Advance: to progress; to move toward completion; to further, help to progress.

This story is a sequel to Follow the Phoenix. If you haven't read it, you might be able to piece together what you missed, but why? Obviously, you like to read, so why not just check that one out first? Go ahead, I'll wait. … All caught up? Then let's continue.

Harry and Albus have spent the last year building their new family (including Albus' brother, Uncle Abe). They are finally working together, and they have a plan: find and destroy the three remaining Horcruxes. Problem is, that's easier said than done. Add a secret plan to elope, Voldemort's new obsession with taking Harry alive, and Snape deciding to 'be nice', and it promises to be an interesting year.

As I mentioned about 38 times last story, I don't own Harry Potter and friends, I just borrow them from time to time. Also, any reference to The Prophecy – whether directly quoted, paraphrase, or just mentioned, is of course taken from the prophecy given in Chapter 37 of Order of the Phoenix. I'm pointing that out now so I don't have to constantly do it later; it's going to come up a lot.

Just a reminder – Follow the Phoenix branched away from canon after Chapter 2 of Half-Blood Prince, although other elements were incorporated; and Deathly Hallows is almost completely ignored. Meaning, the stone in the ring was just a big, ugly ruby. Oh, and if you didn't read Follow, even after I gave you the time to do so, you really need to know that Harry is NOT a Horcrux any more, even though Voldemort thinks he is.

.

Our story begins on a train ...

1. Destination: London

In the Muggle world it was just another work day, but in the magical world it was homecoming. By the end of the day, parents would be reunited with their children; some worried that they would no longer recognize their babies, some lamenting the loss of their 'empty nest', but all relieved the children had survived another year and happy to have their families whole again.

On a scarlet train hours outside of London, those same children were mostly thinking of the friends they would soon be leaving, as opposed to the family they would be joining. So as the train steamed its way closer to its destination, they wanted to spend as much time with their friends as possible. The small group gathered in one particular car was no exception.

It was for this reason that Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott, who had spent most of the trip surrounded by Gryffindors, excused themselves to go spend some time with Hannah's Hufflepuff friends. Since Ron Weasley had already left for prefect rounds and Hermione Granger was visiting her friend Terry Boot, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley found themselves suddenly and thankfully alone.

Harry and Ginny had spent much of last summer growing their acquaintance into friendship, and then into even more. They had officially been a couple for almost a year now, but the thrill of being together was still there. So much so that they looked forward to having alone-time as much as they had in the beginning. And so, once the others had left, they wasted little time getting cozy; though of course not as cozy as they would have liked. Harry and Ginny were both well liked, and thanks to their well-publicized parts in protecting Hogwarts during the ill-fated invasion this past May, they were more popular than ever.

The down side to this popularity was that every time they got comfortable, more friends would invariably stop by. The couple was eventually forced to admit defeat, and Harry awkwardly bunched his robes across his lap as yet another knock came from the doorway. Several visitors later, while some Ravenclaw DA members were making an appearance, the couple realized that one of their closest friends had yet to make an appearance. As their visitors finally left, Ginny decided to go find Luna. Giving Harry one last kiss she slipped out, closing the door behind her.

For the first time since the trip had started, Harry found himself alone. He took advantage of the quiet to do some serious thinking, leaning his head against the window but not really watching the scenery fly past. It seemed to him that they – they meaning his close-knit group of friends – had accomplished a lot this year, and he wasn't even counting academically. Aside from the obvious thwarting of another of Voldemort's plots, they had saved Professor Snape from a certain death as a result of the git's stupidly conceived Vow. And while his friends had continued Dumbledore's Army, Harry had begun working with Order members learning to fight like an Auror, thus increasing his odds of not only winning but also surviving the war exponentially.

More importantly, Harry and Albus Dumbledore had made real progress in returning Tom Riddle to mortal status. Seven pieces; that's what the lunatic had done to his soul in his bid for immortality. He had split his soul so many times, he truly wasn't human anymore. But old Tommy boy hadn't counted on Dumbledore figuring out his fanatical scheme. And Harry intended to have all the Horcruxes destroyed with Voldemort none the wiser. When they faced each other for the final time, Voldemort would think himself untouchable, which would lead him to make mistakes. To borrow a quote Dean Thomas liked to use, 'his overconfidence would be his weakness.'

