell anyone, I guessed,’ panicked Harry, ‘you’re a brave girl.’
‘He’s dead …’ she sobbed, ‘my fault …’
‘It’s no-one’s fault but the person who killed him,’ Harry told her forcefully.
Ginny opened her bag and reached for a handkerchief. When she did so, Harry realised that his sneakoscope was whirring loudly. Startled, he looked around, but saw nothing. He looked suspiciously at Fenella; she seemed to be genuinely upset, she certainly didn’t appear to be a threat.
George had turned on his heels and left the moment Fenella began to cry, he was now talking to Ron, Hermione and Luna who had just arrived in the garden. Ginny turned to Harry and, with a simple glance, indicated that he should ignore the sneakoscope and leave her to deal with the still weeping Fenella.
Harry strolled over to the Gryffindor group and said hello to the only person whose name he could remember. Jack Sloper greeted him effusively and introduced him to the rest of Ginny’s year. Harry promptly forgot all the names, as he found himself being bombarded by questions.
‘Are you going out with Ginny again?’ a round-faced girl asked.
‘Yes,’ he confirmed happily.
‘Are you coming back to school next year?’ asked a second girl; a skinny, immaculately dressed blonde, who didn’t appear to be happy for him.
‘No,’ Harry answered.
‘So Ginny will likely be Quidditch Captain again?’ Jack Sloper enquired.
‘You played last year?’ Harry was incredulous.
‘We only managed the first match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. We lost, not surprisingly given that Amycus Carrow was referee. But that one game was too much trouble for Snape and the Carrows to handle. I was back on the team, keeper,’ Jack continued.
Sloper had been a very poor beater, Harry remembered, he wondered whether he’d been any good as a keeper.
The blonde girl, obviously wanting to change the subject away from Quidditch, asked, ‘Why is Ginny spending so much time with the Slytherin half-giant?’
In a flash Harry realised why (he desperately tried to remember the name) “ Fenella had been standing alone. Harry sought out the source of the question; the blonde was appraising him boldly. Part of him was shouting “Slytherin;” but Colin had trusted her, and she had all but admitted providing her friend with equipment which had helped save dozens of Muggleborns. “A well connected pureblood,” Justin, Hannah and Dennis had agreed yesterday, a Slytherin seemed a logical suspect. Harry regarded the blonde girl coolly. Her attitude reminded him unpleasantly of Romilda Vane, he wasn’t impressed by her use of “half-giant” as an insult, either. He looked his questioner in the eyes.
‘Colin was friends with Fenella, and she’s made the effort to come here. Alone, I expect. Is she the only Slytherin here?’
One of the other girls nodded.
‘Well,’ Harry continued, ‘that’s a brave thing for her to do. She’s Colin’s friend, so she’s welcome!’
‘If, as I suspect, she risked helping Colin when he was in hiding last year, she’s been loyal, too,’ he appraised the questioner coolly as he spoke.
The blonde, Harry was vindictively pleased to note, could not hold his gaze, and several other students were looking rather embarrassed. Looking across to Fenella and Ginny, Harry saw that while he’d been talking they had been joined by Luna, whose night-teardrop earrings were swinging wildly as she tried to swat several invisible-somethings (wrackspurts, he expected) from around Fenella’s head. He turned back to the Gryffindor students.
‘I learned to stop judging people by appearances a couple of years ago,’ he told the Gryffindors.
‘Lee!’ George shouted.
Harry turned and saw that George’s dreadlocked friend Lee Jordan had arrived. He was with Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell and her friend Leanne.
‘Excuse me,’ Harry told Ginny’s classmates, ‘there’s someone I need to speak to.’
He walked over to Alicia, Katie and Leanne as Lee and George strode towards each other. Angelina stopped, trying to decide whether to follow Lee or Katie.
‘Leanne,’ he said, holding out a hand, ‘welcome to the club.’
Leanne Cowper blushed.
‘Th-thanks,’ she stuttered. Katie looked embarrassed for her friend.
‘For goodness sake, Leanne,’ she sighed, ‘it’s only Harry.’
Harry grinned, ‘that’s me, nobody important, just one of Katie’s many Quidditch Captains.’
‘The most easy-going of them,’ said Katie.
‘Harry?’ Angelina Johnson asked, as she walked up behind Katie ‘the most easy-going? What on earth are you talking about?’
Angelina’s hair was, as usual, tightly braided. She had dozens of black beads threaded onto the braids. Her hair clattered as she moved.
‘Nice hair,’ Harry said.
‘Don’t change the subject Harry,’ Angelina ordered, ‘I was your Quidditch Captain, remember? Now, what were you talking to Katie about?’
‘That is what they were talking about.’ Alicia explained, while Katie blushed.
