Happy Friday. ;-)

She was not there the next day at the Ministry. Or the next. On the third day, Devlin lingered at Thatcher's area. Some of the other understudies had their noses in ancient books. After a bit, Thatcher spotted him.

"Ah, hello Devlin," Thatcher said, with a smile. He came over to greet him. "How are you?"

Devlin nodded agreeably, words escaping him. Thatcher tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked on his feet.

"You're wondering where she is, aren't you?"

He looked up. Thatcher was smiling smally, a touch of knowingness tucked into the corners of his upturned lips.

"Yes," he breathed.

"You certainly gave her quite the surprise," he said. "I really thought you'd just tell her…you know, less dramatically than that."

He met Thatcher's gaze.

"Oh, I had my suspicions," Thatcher said, laughing quietly. "Why do you think I made her take on this case? She only works part-time for the Ministry - probably just enough to keep her from being bored at home. Her husband is the liaison for America's Magical Congress. She switched to part time after Emery was born. Recently she and her husband traveled back to America for a visit and she had a very disturbing meeting with her mum - she confided in me quite upset about what her mum had said…"

"Yes, I remember," Devlin said, "I was around three, too."

Thatcher nodded.

"You could have just told her," he said, softly.

"I did not think she knew what she was…I did not want to hurt her. I did not want to mark her. I didn't want to be the reason anyone thought less of her. But…I have hurt her, haven't I?"

Thatcher pursed his lips.

"You have made her think of the dangers her small son would be in if he were still alive. I've urged her to reach out to you, but…I fear you are both under similar feelings. She figures you would have told her if you had wanted her to know and that you were simply forced to say it in front of her due to where we were and the questions asked of you. And of course - it is frightening to lay claim to that connection - not to a friend or a husband but to someone like Harry Potter since he is so closely connected to you. She said her husband of course, was surprised too."

Devlin looked away.

"So I have hurt her."

"What's going on here?" Harry asked suddenly - ever his chaperon, probably worried someone was violating his strict agreement with how Devlin was to be questioned.

"Nothing - just discussing old texts. I was telling him about how Voldemort had warding books in Parseltongue that I'd seen."

"I was very intrigued as I have never seen anything like that," Thatcher said, enthusiastically.

"Ooooh," Harry said - his eyes already glazing over at the idea of books.

"Hey Harry?" Devlin asked. Harry nodded. "Can I go read in your office for a bit? I just want a moment."

"Oh yeah, sure - I'll finish a meeting with Ron about another case - yeah?"

"Sounds good."

"Meet at Ron's office for lunch in an hour."

"Okay."

But he did not go to Harry's office. He traversed the many floors and halls of the Ministry until he came to a long hall lined with offices relating to other countries.

The United States of America

There was a front sitting room and then offices branching off to deal with all manners of requests and relationships. All of these people would work for Alexandra's husband, he was sure. He approached the secretary.

"Excuse me?"

She looked up, frowning at his age.

"How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for…I donno what his name is actually - but the Liaison for America."

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Bayer?"

"No," he said. She arched a brow and he saw his chances dissipating. "But I really must speak with him."

"I'm afr-"

"Meredith can you make sure Mr. Glass signed that agreement today like he-"

A door had opened behind the desk. The moment the man's eyes fell on him, he stilled.

"Oh." He emerged fully from the office. "Oh, hello Devlin," he said, without missing a beat. "I wasn't expecting you but…come in."

His office was large and airy - across one wall were Quiddich gear as well as other strange things like a brown elongated ball with white stitching. It was signed several times. The two chairs facing his desk were a warm brown leather. He pulled his so it faced Devlin's more, sitting down gingerly across from him.

"I ah - I'm a guy who likes to just state the obvious so you know - no one is stuck in it. This is very awkward."

