Harry, Uma, and Ben walk atop a path made with varying colors of sea glass. As they walk, Harry wonders if they're going to the right place because there were no empty spaces for anyone to draw. Uma, however, keeps moving as if there's a map pushed to her face, her sense of direction impeccable, never pausing in confusion and never looking around in doubt.
Finally, the sea glass path comes to an end and soon they walk across a cemented one. Here, they see where the people have gathered. The people aren't crowded together like a school of fish but instead spread apart with unseen faces that are fixated on their incomplete works. Still, Uma manages to pick Mal out from the crowd.
Mal stands on her bare knees on the cement ground. She wears the same outfit as earlier but now paint stains of various colors are splattered all over it. They walk over to where Mal is. Now closer, Harry can see that in her hand is a graffiti spray can that she's shaking with a nervous edge. To her side are two spray cans of different colors, colors that Harry can spot smeared all over her hands.
Mal appears unaware of her surroundings. Of the spring air hitting hidden wind charms. Of the many people who are near. Of the fact that Harry, Uma, and Ben stand side by side right next to her.
Harry looks around, spotting other artists just as unaware of their surroundings as Mal is. They, like her, focus on the canvas of the cemented ground that will soon display the curiosities that danced in their minds.
Harry peeks around at some of the other artist's ongoing works, feeling the anticipation of the final discovery of the finished image. It brought Harry back to his memories of composing pieces on his mother's piano in the backroom of his dad's shop. With his mother's piano, Harry created pieces only from a feeling, a feeling when once composed could make any memory he's ever lost return.
Harry turns his head back forward and then looks down at Mal's drawing, examining it. It's a feminine figure dressed in a purple and black cloak, wearing a hairstyle that makes them look as if they had horns. Harry looks to Uma for an answer on who it is and just before he asks a flash of recognition crosses Uma's face.
"Still drawing your mom everywhere you go, I see," Uma observes with disappointment.
"At least, my mother is thriving back on the Isle." Mal bites back, her focus on her drawing not wavering. Harry finds himself feeling stumped by Mal's lack of surprise at Uma's presence. It was almost as if she had expected her…
A warning signal blares in Harry's head. He looks over to Ben, searching for anything that could foretell Mal's impending actions. No guilt lies in Ben's eyes. No malicious intent is drawn onto the features of his face. In fact, Ben looks glum as he gazes at Mal.
"Tell me, Uma, how is your mom's fish and chip shop?" Mal continues not even waiting for Uma to answer the question before asking yet another. "Still, needing handouts from a family that will never fully accept you?"
Uma grinds her teeth and Harry starts to say something but Uma motions for him to stay silent. She swings back at Mal's words with ease.
"Least, I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not. I've heard you've been going around Auradon City telling everyone you've changed. Oh Mal, don't you get it? Change isn't possible for you. You'll always return to wanting to be just like her." Uma says, emphasizing the last words of her final sentence.
Mal stops drawing and roughly sets her spray can bottle down with the other spray cans that she's set to her side. A fire sparks within her as she lifts her head up ready to lock eyes with Uma. The flames rise and rise until Mal ends up locking eyes with Ben. Her flames wither until it's nothing but smoke.
She jolts back but keeps herself from falling by balancing on the palm of her hand.
"Why did you bring him here?" Mal asks, her voice weak. "He already knows that I'm a fraud. That I'm not good at being sweet or nice or anything an Auradon City girl is supposed to be."
"Mal," Ben says, his voice full of guilt. "I told you before that I don't want an Auradon girl. You don't have to change who you are, you can be yourself around me."
Mal lets herself fall and coughs on the smoke of her withered anger.
"I'm only good at being bad and I'm sure she's told you all about that." Mal states. "And you're the opposite of that. You're so kind and nice. And you care about people in a way that I don't understand. I'm not the girl for you."
Mal stands up, her legs tottering somewhat from either lack of balance from nerves or from falling asleep. Ben walks over to her with princely grace and helps her stay balanced. She pushes him away and Ben walks back with his head down to his previous place.
Uma makes a noise of disgust. "Enough of this. I didn't come here to participate in your pity party."
Mal's jaw stiffens as Uma continues. "You wanted me to come here, right? Well, here I am, Mal. So tell me what's going on?"
"I didn't want you to come here." Mal denies, sneaking a glance at Ben. "I didn't think he'd follow after me."
Mal puts her hands to the front of her and rubs her palm on her opposite hand's wrist.
"So this was all a coincidence?" Harry asks, relieved.
Uma scoffs, answering Harry. "With Mal, there are no coincidences. Just half thought out plans."
Mal points to herself, her tone takes on a hard edge. "Funny, because you always had me making the plans in our friendship. I mean, all of our most memorable pranks were thought up by me."
