Rue's father opened the door. It was shortly after their return from their pre-emptive exile. Harry came to visit them.
"Good morning!" said Harry jovially and shook the father's hand. "I apologize for the intrusion, I won't keep you long."
He was carrying a small flowerpot with a strange flower. He gave it to Rue's mother. She had never seen such a flower before.
"I'm here to talk with you about your daughter's education," said Harry when the three of them plus Rue sat down.
"Her education?" asked the mother, somewhat confused.
"Hers and possibly some of your other childrens as well. Now, there's something you don't know about your children..."
Clove stormed furiously out of her parents' house. There had not been time to address the issue before but it had to come eventually. And it didn't go well.
When she arrived with Peacekeepers from District 12, District 2 was on a verge of chaos or on a verge of starting a new war. Possibly both. The Capitol stronghold was still under control of Capitol officers. The only advantage was that they were cut off from their chain of command and they weren't prepared for that. Well, the chain of command above them was completely destroyed, to be precise.
Surprisingly enough, Clove's return was welcomed by many. Some weren't as enthusiastic and claimed that her return meant nothing because she wasn't a victor (not that it would matter even if she was, with the Capitol being out of the picture).
Clove and Cray's men approached the citizens of the district and started to calm the situation down. They told everybody that it would be foolish for their district to try to become a new power (under Capitol banner) of Panem. They produced almost no food after all and thus couldn't survive on their own. The word spread and the people stopped agreeing with the commanders of the Capitol stronghold soon.
The situation started to get messy again afterwards. Commanders of the stronghold learned about their actions and sent an unit to escort Clove and Cray into the stronghold so they could personally explain their doing. It didn't end well (for the sent unit).
A small contingent from District 13 arrived shortly afterwards. After evaluating the situation, they told Clove and her "friends" that they couldn't spare much manpower yet (because their main focus was the Capitol nuclear silo which was still under Capitol control) but that they were willing to help in any way they could. The soldiers of District 13 were smart enough to present themselves as an auxiliary force instead of problem solvers. The inhabitants of District 2 wouldn't take kindly to them trying to impose their will on them.
The stronghold went into lock-down. No people loyal to the Capitol remained in the district itself. Both Clove and Cray were drafted into a negotiation team. Clove, to influence any stronghold personnel who were from her district. Cray, to appeal on his Capitol comrades. Not that he was much successful, since they either didn't know him or considered him a loser.
The commander of the stronghold, which the soldiers from District 13 started to call the Nut, proved to be stubborn and quite sinister. He knew that they weren't in a situation which they could win but he knew that they were in a great position to cause as much damage as possible. He intended to use this fact to blackmail his enemies.
Then the commander was found dead in his quarters one morning. He hanged himself. He left a simple note which read: Whatever you do, do not surrender this base. That was quite strange. Why did he left such a note when he himself gave up? Either way, morale in the Nut decreased dramatically.
The situation calmed down gradually afterwards but those events were beyond Clove. As far as she knew, neither side had any great desire to start a prolonged siege. Whether it was a sign that District 2 was going to become a peaceful member of the new Panem or whether it was merely a calm before storm, she didn't know.
She finally approached her former mentors. The official ones (who were responsible for sending gifts) all died in the Capitol. However, the ones in charge of the academy for tributes and her trainers were still in the district.
Clove wasn't pleased by results of any of the meetings. Rue's accusations were proven true. Everybody knew about everything and everybody denied that they had ever lied to Clove. They made various excuses about assuming that somebody else had talked with her about it.
The last on her list of people to confront were her own parents. She wasn't surprised by the result but it hurt her most and made her most angry.
And that left her at her present predicament. She never wanted to see her parents again, that was for sure. The same went for her mentors. But what were her options? The only career she had been ever prepared for was that of a tribute.
Her thoughts was to join Peacekeepers. Surely they wouldn't turn her down and Cray could vouch for her. Unfortunately, that would still mean that she would live near the people she never wanted to see again because Peacekeepers from District 2 could no longer serve anywhere else. Moreover, being a Peacekeeper held some negative connotations. For all she knew, the institution was going to be abolished.
There was another option though. She could join the forces of District 13. Their units were in District 2 still and they knew her. She could talk to them. Decision made, she set up a brisk pace to their "HQ". She didn't even consider returning to her parents' house to gather her things.
