text:
Follow MassDOT on Twitter
Official Tweeting from Mass. Dept of Transportation (MassDOT). Tweets ending in JM from MassDOT Secretary/CEO Jeffrey Mullan
Subscribe to MassDOT
On the Trans Blog
MassDOT Annual Farmerĺs Markets at Service Plazas
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that the MassDOTĺs Annual Farmerĺs Market Program will begin in May 2010, continuing through Fall 2010. Local Farmers are invited to take advantage of free vending space at the stateĺs eighteen highway service plazas to sell their home-grown produce and made-in-Massachusetts products.
Medway Route 109 Improvements
Governor Deval Patrick this week announced design funds for the reconstruction and improvement of Route 109 through the Medway business district
Whittier Bridge Information Meeting Set
MassDOT will hold a Public Information Meeting for the Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project on Tuesday, April 27.
MBTA: Orange Line Public Meetings
The MBTA continues a series of public meetings to discuss the expansion of Single Person Train Operation to the Orange Line. Similar to Single Person Train Operation mode on the Blue Line, Orange Line motorpersons will perform all functions once shared with train attendants, including door operation and station announcements. The MBTA has successfully operated in Single Person Train Operation mode on the Blue Line since 1996 with no degradation to safety, service, or security.
MassDOT Plans Green Line Extension Work Group
MassDOT is forming a work group to assist in the Green Line Extension project's Preliminary Engineering phase. Project managers will bring together MBTA officials, municipal representatives, business representatives and local citizens to form the GLX Design Working Group.
The Road to Reform
MBTA Launches Hybrid Buses
MBTA General Manager Rich Davey joined MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan in a ribbon-cutting at Back Bay Station Tuesday to celebrate delivery of the first eight diesel hybrid buses and announce the rollout of a total of 25 new 60-foot articulated low floor diesel hybrid buses to serve Boston neighborhoods. Officials joined in the inaugural run of one of the new buses along bus Route 39.
Federal stimulus American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds purchased the fleet of emission-controlled, eco-friendly buses. The MBTA will serve more bus riders on some of its most popular routes with buses that reduce pollution in Boston neighborhoods through a hybrid system capable of improving fuel efficiency by 20% or greater compared to conventional diesel buses.
The first four buses will be put immediately into service along Route 39, Forest Hills to Back Bay. Other new hybrid buses will be put into service two to three per week through the end of June on the Route 28 line, Mattapan Station to Ruggles via Dudley, and along the Silver Line Washington Street route.
A total of seven bus routes originating from the Southampton Garage will be served by the new buses, reaching 12 Boston communities including Jamaica Plain, Longwood, Fenway, Back Bay, Dorchester, Roxbury, South End, Chinatown, South Boston Waterfront, East Boston and Boston's Financial District The new buses arrived in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The new hybrid buses are quieter, with extra wide 41-inch center and rear doors, wheelchair ramps at the front door, and cameras and video recording for security.
New License Made in Massachusetts
The Patrick-Murray Administration today unveiled a new driver's license and MA ID that for the first time in over a decade are being manufactured in Massachusetts. The new cards went into production this week and include new security features that offer residents better protection against fraud and identity theft.
The new cards will be phased in over the five-year renewal period. Current driverĺs licenses, MA ID's, commercial driverĺs licenses, junior operator and under 21 licenses remain valid until they come up for renewal. Over the next year, the RMV is expected to send out approximately 1.4 million of the new cards to customers.
New security measures to help law enforcement, banks, retailers and liquor establishments validate the cards include a perforated outline of Massachusetts that can be seen when held up to any light. Customers will also find it easier to change their address on the new cards, with a writeable place on the back of the card to replace the need for a printed address sticker.
L-1 Identity Solutions is manufacturing the cards at a secure facility the company set up in Massachusetts for quicker mail delivery.
MassDOT RMV Division serves more than 4.7 million drivers at 30 branch locations and online
MBTA Foils Parking Scam
Veteran MBTA Orange Line Inspector Greg Lowe spotted something amiss near North Station just prior to the Celtics playoff game Tuesday night and took action. Now, he's being praised for helping stop an alleged parking scam.
Lowe, an 18-year MBTA employee, saw two men stopping cars and attempting to collect fees from the public for parking in an MBTA lot. The Transit Police responded and arrested the two suspects on larceny and trespassing charges.
ôHis supervisors tell me Greg is a dedicated public servant who does a great job on a daily basis,ö said MBTA General Manager Richard Davey. ôHe saw something wrong, and he acted swiftly to stop it. I canĺt thank him enough.ö
Lowe started at the T as a part-time collector and has worked his way up to the Orange Line Inspector position he currently holds. Congratulations to Greg for immediately reporting the suspicious activity and to Transit Police for responding and disrupting the alleged crime.
MBTA: Safety Hotline for Employees
As part of his focus on safety, MBTA General Manager Richard Davey has announced a new MBTA Safety Hotline for employees, in order to provide an immediate means to voice safety concerns. The Safety Hotline will be checked several times per day to ensure that any reported hazard is assessed and addressed as quickly as possible.
Hotline callers will be asked to provide detailed information about the nature and location of the hazard or safety concern. Employee callers may remain anonymous or leave contact information. An MBTA Safety Department representative will respond.
The MBTA strives every day to ensure that all employees are working in a safe and healthy environment. As required by existing rules, employees should contact the Dispatcher, the nearest Official, or their Supervisor if they encounter anything that is an immediate danger to employees or customers.
As always, MBTA customers with concerns or questions are asked to call MBTA Customer Support:
Or visit MBTA Customer Support online to submit comments.
MBTA: Customer Service Campaign
Newly appointed MBTA General Manager Richard Davey continues his "Join the GM" campaign, a back-to-basics approach that will include regular visits to MBTA station to listen and interact with daily commuters in person. On Thursdays, Davey along with the Tĺs top managers will convene at a selected station or bus depot to listen to customers concerns, and promote public transportation.
Each week, MBTA managers will be available at the stations prepared to listen, respond, and follow up with customer concerns and recommendations. Upon completion of eight weekly sessions, ôJoin the GMö will continue on a monthly basis system-wide. Below are the dates and locations for future sessions.
Visit MBTA on the web for news and updates.
MassDOT Board May Public Meeting
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors will hold its next public business meeting on Wednesday, May 5, 1:00pm, State Transportation Building in Boston. All meetings are open to the public.
The meeting schedule is available on the MassDOT website.
|© 2010 Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


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Connecting Together
My husband and I adopted a child from foster care earlier this year. She has been leaving in our home for over a year now. We have all grown closer together as a family over the past year. We love our child very much but at times we do not connect. I think back to when my husband and I met 12 years ago, we had to form a connection. I remember thinking when my husband and I was dating that he was a nice person but I didn't think that I wanted anything serious with him. We both laugh as we talk about that now as we could not imagine our lives without each other but that took time and… [more]
It's a GIRL!
I am slightly sleep deprived. Wait, let me back up. I have a new baby--a beautiful little girl--and I'm slightly sleep deprived. Sometimes life takes some unexpected turns. And sometimes the outcome of said unexpected turns is amazingly beautiful. As some of the more regular readers might recall, we were in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Long story short, before we even started on compiling our dossier, we had a change of heart and decided to pursue an adoption through the foster care system. In the middle of December, we met with our new social worker (did I mention we needed a completely new home study even though we just had a favorable one approved in July? More on… [more]
Excluding Inclusion: Our Shopping Search
Somewhat inspired by the theme of issues related to race as blogged by Mandy W and Robyn C recently, I would like to introduce my story of the search for the newborn Hispanic Cabbage Patch Doll. No, really. I have a story that actually does aptly fit that description. But while this blog doesn't touch on the same issues discussed by Mandy and Robyn, it does discuss some of the implications of the inclusion/exclusion conundrum. Prior to the birth of Bear in 2006 and long before the idea of actually moving forth with adoption flew onto our family radar, I always envisioned a home full of toys, namely dolls in this context, bearing representations of different races. Yet once Bear was born… [more]
Meds, Meds, and More Meds…What to Do When Your Child is Over-Medicated
****I'd like to preface this post by saying that I am NOT a medical professional and do not offer this information as a hard and fast rule for all children. Please speak with your medical professionals before changing any medications for your child.**** Hubby and I have very strong feelings about medicating our children. Often, in the foster care system, kids end up with multiple diagnoses and their corresponding medications because no one really wanted to deal with the root of their behaviors. It is much easier to medicate a child into submission than it is to dig deep and help a child climb out of the holes their lives have landed them in. I believe it is unreasonable to diagnose a child with 5 different disorders… [more]
One of our sons, Z, has been diagnosed with ODD, otherwise known as Oppositional Defiant Disorder. It sounds as frustrating as it is. One of the diagnostic symptoms is "often deliberately annoys people". Man, is that the truth! Z will find the thing that drives you the most crazy and then he'll do it as often as possible. He has many ways in which he acts out this particular behavior but his predominant method is talking. Z is always talking. T says that Z even talks in his sleep. He talks when we are talking and when we aren't. He talks when the tv is on and when I'm on the phone. He talks when we're in the car and when we're at the dinner… [more]
Attachment Disordered Children Will Suck a Stay at Home Parent Dry
Sucking the air outI would like to address a comment made on a blog that I wrote on July 2, 2008 entitled "Place Older Adopted Children With Stay at Home Parent." In that blog, I stated that older adopted children typically come to their new family with abandonment issues. I realize there are many other issues involved, but I am addressing just abandonment for now. In the summary of the article I stated, "Try to find a way to spend those first few months with your child. Give your child time to feel safe and bond with you. It could potentially save you many problems later." A reader commented that attachment disordered children will suck a stay at home parent (SAHP) dry emotionally. This is… [more]
Validating Racial Identity
I've mentioned that our homeschooling schedule becomes slightly more relaxed during the summer months. We tend to lots of reading for the various summer reading programs. For one such program, my oldest son read The Jacket, by Andrew Clements. The book centers on a Caucasian boy who accuses an African-American boy of stealing a jacket. When it's revealed this accusation is in error, it causes the boy to rethink his beliefs about race and color, and examine his own prejudices. I asked my son about this book. He was able to summarize the plot for me, and give me basic information about the book. However, when I asked him more detailed questions about the meaning of the book, he gave technically correct answers, but didn't seem to… [more]
Helping Your Child Take Ownership of a Special Need
Two of my children have special medical needs, and one has grappled in recent past with mental health issues. Whenever possible, I try to involve my children in the process of caring for their conditions, knowing that at some point, the majority of care regarding it will be transferred to them. My oldest was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes shortly before his third birthday. About a week after his fourth birthday, he began checking his own blood sugar – yes, with a lancet – under our close supervision. Now, at almost 10 years of age, he does entire infusion site changes for his insulin pump. When he was diagnosed with epilepsy a couple of months ago, we also heavily involved him in his own self-care. He… [more]
New Report on Adoption and Race Released Today
A report released today by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute suggests that minority children are not best served by what they term a "color-blind approach." Citing statistics that show over 50% of children waiting to be adopted are children of color, the Institute recommends the Multi-ethnic Placement Act be amended to include race as a factor to be considered when placing children for adoption. This is an adoption "hot-button" issue, emotionally charged, and with serious ramifications. On the one hand, no one disputes the fact that there are children now, who need stable homes now, regardless of the color represented in that home. The argument is that stability, of any flavor or stripe, is better than abuse or neglect, and this is true. However, as a bi-racial… [more]
Full Release From Therapy!