‘You weren’t as bad as Oliver, Angelina,’ Katie apologised, ‘and I’ve told him so.’
The tall black girl laughed and dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand.
‘Why isn’t he here?’ Angelina asked.
‘He isn’t DA, remember,’ reminded Katie, ‘besides, he couldn’t face it. He found Colin, didn’t you know?’
Angelina shook her head. ‘You look well, Harry,’ she observed trying to change the subject, ‘are you back with Ginny?’
Harry smiled and nodded.
‘Good,’ Angelina hugged him and kissed his cheek. Alicia smiled, stepped forwards, and did the same.
‘Thanks,’ Harry mumbled.
‘I’m not going to be left out,’ Katie said, she hugged and kissed Harry, too; then looked at Leanne, who took a hasty step backwards. He was beginning to get embarrassed, the chasers were all grinning at him.
‘You look different,’ Angelina told him, ‘less worried. Not surprising, really.’
‘Everything’s changed,’ he admitted, ‘though not all for the better.’
‘Poor Colin. How is Dennis? And how is George?’ Angelina asked, nodding and blinking back tears.
‘They’re both as you’d expect,’ Harry frowned, he looked around.
George was still talking to Lee Jordan, who had an arm around his shoulder; the two young men were watching Harry and the four girls. Ginny and Luna, he noticed, had now joined the rest of their year group, taking Fenella with them. Ron and Hermione were standing apart from everyone; they weren’t even talking to each other.
‘George is missing Fred,’ Harry continued, ‘we all are.’
The four young women nodded sadly.
‘I haven’t seen George since the battle,’ Angelina said, ‘how’s he been?’
‘Sometimes he forgets,’ Harry told them, ‘but not for long. He seems to be best when he’s got someone to tease. I don’t mind, though.’
‘What’s he been teasing you about?’ Katie asked curiously.
‘Me, mainly,’ Ginny said, slipping her hand into Harry’s, ‘you should go and speak to him, he needs company, friends.’
Standing next to Ginny, Harry again heard the whir of his sneakoscope. He looked around, wondering.
‘Not Fenella?’ he murmured.
Ginny shook her head. ‘It got louder when I came over here,’ she whispered in his ear. Harry looked suspiciously at Leanne, but she’d just arrived.
‘It’s probably just the sheer number of kids here,’ considered Harry.
The three chasers had gone into a huddle with Leanne, their arms around each other.
‘What’s going on?’ Harry murmured.
‘They’ll be talking about George,’ Ginny told him in an undertone. ‘Angelina went out with Fred for a while, until he lost interest. And Alicia went out with George, even though it was really Fred she fancied. But Alicia spent most of last year with Lee and I think they’re together. It’s just girl-boy stuff.’
Harry didn’t really understand, but he nodded anyway. She squeezed his hand tightly.
‘You’ve still no idea about girls, have you?’ she teased.
‘I know who my girlfriend is,’ he whispered, ‘what else do I need to know?’
Ginny beamed; then nodded towards the kitchen door. Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones and Ernie MacMillan had arrived. Harry began to lead Ginny towards them, but she stopped, released his hand, and turned to the three chasers and Leanne.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ she told him. ‘Come on girls, let’s go and cheer George up.’ She herded the four girls towards her brother.
Harry was discussing Magical Law Enforcement with Susan, who seemed very keen to become an Auror, when the next group arrived. Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein and Cho Chang descended the steps from the kitchen together. The Ravenclaw men stood on the patio, looking at the crowds in the garden. Cho smiled shyly and waved at Harry. She looked very pretty in a short black skirt and a smart black jacket. Her long hair glistened in the sun as she walked gracefully towards him. As Cho approached, Harry felt an arm slide around his waist; Ginny was back at his side. He looked down to greet her.
‘You’ve upset Tabitha,’ Ginny informed him.
‘Tabitha?’ Harry struggled to remember who Tabitha was.
‘The blonde, she didn’t expect the great Harry Potter to stick up for a Slytherin girl.’ Harry shrugged and then turned back to greet Cho. To his surprise she had stopped two or three yards away and was looking carefully at Harry and Ginny.
‘Oh, hi, Cho,’ said Ginny, as if she’d just noticed the other girl.
‘How are you?’ asked Harry.
‘I’m very well, how about you?’ Cho replied; a little stiffly, Harry thought.
‘I’m …’ Harry had been going to say happy, but the word didn’t seem appropriate in the circumstances.
‘… lost for words again.’ Ginny finished the sentence for him.
‘He’s doing okay now, aren’t you Harry?’ Ginny told Cho, Harry nodded.
‘He’s had a rough time, we all have, but we’ll get through it together, won’t we?’ she continued, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder.
‘Are you two back together?’ Cho asked; Harry nodded again, wondering how many more times he’d be asked that question.
