A/N: Hello! Please don't hate me guy's. I'm so sorry this has taken so long, it's been an insane couple weeks. But anyways, here it is! The last chapter of the first book! I'm sorry if it's not very good. I struggled through a lot of it, and I think it shows. But I hope you enjoy anyways. Again sorry for any mistakes.

Don't forget to check out the A/N at the bottom. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter like. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Sixteen: Loose Ends? I Think Knot.

Every time Riley would look back on what happened next, she would smack herself for being so stupid. But not once would she truly regret it.

Waking up in the hospital wing a day later with a splitting headache and some very sore ribs, was defiantly not on her list of Things That Were Suppose to Happen While Trying to Save Harry.

It took a few moments for Riley to register her surroundings. Then she remembered what had happened.

~{}~

Riley had gotten to Harry while Quirrell was indulging himself on a nice long monologue about how he did it, why he did it, and how he was going to use Harry to get it.

"I'm going to kill you, Harry Potter." He said menacingly.

Of course Riley just couldn't keep her mouth shut. And although her brain was freaking out and screaming at her to shut up, her mouth seemed not to agree.

"I'd really rather you didn't." she commented surprisingly calm for how much she was freaking out on the inside. "You see, I'm rather fond of him and killing him would put me in a really bad mood."

Quirrell scowled at the girl.

"And you think you can stop me?'

Riley laughed humorlessly. "Nah, but I can delay you."

After that it got rather confusing. Riley attempted to hex him, dodge his curses, and tell Harry to run for it all at once. But just as she opened her mouth to tell Harry to go, she was hit with one of Quirrell's curses, sending her tumbling down the stone steps and into unconsciousness.

The last thing she remembered thinking was; well, that worked out dandy.

~{}~

Riley had woken up a day later to find Harry in a coma and the Stone to be destroyed. While she was happy Harry was alive, she couldn't help but feel responsible for Harry being in a coma. She went down there to protect him but instead, got knocked out a few minutes after arriving.

Riley didn't have much time to dwell on her guilt though, because a few hours after she woke, Remus arrived.

~{}~

"What were you thinking Riley?" Remus demanded after making sure she was alright.

Riley raised an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking 'oh no, Harry's in trouble and I need to help him.'… What do you want me to say, Moony?"

"I don't know what I want you to say!" Remus growled trying not to yell. "I just want you to be safe. Why can't you understand that I can't lose you, Riley! You mean too much to me. I've already lost you once; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lost you again!"

Riley stared at him shocked. She knew Remus cared for her, but she also always saw the pain in his eyes when he looked at her. So Riley assumed Remus did what he did out of the duty of being her godfather. He was still her favorite person, but she never realized how much he really did care.

"I'm sorry..." Riley was never very good at expressing her feelings and now wasn't any different. "I'm sorry I put you through so much pain... You're... You mean a lot to me too. Just ask my friends I never shut up about you."

Remus smiled and hugged her to him tightly. "I love you Riley. Whether you like it or not, you're like the daughter I'll never have."

Riley paused; shocked at what he said. Then she laughed and whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "I love you too."

~{}~

Riley was brought out of a nap two days later, by the sound of voices behind the curtain. Madam Pomfrey still hadn't let her go, and since there was nothing better to do; Riley slept.

"I see you are not to be distracted." She heard the very familiar voice of Dumbledore say. "Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" The voice Riley now recognized as Harry's asked.

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."

"It was you."

"I feared I might be too late."

"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer –"

"Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —"

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you?" Riley snorted. Only Dumbledore. "Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."

"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."

It was quite for a moment. That's really rather brave of them. Riley thought. Though, after living that long they must really be tired. No one should live forever; it's unnatural.

"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible." Dumbledore continued after a moment. "But to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind; death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Riley lay there, smiling a bit as she heard Dumbledore start to hum in the silence. She wondered if he was like her and hated silence.

"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking… sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol- I mean, You-Know-Who —"

"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"

"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

Harry paused then said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about…"

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

Riley almost gasped in shock. What? When was this?

Probably while you were busy sleeping on the job. A mean little voice in the back of her head said.

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.

"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know one day… put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know."

Riley's eyes narrowed. What are you hiding old man?

"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

Riley stared blankly at the ceiling. Was that true? Did her mother and step-father leave her protected, too? Riley hadn't really thought of her parents in a long time. It brought back too many painful memories.

She was brought out of her daze when Harry asked, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?"

"Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Riley just knew Dumbledore's eyes were doing that twinkling thing. "Useful things… your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

"And there's something else…"

"Fire away."

"Quirrell said Snape —"

"Professor Snape, Harry."

"Yes, him — Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"

"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."

"What?"

"He saved his life."

"What?"

"Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…"

Oh… Riley smiled. That kind of made sense in a weird way.

"And sir, there's one more thing…"

"Just the one?" Was that amusement Riley heard in Dumbledore's voice?

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something." Riley had to fight not to giggle. "You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes… Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

After a moment Riley heard him choke and say, "Alas! Ear wax!"

Riley was sure she cracked a rib trying not to laugh. Just as she was calming down from her fit of giggles, Dumbledore opened the curtain around her bed and sat down next to her.

Riley grinned at him sheepishly, knowing she was caught. "Hello, Professor. How are you on this fine afternoon?"

Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes still doing that infernal twinkling. "Very well. You gave us all a good scare."

"Oh… yeah… you don't happen to know what Quirrell hit me with do you?" Riley questioned. No one had told her yet. It was really quite irritating.

"I believe Madam Pomfrey said it was a stunning spell. She believes the only reason you were knocked out so long, was because of the tumble you took down the steps."