Though our therapist felt our daughter was "adjusting beautifully" at our last visit, she did schedule a follow-up, just to "check in." Today, about a month out from the last visit, we had the check-in appointment. Once again our daughter went off for her one-on-one with the therapist, though for this visit their "alone time" was a little longer. When I finally got to go in, it was much the same as last time! Our therapist feels that our daughter has truly made remarkable progress and has truly adjusted, and adjusted well! She said that our daughter understands the rules, logical consequences, and can clearly articulate them. Our therapist said it appears that our rules are clear, consistent and appropriate. Whereas she gave our daughter… [more]

subset: commoncrawl


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It's almost here. Finally!!! I feel like a little kid before Christmas morning, brimming with anticipation. Then, after all of this waiting in what has felt like the longest offseason in histry, we Bears fans have to wait all day on Sunday before we get to open our presents Sunday night. At least I've got my three fantasy leagues and six-month old to keep me busy until Game Time.
I've scoured the Web looking for previews and predictions for the Bears-Packers game Sunday night at Lambeau. Trust me, there is no shortage of "experts" willing to give you their opinion. Let's see what we've got:
The bobble heads over at ESPN pick the Packers across the board. Big freaking surprise – the Bears never get any love from the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network.
In that bunch, even Accuscore picks the Packers. For those not familiar with it, Accuscore is a computer program that simulates the games thousands of times. According to this bucket of bolts, they've got the Packers winning 27-20. In their simulations, the Packers win 67% of the time. Doesn't look good, does it? Who gives a crap what a computer says? What is this WarGames ?
Hey Accuscore, how about a nice game of Chess?
Sports Illustrated's Peter King picks the Packers 23-16. This from the same guy who picked the Bears to make it to the Super Bowl? Hey Peter, pick a lane!
The trend of taking the 3.5 point favorite Packers continued at ProFootball Talk, where they have the Pack winning 38-35 in a shootout.
Hell, Sam Farmer picks the damn Packers in the Chicago Tribune! Didn't any of these people hear the news? Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are gone! We got Jay Cutler! Hel-lo!
Over at CBSSports, two out of their six pundits picked the Bears. Finally, a breakthrough!
I searched high and low, looked for someone – anyone – to pick the Bears. Finally, Pete Schrager at FoxSports scratched right where I was itching.
Sunday night game
Chicago at Green Bay: The last time these two squared off in Lambeau, the Pack beat the Bears, 37-3, in a game where Green Bay outgained Chicago 427-234. Of course, that was before the Bears got Jay Cutler. Winning in Lambeau at night on national TV is nearly impossible. Cutler finds a way to do it in his Chicago debut. Now, let the hate mail commence.
The pick: Bears 24, Packers 23
Then I stumbled across Mark Potash's picks in the Sun Times. Another win for the Bears! Now we're getting somewhere.
got to someone whose opinion I value, the guy that's covering the Bears for The Score, Laurence Holmes.
Prediction: Look for a big play from the Bears Special Teams to even out this game and take away the Lambeau advantage. Lovie Smith owns the Packers. He's 7-3 against Green Bay in his career. Now he's got Jay Cutler. I think this will be a great game…Bears 26 Packers 21.
Check out his full breakdown here. Great analysis as always! And I'm not just saying that because he picks the Bears. OK, so what if I am. Read his stuff. He's good!
So what if most outlets pick the Packers? Good. Let 'em. It plays right into Lovie Smith's "no one respects us" and "us against the world" philosophy. Victory will be that much sweeter!
What do I think? I already picked every game this season, but to refresh your memory, I've got the Bears 27-24.
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BearGogglesOn.
Get Bears updates sent straight to your Inbox for free by subscribing to Bear Goggles On.
Tags: Chicago Bears Expert Picks Green Bay Packers Lovie Smith Week 1 Predictions


text:
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text:
VWR 2005 Round-Up
I've spent the past few days going over traffic stats for Virtual Worlds Review and thought I'd share 2005 world rankings for those interested in the social virtual worlds scene. VWR's Top 10 Social Virtual Worlds in 2005 were…
[[[[ drumroll ]]]
1. Habbo Hotel
2. Playdo
3. Coke Studios
4. Dreamville
5. Dubit
6. VZones
7. Virtual Magic Kingdom
8. Mokitown
9. Active Worlds
10. Voodoo Chat
Rankings were determined by assessing which review and gallery pages received the highest monthly average pageviews over the course of the year. Because VWR traffic is primarily driven through search engine results, world pageview totals are affected by review page placements in search engine rankings. Not surprisingly, a Google search for all of the Top 10 world names returns a first-page result for its corresponding VWR review page. A world with a more generic name (e.g. The Palace, The Manor, There, Traveler) may be receiving less VWR traffic simply because a name search does not return a high VWR listing. Yet there are others that do return first-page search results and are still always at the bottom of the list, so I think it's safe to say that the VWR Top 10 list indicates a persistent general interest in these ten worlds.
One thing that immediately struck me about the list is that it's an interesting mix of old and new worlds, with decade-old VZones and Active Worlds holding their own against newer, shinier worlds. The newest (and by far the shiniest) world on the list is Virtual Magic Kingdom. The VMK review page was consistently popular in 2005, debuting at #7 in June and coming in at #7 for the year.
Habbo Hotel dominated VWR in 2005. In fact, I would have to say HH generally dominated the social virtual world market, with a mind-boggling *40 million* members. HH pages on VWR regularly received twice the amount of traffic that other worlds received on VWR in 2005. I believe other sites may actually be benefiting from HH's popularity, as search keyword phrases such as 'sites like habbo' are showing up in the referral lists lately.
While there's no way to verify the ages of site visitors, I've long suspected that kids and teens pwn VWR. Most of the Top 10 worlds target the youth market either directly or indirectly (for example, Active Worlds is all-ages but has a popular AW Teen area and the AWEDU program for educational projects). 2005 VWR traffic is significantly higher during school vacation months. Plus, I regularly get emails from names like 'brittany420' and 'cooldude69' that say things like, 'omg ur site totally rox can u give me free furni?' Case closed.
Speaking of free, 9 of the Top 10 worlds offer free basic access to registrants. Free access = high traffic. What a shocker!
More interestingly, 5 of the Top 10 worlds actively incorporate in-world advertising. In fact, Coke Studios, Virtual Magic Kingdom and Mokitown exist solely to promote their sponsors. Habbo Hotel and Dubit regularly create themed rooms and special promotions for advertising partners.
VWR site sessions were typically between 2 and 4 minutes long in 2005. I'm actually happy about this, as I don't want visitors hanging around too long. The main goal of the site is to provide newbies with basic information and then get them exploring the virtual worlds themselves. Get 'em in, get 'em out, get 'em avatars.
Overall, VWR traffic increased 22% in 2005, with August being the busiest month of the year. It's the teens, I tell you. They're taking over.
My hope for 2006 is that VWR will continue to help those interested in visiting social virtual worlds find new worlds, new experiences and new communities. In 2006 I'd like to see more 3D worlds on the Top 10 list. I'd like to see social worlds become more innovative, with new and interesting features that distinguish them individually while challenging competitors and creating new industry standards. I'd like to see more academic analysis of social virtual worlds. I'd like to see them being taken more seriously in general. While some may write many of these worlds off as 'kid-stuff' 40 million habbos can't be ignored. If nothing else, I think the popularity of avatar-based online social experiences will continue to grow in 2006. And yes, kids and teens will be leading the way.