Out of nowhere, she was joined by another person who seemed to have the same way. It was Harry. She was so startled that she jerked. She barely noticed that he looked older than before.
"What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed once she caught her breath.
"Oh come on," drawled Harry. "Is that a way to greet old friends? I was in the neighbourhood so I've thought to stop by and see how are you doing."
Clove folded her arms and made no answer. She had some trouble believing that Harry's presence was truly coincidental.
"Speaking of which, how are you doing?" continued Harry. "Seriously. Are you having nightmares about the arena or such?"
"No, I sleep well," retorted Clove shortly. "Thank you."
"Well, you seem out of sorts right now, if you don't mind me saying."
"I do mind. Now cut the crap and tell me what you want."
Harry rolled his eyes and did as she wished, "After talking to Rue, I came to believe that you weren't going to be content here. You had to go back to help to settle the situation here, there's no question about that. The important question is, what do you want to do now?"
Clove hesitated for a moment and told him about her plan to join District 13.
"Not a bad choice," commented Harry. "There has been a pox epidemic some years ago so they need all the fresh blood they can get, if you catch my drift."
There was a flash of annoyance in Clove's eyes. Both because Harry was using some strange phrases again and because she knew that he made that remark on purpose.
"Of course, you might want to consider something," continued Harry. "Up till now, you've led quite an unfree life. You didn't exactly choose to enter the academy, you didn't choose their plot to make you a victor, and you most certainly wouldn't be in control of your own life if you were a victor. In District 13, there's actually even less freedom than there was in the Capitol. To their defence, they would never survive without their stringent rules for as long as they did. So as I see it, you've got two options before you. One is to reject the idea of freedom and join District 13, become a part of their system, let them dictate your life. Yes, there is some feeling of safety to it. You worry about nothing, you just follow orders. They will tell you when to get up in the morning, when and what to eat, what to do during your day, and when to go to sleep. It will actually mean a lot less freedom than you have been used to till now."
"And my other option?"
"Take charge of your life. It's a scary leap into unknown but when you make it, it's worth it. I did it centuries ago when I was your age and I've never regretted since."
Once again, Clove made no answer and waited for him to clarify.
"You know what the current situation in America is, right?" asked Harry. "There's Coin and her District 13, there's somewhat divided District 2, and there are remnants of Capitol forces. Now, we can sit tight and hope that these three sides will balance themselves out somehow. However, there's a catch. Concerning food."
"District 2 and Capitol forces do not produce food," understood Clove. "The only upper district which does is District 4."
"Exactly. And that's the point where I'm starting to get worried about safety of districts 10 and 11. Especially 11, because agriculture is a basis of any economy. District 10 isn't as important."
"So? What are you planning?"
"Well, I have no concrete plans yet other than getting ready for any unpleasantness. I was thinking about putting together a little troupe of people. Kevin has joined already."
Kevin was the boy from District 3. Harry liked his creativity.
Clove blew some air through her nose and retorted, "Join you? Why do you think I would consider that a good idea?"
That was the opening Harry was waiting for.
"Because unlike you, I have military training. Which I can pass onto you. You've seen what Katniss was able to do after a short preparation with me. Sure, she had previous training but so do you. I can make you more lethal than you've ever dreamed of."
And that was the moment when Clove started to consider Harry's offer seriously.
Early in morning, Katniss, Prim, and their mother arrived to a long meadow. That was where Harry was supposed to pick them up but he wasn't there yet. They were carrying coats and caps in their hands.
"How exactly are we going to get there?" asked Mrs. Everdeen.
"I don't know," replied Katniss. "He said it was a surprise."
They waited.
"What's that sound?" asked Prim suddenly.
The others started to listen. It wasn't terribly loud, more like a gentle purring. And then they saw it flying over trees - a biplane (not that they knew how it was called). Harry was in the cockpit, waving enthusiastically at the three figures on the ground.
"Well, I honestly didn't expect that," muttered Katniss.
Harry angled the anciently looking aeroplane and made a corkscrew manoeuvre which lined him up for landing. A Capitol pilot would note that it was more manoeuvrable than a hovercraft (at the same speed) but the three onlookers just took it as a fact.
