AN: As always, I thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. On a serious note, I hope everyone's being careful during this health pandemic and taking all of the necessary precautions that you can. If anyone's sick with the virus, I hope that you get better soon.


Chapter 17

Jace was unable to focus much on Aurelia as he tried to fend of the duo and when she got her chance, the little unicorn squirmed her way out of his arms. Harry reacted quickly to this, dashing forward to get her as Aurelia ran toward him. Unfortunately, Jace noticed this sent a curse of unknown origin at Harry to try and stop him. It hit Harry just as he managed to wrap Aurelia in his arms, sending both of them in the air in the direction of the cliff edge. Before Minerva could react, they were flying over the edge and into the unknown.

"Harry!"

Minerva didn't have much time to contemplate Harry and Aurelia's fate as Jace reengaged her in battle. His attacks were ferocious and more accurate now that he believed he had the upper hand again. Minerva fought back mechanically as she tried to calm down the panic that gripped her heart. Please don't be dead Harry. You have to survive, she thought over and over as she blocked or dodged Jace's attacks.

Then Jace had to open his mouth, arrogance and overconfidence dripping from his tone. "Your boyfriend is dead, and you will be too if you don't give up now," he taunted. "If you stop fighting now, I promise to make your death quick." He really should have stopped talking at that point, but he didn't recognize the warning signs Minerva was displaying. "Though, I'll of course have to punish you for beating my men and destroying my creatures, but I can make it worth your while. Even show you what it's like to be with a real…"

He couldn't continue because at that point Minerva had had enough of him. In righteous fury, she sent a flurry of cutting, burning, and overpowered stinging hexes right at him. Caught off guard, he was unable to stop, dodge, or shield against them. Every single one hit their mark, causing him extreme pain, especially in a certain private area. While he was distracted, she conjured up a block of concrete around his standing form, encasing his entire body except for his head in it. He couldn't move an inch.

"You let me out right now, you stupid…" Jace yelled. His words were cut off as Minerva made the concrete around him tighter, squeezing his body painfully. It didn't break any of his bones, though his wand did get crushed. For good measure, she silenced him, so she no longer had to hear his voice. It grated on her already frayed nerves and she was afraid she might not be able to stop herself if he insulted her or Harry again.

"You better hope he and the unicorn lives. Because if they don't, prison will be the least of your worries," she spat. "And by the way, he is much more of a man than you could ever hope to be." Then she ran over to the cliff's edge. She searched desperately for any sight of Harry and Aurelia. After fifteen minutes though, she found no sign of them.

- H.M. –

While Minerva was dealing with Jace, Harry was trying to figure out a way to save himself and Aurelia. The river they had splashed into was carrying them rapidly toward the waterfall, which appeared to have a rather large drop from what Harry could see. He tried to move them closer to the shore to the left of them, but it was impossible at the moment. Whatever spell Jace had hit him with was causing a paralysis that was getting increasingly worse as time went on. It was taking everything he had to fight the curse enough to be able to move even a little.

Aurelia was clinging tightly to him, well aware of the danger they were in. Harry wished he could do something to soothe her, but he was just as afraid as she was. Despite his best efforts, there was nothing he could do to stop them from falling. Instead, he tried to brace himself and Aurelia as much as he could in his limited condition.

A few seconds later, they had reached the waterfall. Before they reached the edge, they slammed into a boulder, separating them from each other. Harry couldn't do anything, helpless as the distance between him and Aurelia increased. Then he was tumbling down the waterfall, unable to control his trajectory. It felt like he was falling for several minutes. In reality, it was only about ten seconds.

When he reached the bottom, he was pulled under the water. Almost completely paralyzed except for his mouth now, he was unable to stop his descent and was sure he was going to drown. In his mind he was laughing hysterically thinking how ironic it was that after managing to survive Voldemort's attempts to kill him, an enemy he hadn't met before would be the one to cause his death.

Just when he'd lost all of his air, the water seemed to release him, and he floated back to the top, gasping for air. The river carried him on until it deposited him on a grassy shore five minutes later. He lay there, the water gently lapping over his body. For fifteen minutes, he stared at the sky, thankful he was still alive, but unsure how he was going to get back. He didn't know how long the paralysis would last or if it would even go away without someone magically removing it, so there was nothing he could do.

Despite his situation, Aurelia and Minerva were his biggest concerns at the moment. He was worried that something bad had happened to his little unicorn or that she was lost somewhere all alone. He was also concerned about Minerva being left with Jace. It's not that he didn't think she could take care of himself. He knew she could. He just didn't like the thought of her getting hurt at all. Or worse, killing someone for him. She didn't need that on her conscience.

He was too lost in his thoughts to pay much attention to his surroundings. That's why it shocked him when he felt a small, soft nose nuzzling his hand.