Comments on VWR 2005 Round-Up:
I love the implications of this.
Virtual experience is being adopted much more freely by the generation that's grown up online. This is experience that is meaningful to them, even with the very crude instances we've created so far - what will it look like in ten years? How will these experiences be part of general life, especially for the younger ones?
And the generation after that? 40 million is not much of the entire population that's out there. But they're coming.
Posted Jan 2, 2006 6:15:33 PM | link
Random factoid: Virtual Magic Kingdom was created by the same company that created and runs Habbo Hotel.
Posted Jan 2, 2006 9:51:46 PM | link
Ten years out is hard to predict but certainly fun to think about. I think in general it will become much more common for people to engage in social interaction that is mediated by an avatar-based environment. Right there's still very much a "gee whiz" attitude about virtual worlds, especially in the press. People still find it difficult to wrap their brains around the fact that it is possible to have very meaningful social experiences in a virtual environment. However I do find that this attitude comes mostly from adults. Kids and teens just don't get freaked out by things like avatars, online buddies and virtual worlds like adults do.
I have to wonder what Active Worlds and VZones creators thought 2005 would be like, back in 1995, and if the current reality is in any way similar to the expectations of ten years ago.
Posted Jan 3, 2006 9:30:23 AM | link
with a mind-boggling *40 million* members.
good lord.
I guess neopets is a craze among kids too. and runescape is flying around virally in the 9-14 age group.
fast forward to 2020: "Wh3n 1 was a k1d, w3 ju5t 7humbed 3ach o7h3r s1mpl3 7ex7 m3ssages 7hat ev3ryone cou1d und3rst8nd! I7 was norm8l, 5ane, saf3! Th3se kid5 7oday wi7h th31r avatar5 and vo1ce 3motes! What'5 7he wor1d com1ng 7o!!!11!11"
Posted Jan 3, 2006 11:58:27 AM | link
Whew, who knew the Habbo furni whores were so . . . robust.
Posted Jan 3, 2006 6:18:09 PM | link
go to:
For Inferno and other rare trades.
Sign up now and you could win narnia teleports.
Posted Apr 23, 2006 9:38:19 AM | link


text:
Koi roko na-orginally sung by Kishore da
Lyrics & Chords
"Koi roko na deewane ko, Man machal raha kuch gaane ko". Exactly the same feeling you get while singing this melodious number from "Priyatama". Music by Rajesh Roshan.
Initially it looks easy to sing but antras are really tricky. Please excuse for the poor quality of ktrack.
Will appreciate your feedback please.
Rakesh Baro said
Wow I love the song……love the typical Rajesh Roshan type Variations ……you have sung well bro , were lil flat at few places, landing notes could be better with lil more practice :)…keep singing
Srini S said
very nicely sung harry,enjoyed it.Loved the express
ions.keep practising n all the best.
Krishnan N v ( nvk ) said
Great song pick. I just love this song from 'Priyatama', a film I have seen not less than 10 times…Lol….
Harry, you sang quite well…Great feel and lovely voice too… You need to concentrate on the pitching. Quite a few off pitch notes were felt.
Barring this, it was enjoyable…Thanks for singing this…
ENVEEK-In my "Second Innings".
Check out My Latest Sunnari Neeyum with Meena, Main Dil Tu Dhadkan and Anisuthide(Kannada
Harshan Nambiar said
Yet another beautiful song by Kishoreda….lagtha aap bhi kishoreda bakht hai:-) Nice expressive singing, agree with upstairs. …thoda sur idhar udhar ho raha tha ….never mind …with practise you can overcome this. Enjoyed this lovely song in your voice….keep it coming.
Check out sama hai suhana suhana
Check out
"Panthi hoon mai"http://www.muziboo.com/sreehu420/music/panthi-hoon-mai-us-path-ka-
my duet with smitha Jaane jaa
Ranjit Salian said
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww divine bro Harry,
I loved it. What a divine voice you have.
Your voice has a halo to it which makes the soul of the song come across to the heart and soul.
It really touched me.
10/5 – rather Infinity on 5***** for you. The mix if better will make this IMMORTAL.
It goes to my favorites straight.
Take Care divine soul,
Keep the faith always,
Peace be with you,
God Bless You and all your beloved souls…
by Harry Chops
uploaded about 5 years ago
- 369 Plays. Last played on September 19, 2014
- 2 Favorites
- 2 Likes
- 9 Comments
- 873 Koi roko na-orginally sung ... MP3 Download


text:
Skip to content
By Gary Pinchin -
British Superbikes
06 March 2012 10:33
The newly renamed MSS Bathams Kawasaki squad are now in Spain undergoing three days of intensive training at the Alcarras circuit with all four of their Superbike and Superstock riders.
With an all new rider line-up and crew plus exciting title sponsorship from Bathams Brewery, the squad is fully fired up for the equally new MCE British Superbike rule specifications for 2012.
The team travelled down over the weekend to maximise their tracktime and overlay last year's data, which was gained by running an Evo spec machine at several BSB rounds, to ascertain the standard of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R under these new regulations.
The testing will benefit from the skilled development and analysis of seasoned professional Michael Rutter, backed up by his Superbike teammate Peter Hickman, who was so impressive last season in BSB.
The test will also help with a shakedown for the Bathams TT Superbike which Rutter will be campaigning in the major roads events, including the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Macau GP, which he has won an incredible seven times.
Michael's ongoing support from Bathams has lead to the renowned brewery becoming title sponsor of the Colchester based squad for 2012.
The one-man, one-lady Superstock squad will also be getting in important practice on a machine which proved itself exceptionally well last season, as it was piloted to victories by MSS riders.
Leon Hunt and Sandra Stammova are looking for good results after their class debuts last year with both riders now attracting interesting support from a number of outside sponsors (more to follow!)
MSS Bathams Kawasaki Team Manager Nick Morgan commented: "It's great to get out testing in Spain and all the better to get three intensive days on circuit.
"Our Superbike riders are experienced enough to give us good feedback on new components but the good news is we aren't starting from scratch as the bike had been run in this 2012 engine spec in some BSB rounds last year, so we know the base parameters.
"We'll be working on understanding the one-spec Motec ECU that will affect tyre life with no traction control. Both Leon and Sandra raced a Kawasaki in Superstock last year and will be ready to step it up for this season, on a bike we all know is very competitive in this class.
"Finally, before we get down to business a big thank you to the guys from Bathams Brewery who have stepped up to become title sponsors of the team.
"Obviously we're still based out of Colchester Kawasaki which is now owned by Motorcycles Direct and I think we'll always be associated with the city, so we'll never lose that link just with a name change. Right, let's get testing!"
All four riders will complete testing of new parts and carrying out race simulations to ascertain tyre wear over the three day test, before returning to Britain for two more UK outings.
The MCE British Superbike series kicks off at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend 7-9th April.
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Or call us on 01733 468842 (+44 1733 468842)
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text: You're here for one of two reasons, you either hate what I do or you love it. Lets get this straight, I give hate to those who deserve it and to those who are so far stuck up their arse. Im not unfair, everyone has a reason to being hated whether its cos theyre a cunt or theyve been a cunt. x x x


text:
Friday, 07 Sep 2007 07:50 AM
Senator Barack Obama is leading all presidential candidates in visitors to their campaign Web sites, The Nielsen Company reports.
According to Nielsen//NetRatings, BarackObama.com had the most unique visitors in July, with 717,000. Obama
readily outpaced fellow Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, who had 437,000 and 348,000 unique visitors, respectively.
Among Republicans, Fred Thompson's ImWithFred.com drew the most unique visitors in July, with
381,000, even though he had not yet announced his candidacy. The former Tennessee senator and
"Law and Order" star, who has relied heavily upon the Internet to generate political exposure this
year, announced his candidacy officially at midnight last night in a Web cast on Fred08.com, where
ImWithFred.com traffic is now directed.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani ranked No. 2 among Republicans online, with 124,000 unique
visitors. Mitt Romney ranked a close third, with 116,000 unique visitors. Ron Paul and John McCain
rounded out the Republican campaign Web sites with 113,000 and 104,000 unique visitors,
"Consensus has been that Republicans have been slower to take advantage of the Web in their
presidential campaigns, but Fred Thompson may be taking a cue from his Democratic counterparts,"
said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. "Rather than shying
away from buzz, the Thompson campaign is actively engaging in an online conversation. Thompson's
online announcement is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's."
© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Friday, 04 Jan 2013 13:06 PM
Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters rallied in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza on Friday for the first time since they we . . .
Tuesday, 17 Jul 2012 18:11 PM
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Friday, 13 Jul 2012 12:27 PM
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Ilise joins Jim to talk about the difference between being an introvert and being shy and how either one can be professionally debilitating.
Ilise and Jim continue their series on having self-confidence. This visit includes skills and tools that can help you to be more confident and effective.
Ilise joins Jim to help him kick off his 8th anniversary show as they talk about how to make the most of being shy, as well as how to manage a shy employee.
Ilise explains to Jim talk about the difference between being introverted and being shy. They go on to talk about how to overcome shyness so that it doesn't hold you back professionally and socially.