They were, by Harry's count, half way to their goal. Three Horcruxes were no more. The first to be destroyed had been the diary, and that was way back in his Second Year. Knowing what he now knew about Horcruxes, it was rather obvious what it had been. Perhaps Voldemort's true anger with Lucius Malfoy stemmed from the fact that the man had given Voldemort's greatest enemy a major clue to his biggest secret. Voldemort knew of its loss, and probably would have tried to replace it (so as to maintain a seven-part soul), but he had incorrectly assumed that Harry himself was a Horcrux – one whose unexpected addition maintained the magical number.

Technically, he had assumed correctly, for he had made Harry a Horcrux. But the bit of soul he had left in the toddler had been destroyed almost instantly; annihilated by the very love that had saved the child's life, and that fourteen years later was still strong enough to drive the bastard from Harry's body.

Turning back to the topic at hand, Harry recalled the second Horcrux to be destroyed – the family ring. Harry remembered traveling with Albus to the old Gaunt cabin, finding the ring, and returning to Hogwarts to destroy it. That had been the first time Albus had coached him in 'feeling magic', something he was hoping to become proficient in despite Albus' warning that it could take decades to master the skill. The ugly, cracked ring was currently sitting on a shelf in their private quarters at Hogwarts. Like the diary, the ring's only significance had been its ties to Voldemort's past, in this case his Mother's family. It had been one of the last remaining heirlooms of a once-great family which had self-destructed in its pureblood fanaticism.

Next to go had been the tiara. A priceless relic of the great Rowena Ravenclaw, Harry had been saddened by its loss. But the piece had been delicately made, too thin and web-like in its design to be successfully punctured by the Basilisk fang. Albus had conjured Fiendfyre which had consumed the piece, leaving nothing but ash. Voldemort's conceit had cost Hogwarts a precious treasure.

That was all well and good, but it still left three more to find. Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup, two more Hogwarts relics, were still missing. Albus believed that the locket's resting place most likely had ties to Voldemort, but the places he had already researched had not matched the setting of a dark stone chamber or cavern Harry had seen when he'd entered Voldemort's mind.

They had agreed that their better lead at the moment was the cup, which had been given to Bellatrix Lestrange to protect. Albus knew of a few places associated with the Lestrange family where a valuable object might have been hidden. Their home had, of course, been confiscated and searched after they had been sent to Azkaban, but it could bear another looking over. Over the course of the summer, Albus planned to continue scouting places of interest. Harry would only become involved if a lead proved particularly promising.

The deal breaker was the snake, Nagini. She was the last Horcrux he had made, and the only living Horcrux. The problem being, that which lives can die. Nagini had been viciously attacked by a dragon back in February, and from what Harry had seen (witnessing the attack in the same fashion he had seen Mr. Weasley's attack) Nagini's wounds had been severe. Added to that was the strange vision he'd had just last night, when he had felt Voldemort's overwhelming sadness. Nagini had not been present to comfort her master, which had been most unusual. The whole situation left Harry unsettled. If Nagini died would Voldemort feel compelled to create a replacement Horcrux? And if so, how would they know what it was?

Harry shut his eyes and sighed. Thinking about that particular 'what if' would do him no good. He didn't want to get bogged down in the negative, like had happened last summer, so he purposely turned his thoughts to his family. Not that sorry excuse that masqueraded as family for most of his life, but the man who was family by choice and action. Albus Dumbledore. The man had found him at his weakest, closer to cracking up than he liked to admit, and had saved him. He knew that sounded melodramatic, but that didn't make it any less true. Albus had given him a real home (as opposed to the Dursley's house), had offered him unconditional acceptance, and had found him the help he needed, in the form of the Muggle doctor Tony Southwyck. A smile crept across his face as he thought of all his Headmaster had done for him in the last year. Yes, mistakes had been made in the past, but his guardian had more than made up for them.

Several months ago, their relationship had moved to a new level when Albus had asked Harry to consider calling him something more personal than Sir or Professor. They had settled on Seba, which roughly translated to 'teacher' in ancient Egyptian. Harry used it on occasion, although habits are hard to break and he often caught himself reverting to the standard 'Sir'. He knew that his guardian would love for Harry to call him 'father', but he just couldn't do it. Yet. But down the road, maybe. He could definitely see his children calling the man 'granddad', and chuckled as he thought of how the man would relish that role.