"Aurelia!" he gasped. "You're okay."

Aurelia nickered happily, licking gently at his fingers. Then she laid her head on his stomach to look at him.

"Hey girl, I need you to do something for me," Harry said after a moment. "I can't move my body at all right now, so I'll need you to get some help for me. Do you think you could find you way back to where the rest of your herd is?"

Aurelia wore what seemed like a thoughtful expression on her face before nodding her head once.

"Good girl. I need you to go back there, find my friends, and lead them here. Think you can do all of that?"

Aurelia nodded her head again, determinedly.

"Be careful then."

She moved closer to him, nuzzling her nose against his cheek. Then she trotted off into the forest to complete her mission. Harry released a sigh of relief.

"Now I just have to wait and hope that some animal won't come out and eat me before she gets back." Others might not have much faith in a baby unicorn's ability to complete the task. But Harry wasn't others.

- H.M. –

Minerva realized she couldn't find Harry from the cliff edge, so she reluctantly headed back to the clearing, dragging Jace behind her. After interrogating him, she managed to get him to admit that the spell he used on Harry was a full-body paralysis curse. It was similar to Petrificus Totalus, except this one could cause permanent damage if it wasn't removed with the counter-spell within 6 hours. This knowledge only made her worry even more and she prayed to whatever deity who would listen that she finds Harry before then. Even more furious with him, she "accidentally" let him bump into many trees and rocks on the way back, taking a small amount of pleasure in his pain.

Samena met her at the entrance of the clearing. "Thank goodness your back Minnie! You guys had me worried there for a… wait, where's Harry and Aurelia?"

Minerva tried to control her emotions, but her voice still wavered some. "He… He was trying to get to Aurelia. Just as he reached her, this bastard hit him with some kind of paralysis spell, and it sent them both flying off the cliff edge by a waterfall. After dealing with him, I tried to find them, but they were already too far down the river for me to see them."

Samena could see how close Minerva was to breaking down. "Let me put him with the rest and then we can figure out how to find Harry." She took over the levitating of Jace, harshly dropping him by the rest of his accomplices. She made sure to get the exact spell Jace had used and was grateful it was one she knew the counter-spell to. Then she asked the unicorns to keep watch over the captives before heading back over to Minerva. She led the woman to sit by the fire, bringing her a cup of tea a moment later.

"I can't lose him too, Samena. I don't think I'll recover from that. Not this time," Minerva said after she drunk some of her tea.

"Then stop talking like you've already lost him. Harry knows how to survive. Either we'll find him, or he'll find us. We just have to calm down and think clearly."

"You know he told me he's in love with me. Before those bastards arrived. I didn't know how to respond and gave him excuses for why we couldn't be together, but he saw right through them. Right through me. Then he asked me if I loved him. I was about to answer him until they showed up."

"What were you going to tell him?"

"I… I couldn't lie to him. He said he didn't deserve that, and he was right. I love him and that scares me. I wish I would have just told him that. Now I…"

Samena shook her head at Minerva and cut her off. "Now you will have to tell him you love him after we find him."

Minerva took a deep breath, releasing all of her fear and worry to clear her mind. Samena was right. She could feel that he was still alive. She just had to find him. "Okay where do you think we should go first?"

Samena chuckled internally despite the serious situation. She really has it bad for him to get as worked up as she is, she thought before answering the question. "Did you see any way down the cliff where you were?"

"No, though it wouldn't hurt to look again. I was more focused on the river and the waterfall than the cliff itself."

"Let's go then."

Samena placed a few wards around the campsite to alert her if any try to enter it before following after Minerva. Once they reached the cliff, they spread out and started examining the area around it. An hour later, both witches came to the conclusion it would take a long walk to find their way down and around to the bottom of the waterfall. Especially when they didn't even know where to start. Needing to regroup, they went back to camp.

Minerva felt like throwing something out of frustration. "It's already been almost three hours and we have no idea where to start looking for them. If Matthew was here. He could fly around and search for them."

"I think we should split up," Samena said. "One of us needs to find a way to the bottom of the waterfall and the other needs to stay here in case he or Aurelia come back."

"So, who should do what?"

Before Samena could answer, her proximity wards went off. She got up and went to investigate it, followed by Minerva. Both hoped it was Harry. When they got there, it wasn't Harry waiting for them, but it was the next best thing. Aurelia stood there, poking the invisible barrier with her hoof as she tried to get inside. Samena quickly made a hole to allow the little unicorn entrance, who ran straight for her mother. The two unicorns greeted each other happily for a moment, Minerva and Samena standing to the side. Once she was done, Aurelia turned around and ran to Minerva, neighing urgently to get her attention.