The wheels touched the ground, bounced slightly, and touched down again. He killed the engine and the plane came to a stop after a while. Harry climbed out, shifted his goggles to his forehead, and waved again. Katniss and her family walked over to him.
"Hello guys!" called Harry. "It's so nice to finally meet you all."
He proceeded to greet with all three of them individually. He bowed to Mrs. Everdeen and shook her hand. Katniss took a closer look at the aeroplane in the meantime. It was made mostly of wood and fabric. Harry was talking to Prim when Katniss interrupted him.
"Harry, what is this thing?" she asked.
"Oh, that's my new toy," answered Harry with a grin. "I was searching for survivors at the edges of the Capitol when I came upon an abandoned car. I took its electro-engine. It doesn't look like much but its weight to power ratio is better than Bentley's. I mean, the ones used in..."
Harry came to a stop when he saw that his audience had no idea what was he talking about.
"Anyway, this is what people used to fly in about a century before I was born. With all hovercraft being in possession of District 13 or Capitol forces, I've thought that this could become a cheap way of personal transportation for normal people. Quite steampunkish, eh?"
Suddenly, Katniss remembered the book that Harry had been studying in the bunker under the Capitol. Did it contain all the blueprints necessary to construct the flying machine? She almost asked him about it when she remembered that they couldn't talk about it in front of her family.
Harry asked Katniss to help him push the plane to a starting position. He explained that it had awkward controls in taxing and that it was better to simply push it.
"Be careful where you put your hands," he emphasized. "They could come right through if you aren't careful."
As they were pushing, he inquired, "By the way, did anybody from District 13 come to see you?"
"You don't know?" wondered Katniss.
"Believe it or not, I don't spy on you all day long."
"Well, Cinna stopped by to take my statement," she answered. "There was a District 13 officer with him, somebody named Boggs. Cinna was the one who interviewed me though. I've told him everything that happened, with the exception of you know what."
They pushed the plane to a position and turned it around.
"Very well, put your coats on and get in!" said Harry and rubbed his hands together. "It's time for you to experience some genuine British cuisine."
He waited for a moment. He received only encouraging smiles.
"Well, this is probable first time somebody said such a thing and wasn't met with horrification," commented Harry.
"Why?" asked Katniss.
"Well, our cuisine was considered one of the worst. Especially by French. They said that they slaughtered animals twice in Britain. Once in the actual slaughter and once in a kitchen. No matter, I'll let you be the judge of that."
Harry helped the others climb in the plane. There were only two passenger seats so Prim had to sit on Katniss's lap. Harry provided a special harness for that. He kept expecting Prim or Mrs. Everdeen to question safety of such transportation but nobody had any concerns. He guessed that they were simply used to never questioning technology.
"Put your caps over your ears properly!" warned Harry. "It's terribly windy up there. Also, look forward at land in front of us and try to overcome the motion sickness. Puking would ruin your appetite."
Harry started the engine and set it on maximum. The plane started to roll forward. It was only then when Prim and her mother started to get worried. Katniss just held Prim tightly and told her not to fear. She knew that Harry would be able to save them even if the wings fell off during the flight. They took off.
As they climbed, they started to feel colder. Harry was right, it was windy up there. They turned south west and cruised at two hundred feet. The pilot was in his element but he refrained from doing anything stupid for the sake of his passengers.
The countryside sped under them. Their speed was almost two hundred kilometres per hour. The maximal cruising speed of the craft was even greater but Harry opted to go slower.
Prim got over her fear soon enough and started to look around. Before too long, she started to crane her neck over edges of the cockpit.
"Look, Katniss! Over there!" she cried and pointed something out.
Katniss demeanour was exactly opposite. She stared forward stiffly and refused to look at whatever caught her sister's attention. She was starting to feel nauseated and couldn't wait for the trip to end.
Harry turned around in his seat and asked, "What's wrong? You had no problems in a hovercraft."
"Look where are you flying!" yelled Katniss.
"Why? There's nothing but empty air all around us."
"Just look forward!"
"OK," gave Harry up and turned back.
Prim squirmed and looked over Katniss's shoulder at their mother. Mrs. Everdeen looked mostly at her feet and only sometimes raised her eyes to look either at the back of Katniss's head, the wings, or the horizon in front of them.