Harry was pulled from his musing by knocking, and he looked up to see the Creevey brothers in the doorway. They shared greetings as Harry invited the boys to join him in the otherwise empty compartment. Although Dennis was the younger of the two, Harry found he liked the boy better than his older brother. It had been Dennis who had introduced Harry to Battleball, and the two often enjoyed recounting great wins and spectacular losses. Colin didn't share his brother's enthusiasm for the physical sport, but he did occasionally show up to tournaments to take pictures.

While the brothers were visiting, Hermione popped in briefly to prepare for her own prefect patrols, passing Ron as he returned from his. The Creevey's left shortly after that, and Ron settled into the seat across from Harry and launched into a summary of his patrols. The only truly interesting part of the story – at least in Harry's opinion – was the revelation that a contingent of Aurors were stationed on the train. None were Order members, at least not that Ron knew, but their official presence had a calming affect on the students. At least, there was a lot less hexing than normal.

By this time, Ginny had returned and had brought Luna with her. The blond girl had been sitting with some younger Ravenclaws that apparently enjoyed hearing her outlandish tales. Ginny let Harry know that it hadn't been clear if they were truly interested, or if they had been subtly teasing Luna, but either way Luna had been enjoying her audience. The four students shared snacks and played some Exploding Snap as each talked about their plans for the summer. Harry and Ginny shared a secret smile as Harry mentioned that he thought he would be returning to Scotland at some point. The happy couple secretly planned to sneak to Gretna Green and elope before school started up again in the fall.

Luna returned to her compartment just as the train approached London, passing Hermione on the way. Harry noticed Hermione's silent return and her puffy eyes, as if she'd been crying. He threw Ginny a questioning look, but Gin shook her head slightly, letting Harry know she would handle it. Deciding a diversion was in order, Ginny made a big production out of putting away her things, waking the sleeping Norbert in the process. Having been cooped up all day apparently disagreed with the dog, and he showed his displeasure by jumping out of his basket, walking over to Ron, and relieving himself on Ron's shoe.

Ron took the act surprisingly well. With a shrug, he pulled his wand and cleaned the mess. Of course, he couldn't stop himself from taunting Harry for still being underage, and Harry hoped he successfully hid his emotions. After all, Harry might have still been underage, but he had been illegally Untraceable since last September, allowing him to use his magic anywhere without consequence. Of course, he couldn't let the jab go unanswered. He rather vindictively chose to remind Ron that they could take their apparition tests together, since he (supposedly) hadn't learned yet and Ron had failed his test. Privately, Harry couldn't wait to apparate in front of his friend for the first time – silently.

Changing the subject, Harry asked Hermione if she had gotten her special assignment turned in to the Headmaster on time. She instantly perked up as she explained all the fascinating things she had learned while researching memory charms. Ron was confused, and asked why she had had to write a paper for the Headmaster. Ginny smiled knowingly as a blushing Hermione gave a rather vague explanation about being caught 'being too Gryffindor' against Malfoy. Ron would have asked for more details, but when he saw the pensive look on Harry's face, he decided to let the subject drop. Draco Malfoy was still a topic best avoided in Harry's company.

Eventually, the train slowed and pulled into the station, and everyone gathered their things and prepared to disembark. Harry had left his trunk and Hedwig behind, telling his friends that they were being delivered to his guardian. His guardian of course being the esteemed Headmaster Albus Dumbledore himself, but of all his friends, only Ginny and Hermione knew the truth – and both of them had practically figured the secret out on their own. The one thing Harry had brought with him was Norbert, and now he was having trouble getting the energetic puppy back into his basket. It was Hermione who came to his rescue, casting a light sleeping charm on the pup so Harry could carry the basket without fear that Norbert would jump out.