Jim and Ilise continue their series on "buzz marketing" for small businesses. This visit includes discussion about telling stories in your selling and prospecting activity, instead of talking about product.
Ilise and Jim discuss why networking is essential to business success.
Ilise and Jim continue their series on "Buzz Marketing." Today they talk about some specific buzz marketing examples that small businesses have used.
Ilise and Jim continue their series on "Buzz Marketing." Today they talk about the importance of training your customers how to help you get other customers.
Jim and Ilise continue their series on how to successfully conduct word-of-mouth marketing.
Ilise and Jim continue a mini-series on the best way to get and use customer testimonials.


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Message Boards » Website Suggestions/Feedback
TOPIC: Facebook Post Option
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Joined Feb 2013
Posts: 5
February 9, 2013 7:51 AM
I would like a single button option on the screen for a day's food dairy to post to Facebook. The current option is automatic daily updates and I don't want to post it all, just the occasional day. I do it today by linking the URL but it does not include anything about My Fitness Pal in the link preview to advertise your app...
Message Boards » Website Suggestions/Feedback
Posts by members, moderators and admins should not be considered medical advice and no guarantee is made against accuracy.


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By Tiffany Pelt - email
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – After 16 years of serving Lubbock patients, a local doctor is leaving his private practice. He's blaming current flaws with the health care system and the passage of the health care reform bill.
"I have always enjoyed what I do but I cannot do it anymore and continue to struggle to make a living," said Doctor Robert Johnson.
On April 26th, Johnson wrote his patients a letter telling them he was leaving May 28th and that they would need to find a new physician. "I hate to leave my patients but I don't think I can stand the liability of staying in it," he said.
Sixty percent of Johnson's patients are under Medicare. Getting reimbursed for services involving those patients is very little, and with the government threatening to trim those payments even more, Johnson said it's a bill he can't afford.
"That's exactly what's causing the strain. You can't see as many Medicare patients as you can regular insurance patients because they need so much, so it has been a huge part of what makes it difficult to make a living," said Johnson.
Johnson said he gets paid less now than he did ten years ago, and he's often stuck working between 70 and 80 hours a week. "Seeing a patient here is so poor that I have to see too many to be able to provide good care," he said.
With private practice doctors having to see more patients to break even, Johnson said the quality of health care is diminishing as doctors are stretched thin. He also said if the government does cut Medicare reimbursements for doctors, patients will be the ones hurt.
"You can count on the idea that Medicare patients will not be able to find physicians and that physicians will cut Medicare patients from their practices," he said.
Besides Medicare, Johnson said he sees even more problems coming in the next few years with the passage of the health care package. He believes there will be too much regulation by the government and the bill will stifle competition. "Year after year it's becoming less favorable to go into medicine at all and soon the best and the brightest are no longer going to look at medicine as a viable career," said Johnson.
Dr. Johnson said other doctors are beginning to feel the same way. "There are numerous physicians in town who are looking to re-organize or get out of medicine altogether. I know several prominent physicians who are talking about 2, 3, 4 years of practice and then quitting medicine altogether," he said.
It's too early to know the effects of the health care bill, but some providers see the efforts as positive since more Americans will be insured. "I think it's good news, that's allowing families to keep their children on their health plans until their 26th birthday, and will allow new college graduates to remain on their parent's insurance during a very tough economic time," said UMC Vice President Greg Bruce.
In order to provide a secure living for his family, Johnson took a job as a Hospitalist at Medical Center of Plano, and will start July 12th. "I love being a physician. I've always loved it. I've known I've wanted to do this since I was five and it breaks my heart to see the things in medicine that are happening," he said.
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The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal have yet to report on Sen. John McCain's statement that "I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East, that will -- that will then prevent us -- that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East" [emphasis added]. Media Matters offers questions for these news outlets to ask McCain should they decide to cover the story.
In 2004, the editorial pages of The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal called on Teresa Heinz Kerry to release her tax returns. But both have yet to call on Sen. John McCain's campaign to release Cindy McCain's tax returns or even note that the campaign has refused to do so.
In her column, Peggy Noonan asked of Barack Obama: "What does he think of America ... Who would have taught him to love it, and what did he learn was loveable, and what does he think about it all?" But Obama's latest book -- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream -- is all about "[w]hat ... he think[s] of America."
In an article on Sen. John McCain's economic proposals, The Wall Street Journal reported that McCain "famously opposed President Bush's tax cuts a few years ago, saying they would irresponsibly swell the budget deficit." But, while that is the reason McCain now gives for having previously opposed the tax cuts, it was not the reason he gave in a 2001 floor statement explaining his opposition, in which he criticized the tax cuts for disproportionately benefiting the wealthy.
CNN's The Situation Room and a Wall Street Journal article both noted that, during a Senate hearing, Sen. John McCain asked Gen. David H. Petraeus about whether Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQ-I) is a "major threat," without also noting that McCain went on to ask of Al Qaeda in Iraq: "Certainly not an obscure sect of -- of the Shiites all -- overall?" In fact, AQ-I is a Sunni Muslim, not Shiite, group.
A Wall Street Journal article on Sen. John McCain's chances of winning California in the general election reported that "McCain's appeal to Hispanics is central to his strategy in the state -- especially if the Democratic nominee is Sen. [Barack] Obama, who has polled well behind Sen. [Hillary] Clinton among Hispanics there." However, the article did not mention general election polling that shows McCain significantly trailing both Obama and Clinton among California Hispanics.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Sen. John McCain "displayed a strong populist streak over the housing crisis this weekend, blasting what he called the 'outrageous' and 'unconscionable' compensation of Bear Stearns and Countrywide executives and their 'co-conspirators,' " but did not mention that McCain reportedly expressed support for the Fed's decision to extend a $30 billion line of credit to facilitate the acquisition of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan Chase.
A Wall Street Journal editorial falsely asserted that "the Senate Intelligence Committee found" former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV "had lied in claiming his wife [former CIA agent Valerie Plame] had played no role in sending him to Niger." In fact, the full committee did not conclude that Plame had suggested the mission. Further, multiple news reports have quoted unnamed intelligence officials who refuted the notion that Plame authorized, or even suggested, Wilson's trip.
Media Matters has extensively documented the disparity in media coverage devoted to controversial comments made by supporters of Sen. Barack Obama and to those made by supporters of Sen. John McCain. Several major publications have reported only on the controversy over remarks by McCain supporter John Hagee targeting Catholics, but not his controversial statements about Hurricane Katrina, Islam, women, and homosexuality. Most of those same publications have yet to report on pastor Rod Parsley and his controversial remarks in the context of McCain's campaign.
The Associated Press reported that Sen. John McCain "has decided not to accept the public matching funds," but that the Federal Election Commission "wants him to assure regulators that he did not use the promise of public money as collateral for [a] loan." The article did not mention that FEC Chairman David Mason has asserted that McCain cannot legally withdraw from the public finance system without FEC approval. Additionally, a Wall Street Journal article did not note that McCain may not be able to opt out of the public financing system.
The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and Reuters reported Sen. John McCain's claim that his trip overseas is unrelated to his presidential campaign without noting that McCain's trip includes a fundraiser in London or that McCain campaign representatives have reportedly acknowledged the political strategy behind the trip.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Newsmax's Ronald Kessler truncated Sen. Barack Obama's response to a controversial statement by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., about 9-11, repeating a statement from a New York Times interview in which Obama said "it sounds like [Wright] was trying to be provocative." But Kessler omitted Obama's statement, reported in the same article, disagreeing with Wright's 9-11 comments: "The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification."
The Wall Street Journal uncritically reported that Sen. John McCain "said his pro-environment positions," among others, would "make him competitive" in California. In fact, McCain has a lifetime rating of 24 percent from the League of Conservation Voters. By contrast, Sen. Hillary Clinton has a lifetime rating of 87 percent and Sen. Barack Obama, 86 percent.
In reporting that Sen. John McCain "committed to public financing" and "slammed Mr. [Barack] Obama for hedging on his pledge to accept public financing in the general election," the Wall Street Journal's Laura Meckler did not report that McCain is trying to opt out of the public financing system for his primary campaign, yet may not be able to do so because he obtained a loan in late 2007 that could have required him to remain an active candidate, whether or not he had any chance of winning, and apply for federal matching funds to repay the loan.


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leather-lovin, moto-ridin, gal-on-gal fan-girlin nerd.
home of "that pervy little xena caption comic."
don't expect continuity - these are random snippets of time, partially dictated by the screen caps chosen and partially by how grossly cheeky i am in that moment. the only thing constant is my wretchedly perverted sense of humor.
drop me a line and say "hullo." i don't bite - i'm house broken.


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I am puzzled: to re-download the whole thing seemed to be the right thing - I got much further and am able to compile and upload now. So first of all: thank you!!
The "official" product wiki (http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/Wifi_Shield_V1.0) shows a different resource, which I am not able to get working. But even with "your" libraries files and the included sketch SpiUartTerminal.pde, I get stuck with "attempting to connect to spi uart" on the Serial Monitor in indefinite loop. And the official site does not help, since they address code that does not work.
btw this hint was helpful to me: https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23498&start=90#p123513


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Before you follow me and maybe think I am all about LOLITA,HARAJUKU and KAWAII-STUFF, I am NOT!
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SHERLOCK COSPLAY - Still testing, but what do you think, guys!?