"I think you mean our most traceable because we always got caught right after." Uma counters.
"Why are you even here? Why do you even remember this place?" Mal questions, shaking her hands in frustration.
"I could be asking you the same thing," Uma answers, folding her arms over her chest. "I never dreamed you could be so sentimental Mal."
"So you dream about me?" Mal says, a wicked laugh following after. "Can't say it's mutual Uma but I'm so flattered."
Uma snorts. "Don't you ever get tired of always thinking about yourself! I know your mom does."
Mal raises an eyebrow, tilting her head back to let out an annoyed laugh. "At least my mom remembers I exist!"
A full argument ensues between both Uma and Mal. An argument that both Harry and Ben try to stop but their words are ignored. Harry tries putting a comforting hand on Uma's tensed shoulder but she shrugs it off, letting her words ride like waves to douse Mal's burning ones. It gets to the point where Uma swipes up one of Mal's spray cans, the purple one, and sprays it on Mal's hair.
That's when all chaos let's loose as if Pandora herself broke a jar nearby. Chaos that ends up with Uma wrapped up in a protective embrace with Harry and Mal in a protective embrace with Ben.
"You guys are being ridiculous!" Ben chides.
Harry agrees. "This isn't how you sort this out."
"There's nothing to sort out." Mal protests. "I almost drowned and she just laughed! I'm not the one in the wrong here."
"You made everyone call me shrimpy! Most people on the Isle don't even remember what my name is!" Uma's voice comes out loud but shaky.
"My name is not shrimpy, it's Uma. Uma! Uma! Uma!" Uma continues, bursting into angry tears.
"Don't cry! You're not allowed to cry!" Mal protests. "I'm the one who was wronged! I'm the one you hurt."
Mal starts crying herself, her tears more out of frustration than from sadness.
"I really don't know how I ended up hating you so much," Mal admits, lifting up her jacket sleeve and wiping her frustrated tears away but still they flow out.
"It wasn't just the incident was it?" Uma asks, her eyebrows raising in realization.
Mal shakes her head in confirmation. "That was part of it but I guess it goes deeper than that. Looking back, as we grew up, I found myself angry at you and I never knew why."
"Everyone always cowers around me but with you, it's like you have this natural charisma that everyone's attracted to. Also, you had Gil and I always felt as if you liked him more than me which is silly because I know you didn't. I know my anger is wrong and I know a lot of it was misdirected at you." Mal continues.
"Mal…" Uma's voice trails off in confusion but her face holds a look of suspicion. "Is this another one of your cruel jokes?"
"I'm tired of all of this. I'm tired of my thoughts being stuffed with my mother's words," Mal looks at the image that she created. Or in actuality the image that created her. The image of how she saw her mother. "You weren't the one I was really angry at."
Mal takes a breath and for the first time in a long time, Uma's name falls from her lips. "Uma, I'm sorry. Truly sorry."
"You said my name," Uma notes with shock but then her gaze becomes intense with scrutiny. "Your apology isn't a tide that will wash everything you did away. "
"I know," Mal responds, still looking at her drawing of her mother."I've spent my whole life wanting to relive someone else's story. Maybe it's time I find my once upon a time and-"
She stops, looking directly at Ben. "follow my own heart's desires. As well as make amends for actions I should've never done."
"Alright, I forgive you," Uma says with reluctance. "And I'm sorry for laughing when you fell."
I forgot you couldn't swim but that's not a valid excuse."
Mal and Uma were never going to return to being the friends that they once were. Harry's sure they won't be friends at all. But as he watches them both, he sees a new season has started between them, a new season that felt a lot like the spring air.
Later, Harry and Uma are at Melody's family's home, a home where Uma and Melody stayed with Melody's parents every school break. Melody has gone to find her violin bow, something which she has been searching for for the past fifteen minutes. Harry and Uma wait for her both sitting at the piano bench of Melody's family's grand piano.
Uma plays with the sustain pedals of the grand piano. She even props up the top of the piano and exposes the keys of it to Harry and her. She asks Harry to play her a short ditty, jokingly requesting a sea shanty. Harry resists at first but soon finds his hands hovering over the keys
He positions his hands and places his fingers on the keys. He plays a song that he's not sure he actually knows. In his mind, it's a whistle, someone's habit that's now long gone. Harry rescinds into a memory of his dad and him, washing the sides of The Jolly Roger. As his dad whistled, he could see every note come to life. He had once asked his father what the name of that song was but his dad never answered.
This memory threads into another. Harry sits on the passenger's side of Mr. Smee's car and a song plays throughout it. A song that his parents had made. A song that his parents had loved almost as much as they loved each other. A song called home.