‘We never really split up,’ Ginny clarified forcefully.
Cho and Ginny were concentrating on each other, both smiling politely. In the uneasy silence Harry again heard the faint whir of his sneakoscope coming from Ginny’s handbag. He looked around: Fenella was now listening to Luna. They were halfway down the garden. It was not her; it couldn’t be the Hufflepuffs and it couldn’t be Cho; they had not been here when the sneakoscope first went off.
He looked around the garden; almost everyone was here. Neville and Dean Thomas had only just arrived. They were walking towards Harry; Dean was staring at Ginny, Neville was smiling. Then Harry saw something that made his insides turn to ice. His reaction was enough to make Ginny take her eyes from Cho. They had still been staring at each other, Harry realised, but the silence that suddenly fell across the garden made them stop and turn, like everyone else.
‘Lavender,’ Harry whispered.
Parvati Patil, standing out from her black clad friends because of the white sari she wore, stood at the bottom of the steps from the kitchen. At the top, sitting in a wheelchair and looking even paler than Hermione, was Lavender Brown. Behind Lavender stood Parvati’s twin, Padma, also in a white sari, Seamus Finnegan, and Justin Finch-Fletchley.
‘Some help would be appreciated,’ Parvati requested. Ginny immediately released Harry, who strode over to the steps, but Dean and Neville got there first. Harry remembered seeing Lavender fall in the battle a week ago. He’d checked, seen that she was in the hospital wing and known she wasn’t among the dead. He’d assumed that she would recover. The werewolf Fenrir Greyback had been attacking Lavender, and curse scars never heal fully!
Ron! He looked round the garden, searching for his friend. Ron was white faced, staring at Lavender in shock. Hermione, standing next to Ron, was in tears.
Harry’s mind whirled; he must speak to Lavender, but someone should be checking up on Ron. He willed Hermione to do something, but she simply stood there, weeping.
Ginny caught Harry’s eye, she was white faced, but she looked straight at him, glanced at Ron and nodded. Realising that Ginny would do what was needed, he turned to watch. Seamus and Justin at the top, Dean and Neville at the bottom carefully lifted Lavender, in the wheelchair, down the steps. They did not seem to be struggling as much as they should. Lavender, he realised, was partially levitating the chair.
‘Parvati,’ Harry hissed, she turned and looked at him rather coolly, then saw the shock and concern on his face.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know, didn’t ask, I should have; will she recover?’ Harry whispered.
‘The healers aren’t sure,’ Parvati replied sadly, ‘They hope so, but it could take months. Or, she may be like this for the rest of her life. She was attacked by Greyback, clawed across the abdomen then thrown from the balcony. The wounds aren’t healing at all. She needs to take a blood replenishing potion every four hours. She’s in constant agony even with a painkiller potion; and when she tries to stand her wounds re-open. Sometimes she says that she wishes Greyback had finished her off. She doesn’t know who stopped Greyback, but she curses them. We tried to persuade her not to come,’ Parvati glanced at her twin when she spoke, ‘she should still be resting. But she insisted; she didn’t want to be the only true DA member missing, and you know what she’s like when she decides that she wants something.’
Harry didn’t but he nodded anyway. He looked over Parvati’s shoulder; Lavender was now down on the patio. Seamus Finnegan was hunkered down alongside her.
‘… I’m sure we’ll have you dancing again soon,’ Seamus was saying.
‘Lavender,’ Harry interrupted, ‘Is there anything you need, anything I can do?’
As soon as he spoke he realised how pathetic, trite, he sounded.
‘A way to heal curse scars would be nice,’ Lavender grimaced, ‘and a better painkiller.’
Harry looked closely at the girl he’d dismissed as a giggler; as Ron’s pain-in-the-neck girlfriend. She’d joined the DA from the start, had stuck with them last year and had, he remembered, been one of the first girls to join Neville in hiding. She had fought bravely at Hogwarts a week ago, too. It was as if he was suddenly seeing her for the first time.
Harry reached out and took her hands.
‘You’re a true Gryffindor, Lavender, one of the bravest. If I can do anything to help you, just ask.’
‘Thanks, Harry,’ she smiled weakly, ‘but it’s the healers I need help from, not you.’
The tap of heels on the patio and a faint waft of flowers on the breeze alerted Harry to the fact that Ginny was approaching. As he stood and turned his head to greet her, she suddenly looked serious.
‘Hi Lavender,’ she said, ‘I was going to ask how you were, but need to borrow Harry.’
‘He’s yours,’ Lavender replied with a feeble smile.
Harry was startled by the tone of Lavender’s words. There was something in the way Lavender had spoken. It was as if she was acknowledging Ginny’s ownership, rather than allowing her to interrupt a conversation.
Ginny pointed to her shoulder bag.