Harry stood back and allowed the girls to exit first, switching the basket for Ginny's trunk. Behind him, Ron rolled his eyes, muttering something that sounded like 'whipped'. Once they had disembarked they quickly spotted the Weasley family. Mr. Weasley was absent, but Bill had come in his place, looking none the worse for his brawl with the wolf-man Greyback. He stood with his mother on one side and his arm tightly wrapped around his fiancé, Fleur Delacour, on the other. To the other side of Mrs. Weasley was one of the twins, it was hard to tell which from the distance, who was engaged in deep discussion with Remus Lupin. 'Must have figured out who Moony is'

While the students were approaching the family, Mrs. Weasley turned to respond to something Fleur had said, and Ginny pointed out that their mother seemed as frosty as ever to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. But before Harry could respond they'd reached their welcoming committee, and he found himself engulfed in Mrs. Weasley's hug. As she moved her attentions to her daughter, Fred grabbed Harry into a hug of his own, gushing about how wonderful it was to have him home, and how they had missed him so. Behind them, Remus was openly laughing at Harry's embarrassment. Apparently, it hadn't missed his notice that Mrs. Weasley had greeted Harry before her own children, and Moony was only too happy to speculate that it had something to do with her expectations toward him joining the family legitimately some day.

As Harry moved behind Fred to greet Remus, a harsh shout caught his attention. Drawing his wand as he turned, he saw a purple flash go past his head. He immediately moved to the front of the group, preparing to send a stunner at the attacker, but he was beaten to the punch. He'd barely had time to locate the attackers – two black-cloaked figures standing at the tail of the train – when spells flew toward the instigators from no less than four locations. Only one of the spells penetrated the attackers' shields, but it was enough to send the closer of the two to the ground. Panicking, the other grabbed one of the smaller students that had been standing too close, obviously too terrified to move away. Carelessly lifting the terrified girl so her body was in front of his own, he stunned her so he could use her unconscious body as a shield.

It worked; the other defenders stopped fighting, afraid to harm the young girl. Sensing their weakness, the aggressor resumed his attack. It was obvious to Harry – and probably everyone else on the platform – that Harry was indeed his target. But the attacker was either incompetent or having trouble holding his hostage and casting at the same time, for his spells were repeatedly going wide. Harry heard someone nearby yelp, and decided it was time to end this before someone got seriously hurt.

To no one in particular he commanded "be ready", trusting that one of his friends would act. He stepped forward, leveling his wand directly at the attacker, and flicked his wand as he shouted "Levicorpus". The spell hit the hostage – which had been his plan – and her small body was yanked out of the other's arms, flipping over as it dangled in the air above her captor.

Harry heard Remus shout 'Stupefy', and seconds later it was over. Harry glanced at his friends, taking in Fred's smoking arm and Mrs. Weasley's cold glare as she continued to hold her wand trained on one of the unconscious attackers. An Auror from the train started toward the fallen combatants, but several students beat him. Terry Boot was the first to arrive, and he glanced down in disgust, spitting on one of the bodies as he grabbed for the still-dangling girl. Realizing what Terry was doing, Harry waited until the Ravenclaw was under the girl, and then released the spell. Luckily, Hermione had anticipated Harry's move and had cast a cushioning charm on the floor. The little girl dropped onto Boot, who lost his balance, sending them both to the charmed ground. Harry turned to his friend and winked, glad she knew him well enough to anticipate both his move, and his oversight.

Remus excused himself to help the Auror as Bill grabbed his mother's handbag. He inconspicuously cast a charm, and told everyone to grab hold at the count of three. Seconds later, Harry found himself under a pile of Weasley's in what he quickly recognized as his own kitchen. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Fred had arrived with Harry and Mrs. Weasley; Bill and Fleur having stayed behind to help. Mrs. Weasley sprung into action, getting a first-aid kit from a drawer as she ordered Fred to sit and remove his shirt. Knowing that a determined Mrs. Weasley was not to be messed with, the four teens quietly made their way to the sitting room where they got comfortable and relived the attack. As Ron and Harry debated the identity of the attackers (Crabbe and Goyle their favorites), Ginny and Hermione were busy laughing at Ron's initial reaction. He had jumped in front of his mother as if to protect her.

When they heard the sounds of people entering the front door, they left their sanctuary and followed the new arrivals into the kitchen. As Harry entered, he scanned the room, making note of its inhabitants. Fred was seated at the table wearing his now sleeveless shirt, a white bandage visible on his left arm. George had arrived, and was sitting next to his twin, listening to his version of the fight. Mrs. Weasley was, as always seemed to be the case, busy at the stove while she talked with Professor McGonagall. Bill Weasley was standing near the fireplace, but whether he was waiting for someone or just staying out of the crowd, Harry couldn't say.

