Anxious chirping filled the air as Jax blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling a weight on his chest that was almost… "Hedwig?"

The bird was perched on his chest, peering down at him with her golden eyes and… Her feathers gleamed and her tail was longer than it normally was, just for an instant, before he blinked and she looked like a normal owl again. "Are you on fire?"

Hedwig crooned softly as she dipped her beak in a slight nod, tilting her head slowly. She had looked like she was on fire for a moment, the slow rise of the sun haloing her frame but… "You're… What the fuck happened?"

Jax sat up, letting Hedwig off his chest, and turned to look at his bike. It had run off the road, its engine sputtering for a moment. He glanced down at himself, checking for any injuries and not finding anything. He saw Hedwig hop off the side of the road and then take off, flying up onto a lower limb of the closest tree. "What…"

He felt fine, if a little dizzy. His whole body was tingling though, sensitive and...new almost. He tilted his head in confusion before standing up and walking over to get his bike up again, glancing over to where Hedwig was perched on a nearby tree. The road was lined with them, trees that were very much different than the ones in and around Charming.

"Let's go," Jax muttered, shaking his head in confusion for a moment. There had been nothing on the road, nothing for him to crash into, no cars on it, no other bikes… He had just lost consciousness for a moment or two. He glanced up at the slowly rising sun, noting that it was still rising. He hadn't been out for that long. "Maybe… Harry'll know what happened to me."

He swung his leg over his bike and flipped the engine on, revving it, hearing it rumble loud and clear. Hedwig chirped encouragingly and took off, ready to lead him to wherever the fuck Harry was.

The echo of cheers was loud and joyful as Voldemort lay there in the middle of the great hall, Tom's body falling with a quiet thud. Harry sucked in a breath and another, feeling his body shake and tremble with adrenaline, his blood roaring in his ears.

He met Hermione and Ron's eyes, seeing exhaustion that probably mirrored his own in theirs, and smiled. They both smiled back, hurrying over to pull him into a hug, throwing their arms around him none too gently. Harry grinned and hugged back just the same, feeling both of his friends shudder and tremble.

After a minute, two minutes, Ron pulled away, jerking his chin to where Molly and Arthur stood. To where the whole Weasley family was, standing over Fred's body and Harry nodded, squeezing Ron and Hermione's hands before stepping back.

Every single one of his classmates brushed his shoulder, patted his back, congratulated him as they walked up, like he was a hero. Like he was a savior. Harry just wanted to sleep for a dozen years, maybe more, as he walked over to one of the tables that was still in one piece and sat down like a sack of potatoes.

People spread out around him, muttering excitedly, tiredly, as they talked about the fight. House elves handed out mugs of hot chocolate, some still clutching the forks and knives they had fought with. Harry could hear the centaurs galloping outside the castle and Grawp trampling over the ground as the sun rose. Most of the centaurs had run back into the forest but Firenze stayed, resting his haunches on the bench behind him.

The bodies of Remus and Tonks lay where they had been brought in and Sirius glanced down at them, wistfully. Harry sighed, wanting to cry but no tears came, and lay his head down on the table, the rumble of the giants that had fought with them filling the air. Or was it… It half sounded like a motorcycle, like the rumble of Sirius' bike, but not... The loud chirping of a bird, of a few birds echoed outside and Harry shrugged it off, wondering if the owls had fought too, in their own way. Harry groaned at the thought of having to get up but Luna sidled over to him, her gaze still on Neville, not having left.

The hall slowly filled with people, weary and tired and bloody but victorious. Everyone wanted to say hi to him, wonder and awe in their eyes, and Harry just wanted to shrink back and go upstairs, maybe sleep for a decade or two.

"One of your nargles is here," Luna whispered, elbowing him, drawing his attention to her. Her voice was shaky but confident and Harry…

"What?"

"Your nargles. The one you've been dreaming about."

"What, Luna? I haven't been dreaming about…" Harry trailed off as the hair on the back of his neck stood up, his stomach lurching at the thought that Tom was still alive. "He's still dead, isn't he? This isn't some…"

"Harry?"

He froze at the voice, the familiar voice that he had only ever heard in his dreams. The voice he had heard for the past ten years and turned around in his seat, tripping back and standing up. His heart did double time in his chest and his blood roared in his ears as he spotted the man in the doorway. Or the doorway without a door. The door of the great hall had been blown off at some point but he didn't remember how or when. But he did… he did recognize the guy in the doorway. Blond, blue eyed and very familiar. And very much more… vivid in reality, in waking life, than in dreams.