‘Are you sure that this thing working?’ she murmured.
He nodded, he could again hear the sneakoscope getting louder as she approached him, realisation hit him, it wasn’t Fenella, or Cho: it was when Ginny approached him. He looked at her, stepped forwards, hugged her and pressed is mouth to her ear.
‘It’s me, isn’t it?’ he whispered.
‘Yes,’ Ginny hissed.
‘I need you to divert attention away from me,’ he whispered. Ginny roughly pushed him away, smacked him hard on the cheek, and ran sobbing towards an astonished Michael Corner.
‘Michael,’ she shouted loudly, ‘there’s something I’ve got to tell you about that creep Potter.’
Harry was so startled that he almost missed his opportunity. Regaining his wits, he reached into his jacket, and in one fluid motion drew his wand from his inside pocket.
‘Homenum revelio,’ he whispered.
‘There!’ he though triumphantly; following Ginny!
As he looked he saw a movement in the air. Not invisible! He recognised and found his target immediately, and silently cast a full body bind curse. The spell shot across the garden, apparently halting in mid-air. He lowered his wand, keeping it trained on a small area of grass.
Wands were appearing everywhere; subdued conversations were suddenly transformed into confused shouts. A girl screamed. Cries of:
‘What happened to no magic?’
‘What’s going on?’
‘Harry!’
And ‘Bloody Hell!’ rang out across the garden.
Most of the DA remained silent, alert, watching Harry. Ginny had pulled her wand from somewhere and taken the sneakoscope from her bag. She turned back; ignoring Michael’s confused shouts and sprinted towards Harry, holding the sneakoscope high.
‘Quiet,’ Harry ordered; the shouts stopped abruptly. The only noise was the whining of the sneakoscope, getting louder.
‘Invisible?’ asked Ginny.
At that one word, the drawn wands, some of which, Harry realised ruefully, had been pointed at him (had they really thought that he was going to hex Ginny?) moved to point at the apparently empty patch of grass; to the same spot as Harry’s wand.
‘No,’ Harry replied. He took two steps forwards, looking carefully down onto the lawn.
‘That hurt,’ he told Ginny, ruefully rubbing his cheek.
‘You wanted a diversion,’ Ginny replied loudly enough for everyone to hear, ‘you got one.’
‘Someone go and keep the Muggles in the house,’ Harry ordered. He heard movement from behind. He did not bother to turn, he knew that someone had obeyed, that was enough. Ginny kissed his cheek where she’d slapped him.
‘Where?’ she asked, Harry jabbed his wand forwards pointing to a small patch of grass, at first glance no different to any other part of the lawn.
‘Hermione,’ Harry called; he was going to need her now, he realised.
‘When we met Padfoot and Moony in the Shrieking Shack, they used a spell on Scabbers. I hope that you researched it.’
‘Of-of course,’ Hermione stuttered. Harry was worried. He needed the real Hermione, the Hermione who knew everything; not the nervous, feeble, constantly weeping girl who’d returned from Australia.
‘Come here,’ he ordered, ‘can you cast it?’
‘I-I think so,’ she stammered as she approached slowly.
‘Now, Hermione! HERE! I need you NOW!’ Harry was being hard on her, he knew, and Ron was going to defend her any second. Sure enough, he heard a sharp intake of breath from his best friend.
‘Quiet Ron, I need Hermione,’ Harry pleaded.
‘But…’ Ron started.
‘Shut up, Ron,’ hissed Ginny; then Hermione was by Harry’s side.
‘Look,’ insisted Harry, continuing to point with his wand, he was focussing on a tiny area.
‘At what?’ Hermione asked, confused.
Harry took a step forwards and crouched down, bringing his wand closer and closer to the ground. Hermione followed the movement, followed Harry’s gaze. Then, bending lower she finally saw”
‘Sneaky cow!’ she shrilled. She stood quickly, her jaw set, and waved her wand. A flash of blue-white light shot from the wand and into the grass; except it didn’t hit the grass, not quite.
Harry had to step quickly back when a rapidly enlarging beetle erupted from the grass in front of him. As it grew two of the beetle legs shrank back into the changing body, the other four transformed into arms and legs. Finally, still held motionless by Harry’s full body bind curse, a familiar and unwelcome shape appeared.
‘Bloody hell; it’s Rita Skeeter,’ swore Ron.
‘I’d like you to teach me that spell, Hermione,’ said Harry, ‘very useful, thanks.’
Dumbledores Army stepped forwards, surrounding the restrained reporter.
‘Well done, Harry,’ Ginny whispered.
Grave Days by Northumbrian
Chapter Notes: Harry and his friends attend the funeral of Colin Creevey. The first of many.
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks as always to Andrea and Amelíe for their comments, corrections and input. Constructive criticism is always gratefully received.