Fields and orchards appeared. Both Prim and Harry were pleased to see people working them (Katniss and her mother didn't notice). Especially Harry was worried that most people from District 11 would fancy playing at soldiers which would undoubtedly lead to economical regression of the district.
Katniss was glad when Harry shouted they were going for a landing. She was less pleased when he started doing a wide half-circle. At least he didn't do any sharp manoeuvres like when he had arrived to District 12.
There was a long grass field. Harry was using it for landing. Katniss held Prim tighter so she wouldn't move around during the landing. The ground grew nearer and then the wheels touched the ground.
As soon as the plane slowed down to a stop, Katniss unbuckled Prim's safety belt and told her to disembark. She herself needed to get out of her seat and feel solid ground under her feet again. Prim jumped down and cried, "That was great!"
Katniss followed after her. Harry was out as well already and helped Mrs. Everdeen down. Katniss sat on the ground and put her head between her knees.
"Katniss!" cried out Rue who arrived to the "runway". She ran towards them with intention to give Katniss a hug. She slowed down when she noticed Katniss's demeanour. Katniss raised her hand in greeting and turned her eyes down again.
"Just give her a moment," excused her Harry and introduced Rue and Katniss's family to each other.
Prim and Rue helped Harry to push the biplane to a small solar plant. Harry plugged a cable from the plant in the electro-motor.
"Thresh and his family arrived while you were gone," informed Rue.
"Great! Let's get going."
They helped Katniss to stand up and walked to a nearby estate.
The first thing that Katniss noticed were horses. They were roaming around freely. There was a fence between them and the runway but apart from that, nothing limited their movement. Katniss understood why soon enough. Those horses were from the parade. Obviously, they had been stabled outside of the city.
Next thing she noticed was a hangar where a frame of a wing was being constructed. And there it was, the book from the vault. Harry left it on the unfinished frame. It was open and draft was turning its pages.
"Shouldn't you be taking better care of those books?" whispered Katniss to Harry. "Hermione left them for your so they could last centuries."
"Well, they did last centuries and they have found their way to me."
As they continued, Katniss saw more signs of post-apocalyptic do-it-yourself activities. It seemed that Harry and his companions were trying the manuals one by one. Katniss wondered whether Harry was going to try some crop farming and use a book instead of knowledge of citizens of District 11.
They passed a small workshop and Katniss saw the boy from District 3 in there.
"Kevin!" called Harry. "Stop tinkering with whatever you're tinkering with. We have guests."
The boy put his work down and went to wash up.
"What's he doing here?" whispered Katniss.
"He's a creative guy. I gave him an offer to join me, he accepted."
They reached a house where Harry lived. Thresh had seen the biplane to arrive and was already walking in their direction to meet them. He and Katniss greeted each other and shook hands. Then Thresh changed his mind and pulled her in a big bear-hug. Katniss squealed when her feet left the ground and told Thresh to put her down.
Thresh's sister remained behind with their grandmother who was talking to Rue's parents. Thresh led Katniss and her family to them. There were more introductions. Thresh's sister gave Katniss another hug.
"I'm going to learn to shoot like you do," told Rue's little brother to Katniss. He was holding a springy twig with a string attached to both ends. It took her a moment to realize that it was supposed to be a bow.
"Wow, and you've even made yourself a bow already," replied Katniss diplomatically.
"Actually, I've made that bow," confessed Harry. "Originally for myself. Couldn't hit anything with it."
A big surprise came afterwards. Katniss saw Clove. They nodded at each other.
"Well, I'd better finish the cooking," said Harry. He had made soup and pies already but he still needed to cook the main course.
"Potatoes have been peeled while you were away," informed him Rue.
"Thank you."
"Are you sure you don't want any other help?"
"No, thanks. This is supposed to be a British dish and I'm the only Brit here. Anybody is free to join me inside and watch though."
Harry and all the adults went inside the house. Rue offered the others some kidney pie but warned them to eat only a small piece.
After some mingling, Katniss pulled Thresh aside to talk privately. "What's going on here?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Clove, Kevin. Everything else."