Jax Teller stood in the doorway of the great hall, his black SAMCRO hoodie over his chest, white tennis shoes on his feet and baggy jeans loosely hugged his hips. His blond hair had grown longer over the past few months, growing past his ears. His blue eyes were even more vivid and bright than in their dreams, assuming this was actually... Harry could see a hint of a shoulder holster, very faintly picking out the form of a gun.

"Luna, this is real, right? You can see him?" Harry muttered, not even turning around, keeping his eyes peeled on the man he was in love with. The man who was…

"Yes. He's really here, Harry."

The familiar hooting of an owl proceeded Hedwig inside too, as she flew, sped towards him and flapped around him excitedly. Harry laughed out loud, delight dancing through his whole body, and waved at her and pushed the bench away, hearing it scrape loudly on the stone floor. Sounds dropped away as he slowly walked over to stop a foot away from Jax, his stomach flipping at the reality of it. Jax was here, at Hogwarts, and Voldemort was dead.

Jax had a look in his wide eyes as he looked around at Hogwarts, the castle he had only seen in dreams, something very much like awe in that blue before he focused on Harry.

"Voldemort?" Jax questioned, his voice rough with emotion. Harry swore it sounded like joy and it lit up Jax's eyes, lit up his whole body as Harry nodded in answer.

"He's dead for good this time," Harry offered, shrugging a little self consciously and running a hand through his hair. "You're… you're here."

Jax let out a strangled noise and Harry closed the distance between them, yanking him right into a hug. Jax was warm and real and here as he curled his arms around the other man. A raw sound left his own throat at the thought before he burrowed into Jax, tucking his head into the crook of his neck, getting a whiff of leather and cigarette smoke and metal. It made him remember smelling the amortentia potion back in sixth year and smelling the same things. He snorted at the thought, his lips twitched up into a wide grin at the memory and heard Jax inhale too, as if he was trying to learn what Harry was like too. He inhaled deeply, feeling Jax's arms tighten around him sharply, almost squeezing the breath from him.

Seeing Hogwarts while awake was right out of his dreams and Jax grinned sharply, stopping his bike and standing up as he rode right up to the bridge that led to the courtyard. There were bits of it that had crumbled down, stone that had gotten blasted out of the way in what probably had been a big fight. But for the most part… it looked like it had over the years in the dreams he had shared with Harry.

Magical and giant. He could easily imagine how it had looked to 11 year old Harry, remembering the first dream they had shared during Harry's first week of classes. His best friend had been bright eyed and excitedly loud the whole dream, talking nonstop about his classes and his professors and… how it had felt like coming home.

Now there was a giant wandering aimlessly around the grounds of the castle, Grawp, if Jax recalled correctly. Hagrid's half brother. He caught a glimpse of the herd of centaurs running into the Forbidden Forest, his eyes widening. Harry talking about it was one thing. Seeing the half man, half horse creatures was something else entirely.

He could see what looked like a hippogriff flying over the castle, around one of the closest towers to the north. Jax assumed it was Buckbeak and snorted in bemusement at the thought. It was like he was in a different world, so much different than Charming, and he wondered… From what Harry had told him, non magical people couldn't see this. Wards and such kept them away, kept muggles away, but he could see everything.

His heart skipped several beats and he revved the engine of his bike again and rode across the bridge, passing by giant stone soldiers and bodies of Death Eaters. Probably some snatchers too.

No one paid him much attention as he rode into the courtyard. The sun continued to rise around the castle, the sunrise filling the sky with bright orange and red, and he parked his bike right outside the big double doors, hearing loud cheering echo inside the castle walls. The corner of his lips twitched up at the noise, at what was probably the aftermath of a battle. Jax swung his legs off the bike and walked up to the destroyed doors, reaching out to trace his fingers over the stone. It was warm and almost humming underneath his fingers, like it was built with magic.

The hair on the back of his arms stood up at the thought but it wasn't like he hadn't expected it. Harry had all but said that the castle was thrumming with magic at one point or another.