Imai as John
Fahr as Sherlock
Saya as Jim
and Wanda as Molly
(Photos by DaZero, Erdbeercupcake and Su Ehlers)
so cute!!


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Residents from the Unwin and Friary Estate in Peckham, London Borough of Southwark have been given the chance to take the lead in improving the Health and Well Being of their own neighbourhood thanks to "Well London". Well London is a programme which works on estates throughout London to improve health and well being.
The programme has arrived on the Unwin and Friary and residents are being encouraged to develop their own health and well being project ideas in areas such as healthy eating, mental well being and physical activity.
£20,000 has been allocated by Well London for residents to apply to set up and run their own projects. This sum of money will be shared between successful projects. Young people aged 14 and over are particularly being encouraged to apply.
Residents will have a chance to consider and decide which applications are successful by voting for project ideas at a neighborhood event to be held at the end of March.
Ideas for projects will be submitted by application to Peckham Voluntary Sector Forum (PVSF) a local charity who is coordinating the Unwin and Friary Well London Programmme.
Applications can be submitted between now until 13th March 2013 with the neighborhood voting event taking place on the 23rd March. Please click on links for an application form Unwin and Friary Application form ; the application guidance notes Unwin and Friary Guidance Notes (A) ; and publicity leaflet Unwin & Friary Funding Publicity leaflet-a3
Some residents are already excited about the Well London idea and have already volunteered to do something about improving health where they live by forming a group called the Well London Delivery Team. The role of the group is to provide health improvement information and to encourage people to organise and participate in health improvement activities.
Delivery team member David Lessore says "It's high time that our community got into action and came together to try and become healthier"Another Well London Delivery Team member Ijeoma Bono- Odo adds "Well London is bringing the community together to encourage healthier life styles"
David Reid, PVSF Well London Coordinator, said; "We will be working with individuals and groups in the community to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in Well London and take a lead in local decision-making. What we want is for people to take ownership of the projects that matter and to make this happen we have set up a process where residents can run their own projects and participate in voting for the projects that mean the most to them."
Residents will be able to pick up an application form a number of different locations in and around the Unwin and Friary Neighbourhood including Peckham Park Baptist Church, Leyton Square Adventure Playground, The Children's Centre on Leyton Square , The Bird in the Bush Centre and Peckham Voluntary Sector Forum.


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Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Dark Lord Rising
Chapter 28: Another Year Gone By.0 Reviews
The end of the school year dawns at Hogwarts and Dumbledore casts his lot in the upcoming conflict.
"Fred, George, can you wait a second before you two head back up?" Harry asked politely.
Hermione had a suspicion about what Harry was about to do so she deftly steered Ginny and Neville back up to Gryffindor Tower. Looking back over her shoulder, she smiled at Harry and mouthed silently, 'I love you.'
Harry returned the gesture then turned his attention to the curious but smiling twins. Gathering his thoughts, he asked them in a formal tone, "Are you two still serious about opening a joke shop?"
The twins turned to face each other, an entire silent conversation taking place between them in the span of a couple of seconds, before Fred finally spoke up, with a hint of curiosity in his voice when he said, "We do. At first we are probably going to have to be a mail order catalogue until we can save up enough gold to rent a shop in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade."
"How much do you think that you two will need to get started?" Harry asked them.
After cocking his head to the side slightly while he did some quick math in his head, George said, "Umm…somewhere around five hundred galleons give or take a hundred. That should allow us to rent a place for a year and still have enough to buy supplies to make our products."
Harry knew that the twins were brilliant; they just hid it behind their facades as pranksters. Looking at each one in turn, he said seriously, "I want in. I'll invest nine hundred galleons in your business providing that you make me an equal partner. Deal?"
Two identical grins broke out on the twin's faces as they chirped in unison, "It's a deal!"
Fred added, "We'll draw something up to make it official and get it to you as soon as possible."
Seriously, George said, "Thank you, Harry. This means a lot to us."
In a quiet whisper, Harry said, "I know what it's like to have dreams and I'm glad I can help."
Fred clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder in a gesture of friendship and understanding while George and Harry shook hands.
Turning as one, the three teens headed back up to the Gryffindor Tower with smiles on their faces and thoughts of the new joke shop running through their heads.
Upon stepping into the Gryffindor Common Room, the hue of red on the furniture and carpets caused Hermione to have a flashback to the carnage in the Great Hall.
Desperately trying to keep her composure, Hermione retreated to the Girl's dormitory to wash off the nonexistent blood. Even though she had used a spell to remove the dried blood and had scrubbed her hands and arms, it still felt like she couldn't get it off her.
Practically ripping off her jumper, she stepped into the shower stall, turned on the water, and grabbed a bar of soap and began frantically washing her arms. After scrubbing for five minutes, her arms and hands were an angry shade of red but she still didn't feel like the blood had been washed away.
Sinking to the floor of the shower stall, she hugged her knees to her chest and wept silently as she let the scalding hot water rain down on her head and shoulders.
Harry was just entering the Gryffindor Common Room when he felt Hermione's despair flooding their bond. Looking up in the direction of where he knew she was, a frown marred his face before he quickly strode over to the steps to the Girl's Dormitories.
Remembering that the stairs would turn into a slide if he tried to walk up them, Harry whipped out his wand, silently conjured a set of wooden stairs. He made sure that they didn't touch the stone steps before vaulting up them to find Hermione.
Using their bond to guide him, Harry quietly slipped into the fourth year girl's dorm and headed towards the showers and his distraught wife.
Fred and George stood there, slack jawed, when Harry conjured a wooden set of stairs and practically ran all the way up. Thankfully, no one else was in the Common Room but them when Harry pulled his little trick. With a nod to each other, they vanished the set of stairs before anyone saw them and could think to duplicate the feat.
George leaned over and whispered in awe, "I can't believe that we never thought of that. The alarm didn't go off either."
Fred nodded before replying slowly, "Yeah. Me neither. I wonder what Harry was so concerned about? Did you see his face?"
"I did." George replied softly while looking back up the steps. "Keep a watch in case a professor shows up. I'm going to send him a note."
While Fred moved over to guard the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower, George hastily scribbled a note to Harry and tapped it with his wand while muttering an incantation. The piece of parchment folded itself into a paper airplane and headed off towards Harry.
Rejoining his twin, Fred said, "I'm glad that we learned that spell from dad. Do you think that we should keep an eye out for a professor until he gets back?"
Furrowing his brow, George said, "Yeah. We probably should. You want to hit the showers first?"
"Nah." said Fred as he flopped down into the couch that faced the portrait hole. "I'll keep watch."
Giving his twin a nod, George hurried off to get cleaned up before the Leaving Feast.
Just as Harry was about to push open the door to the girl's showers, George's memo hit him in the back of the head. Leaning down, he picked up the note and quickly read through it before placing it in his pocket.
Stepping into the showers, he could hear the water running in the stall furthest from the door. Checking the room to make sure that they were alone, he strode over to her stall and called out softly, "Hermione?" When she didn't reply, he tried again, his voice full of concern, "Hermione, I'm coming in."
Opening up the shower stall, the sight that greeted him broke his heart. She was curled up in the corner of the stall, water from the shower splashing down on her head, rocking back and forth. Her arms from the elbows down were an angry red.
Ignoring the fact that she was topless, he shrugged off his robes and sat down on the floor right next to her. Slowly, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest as the warm water soaked into his clothes.
Hermione's reaction to Harry's loving embrace was immediate. She clung to him as if her life depended upon his touch and began crying harder. Her sobs echoed throughout the showers as she tried to rid herself of the image of her bloody hands and the carnage that she had seen in the Great Hall.
Returning her embrace just as tightly, Harry used his free hand to put up a Silencing Spell on the shower stall before wrapping both of his arms around her. It wouldn't do if any of her nosey roommates decided to come in only to discover Harry in their showers.
He didn't know how long they sat their together under the water from the shower, nor did he care. Hermione's well being came first and he was perfectly willing to sit there all night if need be. He knew what she was going through; he went through something similar after his first and second years at Hogwarts but he didn't have anyone to help him through it at the time so he suffered in silence.
Her sobs had finally subsided but she was still clinging desperately to Harry. Looking up into his eyes, she could see the concern and love in them. Slowly, she reached up, cupped his cheek in her palm, and whispered, "Thank you. I love you."
Giving her a soft smile, he said warmly, "I love you too." Squeezing her tighter, he asked, "Feeling better?" He noticed that her eyes didn't seem as haunted right now but he knew that it would be a while before the images faded.
"A bit." Hermione whispered as she traced patterns with her fingers on his soaked shirt. She desperately wanted to forget the horrible events that happened earlier and she began to unbutton his shirt while placing light kisses on his neck and shoulders.
Harry started slightly when Hermione nipped the base of his neck lightly with her teeth. He was a bit confused by her sudden change in demeanor. As her kisses became hungrier, his body began to respond through his confusion and a soft moan escaped his lips as she suckled on his throat.
When Hermione heard Harry moan, it drove her need to be close to him even higher. With an animalistic growl, she ripped his shirt open and began trailing kisses down his chest.
Thoroughly confused, Harry didn't know what to do. One minute he was consoling Hermione and the next, she was ripping his clothes off and doing her best to drive him crazy. Another moan escaped his lips before he pulled Hermione into his lap and began kissing her with the same desperate hunger that seemed to engulf her.