Harry made his way to the far side of the table, where he sat down next to Remus, pulling Ginny into the chair next to him as he went. A moment later, Tonks entered the room with a birdcage dangling from one hand a basket from the other. She set Pig's cage on the table, explaining that the little owl lying in the bottom wasn't dead, it had worn itself out jumping around the cage. Harry claimed his basket and pulled back the blanket to see that Norbert was still sleeping. Ginny took the basket from Harry and held it on her lap protectively.

Mrs. Weasley was passing out mugs of hot chocolate when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Professor Dumbledore arrived. As Albus took a seat at the head of the table the room grew silent, which lasted for about thirty seconds, before the six younger people exploded with questions.

Albus chuckled and held up his hand. "Patience, please, everyone. First …Miss Granger, your parents were found safe and sound outside the platform. They have been told that you were inadvertently sent to a friend's home, and that you will be escorted to your own home posthaste. I am certain you will not mind if Professor McGonagall were to accompany you, and perhaps help you to explain the situation to your parents." Once she had voiced her understanding, he continued. "Well then, I shall do my best to answer your questions, one at a time of course. Why don't you start, Mister Weasley?"

Ron, George and Fred all started again, earning another round of laughter. "My mistake," Albus chuckled. "Fred Weasley, if you please."

Ginning at his twin, George asked, "Who were the attackers, Professor?"

With an almost sinister grin of his own, Albus responded, "The attackers, George Weasley, were Mister Vincent Crabbe and Mister Theodore Nott, which you might have guessed had you been at the station."

As Mrs. Weasley laid into her sons for trying to fool the Headmaster, Albus indicated to Hermione that it was her turn. Mrs. Weasley quieted down to listen as the girl asked, "What's going to happen to them?"

"Ah, well, I believe that Mister Shacklebolt had them taken to a Ministry holding facility, have you not?"

The Auror responded, "Indeed we have. They will be transferred to Azkaban in the morning, pending charges. I don't know everything, but they will at least be charged with Malicious Use of Magic and Magical Attack with Intent to Harm. Mister Nott will also be charged with Abduction of a Magical Child for taking that little girl hostage."

"Needless to say," Albus added, "should they be found guilty neither will be returning to Hogwarts in the fall." Then, anticipating the question Harry was about to ask, he let everyone know that the girl, a Hufflepuff First Year, and Terry Boot were both unharmed and were safely reunited with their families. Another student, a Third Year Slytherin, had been hit by one of Nott's stray spells, and he had been treated at St. Mungo's and would be home for a late supper. All other reported injuries were of minor consequence.

Ron went next, "But what I don't understand is where were the Aurors? I thought they were there to protect the students."

Albus shared a look with Shacklebolt, before the Auror sighed and explained, "That they were. Unfortunately, for the most part they seemed to be under the impression that the job ended when the train pulled into the station. Two of them were in the front-most car with a bottle of Firewhisky. From the smell of their robes, they were well into their cups. The third was actually still doing his job, but had been held up dealing with a minor fist-fight near one of the restrooms. He came as soon as he heard the commotion."

Finally, Harry took a turn and asked, "What were they trying to do? I mean, we know who the target was" – everyone in the room looked toward him, many nodding as they did so – "but what was the plan? Surely not to kill me! And where was their buddy Goyle during all of this?"

Albus tipped his head slightly as he said, "Excellent questions, Harry. I would say that it is possible the young men had no real goal, other than to simply hurt you." Harry looked Albus in the eye, recognizing the tactic but allowing the non-answer to stand, and Albus continued, "And as far as we can ascertain, Mister Goyle was not involved. In fact, it appears he had already left the station, having escorted Miss Parkinson to meet her parents." Several people found it hard to believe that Goyle was innocent, but Harry wondered if perhaps he was. Malfoy had been the glue that held the two goons together; without his guidance, they very well may have gone separate ways. Crabbe must have turned his allegiance to Nott, while Goyle had latched onto the one person openly mourning the dead blond, Pansy Parkinson.

Mrs. Weasley came to the table with plates full of warm goodies, which were passed around the table and quickly emptied. "Now, eat up those treats and finish your cocoa so we can get Hermione home to her parents," she advised. Ron finished his the quickest, and took advantage of the silence to ask another question. "Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore, but I have another question." Not being used to speaking directly with the Headmaster, he had turned a bright shade of red as he spoke. "How did that Portkey work? I thought there were charms that kept Portkeys from working on the platform."