He had a rounded gentle accent that was more pronounced than his mothers was. He smiled easily - his brown eyes crinkling with the expression. His face was clean shaven, his dark hair brushed back - so perfectly tame compared to Devlin's father. He rested his elbows on his knees - leaning forward in a position meant to convey I am not threatening. His hands were clasped. His wand tucked away.

"I can respect that urge," he said, licking his lips. "To ah, state the obvious."

The man nodded. No one seemed sure what to say.

"I just wanted to make sure she knew I didn't mean to hurt her," he said. "I did not want to tell her bluntly because I didn't want to disrupt her happiness but then when I said something I saw she knew and…selfishness took over. I am sorry. I should not have pushed it upon her like that."

Mr. Bayer pressed his lips together with thought.

"I appreciate your perspective," he said. "I can certainly understand a child's desire to connect with his parents even across dimensions - although that last bit is a lot to wrap my head around if you don't mind me saying so. If my son were in your shoes I know his mom, no matter where she was, would care about him. I think," he said drawing in a big breath and releasing it slowly, "it was more that you made her face some of the things about herself that she really's been trying hard to not think about since she found out."

Devlin tried to rack his brain. His confusion must have been written on his face.

"Well you know - the bit about Voldemort and her and her mum…"

"You mean him raping her?"

Mr. Bayer leaned back a little, as if the word stung.

"Yeah, that. It's a lot to hear from someone else. To think that a kid of her's even knows. I mean you're ah older than Emery but I think it- the idea that one day Emery will know that part of her story."

"That would sort of be up to her, wouldn't it?" Devlin said. "I'm not a particularly good example about what you should and shouldn't tell children. My sister Emma doesn't know anything and she's fine. She doesn't know about him being our grandfather either. Knowing didn't really do anything bad to me, either."

Bayer blinked at him softly, as if trying to jump through an ever thickening maze.

"You have a sister?"

"Yes," he said. "She's got blue eyes and red hair and she looks a lot like my mum."

Bayer breathed for a moment.

"Look - you said you're the type of man who likes to say things bluntly. I've never really had an opportunity to act that way, but I'll try my hand right now. I'm sorry if I hurt her. If I had known she knew I would have said her name instead of the whole list I gave them first - I was trying to protect her. In my world - her connection would not be so public except for me and I often feel guilty that his interest in me puts her in that spot. She's always been on my side. I said it the way I did because if she hadn't known I wouldn't have hurt her. Then I saw it in her eyes. I saw your son and me and her comparisons and her fear and her shame and - there's nothing to be ashamed about. No one should be judged by their blood. I'm not the best example. Maybe I scared her. Maybe she thought your son would be like me? But I am the product of a different world."

Bayer smiled.

"You're very convincing when you're blunt, Devlin," he said. "And I think you should say these things to Alexandra. Maybe we could-"

But there was suddenly a silent alarm, lighting the top moulding around the room a bright orange. Bayer stood up.

"Shit," he said. "They're calling a lock down. You need to stay here. I'll lock the door."

"I bet it's me," Devlin said.

He spun.

"What?"

"I told Mr. Potter I'd be in his office reading."

"Well shit," he said, again. "This doesn't exactly get us off on the right foot with him does it. Lets get back, fast."

He opened his office.

"Meredith - please call into the Auror office and ask them if this warning is about a young boy - dark hair, green eyes…."

"Sure thing, John." A moment later. "They say yes. Do you have a report?" She asked delicately, eyeing Devlin.

"Tell Mr. Potter I will deliver the child back to him personally."

"Of course."

John knew a spell so that the elevator skipped others and came directly to them. He ushered Devlin in. Unfortunately he could not make it go any faster. He looked nervous, his hands tucked into his pockets and bracing himself against the wall. It seemed like he wanted to say more but wasn't sure how to express himself in the limited window.

Harry was standing at the elevator when they arrived.

"Merlin, Devlin!" He said - somewhere between anger and relief. "Please tell me you just got lost somewhere between the seven doors to my office and not that you were lying to me."