He hoped… He hoped that it was good cheering, that Voldemort… He shifted his weight from foot to foot and walked around the remains of the doors, into the ante room, recognizing it from a dream or two over the years. Jax glanced over to the left to see the big staircase that would lead to the massive room with the moving stairs and then peered into the great hall in front of him.

Students were circled around someone, still cheering and clapping. A corner of his mouth turned up in a grin, the happiness practically infectious, and yet… he would never admit it to Opie or Chibs but his stomach fluttered like butterflies as he stepped into the doorway.

The house tables had all been pushed to the sides and there was a mix of colors all over the hall. Small circular tables were situated in corners and people began to split off into groups, some going further into the hall, where Jax could see bodies. He stepped further into the great hall, wondering if… if Harry was one of them. His stomach lurched at the thought and he point blank refused to even think about that. But maybe…

He dropped his hand to where his gun sat at his hip, curling his fingers around it, before a girl with silver blond hair caught his eyes. The girl looked to be his and Harry's age and Jax was about to ask what had happened when she gestured at the circle, before walking off.

She waded into the slowly thinning herd of students, right over to another boy whose back was to them, sitting at a table, and… Jax's heart caught in his chest, skipping several beats before restarting violently. He watched as the girl turned to whisper something into the boy's ears and then walked off.

"Harry?"

Harry Potter turned around and froze, those ever so familiar green eyes meeting his. Jax just stood in the doorway, frozen on the spot too, looking Harry over for any indication of injury, for anything and seeing everything. Everything dropped away but for the sight of Harry, in clothes that were a little ripped up, jeans and a shirt, and a wand in his hand that didn't look even remotely like his holly wand. The knife at his hip was familiar and sent warmth shooting through him, knowing that Harry had used it and used it well.

He vaguely heard someone stepping up to his side to ask him who he was but all he had eyes for was for Harry, who jerkily stood up. Harry, whose eyes were wide, slowly filling with joy though, as he kicked away the bench and padded over to him. His dark hair was a mess but that wasn't unusual for Harry, whose hair had always been messy in their dreams, had always been scruffy.

He stopped right in front of Jax, his eyes looking him over too, just like Jax was drinking in the sight of him awake and real and… They were the same height, no need to stand up on tiptoes, no need to be anything but himself here. The club wasn't here. Gemma and Clay weren't here. It was just him and Harry. Well, and about fifty other people but Jax didn't give a single shit about them.

"Voldemort?" Jax questioned, watching as Harry scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. He could see lines of exhaustion all over Harry's body, pale skin, bags underneath his eyes, but he looked…

"He's dead for good this time," Harry offered quietly, his voice rough and low and… happy. "You're… you're here."

A raw noise left his throat unconsciously and Harry reached out to yank him right into a hug. Jax groaned and melted right into it, feeling Harry's arms curl around him tight enough to cut off his oxygen, but he didn't care. He curled his arms around Harry too, holding on tightly enough to bruise but Harry didn't move away. Only burrowed in more, tucking his head on Jax's shoulder and inhaling deeply. He turned his nose into the crook of Harry's neck, shivering at the warmth radiating off of him and smelling wood and the way the air smelled before a storm. It felt… Jax felt like he was home, wrapped up in Harry's arms, like this was the moment that they had both waited for.

Harry huffed out a quiet snort against his shoulder and held on even tighter for another moment before going a little loose in his arms. Jax laughed in amusement, meeting Harry's bemused but exhausted eyes, and then pulling away a little bit, gesturing to his back.

"One ride up to Gryffindor tower?" Jax offered, a corner of his mouth tipping up in a teasing grin.

"You offering?" Harry asked, looking at Jax with so much undisguised affection in his eyes it was a little intimidating.

"Offer's only good for another two minutes," Jax retorted easily, unable to keep a smile from his face. Harry snorted and flicked his shoulder before shuffling around and hopping up onto his back. He curled his arms around Jax's neck gently, dropping his head on his left shoulder, and exhaled out a shuddering breath.

Jax shivered at the warm breath that tickled his neck, felt the butterflies in his stomach lurch even more, and turned around to head out of the great hall. Harry wrapped his legs around his waist, letting Jax grab onto them, and he felt light, like he hadn't gotten enough to eat within the last few weeks.

"You know the way?" Harry whispered, his voice already slurring with sleep.

"Yup. Don't know about you but I've been sharing dreams with a guy," Jax teased, as he walked, padding back through the doorway and out. "About your age. Epic tales, man."