Albus took a sip of his cocoa to clear his throat, but instead of giving an answer he said, "I see by the look on Miss Granger's face that she already knows the answer. Would you care to enlighten your friend?" As Albus used his hand to indicate Hermione should begin, Harry had to wonder if anyone else noticed the twinkle in old man's eyes.

Hermione certainly hadn't; Harry was certain her blush was actually due to being singled out. It took her a moment, as this setting was entirely different than the common room where she normally lectured to Ron. "Of course, Professor. It's simple, really. The charms only work one way. That is to say, they stop someone from using a Portkey to enter the platform, but anyone can use a Portkey to leave the platform. The real question is, how did Bill know the incantation? It was my understanding that only approved Ministry personnel could create a Portkey to pass through the charm."

She turned to look at Bill, who was smiling. With a shrug, he replied, "It pays to have a fiancé who's part Veela."

The reactions to Bill's comments varied, from Hermione's comments that women shouldn't be objectified to Fred and George asking about the other benefits of dating a Veela. Harry wisely chose to avoid the topic altogether, instead removing the sleeping Norbert from his basket and putting him onto his lap. He scratched Norbert between the ears, rousing the pup from his forced nap. Norbert shook his head, making his ears flop, then stood on his hind legs and stretched his body so he could put his front paws on Harry's shoulders. Before Harry could react, Norbert proceeded to lick Harry's face, almost knocking his glasses off in the process.

Ginny laughed, which drew the attention of the others. Mrs. Weasley came over and gently scratched the dog between the ears, thus saving Harry from his impromptu bath. She glanced at Albus as she said, "What a lovely animal, Harry. I'm surprised your guardian is letting you have him. I would have thought he was a cat person."

Harry considered himself lucky that he hadn't been drinking or else he might have choked at what he interpreted as a veiled allusion to Albus' relationship with Minerva. As it was, Harry was left wondering how much Mrs. Weasley knew about Albus and Minerva's friendship. As he cleaned his glasses on his shirt, Ginny explained that the dog was meant to be a gift for someone with, and here she directly quoted Harry, 'room in their heart for another stray'.

It took Mrs. Weasley a moment to understand, but when she did she almost caused the dog to fall to the floor in her rush to pull Harry into a bone-crushing hug. Quite the feat considering he was still sitting. Once he was able to breathe again, he told the nearly crying Mrs. Weasley, "Ginny has told me how lonely you get when she and Ron are at school. Hagrid had all these pups to find homes for, and I figured you could use the company. I called him Norbert once, and the name seems to have stuck. I hope you don't mind. Oh, and he's house trained already, and Hagrid tells me he also likes a strong ale."

"Well then," she said, seemingly ignoring the last part, "I should probably take Norbert here outside to do his business. I'll just be a few minutes." She leaned down to kiss the top of Harry's head, then Ginny's too, and conjured a collar and leash as she and Norbert left the kitchen.

Professor McGonagall took that as her cue, and before long everyone had said their goodbyes to Hermione and the two witches had left. Dinner was served shortly thereafter, but Harry had a hard time enjoying the scrumptious meal. Whenever Mrs. Weasley was out of earshot, the brothers ribbed Harry for kissing up to his future mother-in-law. 'If only they knew.' Even Bill, who hadn't seen how close Harry and his sister had become had joined in. At one point, Harry had looked to his guardian for help, but the old man was pointedly ignoring the young people, seemingly absorbed in conversation with Kingsley, although their matching smiles somewhat ruined their act.

When everyone's stomachs had been filled, Mrs. Weasley took her youngest two and headed for the Burrow while the twins headed back to their shop. Now that Harry was basically by himself, he sagged onto the table top. The day's excitement had caught up with him, and he was looking forward to his cozy bed back in the Headmaster's Quarters at Hogwarts. But when the fireplace flared to life, and he saw who stepped out, he knew he wouldn't get home anytime soon.

**end chapter**

Notes: Ah, the obligatory recap. About the Star Wars reference - I stopped myself from using it as long as I could. Really I did. But it just fits, ya know?

And in case you didn't already know this, reviews are welcome. Especially if you like the story.