"Do you know where Harry is?" Minerva asked as she knelt down in front of Aurelia. When she nodded her head, Minerva asked another question. "Can you take us to him?"

Aurelia nodded again before taking off to cross back through the ward line. When the witches didn't follow her immediately, she turned around, urging them to come. Samena quickly summoned her emergency medical pack, in case Harry had any other injuries. Then she and Minerva followed after the little unicorn, hoping Harry wasn't too badly off when they got to him.

- H.M. –

Harry had been laying in the same spot for over four hours now. He was fighting sleep hard, but it was starting to get really difficult now. He had run out of thoughts to keep him busy or entertained at this point. The only thing that had kept him up this long were the sounds of the forest. He perked up, as much as he could in his condition, whenever he heard something similar to footsteps, hoping it was Minerva or Samena. He really wished it wouldn't take them much longer to find him. After all of this, all he wanted to do was get his paralysis fixed, get Minerva to admit she loved him, and go to sleep. And yes, with all the time he had to think about it, he had figured out that she did love him, even if she hadn't said the words to him just yet.

He started dozing off a few minutes later, his mind trapped between the waking world and dreamland. That's why when he started hearing faint voices, he thought it was part of his imagination. So, he ignored them, thinking the delusion would go away if he didn't pay it any attention. When they got louder, he realized they might be real and wished he could turn his head around to investigate them. It wasn't until he could clearly hear their voices and heard footsteps that he realized it was them. Because of his paralysis, he couldn't even talk now and was unable to call out to them, but he wasn't too worried. He knew Aurelia would lead the way.

A minute later, Minerva's face appeared above him upside down and he felt his head move into her lap. He wished he could smile at her. He wished he could kiss her.

"Harry, thank Merlin you're okay," Minerva exclaimed, stroking his hair. Aurelia moved till she was in his view as well, butting her head against his cheek.

"Don't worry Harry. I'll have the paralysis gone in a few moments," Samena called out as she waved her wand over his body.

Minerva continued to run her fingers through his hair soothingly, an act that served to calm both Harry and her. Unable to help herself, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. Samena pretended not to notice it.

Once Samena was done, Harry felt the curse lift and he tested out his ability to move. With Minerva watching him very carefully, he slowly sat up and moved his arms and legs around. While he was very stiff and sore, it was much better than not moving at all.

"How are you feeling?" Minerva asked, moving to sit on her knees in front of him.

"Pretty stiff and sore, but better. Thank you," Harry replied gratefully. Aurelia had moved closer to him so he could pet her, something he quickly obliged. "And thank you little one for bringing them to me. I knew I could count on you." Aurelia whinnied happily in response.

Samena smiled at him. "You're welcome. I'd advise you to try not to move too much until you've gotten some rest and you'll likely need a nice warm bath to help relax your muscles. You'll be sore for a few days, but you should be fine otherwise."

"Don't worry, I'll be personally making sure he takes it easy for the next three days at least," Minerva said, giving Harry a stern look. Harry's mind was a bit sleep addled, but he couldn't help but like the sound of that. He didn't mind being restricted for a while as long as she was his guard.

Samena smirked at them both. "I'm sure you will. Now, let's get back to camp so we can get you in bed Harry." She coaxed Aurelia to come to her while Minerva helped Harry to stand up, her arm wrapped around his waist and his around her shoulder. Once both witches had their side-along partners secured, they apparated back to camp.

- H.M. –

Back at camp, Harry got Minerva to let him check on the unicorns quickly before she brought him into the tent. Aurelia wanted to follow them, but Harry managed to convince her to stay with her mother for the night. He promised to see her when he woke up. Samena had already retreated into her room, giving the two the privacy she felt they needed.

Once they were inside Harry's room, Minerva sat him down on the bed and went to run him a warm bath as Samena had suggested. When she returned to the room, Harry was struggling with taking his boots off.

"Let me," she said softly as she bent down to take them off herself, taking his socks with them.

"Thank you," Harry said as she got up and sat on the bed beside him, his tone just as soft. "Minerva I…"

She had placed her finger on his lips to quiet him. "I didn't get a chance to answer your question earlier, but I can now. I am in love with you and that scares me for many reasons. Some I've already voiced, but there are others. Almost losing you has made me realize that those reasons don't matter though. I have been given a second chance at happiness and it's about time I take it instead of letting it pass me by out of fear. Also, I know I can no longer hide how I feel about you anyway. At least not from you."

"So, we can try this?" Harry asked, gesturing between the two of them.

Minerva smiled at him and moved closer, placing her hand on his cheek. "Yes, we can explore this side of our relationship. I just ask that no matter what happens we remain friends. I value our friendship more than any other I have and would hate to lose it."

"Deal!" Harry exclaimed, showing his youthfulness for once. "I mean yes. I don't want to lose your friendship either."