When her hands began fumbling with the front of his trousers, it was like a splash of cold water for him and he realized what they were about to do if he didn't stop her soon. Gently, he removed her hands and pulled her against his chest in a hug while saying in a husky voice full of love and desire, "Hermione, I want to just as much as you do, but I want our first time to be special and in our bed. Especially while we are in the girl's showers while you're trying to push aside the events from earlier today."
Harry's words crashed through her emotional, and hormonal, haze like a bucket of ice-cold water. Slowly, her mind began to clear and she realized where they were and what they were doing. Hermione turned a brilliant shade of scarlet, as she finally comprehended that she was topless and sitting on her obviously excited husband.
Before she could apologize, Harry placed a single finger on her lips, looked into her bright cinnamon colored eyes, and practically purred, "Don't apologize. I promise that when we are both ready, we can pick up right where we left off." Nuzzling her nose with his own, he whispered, "I love you, Hermione Potter."
"And I you, my husband." Hermione replied softly as she wrapped her arms around Harry's back in a bear hug as his words fanned her desires.
After a few minutes, he turned his head slightly and whispered into her ear, "Are you ready to get dried off yet?"
Hermione buried her face in Harry's shoulder in response to his question. She wasn't quite ready to leave the comfort of his embrace so she held on tighter. After a few moments, she murmured in his ear, "I don't want to go to the Leaving Feast…I don't think that I'm ready to go back in there."
Rubbing his hands softly up and down her bare back as she clung to him, Harry whispered back, "That's fine. I don't really want to go either." The Great Hall was about the last place that he wanted to be as well because he knew that seeing it again was going to be very difficult the first time they did.
Summoning his soaked cloak, Harry wrapped it around Hermione's back and clipped it just above her shoulders before pulling it completely closed to protect her modesty. He reached up with his hand and fumbled for a second before finding the shut off valve for the water. Carefully, he helped her to her feet and called out, "Winky!"
There was a small pop signaling the arrival of the diminutive elf. She took one look at Harry and Hermione's appearances and her gaze softened before she kindly said, "I will be right back with fresh clothes for you both." With a snap of her fingers, she dried the soaked teens before popping back to the house to gather some clean clothes for them.
A moment later, there were two distinct pops and both of the Potter House-elves were standing in the shower stall with a bundle of clean clothes for their masters.
Dobby stepped forward and said, "Master Harry, I will take you to the boy's dormitories so you can change. Winky will see to Miss Hermione, sir."
Harry looked over at Hermione and when she gave him a small nod, he held out his hand to Dobby and they were vanished without a noise only to reappear silently in the fourth year boy's showers.
Dobby steered Harry into a stall and handed him the fresh clothes as he said, "Just leave you clothes in there and Dobby will take care of them, sir."
Amused at being handled so expertly by his little friend, Harry chuckled and said, "Right away, sir."
Dobby blushed and gave Harry a final push into the stall before closing the door. While he was waiting for his master to change, he busied himself with tidying up the rest of the bathroom.
Winky was helping her normally talkative mistress into fresh clothes with an increasing amount of worry. Something must have happened to cause such a drastic change in her behavior. Tentatively, she asked, "Miss, do you need anything or do you want me to give a message to your parents?"
Hermione had been on autopilot as Winky helped her with her robes and it took her a couple of seconds to process the question before she could answer, "Yes, would you tell my parents what happened, I don't think that I'm ready for that yet."
"Of course, Miss." Winky said, hiding her concern. "Do you need me for anything else?" When Hermione nodded, no, Winky said, "Just call when you are ready to return home, Miss." After a small bow, she popped off to the kitchens to get some answers about why her mistress was unhappy.
Harry had finished dressing while Hermione was still getting ready. After saying goodbye to Dobby, he headed down to the Common Room to wait for her to come down.
When Harry stepped into the Common Room, Fred and George were staring, open mouthed, at him. Confused, he asked, "What?"
"Blimey!" Fred cried in shock.
George looked just as stupefied before he found his voice and blurted, "How did you do that?"
Thoroughly confused, Harry asked, "Do what?"
Fred and George got up from their spots on the sofas and hurried over towards Harry. Urgently, Fred whispered, "First you silently conjure a set of stairs up to the girl's dormitories and then you come down the boys stairs when we know that you didn't come back down the steps to get to your dorm."
"So, spill it! How did you do that?" George asked with a tone of awe mixed with curiosity in his voice.
Harry ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual, before he answered with a smirk on his face, "Now that would be telling. Thanks for the note though."
Sensing Hermione's presence, he looked over towards the steps to the Girl's Dormitories and gave her a small smile. Keeping his eyes fixed on Hermione, he said to Fred and George, "Excuse me."
Fred and George watched in silence as Harry walked over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug that she heartily returned. They could see the pained expression on her face and deciding not to impose; they quietly slipped from the Common Room and headed down towards the Great Hall quietly discussing the very big puzzle that was Harry Potter.
After watching Fred and George leave, Harry quietly asked Hermione, "Are you hungry?"
Nodding yes to his question, Hermione leaned back a touch and looked into his compassion filled eyes. Giving him a small smile in return, she said, "Would you be terribly upset if we ate with my parents?"
Harry understood what she wanted and he was thankful that Hermione's parents were still around to provide a level of support that up until this year, he had been lacking and didn't believe existed. Squeezing her slightly to let her know he was okay with her request, he called out, "Dobby!"
When their faithful house-elf appeared with a pop and a smile, Harry asked him, "Would you please take us home?"
Seeing the tired look in their eyes, Dobby squeaked happily, "I would be delighted!" He reached out, grasped each of their hands, and vanished from Gryffindor Tower.
Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his usual high backed throne in the Great Hall as he surveyed the student's in front of him. The chatter was subdued, probably due to the day's events, but nothing that he hadn't expected. What did surprise him was that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were missing in addition to the injured students.
Carefully, he scanned the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables to make sure that he hadn't missed them sitting somewhere unusual. Sighing into his napkin as he wiped his mouth, Dumbledore realized that he had been letting too many things slip through his fingers for the past few weeks.
The biggest of those things were The-Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, and the disappearances of Alastor Moody and Igor Karkaroff. He was sure that they were somehow connected and he silently vowed to find the underlying cause of this particular mystery.
Dumbledore had already set up a rotating schedule of guards to keep a watch on Harry this summer at his relative's house without the boy being aware. Having him guarded would solve a couple of potential problems. First, it would give him the ability to keep Harry isolated from the magical world for another summer, especially once he forbid everyone to contact him because the Owl Post was no longer secure. Secondly, when he allowed Harry to visit the Weasleys, or his godfather, later in the summer, it would help put him back in the boy's good graces.
Turning his thoughts back to his missing friend, Dumbledore's eyes tightened as he came to the realization that Alastor was probably dead already. His desire to keep the potential imposter close was a strategic gamble that had probably backfired. To make matters worse, he didn't know who had been impersonating Moody for the past ten months. Meaning, if it was a Death Eater, they were now running free. His regret over Moody was one of the few times that he prayed that he was wrong.
However, Dumbledore had no regrets about Igor Karkaroff. He knew that Igor was a dead man walking the instant the Voldemort was reborn. Karkaroff had betrayed his fellow Death Eaters in open court for a pardon. If Voldemort didn't kill him, then one of his Death Eaters would.
The house-elves were just sending dessert up to the house tables and the appearance of a multitude of sweets distracted him momentarily. He reached out and served himself a generous portion of pumpkin pie with a large dollop of cream on top. Sweets were one of Dumbledore's guilty pleasures. He had other vices, but none that brought him as much pleasure as a good sweet.
When the talisman around his neck remained cool against his skin, he lifted the forkful of pie to his mouth and began eating. It wouldn't do anything good for morale if he were to be seen checking all of his food and drink for poisons. People would think him just as crazy as Mad-Eye Moody if he started doing that. In order to maintain his façade, he had created the amulet to pulse if there was a foreign substance in his food or drink. It had even saved his life on a couple of instances.
Finishing off the last of his pie, Dumbledore surveyed the hall in front of him. The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had already returned to their respective schools so the hall seemed much larger now.
The house-elves had removed the extra sections from the house tables, leaving the students clustered closer together, which was part of the reason that Mr. Malfoy's spell had been so devastating. With so many students in close quarters, he knew that it was really dumb luck that no one had died.
About the only good thing that happened during the day was when Narcissa Malfoy sent one of their elves to pick up Draco's belongings after he had informed her of her son's expulsion and subsequent arrest. He had no doubt that he was going to have a long week at the Wizengamot dealing with the aftermath of Draco's disaster.
Slowly getting to his feet, he strode over to the podium at the edge of the raised dais where the head table sat. The students all noticed the headmaster and fell silent in anticipation of his upcoming speech.
Plastering a kind smile on his face, his voice easily carried the length of the entire hall when he finally spoke, "Another school year has gone by, faster for some and slower for others, I'm sure." Dumbledore paused to look at each of the house tables before continuing in a much more serious tone, "Many of you have no doubt heard the rumors that Voldemort has returned."
There were numerous shrieks at the mention of the Dark Lord's name and a few of the younger students were sniffling in fear. Ignoring the whimpers, Dumbledore held his hands up for quiet. His voice held an edge of command in it when he resumed speaking, "I assure you that it was just a rumor. However, that does not mean that you should not be, as your defense professor was fond of saying, constantly vigilant."