Riley nodded. That would explain the aches and bruises.

They sat in silence for a moment before Riley finally asked something that had been bothering her.

"You knew I would go down there anyway, didn't you?"

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "I did. I had hoped you would not. But I knew you were not one to sit around and do nothing if your friends were in danger."

"You gave me those clues." It wasn't a question. Riley finally understood what his advice had meant. "Listen to some music, it can even sooth the soul of a ravage beast. That was how to calm Fluffy, by using music. Use some light to loosen the tension. That was how I was supposed to get the Devil's Snare to release me. Always have a buddy, because you never know when they might have the right answer. You knew I would need Elephant, since I'm such an awful flier. Make sure to plan out your next move, you never want to be surprised. That was for the chess set. But I didn't need that since Ron had already beaten it. And the answer is usually the last one you would expect. That was for the riddle, but Hermione told me which one to drink. You knew all along…"

Dumbledore just smiled serenely. Riley shook her head, the man was either a genius or totally insane.

Dumbledore stuck around for a little while longer chatting with Riley and Harry, until Madam Pomfrey shooed him out.

Harry told Riley everything that happened with Quirrell. How Quirrell explained that he had done everything the trio suspected Snape of doing, why he did those things, and who he did those things for. Then Harry told her about Voldemort being on the back of Quirrell's head the whole time and Riley knew she was going to be having nightmares for awhile. Later that day Ron and Hermione came in and Harry told them the story too.

Ron shook his head at Riley, when she told them her side.

"You didn't last very long."

Riley glared at him. "Lasted longer then you though, didn't I?"

Ron huffed, but kept silent causing Riley to smirk triumphantly. Yeah, I still got it.

~{}~

At last, Riley was released from the prison— sorry, hospital wing later that day. So she happily bid Harry good luck on dealing with the warden, and made her way to the Gryffindor common room. Before she got there though, she was pulled into an empty classroom.

Fred, George and Lee all watched her with worry, as she sighed and sat down on top of a desk.

"So?"

"So… What?" Fred asked thoroughly confused.

"I'm still waiting for that apology."

"You're kidding right?" George asked incredulously.

Riley's eyes turned cold.

"No, I'm not kidding. I asked for a truce, you declined. Now it's back to you giving me an apology."

The three boy's looked at each other and sighed.

"Fine. We're sorry—"

"Wait." Riley interrupted; a horribly mischievous gleam in her eyes now. "I think some groveling is in order, don't you?"

The three boys glared, but got on their knees and clasped their hands anyway.

"We're sorry we turned on you. We were stupid, and cruel. We don't deserve the title of being a good friend. Will you forgive us?" Lee finished with wary glance at the twins.

Riley grinned. "Good enough."

Fred looked at her shrewdly. "You just wanted to see us grovel, didn't you?"

Riley's grin grew wider. "Got it on tape and everything."

The three boy's groaned. Why did they want to be friends with her again?

~{}~

After much debate, Madam Pomfrey let Harry go to the end-of-year feast. So Riley decided to meet up with him on her way towards the Great Hall.

"Thanks." Harry said after a bit of silence.

Riley looked at him confused. "For what?"

Harry's face went a brilliant shade of pink. "For trying to protect me. I know you didn't have too."

Riley smiled at him. "Harry your one of my best friends. There's no way I'd let you do something that stupid by yourself. My family means more to me then you know. And whether you like it or not, you've become part of my family."

Harry smiled back at her. He always wondered what it would be like to have a sister.

~{}~

For the most part the end-of-year feast was uneventful. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville all got enough points to win the House Cup. Riley wasn't jealous or disappointed that she didn't get any points. She knew Dumbledore was proud of her.

She was surprised though, when McGonagall came up to her as she was leaving and stated that even though she had said Riley was the Bane of Her Existence, she was still proud of the girl.

When the exam results came, Riley was happy to say she had rather high marks and even though she got a D in History of Magic, her other marks had her in the top ten for highest grades in her year. Hermione of course got the number one spot, and Riley was pleased to see Harry, Ron and Neville didn't do too badly either.

~{}~

When the day came to leave, Riley got the shock of her life. The carriages that were taking the kids to the Hogsmead train station were being pulled by skeletal reptilian horses with wings. Riley asked Hermione what they were, but she told Riley there was nothing pulling the carriages.

Riley was saved from freaking out when Ron's older brother Percy, assured her that the horses she was seeing were called Thestrals, and only those who have seen death could see them. Riley quickly made her way into the carriage after that; not wanting to be asked who she'd seen die.

The quartet and the twins found a compartment on the train together, and played Exploding Snap and chess to pass the time. When they finally got to platform 9 ¾ Fred and George whisked Riley off to meet their mum, dad and little sister.

Mrs. Weasley was a nice woman; she seemed to be a very good mother, but Riley thought she was a bit too hard on the twins.

Mr. Weasley was great. He seemed to take to Riley immediately and Ginny, the youngest and only daughter was sweet, Riley liked her.

But soon Andromeda showed up with Ted and Riley said a quick good-bye to everyone. Giving Harry an extra hug, Riley promised him she would find a way to get him away from the horrible muggles he had told her about.

Getting into the old, beat up car that Ted loved so much, Riley smiled. It had been a very interesting and crazy year… and she couldn't wait for the next one.

The End.

I just want to say thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys kept me going when I started to lose my momentum. And thank you everyone who Alerted and Favorited. You guys all rock! I really hope this story did it's job and made you laugh till you couldn't laugh any more.

I'm not sure when the next book will be up, but I'll be sure to let you all know when it is. Thank you so much everyone.

Ta ta for now,

Fox