Thresh scratched his head and mused, "I can't be sure. He didn't tell me anything. My guess is that he's putting together some kind of a team. Probably to defend our district in case something happens. I wouldn't be surprised if he invited both of us as well before this day is over. Now that I think about it, you didn't look so great after your flight in that contraption of his, right?"
"Yes?" replied Katniss, not understanding his point.
"He's going to stuff you full of food now. When it's time to get your mother and sister back to twelve, you won't go with them."
He was right. Katniss couldn't imagine sitting in that biplane that day again - full belly or not.
She didn't ponder over it too long. Rue's brother asked her to go shoot with him from his bow. He didn't even have proper arrows - just twigs with no head or feathers. That still didn't explain why he couldn't shoot a single arrow. Then she noticed that there weren't grooves (for the bowstring) at their ends. As a result, every arrow merely turned around and slapped him instead getting ejected forward.
Finally it was time for food. Rue started to organize seating. There was a long table with benches behind the house. She and Katniss spread a white tablecloth on it. Prim and Rue's siblings prepared plates and cutlery. Harry and Thresh carried out a large pot of soup.
"Excuse me, Harry, this looks like a parsnip soup to me," remarked Katniss when first plate was poured.
"You do make parsnip soup around here?" asked Harry. "I mean, I know that you do grow parsnips."
"Yes," confirmed Katniss patiently. "It was even legal to do that in District 12 while we were still under the Capitol. And since we have parsnips, we logically make soup of them. Among other things."
"But this isn't your usual parsnip soup," insisted Harry. "This is a traditional British parsnip soup!"
"Well, it's much richer than the parsnip soup we make at home," admitted Prim.
"And what's more important, it was made by somebody who was actually born in England," reminded Harry. "That being said, I don't actually know where exactly was I born. Maybe it was Scotland, maybe it was Wales. But that doesn't matter, it was somewhere in Britain. I hope."
"Excuse me," piped in Mrs. Everdeen. "You keep speaking about this Britain. In which district exactly was it located?"
Harry shook his head with an amused smile and explained, "Britain wasn't on this continent, it was actually on the other side of the ocean. I'll show it to you in an atlas. After the lunch."
When everybody's plate was full, Harry asked, "Is there anybody here who thinks we should say graces? I'm an atheist so I don't."
Nobody understood so Harry had to do some explaining once again.
"Maybe we should," proposed Rue's mother. "I mean, we have never done this because we lived in fear but now we do have much to be grateful for."
Mrs. Everdeen and Thresh's grandma seconded the notion. Harry regretted that he had not kept his mouth shut. In the end, his friends convinced him to say a few words.
After they finished the soup, Harry and Katniss brought second course. It was Sunday roast (with roast potatoes, vegetables, and gravy).
"Well, is this British enough for you?" asked Harry while it was being served. "It's lamb, by the way."
"It looks like a roasted meat," murmured Katniss.
"They didn't prepare lamb like this in the Capitol," said Rue, taking Harry's side.
"We prepare venison like this sometimes," maintained Katniss.
"Exactly like this?" challenged Harry.
"Well, not exactly," admitted Prim.
Mrs. Everdeen discreetly hushed her older daughter because she thought that she was being disrespectful.
"Mr. Potter," she asked after a while. "I wonder why you worried this morning that we wouldn't like the food. Everything is delicious and not that much unusual."
"Well, this perception of our food formed during Second World War," started Harry and proceeded to explain the whole thing.
After the food, Harry brought an atlas (it had been among Hermione's books).
"The ocean level rose, of course, so the coastlines don't look like that any more," he reminded the others. "Just imagine water instead of all low-altitude areas."
"And this is this Britain of yours?" asked Mrs. Everdeen, pointing at a the British islands.
"Yes, indeed."
"Don't you ever wonder how does it look like now? Do you think there are people living there?"
"I doubt that, the country was burned to ashes with nuclear weapons."
Some of the present people knew that he was probably able to travel there but they kept silent. Harry turned page to a map of North America.
"This is where Washington DC was - the capitol of the United States," he pointed out. "Not far from here, heh? Unfortunately, it was destroyed and is now mostly underwater. And here was New York City, not far from District 12. Also destroyed and now completely underwater."
Sometime during the course of the afternoon, three groups formed. One was Harry and his three co-tributes. Second was Thresh's grandma and all the remaining children. Third was all the remaining adults and Thresh's sister.