She could only chuckle at him. "Now come. You need to take your bath so you can get some sleep."

"Not before I do this," Harry said.

Minerva looked at him in confusion until he started leaning into her. Seeing no reason not to, she leaned in as well, meeting him eagerly. The moment their lips connected they knew they had made the right choice in pursuing this. What Harry had intended to be a short kiss, deepened quickly as Minerva moved her hand to the back of his neck, playing with the hairs there and causing him to shiver in pleasure.

Harry moved his hands to her waist and slid them up her back, making her shiver as well. He barely restrained himself from pulling her into his lap. The stiffness and soreness of his body were forgotten as he put his all into it, trying to express his feelings as best he could.

Minerva matched his passion, curling her legs up so she could get closer to him and placing her other hand on his bicep. She gripped it tightly, partly to help her restrain herself from going too far. She was a bit surprised by how good Harry was at this, knowing he didn't have much experience. He seemed to be a natural though, his lips making her body tingle in a way it hadn't in a long time.

When they finally needed to come up for air, they rested their foreheads against one another, smiling brilliantly as they tried to catch their breaths.

"Wow," Harry summed up, unable to express how good he felt.

"Indeed, but we can do more of that later. You need to take a bath," Minerva replied as she moved back. "Do you need help getting there?"

Harry moved back as well and tried to stand up on his own. He was still too stiff and sore for that though as he almost fell down. Minerva just managed to catch him before he hurt himself further.

"I'll take that as a no," Minerva said.

"Yeah, I need your help," Harry admitted as Minerva stood him up.

She walked him to the bathroom stopping in front of the tub. It was full of water with bubbles covering the surface. "Okay, I'm going to ease you into the bath and then switch your clothes off."

Harry nodded in compliance, starting to really feel his exhaustion now that all of the excitement was over with. He helped her as much as he could as she lowered him down in the water. Then she handed him a washcloth with soap already on it so he could wash himself. While he did that, she washed his hair, being careful to not get any shampoo in his eyes. When Harry had done as much scrubbing as he could, she had him lean forward so she could get to his back, cursing the Dursleys in her mind for the scars there.

Once he was completely clean, she magicked out the dirt from the water. Then she raised its temperature and poured in some healing oils to help work on his injuries.

"I'm going to let you sit in here and soak for a bit while I go take my own shower. Hopefully the oils and warm water will make you feel better," Minerva informed him. Harry nodded to show he heard her. She made sure the water level wasn't too high and that his head and neck was comfortable enough since she knew he would likely drift off before going to her own room.

Minerva was on her way back to Harry when Samena stopped her, having been sitting on the couch in the living room.

"How is he?" Samena asked.

"He's doing okay, all things considered. Just very stiff, sore, and exhausted. Hopefully some of that will go away after his soak in the tub," Minerva replied. "And before you ask, yes I did talk to him and we are going to try this relationship. We also kissed and it was… very nice." She couldn't help but smile as she mentioned the last part.

Samena smiled as well, happy to see her friend opening herself up to life. "It's about time!" she exclaimed as Minerva rolled her eyes at her. "But I really am happy for you both. I won't keep you though. Both of you need to get some rest. You can give me more details tomorrow. Or rather later today."

Minerva gave her friend a short hug before returning to Harry. As she had suspected, he was sleep when she got back, and she had to gently rouse him. Getting a towel that she magically expanded to cover more of his body, she helped him stand up and wrapped it around him. Harry complied completely, not having enough energy to be embarrassed about how naked he was in front of her even with the towel covering him. He was silent as she led him to sit on his bed, waving her wand over him to dry him off. She walked over to his bag and rummaged around until she had shorts and a t-shirt for him to sleep in, switching it onto his body. Then she pulled the covers back and helped him lay down comfortably.

As she was walking away to move to the other side of the bed, Harry finally spoke up. "You're gonna to stay right?" His tone was hopeful as he didn't want to sleep without her. Not now that they were in an official relationship.

"Of course, I am," Minerva assured him gently. She climbed onto the other side and moved until their bodies were flush as she lay down on her back. Harry turned over onto his side and tentatively wrapped his arm around her waist. When she didn't tell him to move, he gripped her tighter. She moved her hands up to play with his hair, coaxing him to move his head onto her shoulder, his face in the crook of her neck.

"Comfortable now?" she asked once they both stopped moving.

"Very. Are you?" he replied, his warm breath on her skin causing her to shiver a bit.

"I am. Now go to sleep. I'll be right here if you need me," she said, continuing to stroke his hair. Within a minute he was out. Minerva followed shortly after him, feeling more content then she had in a long time.


AN: They're finally together! Thank you all for your patience as I took my time to get to this point. Next chapter will have more fluff moments between them.