"I didn't get lost," Devlin said. "I went to see Mr. Bayer."

He didn't think Harry was used to boys like him; who lied and then told the truth with the same smooth effort. He dragged his gaze from Devlin to John.

"John Bayer," he said. "I'm Alexandra's husband."

"Okay," Harry said, confused. "She works on Devlin's case, right?"

John cracked an awkward smile.

"Yeah, she does. Sorry - I think-" He looked at Devlin. "I'm not sure what you'd prefer me to do, Devlin."

"How about provide his parent with all relevant information? He's twelve."

Harry still had not brought up the stone with him, or that he had lied. Devlin had the sense his annoyance here was reinforced by other things, though.

Devlin anticipated that John would speak, but he did not. He was still looking at Devlin.

"Alexandra wasn't here the last two days," Devlin said, "and I was afraid I had hurt her. So I went to apologize when I learned that her husband worked here."

"Hurt her? How?" Harry looked confused. Devlin didn't know how to be blunt in this situation.

"Maybe-" he waved his hand and privacy spells wove around them. John's brow shot up. "That's better. I wanted to protect her from the knowledge. I thought, if I did not name her, I would be doing her a favor. But I saw when we went to Hogwarts the other day that she already knew. If I had known she knew I would have said things differently. Remember I told you she did wards for the Ministry - that she didn't buy Quidditch nicknacks."

Devlin could see the realization as it absorbed - written so clearly over Harry's face.

"Oh," Harry said. "Oh."

Harry seemed torn for a reason Devlin could not understand. But then he looked up, and met John with his own strained smile.

"I think I understand now."

"I'm appreciative of your understanding. Obviously I cannot speak for her, but I know you knowing about her lineage was, understandably, something she worried about. So, this is something I can reassure her about. She also expressed doubt that Devlin had wanted her to know and had not just had his hands forced due to her presence and the line of questioning. Is there perhaps a way she might be able to contact you this evening ahead of work tomorrow?"

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, of course." He conjured a piece of paper and scribbled something. "That's my private floo."

"Thank you," John said.

Harry rocked on his feet.

"I would have contacted her if I had known. I did explicitly ask Devlin who his mum was."

"I understand." He turned to Devlin, extending his hand for a shake. "It was a pleasure to meet you Devlin. You express yourself like someone wise beyond their years. I look forward to getting to know you."

"It's weird you're with her but - you do seem like a bloke she'd like," he said, returning the handshake. "Thank you for being there for her - you can't possibly know how much it means to have someone to come to who does not judge you - who sees you as unchanged despite how changed you feel. It really means a lot."

Something soft passed over John's face and suddenly Devlin found himself enveloped in a half-sided hug.

"You're definitely her son," he said into Devlin's ear, voice heavy with emotion, and then he withdrew and walked onto the elevator again.

Devlin brushed himself off. Harry leaned against the wall for a moment, breathing.

"You didn't think to tell me first?"

"I didn't know about him until a moment ago."

Another breath.

"I would have reached out to her for you. You could have told me at the beginning."

"I saw in her that she knew who she was in the forest. I didn't plan on identifying her if she didn't know. I was filled by a selfish desire. And then - I realized I had hurt her and I knew you couldn't make it better. It's not like she's told tons of people - having Harry Potter know…well I am sure it is one of the reasons she hasn't been here for the last three days."

He doubted Harry had even noticed.

"I would have supported however you wanted to approach her," he said softly. "If you'd only come to me."

Devlin did not know what to say. He was never one to offer empty apologies.

"Some part of me knows it will take time for you to trust me. Some part of me hopes you never do because I know you want to be back with your world. Some part of me wants you to stay because you are safe here and already I feel my heart beating fast whenever I think of you going back to a world in which he is alive."

Devlin looked away.

"There is always a war inside of you, Harry," Devlin said, "It plays out in your eyes like a hundred different blazing fires cast in unison. In some ways it always surprised me that you could think of Voldemort as a monster with so much conviction and certainty."