Harry stops playing as his fingers tense and eyes his own hands as if they're strangers. Harry feels betrayed by his memories. Suddenly, he must flee from this reminder but Uma places a comforting hand over his. Uma's reassuring warmth fights with the chill of memories that Harry has of his father.
Harry tells Uma all of his feelings about his encounter with his dad. Once emptied of them all, the reassuring warmth of Uma completely thaws him out.
"Your dad sure knows how to make an impression." Uma comments, her distaste for Harry's father obvious.
Uma leans on Harry's shoulder and continues.
"You're going to get through this. We're going to get through this. Soon the homes our parents have in our hearts will disappear never to return."
"Yeah, soon these homes will be empty." Harry agrees.
Melody finds them like this, her missing violin bow held high and confusion in her features as she takes in the heaviness in the room. She backs away, readying herself to leave the room but Harry stops her, regaining himself as he turns back towards the grand piano. Uma almost falls at the unexpected move but manages to catch herself.
Harry apologizes and hears Melody's footsteps head toward them. Uma laughs it off and turns in the same direction as Harry. Melody asks them both if they should reschedule this impromptu music session for another day. After a confirmation from Harry that everything was fine and there was no need to reschedule; Melody begins to play a sonata that Harry accompanies on the piano.
This sonata takes all three of them to another world: a world of eternal springs with sunlight that warms you just enough. There are old familiar sights in this world but they all view it from different eyes. Eyes that see from perspectives they never considered. Eyes that spot the interchangeable masks held in front of so many faces. When it's over, only Uma emerges free of that world. She claps loud and clear, breaking both Harry and Melody free from their musical dazes.
Harry pulls his hands away from the piano keys and looks over to Melody who lowers her bow and violin. She praises Harry's performance, ignoring her own contribution to it. She tells Harry that this was the first time music had felt fun for her and not like a chore she was required to do.
She thanks Harry and Harry replies that if she ever needs an accompaniment he'll always be available. She smiles and then insists they play something else. This occurs all spring break till eventually spring just like summer comes to an end.
On the last day of his spring break, Harry says his goodbyes. Sammy Smee is sullen and makes Harry promise that he'll come back soon. Harry does, giving the boy a reassuring pat on the back. The Smee twins, Squeaky and Squirmy, shyly wave goodbye from their dad's arms. Mrs. Smee hands Harry a bag full of food and brings him into a warm embrace.
Harry's sisters approach him next. Harriet's hands are behind her back, she moves closer to Harry and shoves something in his free hand, walking far away right after. Harry lifts up his hand and sees that Harriet placed a plush toy in it. It's covered in unmatching stitches and patches but the more Harry looks at it the more familiar it seems. It may not look like a crocodile anymore but there was no mistaking that this was Tick- Tock, Harriet's favorite toy when she was a child.
Harry starts to ask Harriet how she came across it when she had thrown it out all those years ago but CJ starts talking to him.
"No, parting brotherly advice?" She goads, her expression displeased. At what Harry's not sure but from how she's eying the plush toy in his hand, he knew it must have something to do with her feeling left out.
"I'll always be here for you, CJ. Even if I'm insanely busy at school, I'll always be here. Okay?"
CJ looks taken aback. "I didn't think this was going to get sappy."
She places her hands over her chest. "Not that I need you or want to talk to you or anything but I guess I can give you some more calls than usual."
"Good, I'm looking forward to them," Harry replies, pleased.
CJ scoffs in disgust but as she walks away Harry spots a small smile. Next to approach Harry is Jonas who looks a little distraught. Jonas tells Harry that he's going to miss him and resisting at first ends up pulling Harry into a hug. He pats Harry's back and hugs Harry one more time. This repeats on a loop till eventually he's pulled away by their mutual friend Desiree who gives Harry a nod of goodbye. She was the only other wharf rat besides Jonas who could make it today.
All of Harry's goodbyes are finished and now he heads to the waiting car outside where Melody and Uma are. The drive back to their school is full of playful banter and once on campus, they spot Audrey who greets Uma with a happy yelp. Audrey, Uma, and Melody start conversing and Harry leaves them with a goodbye.
Soon classes start up again and Harry finds himself sitting at the piano in Professor Cadenza's class. Unlike before, he's not nervous. In fact, Harry feels at home. He starts to play, his fingers like kindling to the warm fire of the melody. The notes of the music are alive, welcoming him as if they are old friends. As Harry plays on, he gets lost into the song and then he plays that final note.
A.N. Thank you to everyone who has supported this fic over the years. Your reviews/faves/alerts have been a strong inspiration in me sticking with this and finishing it. Also thank you for the support during my current hiatus. I appreciate it so much and am very grateful for it. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter!