Giving the students another warm, grandfatherly smile, he said happily, "As a treat, there will be a late night snack in the Great Hall this evening at ten and curfew for the fourth years and up will be midnight." Listening to the students cheers, he gave them all another smile before saying, "Now, I suggest that you get your packing done this evening so you may enjoy the rest of your time at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore stepped down from the raised dais and strode out of the Great Hall listening to the now happier chatter coming from his students. He had originally intended to confirm that Voldemort was back but he realized that Cornelius would do everything in his power to discredit him if he did. Therefore, he felt that it was in the best interests of the war effort if he retained his positions of power within the ministry where he would be able to better combat the Death Eaters that operated in the political arena.
Albus' biggest fear about the upcoming war was that the government would fold without any resistance if he were to be pushed out of power. Fudge was a parrot that spouted the views of whoever was paying him the most that week. Unfortunately, that meant that it was Lucius Malfoy doing the whispering in Fudge's ear and that was never a good thing. Now that Voldemort had a body again, it was going to get a lot worse rapidly.
The fact that he had just undermined Harry Potter's word in the castle was a bonus. It would make influencing his wayward charge that much easier during the next school year.
Back in London, Harry and Hermione were sitting down to dinner with her parents, Sirius, Remus, and Andromeda. Ted and Dora were still at work but they would everyone as soon as their shifts were over.
John and Annabelle had been surprised when Winky had arrived with quite the tale about the events from earlier in the day before going off to inform Sirius and Remus per Annabelle's request. They were extremely grateful that the curse had missed Harry after Sirius explained what that particular spell would do if it hit someone directly.
When the teens had arrived home with Dobby, the adults were already in the kitchen waiting for them. Hermione launched herself into her parent's arms as soon as she saw them. Sometimes you just needed the reassurance from an adult. It had been Hermione's first experience with how destructive magic could be. She had heard, and read, about horrific things before, but there is no experience like living through something yourself. Unfortunately, she knew that today's events would not be an isolated incident with the coming conflict.
Harry was mildly surprised when Hermione's parents drew him into a hug once Sirius and Remus released him. Having a loving family was a concept that he was still adjusting to.
When everyone was settled, Annabelle asked the teens, "Are you two going to be okay?"
Harry looked over at Hermione and squeezed her hand under the table before gazing up at the adults seated at the table and said softly, "Eventually. It's just going to take some time." Hanging his head down slightly, he said in an even quieter tone, "Part of what happened today was my fault, I goaded Malfoy."
That was a bit of a surprise for the adults and it plainly showed on their faces. It was Sirius that spoke up first, his voice was firm but not angry, "Harry, look at me please." When he had Harry's attention, he continued, "Did you tell Malfoy which spell to use?"
Harry shook his head in the negative, but did not speak.
"You are not responsible for Malfoy's bad choices. What would you have done if it he had cast a Stinging Hex at you?" Sirius replied while looking into Harry's eyes.
Taking a moment to think things through, Harry said, "I probably would have shielded so he would have been in trouble for attempting to hex me."
Giving Harry a small smile as his explanation proved his point, Sirius said, "You did the right thing, Harry. That curse would have killed you if your shield faltered or you didn't get one up in time."
"But…" Harry started to say before Remus cut him off stepping into the conversation.
"Let me reiterate, you are not responsible for Malfoy's mistake." Remus said in a soothing tone of voice. He let Harry chew on that for a few seconds before he continued, "Sirius is right, Harry. You need to let go of your guilt over Malfoy's actions. You are not him."
Harry looked at the adults seated around the table and noticed that they all had the same expression of understanding on their faces. Turning to face Hermione, he gazed into her warm cinnamon colored eyes and found what he was looking for.
Her gaze wasn't reproachful, it was grateful. Surprised, he asked her in a small voice, "You…you don't blame me for what happened today?" Harry knew that she had been affected far worse than he had by the aftermath of Draco's spell and it was her forgiveness that he needed most.
Hermione looked into his bright green eyes that were full of guilt before quietly replying, "No, Harry." She reached up, cupped his cheek, and continued, "I'm glad that you had the presence of mind to put your friends out of harm's way and then how you kept your cool afterwards."
Sagging with relief, Harry gave her a tiny smile and mumbled, "Thanks."
Everyone seemed to relax a bit once Harry let go of some of his guilt and dinner proceeded with the accompaniment of pleasant conversation. Just as dessert was being served, a very anxious looking Tonks stepped into the kitchen, her hair cycling through various colors.
Unceremoniously, she plunked herself down in the seat next to Harry and with a grunt pulled the plate of food that Dobby silently slid in front of her and began eating with gusto.
Harry and Hermione were trying not to snicker at Dora's eating habits. They were startlingly similar to Ron's preferred method of eating, lean over the plate and shovel in as much as possible and as quickly as possibly, table manners be damned. Giving it up as a bad job, Harry lost it and began snickering into his napkin while Hermione hung her head and let her long hair muffle her laughter.
Looking over at the two teens, Dora asked with a mouth full of food, "Mwhat?"
"Nymphadora!" Andromeda snapped at her daughter. When Dora's hair cycled to a blushing pink, she continued ranting, "We taught you better manners than that! Now sit up straight and eat like a proper young lady instead of like some Neanderthal!"
Dora cringed at her mother's tone and tried to ignore the snickers coming from everyone else. She quickly sat up straight and resumed eating at a much more dignified pace.
When she was finished, she wiped her mouth and took a sip of water before saying seriously, "I caught Macnair this evening." There were a few raised eyebrows and a smile from Remus at her announcement. "He's in the cell at headquarters." She said before anyone could interrupt her.
Harry and Hermione shared a curious look and mouthed, 'Headquarters?'
Remus was watching the two teens and he decided to tell them the basics about what was going on, "We have another house under the Fidelius Charm that we are using for headquarters. If we capture a Death Eater, we have a cell set up for their use."
"Oh." Harry and Hermione echoed in response to the information.
Reaching into his cloak, Remus pulled out a worn looking book and slid it across the table to them while saying in a lighter tone, "I think this book will give you some information about Harry's Animagus form. I think he is some variant of a Coatl, but I'm not exactly positive."
Eagerly, Hermione snatched the book up and began looking at the pages Remus had tabbed for them.
Harry smiled at her antics and said warmly, "Thanks, Remus." He knew that Hermione was using the book as a distraction from the day's events but he did have some more questions about changing the dark ritual Voldemort used and what was going to happen now that the school year had ended.
Looking at the rest of the adults around the table, Harry asked, "What did you find out about the ritual that I changed and how is that going to effect me?"
Hermione had stopped reading when he asked his question and she was now eagerly looking at the adults for an answer as well.
Squirming slightly, Remus looked over at Sirius for permission to tell the tale. When he received permission, he quietly said, "That ritual was supposed to create a new body for Voldemort. When you gave your blood willingly it altered the intent of the ritual."
Remus paused to gather his thoughts on how to explain everything in a manner that Harry would understand before continuing, "You must understand that this is all speculation, but we believe that it is the correct assumption about why Voldemort survived that fateful night when you defeated him."
Thinking about the parts of the ritual that he remembered, Harry asked, "By giving my blood freely I broke my connection to Voldemort, didn't I?" He was pretty sure that was true because of his improved connection with Hermione, but it never hurt to have something confirmed to ease ones fears.
"Yes…" Remus said hesitantly as he processed Harry's question. After a few moments, he said, "Your scar was probably a Horcrux and when you gave your blood willingly it changed the intent of the ritual. Not only did it create a new body for Voldemort, we think it reunited him with the piece of his soul that was in your scar."
Andromeda had gone pale during the discussion. She knew the basics, but this was new information to her and it was very disturbing. Horrified, she whispered, "How many Horcruxes do you think that the Dark Lord made?" Being a Black, she knew the general terms of what a Horcux was.
It was Harry that answered her question, with a bombshell of his own, when he said, "I think Voldemort made at least three of them. The diary that I destroyed in my second year was one, my scar, and what ever other item that was keeping him alive until he got his body back."
The magical adults all had horrified expressions on their faces as they looked at each other and then back to Harry.
It was Hermione's leap in logic that conveyed just how far down the path to madness Voldemort had really traveled when she said, "Why just three? Seven is the most magical number in Arithmancy."
Shocked, Harry croaked softly, "Sweet Merlin, seven of them?" The answer to his question blossomed in his mind and he slumped in his chair at the implications. Looking up at the adults, he could see the despair reflected in their faces as they realized how large of an undertaking finding the remaining four vessels that contained the pieces of Voldemort's soul was going to be.
Deciding that a change of scenery would help ease the tension, Annabelle announced, "Let's head to the library for some tea and biscuits."
Everyone followed her in a daze, lost in his or her thoughts. When they arrived, the elves had already placed a tea service with a plate of biscuits on the table. Grabbing a cup of tea, Annabelle settled down into the loveseat with her husband and curled her legs underneath so she was sitting on her feet.
A small smile played across Harry's lips as he looked at Annabelle sitting on the loveseat just as Hermione did when she sat on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. He sat down next to Hermione and put his arm around her as she tucked her feet beneath her legs and got comfortable.
The conversation was light because everyone was trying to distract themselves from the daunting task that lay in front of them.
Hermione had resumed reading up on Coatl's with Harry reading over her shoulder.
Remus, Sirius, John, and the recently arrived Ted, were arguing about the merits of Quidditch versus Football and which sport was better.
