My life had been so full of surprises, there were times I just couldn't seem to be shocked any longer. What with all the death, destruction, mayhem, attempts on my life, crazy circumstances and general unsettled chaos that revolved around me, Petunia's and the annex and, in general, the cozy little town that looked so sweet on the outside and seethed with such darkness on the inside... but I digress.

It wasn't that being shocked was the goal or anything. To the contrary, ...