"So, do you know anything closer about the world around?" asked Katniss. She figured out that Harry could easily travel to Europe and back but she was speaking obscurely because of Thresh.
Harry gave Thresh a quick look and hesitated. "Thresh, are you willing to keep this to yourself?" he asked.
Thresh didn't understand but he nodded.
"Very well," continued Harry. "I do have some limited information about other parts of the world. Most of Britain isn't very radioactive any more but there are pockets where it's inadvisable to venture. The problem is that the environment was destroyed and is still recuperating. There aren't many people left but their population is stable. They are protected by these... creatures. Resilient to radiation. They provide them with food and even bring new people in to prevent inbreeding."
"Creatures resilient to radiation?" asked Thresh, confused. "You mean something like mutts?"
"Yes, very much like that. But smarter."
Harry was actually speaking about vampires. They created colonies for people who shared their blood with them in exchange for safety, comfort, and various pleasures.
"Then there is continental Europe and Africa. Their situation is quite similar - problems with wild beasts."
He was talking about werewolves. They didn't posses the same resistance to radioactivity as vampires but were still better equipped in this regard than humans.
"The difference between them is that Africa is somewhat more populous and not as civilized as some of the stronger enclaves in Europe. South America is also similar but you won't find any people in its north part. By the way, you can't go there on foot. Parts of Middle America are underwater."
"And that big land to the east from Europe?" asked Katniss.
"You mean Asia? Well, I don't have much information from there. However, there's civilisation in its eastern half."
Far east was the only region he didn't dare to visit personally. Some of the areas which weren't hit as hard during the war managed to get themselves back on their feet and actually prosper. They knew about the existence of Panem but preferred to keep to themselves - just like Panen did. Harry also suspected that there were wizards.
"OK, let's change the subject," proclaimed Harry. "How are things in District 12, Katniss?"
"There's not that much to tell," answered Katniss. "There have been some changes but it's mostly quiet. The people from Seam are preparing land in the southern parts of our territory for agriculture come next year but you already know that."
"That's not what I meant," stopped her Harry. "I mean, how are they treating you? They saw you do some rather impressive things. That tends to change your perspective of somebody."
"Well, people from the Hob are looking at me a wee bit differently but we still do business like before."
"And your friends?"
"My only friends there was Gale and his family. They are gone now. Gale joined District 13. He visited later to retrieve his family. He tried to recruit me. I refused."
"What about everybody else?"
Katniss scratched her ear before answering, "I still do some business out of Hob but they don't have that much to offer in return any longer. They are mostly avoiding me. I guess you could say that they are wary of me. That's how I see it at least. However, there was this boy from a family of bakers who talked to me. Coincidentally, he was also the only person from the formerly richer part of the district who talked to me since I returned. And this guy has another theory."
"A baker boy?"
"You don't know him. Anyway, he approached me, all nervous, apologized for bothering me with something that I hear all the time, and expressed his gratitude and pride for what I had done. I've told him that he was the first who told me that and he was surprised and claimed that everybody in his family and everybody else he knows talks about me all the time."
Harry noticed that her tone changed while she spoke. "Wait a minute. You two knew each other from before?"
"We went to school together, of course. And he gave me bread after my father died."
"Bread?"
Katniss explained the whole story. Harry listened with his eyes out of focus.
"I can't believe I've passed such an opportunity!" he croaked when she was finished.
"What?"
"I should have rigged the lottery so he would be picked! Can you imagine it? Such a scenario would have far greater impact than my cheap macho act!"
"You are out of your mind!"
"Not to mention that something would surely go wrong without you there," agreed Rue. "For all we know, both me and Thresh would end up dead. And I hope that you aren't imagining how my death would make all people cry!"
"Well, of course not," assured her Harry. "Then again, it could have been quite dramatic. Katniss would have teamed up with you. Then you would have gotten yourself killed and she would sing to you to ease your passing..."
"You are sick! Do you know that?" exclaimed Thresh, who was listening with wide eyes.
"If you have lived my life, you would be as insane as I am," snapped Harry back at him.
Neither Thresh nor Katniss made any retort because Clove approached them. However, both Harry and Rue seemed to be at ease with her presence.