Harry laughed - not with humor but perhaps at the truth of his character.

"You won't find it in any interview, I never even told Ginny - but I did try to help him. In those last moments, while we threw everything we had at each other - I tried to tell him his only hope was to try for some remorse."

"You have to feel love in order to feel remorse," Devlin said, looking at his feet.

"Yes, it is true. Love has always been my savior," he said. It felt odd to be having this conversation behind invisible privacy charms in the middle of a Ministry hallway. "My mother sacrificed herself for me and that protected me as an infant. And then Voldemort took my blood - used it to rebuild his body - and took into him my mother's protection for me. When he tried to kill me in the forest - her magic was enough to tether me, however flimsily - since I do contest I did die for a moment - to life. Of the two souls inside of me, only one died."

Devlin had come to lean against the wall next to him and he stared up at him - his head leaning against the wall, his hands trapped behind his back.

"I don't feel things like that. My dad says things like that used to come easily to me - but I can't remember that. The world always seems to be missing some of the vibrancy other people see in it. I have to think about things - turn them over in my head, imagine it from different angles - and still sometimes I do not understand. Albus told me a boy born without love can sometimes gain it, but a boy born with love can never lose it. When my dad told me love had saved him I asked if his love would be enough to save me - because I wasn't sure there was enough in me to save myself - and he promised he would always save me until I was strong enough to save myself. He lied though, didn't he? You didn't know you would live. He walked to his death, knowing he was abandoning me to Voldemort."

Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"The thing is, Devlin - he was sacrificing himself. Because if he didn't he would be the only reason Voldemort was alive. He would be responsible for tethering Voldemort to life. He would have kept him immortal - and he would keep hurting you. If he did that - he had no other options. If he did it - he thought about it. I was seventeen. I really had no idea - maybe he did know. Maybe they'd pieced it all together better than we had."

Devlin's chest ached and he wondered if this was how William had felt when he had told Devlin he had to know how his father died.

"I lied to you. It was a little stone he dropped. It isn't special at all. It just makes you calm. I guess so you can face your death."

"We can't talk about that here," Harry said, sighing heavily. "But we do need to talk about it."

OoOoOoOoO

A little before dinner, she called. It sounded like a delicate bell being rung. Harry looked up from a report he was reading and started heading to his study. Devlin watched him - guarded. What would she say to him? How did she really feel? Had John been being diplomatic?

Harry emerged an hour later.

"Hey Ginny - do you think your mum could watch Lily tomorrow night?"

"Always," Ginny said. "Why?"

"We're going to have two people over for dinner. I'll tell you more later."

Ginny hmm'd as if she must know something. Harry made eye contact with Devlin across the room - above Lily's already thrilled chattering about going to Molly's.

"You ready for this, Devlin?"

"Yes."

OoOoOoOoO

Devlin felt on edge about the stone - waiting for Harry to bring it up again. He'd double checked the wards on his bag just to make sure Harry couldn't take it without even speaking to him. But Harry did not speak to him about the stone. He did not call Devlin to his study before dinner. He did not bring it up after dinner. Lily went to bed and Harry did not even look at Devlin.

Eventually, Devlin went up to the room he was using. He waited. But Harry did not come. Eventually, he fell asleep.

And that was when he was woken.

"Hi," Harry said. He had his wand out. Instinctively, Devlin's reached for his own. Harry looked at his movement for a moment and then began casting complex silencing and privacy charms. "We should talk about the stone."

He sat upon the bed. Devlin pulled his legs out of the way. And then he opened his palm - and there it was. Without a word Devlin started moving toward his bag - wondering if Harry had stolen it.

"Don't take yours out. I don't even know if they should be in the same room. I left mine in the forest. When you identified the area I knew I had to move it."

Devlin crept back to the bed.