Andromeda, Annabelle, and Dora were talking quietly about Quidditch and Football but with an entirely different slant. They were going on about how fit the male athletes were much to the annoyance of the men. Their occasional giggles caused everyone else to look up in surprise in some cases and exasperation in others.
Unable to stand the incessant giggling any longer, especially from her mum, Hermione asked, "What's so funny?"
Annabelle and Andromeda were blushing lightly but remained steadfastly silent, refusing to answer Hermione's question. Dora, however, smirked and said, "We were talking about how fit the athletes were that played Quidditch and Football."
Dora was expecting Hermione to stammer out a reply, so when Hermione simply said, "Oh. Okay then." and went back to reading, she was a bit disappointed.
Curious, Dora blurted, "That's it?"
Hermione gazed up from her book and the grin that graced her face was almost predatory in its intensity, "I know perfectly well how good Quidditch is for the male physique, thank you."
No amount of Occlumency was able to keep the blush from creeping up Harry's neck, especially when he felt Hermione's emotions humming through their bond. Wishing he could just melt into the couch, Harry settled for keeping his eyes glued to the book in front of him.
Annabelle, Andromeda, and Dora all turned a bit pink at Hermione's innuendo while John just stared at his daughter in shock. Sirius, Remus, and Ted were failing miserably in their attempts to hold back their snickering.
Unable to stand the tension any longer, Harry blurted, "Can we please change the subject!" His outburst set everyone into fits of laughter at his expense and he was blushing so badly that his face felt like it could light up a dark room.
It was getting late and Remus was anguishing over the fact that Harry had pseudo Horcrux and how was he going to tell him about it.
Sirius could see the conflict in his friend's eyes and decided that it should be his responsibility to tell Harry. Speaking loudly enough to be heard over the light chatter, Sirius said, "Harry, there is something else that we need to talk to you about before you two head off to bed."
The tone of Sirius' voice brought all conversation in the room to a screeching halt. Harry leaned slightly forward in his seat while unconsciously tightening his grip on Hermione's shoulder.
Seeing that he had everyone's undivided attention, Sirius continued in a solemn voice, "We think that something else happened when you modified the ritual. There is a very good chance that you now have an anchor to this plane because Voldemort used your blood to construct a new body."
Harry was putting the pieces together and when he finished the thought, his blood ran cold. When he finally spoke, his voice was borderline hysteric, 'You…you mean that I have my own Horcrux?"
Hermione could feel the panic coming from Harry. It was so palpable that she was sure that even if they weren't bonded that she would have been able to feel it. Wrapping her arms around him, she whispered into his ear, "It's okay, Harry. You're not evil; this is just a byproduct of the modified ritual."
He shuddered at the thought of having his own version of a Horcrux. As he thought about Hermione's words, he understood that there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it right now but it still bothered him tremendously. Squeezing her a little tighter, he whispered back, "Thanks."
After he untangled himself from Hermione, Harry stood up and announced, "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see everyone in the morning and we can talk about this some more then. I'm…I'm not ready to talk about this yet." Turning to face his wife, he leaned down, gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, and said, "Do you want to stay down here for a while or are you coming up?"
Silently, Hermione stood up and laced her fingers in Harrys. She waved goodnight to the adults and they left the library together for the privacy of their room.
The adults watched them leave the room in silence, respecting Harry's wishes for postponing the discussion. None of them wanted to delve too deeply into that particular topic now anyway.
Finishing off her tea, Dora finally broke the melancholy silence that had descended upon the library when she asked, "Should we go have a little chat with Macnair or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"
"Why don't we let him worry for the evening? We can talk to him tomorrow when we're rested and he's nervous." Sirius said after looking at the tired faces of everyone.
Hermione silenced and locked their door while Harry went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She could still feel his distress pouring through their bond and it left her at a bit of a loss. This wasn't something that she could just make go away.
Harry's prior connection to Voldemort was an insidious one that allowed Voldemort too much access to Harry's mind. This new connection would have to be explored carefully. Hermione's best guess was that Harry now had the greater degree of control. The one million-galleon question now was, 'Would Harry be able to keep Voldemort from recognizing the connection and from getting glimpses of Harry's emotions and thoughts?'
Silently, Harry padded out of the bathroom, ran a hand tenderly across Hermione's shoulders, and climbed into bed. His thoughts were a jumble and his emotions a mess as he tried to wrap his mind around this new development. He placed his wand on the nightstand next to the bed and slipped under the covers before removing his t-shirt and tossing it on the floor.
Hermione walked out of their bathroom just as Harry dropped his shirt on the floor next to the bed. She was wearing a light pink baby doll and the matching pair of knickers that Winky must have left in the bathroom for her. Stepping into Harry's field of vision, she watched as his eyes widened comically and he gave an involuntary gulp. Smiling widely, she pirouetted to show him the entire outfit before slinking her way over to the bed.
As she climbed beneath the covers, Harry lifted his arm, and she curled up next to him while draping one of her legs across his and lay her head down on his shoulder. Leaning up, she placed a tender kiss on his cheek and said softly, "I love you and nothing is going to change that." She was gently tracing circles on his other shoulder with her free hand while she gazed into his troubled eyes.
"Thanks." Harry whispered. "It's a lot to take in all at once, you know? Are you going to be okay?" he finished with a sigh.
Hermione continued tracing patterns on Harry's chest with her fingers for a few moments before she answered in a barely audible voice, "Eventually. I know it was silly of me to never consider how destructive and dangerous magic could be, but today really made me see things differently." She paused to gather her thoughts and to regain control of her emotions before continuing softly, "I guess that I better understand some of what you have been through over the years now."
She perched herself up on his chest, looked directly into Harry's eyes, and said, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you after what you went through your first three years." When she finished speaking, Hermione had tears in her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay." Harry said while tenderly wiping away one her stray tears. "You have been more help to me over the years than I can possibly begin to explain. If it weren't for your help, I don't think that I would have been able to make it through some of the things that we've done." he finished quietly while cupping Hermione's cheek in his callused hand.
Hermione clung to Harry tightly as she snuggled as close as possible to his chest. Hearing Harry's reassurances that she did help him cope made her feel a bit better about her actions from the past few years. Part of her worries were irrational, especially after witnessing first hand how he comforted her in her times of need even while he was dealing with the burdens of the Tournament.
Changing the subject, Hermione asked in a mock angry tone, "Now, when were you planning on telling me you were an Animagus?" Before he could answer her question, she lightly poked him in the ribs and said, "And why didn't you let me help?"
Squirming from her poking and her question, Harry mumbled, "I wanted it to be a surprise but then I found out that I was a snake and I was worried that it would frighten you. Then my form felt different after my encounter with the dragon but I couldn't figure out why." Reaching up, Harry ran his hand through her hair while he gathered his thoughts.
Smiling at the memory of finding out he was an Animagus, Harry said happily, "I had just finished reading the journal for the fifth or sixth time and I was thinking about my dad and Sirius when I discovered my form. I had been imagining that I was with dad, Sirius, and Remus during one of their jaunts around the grounds. The next thing that I knew, I was seeing things from a very different perspective."
Hermione noticed the wistful smile on Harry's face and she could hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke. Deciding to save her questions for later, she settled for getting comfortable and repositioned her head on his shoulder and settled down to listen to the rest of his tale.
Harry felt Hermione shifting and gave her shoulder a light squeeze with his arm before continuing with a light chuckle in his voice, "Honestly, I discovered my form by complete accident. The hard part was changing into a snake again but with a conscious thought instead. The first transformation happened so fast that I didn't really have time to concentrate on the magic. It's also a good thing that I didn't transform in the Great Hall or in front of a bunch of people the first time."
Hermione could feel the blush on Harry's chest and she couldn't quite stifle a giggle. Curious, she asked, "What happened?" She almost laughed aloud when she felt his chest grow even warmer in embarrassment.
Giving up on controlling his blush, Harry finally blurted, "When I transformed my clothes didn't change with me. So, when I turned back, I was completely starkers."
Hermione lost it and started giggling when the image of a naked Harry looking for his clothes after his first transformation.
She felt a sudden surge of magical energy from Harry and seconds later, she was cuddling a nine-foot long Coatl instead of her blushing husband. Squashing her desire to scream, Hermione calmly reached up and rubbed the scales between his eyes and said playfully, "You know, you have the cutest shade of pink in your scales. Perhaps a nice bow and a few pictures are in order?"
There was another shudder of magic and Harry reappeared blushing and scowling at the same time. Indignantly, he quietly retorted, "I do not have pink in my scales!"
Hermione's response was a single raised eyebrow, very reminiscent of Professor Snape.
"Okay, fine." Harry huffed, "Perhaps there is a bit of pink under the right light."
She patted his chest lovingly and cooed, "Aww, you make such a cute little snake too. Would you like for me to set up a nice aquarium with a heated rock?"
"No!" Harry quickly replied, and to his shame, his voice broke like a little child.
Still chuckling slightly, Hermione snuggled closer to Harry and whispered, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the pink in your scales. Let's try to get some sleep, I'm really knackered from today, and I bet that tomorrow is going to be intriguing."
Harry leaned down to kiss Hermione good night. As he pulled back, he said warmly, "I love you, good night."
"Good night and I love you too." Hermione replied as she settled into his embrace secure in the knowledge that whatever happened, they would face it together.