"We are just discussing how it would have all gone down if a guy who has a crush on Katniss was in the games instead of me," told her Harry.
"Oh, that would have gone down well," replied Clove. "What would have been my position in such a scenario?"
"Well, you would have been one of the antagonists, of course. You would have scoffed at their relationship but deep inside, you would have been jealous."
"Would you stop that?" interrupted them Katniss. "There would be no games in either case, am I right?"
"Yes, of course," confirmed Harry. "I'm just talking about how it would have gone down if there was Peeta instead of me in the games."
Katniss suddenly realized what had happened a moment before. She preferred the way the things had happened over any other alternative. That meant condoning the destruction of the Capitol. She also didn't mind that Harry pulled her along in his little time travel quest. She and Rue had been the only people (besides Harry) who had known what exactly had been happening in each moment. Katniss preferred that over being clueless.
They talked about Coin afterwards. She had become a leader of Panem de facto in the weeks following the destruction of the Capitol.
"I hope that she will show wisdom," mused Harry. "However, if the things in Panem won't go as she expects, she might decide to find some scapegoats. Namely me, Katniss, Thresh, and Rue."
"What would we do in such a case?" asked Katniss.
"Well, I do have some ideas how to avoid bloodshed. Hopefully, I won't have to implement them."
They rejoined the others afterwards. Harry asked Prim what did she want to do in her life and she told him that she wanted to be a doctor. Katniss gave Harry a warning look which meant that he was supposed to leave Prim alone. Harry just grinned back at her.
Time came to get visitors from District 12 back home (so Harry would have enough time to return before sunset). Just like Thresh foretold, Katniss wouldn't even think about getting in the biplane again.
"I have an idea," proposed Harry. "Katniss can stay here and return tomorrow. We have horses here after all. Or better yet, she can return on Sunday."
"Well..." said Mrs. Everdeen. She managed to stop herself from saying, "I don't know..."
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea," agreed Katniss.
Harry said goodbye to Thresh and his family (and asked him to visit again sometime soon). When he was helping Prim up in her seat, he urged her not to even think about unbuckling her seatbelt. Mrs. Everdeen felt somewhat better during the flight than before.
When they landed back in District 12, Harry considered asking Mrs. Everdeen about the Mellarks. Alas, sun was getting real low and he was going to have to land in bad lighting conditions as it was.
When Harry returned, Katniss was sitting by a camp-fire with Rue and her father. Rue's mother had already taken all the younger children home. Clove and Kevin were in their quarters.
"I hope you aren't discussing anything secret," told them Harry as he approached the camp-fire.
"No, we are just making theories about what do you plan to do next," replied Rue.
When Rue and her father went away, Katniss asked, "Time to speak plainly. What are your intentions and what do you need from me?"
Harry chuckled and answered, "America is vulnerable right now. I'm not talking just about internal stability, there are outer dangers as well."
He explained about eastern Asia in greater detail.
"That's one of the reasons why both me and Rue need to avoid using too much magic. The same goes for any other magicals we might find. Too much magic can be detected, if you know how. Those countries out there didn't consider Panem a threat - because it was stable and mundane. That's no longer the case."
"So, in doing what are you doing, you might doom us all?"
"It's better than doing nothing. Just because they are likely to attack us if we are a threat doesn't mean that they won't attack us if we are not. If you want peace, be prepared for war."
"Well, that leads us back to the original question," stated Katniss. "What do you plan and what do you want from me?"
"There are several sides in Panem which have varying degrees of affiliation to each other. What I have in mind is an independent force tasked with keeping Panem safe as a whole. Hopefully, Coin and other leaders will see reason."
"They are more likely to see it as misdirection tactic. They will think that we are covering ourselves by presenting an outer enemy."
After a while of silence, Harry prodded, "So?"
"So what?"
"Will you join me?"
Katniss nodded contemplatively and answered, "Sure, why not?"
"Excellent! Get some sleep then. I'm going to Europe again tomorrow and I'd like you to accompany me."
"Are we going to teleport?" asked Katniss. That was the only kind of travelling she hated more than flying.
"Sure, but not from here. We'll fly some distance away first."
Katniss sighed and went to her room. Harry stayed behind for a while to extinguish the embers. He took in a deep breath of cool night air and went inside the house as well.
The end