"It's not just enchanted to keep you calm?" Devlin asked, peering at the innocent little stone.

"No," Harry said. He swallowed and closed his fist around the stone. "Do you know The Tale of the Three Brothers?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"I mean, I think I know the gist - three brothers cheat death so death passive aggressively gives them all 'rewards' that are really meant to lead to their death."

"Yeah - a wand, a cloak of invisibility, and - a stone. The stone is called the Resurrection Stone. The name is actually not truthful since it cannot resurrect those who have died. But it can bring forth a spirit of them - like a ghost but more whole."

Devlin blinked down at the stone peeking out from Harry's fingers.

"So…it made my dad calm because…he saw ghosts?"

"My mum, and my dad, and - for me - Sirius and Remus - all walked me through the forest. They stayed with me. Assured me death would not hurt."

"Do you see them now?" Devlin asked, tentatively.

"No," Harry said. He slipped the stone in his pocket, his hand trembling. "You have to turn it over three times."

Devlin had the urge to go for the stone again.

"You're not going to do that though, Devlin," Harry said - firmly.

"Why not?" Devlin asked.

"We don't know what would happen if you did. We do not know how it would work being stretched across your dimension. I have a feeling it is what brought you here - but it might be unpredictable. I want us to assemble a secret task force to explore the idea that it brought you here."

"Why secret?" Devlin asked.

"It is coveted, Devlin - people have killed for this stone. For the idea that they could see a loved one again."

"Oh."

"I did not tell anyone where I left this," Harry said shakily. "I do not even know where to keep it - but I knew I couldn't trust Blaise to maybe go snooping. And, no offense, but I do not know your mum well."

"I keep mine guarded by Parseltongue," he said, shrugging "Although I make sure to be creative with how to open it. Unlike Salazar who simply assumed one could not teach someone to say 'open' or my grandfather who was so predictable."

"What was Voldemort's?" Harry asked, trying to relax but failing. Devlin could sense his unease about the stone being in his pocket. Maybe he wanted it in his hands.

"Open, for I am he." Harry shook his head - not understanding. "Open, for I am he."

Harry sighed.

"Yeah, that does sound like Tom."

"Do you want me to lock it behind Parselmagic?"

"Parselmagic?"

"Yeah," Devlin said. "I don't exist here so…well I guess maybe Emery might know how to do it but he'd have to learn and who would teach him? My mom can't speak to snakes."

"So like a password?"

"No…like magic - cast in Parseltongue." Devlin tipped his head. "I'm not sure you could do that either - not being a blood speaker - at least that is what Nagini would have called you."

"Ugh there you go again mentioning Nagini. I could live a whole second lifetime without hearing that snakes name."

"She's not so bad once her Master tells her she can't eat you. Sometimes she even tells a joke - mostly about blood, or ripping, or - her topics are pretty limited."

Harry actually laughed.

"I have some ideas about where to keep it," he said - softly. "I've been avoiding talking to you about it since we were at Hogwarts - which is irresponsible of me. I should not have left you without the knowledge for a moment once I knew you had it, but I did because some part of me did not want to burden you with the information. Which is foolish since you could have activated it without mean to. I want you to promise me you will not activate it until, and only if, we decide it is the way to return you to your world. And that you will not speak of it outside of the people I choose to help us."

Devlin looked across the room at his backpack settled on the chair.

"I don't make promises I can't keep," he said softly. Harry's face was crumbling with fear. "I say that so that you know I say what I mean and mean what I say - I will not activate the stone. I will not speak of it outside of those you have chosen to trust. Under one condition - this secret assembly includes me and you do not restrict me learning about the stone. You must promise you will not try to keep me here. I have a sister who needs me."

"I promise," Harry said. "You should know I often make promises I can't keep - but I always try to make them come true."

"Yes, I know," Devlin said. "You wouldn't be Harry if you didn't promise the world to people and then somehow miraculously end up delivering it."

Harry laughed.