Harry snorted quietly. "Do I need to be jealous?"

They passed a few adults on the way out, walking over the grand staircase, all of whom did a double take before quickly moving on.

"Nah, I don't think so," Jax finally replied, swallowing against something warm, something very much like… love. It scared him, making him freeze on the spot at the emotion that rushed through his body. Warmth flickered through him at the thought, at seeing Harry while they were awake for the first time since they had dreamed of each other ten years ago.

"Jax?" Harry whispered, curling his arms tighter around him, squeezing a little.

He shrugged off the emotion at Harry's words, wanting… something that he couldn't or didn't know how to get. "I'm a'right."

Harry let out a noise and Jax immediately recognized it, hearing the worry underlined in Harry's voice. "I'm fine."

He could feel Harry's sharp breath against his neck.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a body in the corner, slumped awkwardly alone, a ratty blanket covering it.

Jax paused at the sight, right before the staircase, and Harry made a noise, rumbly against his neck.

"Tom was human," Harry offered at his neck. "Human and scared."

"Wish I could have gotten here quick enough to shoot him," Jax muttered, holding onto Harry's arms tightly enough that there would probably be bruises tomorrow. "Or at least a couple Snatchers."

"Eh, your brothers at SAMBEL killed a few. It's overrated," Harry argued, before falling silent and yawning. Jax could very definitely feel the yawn against his neck, feeling the warmth that Harry radiated at his back and liking it. Liking it a lot. "Now come on. You promised Gryffindor tower. Do I need to bribe you or not?"

Jax let out a surprised huff of laughter and turned around to head over to the staircase, walking up the stairs and stopping at the top. He looked out at the moving staircases, lifting his head to look at the top of the castle. His heart skipped a beat or two at how magical it looked, watching as a few of the stairs moved without anything guiding them.

"They should behave for you," Harry muttered, slumping further into him. "They do for me. Wait. I want to visit the headmaster's quarters first."

"Got it."

Harry slid off his back and stared up at the gargoyle, tilting his head in thought before walking onto the set of stairs. He turned back to Jax, who gestured him ahead.

"I'll wait here."

Harry nodded and ventured up to Dumbledore's office and disappeared from view. Jax took a step to lean against the wall next to him, taking a solid breath in and out, as he looked out at the hall in front of him. He was really at Hogwarts, where Harry had stayed for the past seven years. Harry's home. His heart skipped several beats again, those fucking butterflies moving around in his stomach. Or maybe they were those pixies Harry had talked about in second year.

Jax only had to wait another ten or so minutes before Harry came back out, walking down the stairs and stopping in front of him.

"Personal business?" Jax asked, as Harry stood there, looking… at peace. There was no weight on his shoulders anymore, no haunted look in his eyes.

"I just filled in painting Dumbledore about what happened," Harry answered, shrugging and reaching out to curl his fingers into Jax's. "Come on. I feel like I could sleep for… so many days."

"So many?"

"So many. And you're not stopping me."

Jax laughed and followed Harry the rest of the way to Gryffindor's tower, where Harry spoke the password to the portrait.

The lady in the portrait stared at him and then Harry huffed. "He's a guest. You can let him in."

She looked at him suspiciously and then Harry ran a hand through his hair. "He's my guest. He's not a Death Eater."

"He has a gun."

"I'm not giving up my gun to a portrait," Jax muttered, scowling.

Harry threw up his hands and turned to look at Jax, before his gaze flicked down his gun. "I can put it in my trunk, Jax. No one will be able to get it."

"Yeah?"

"Besides… if anyone wants to kill us here, they'll all use magic."

Jax snorted. "Not making me feel better."

"You trust me?" Harry asked, reaching out again to curl his fingers into his.

"Yeah, I do." Jax stared at Harry for another moment before pulling his gun out of his holster and handing it over. Harry met his eyes easily, softly, before taking it from him, their knuckles brushing against each other.

"Kreacher!"

The quiet pop startled him and he rocked back on the heels of his feet as a… little creature appeared beside them.

"Master Harry defeated Voldemort. He avenged Regulus."

Harry's lips twitched up into a small smile. "You're welcome. And thanks for all your help."

Kreacher nodded solemnly, his eyes bright. Jax blinked at the sight, looking between the house elf and Harry. "What can Kreacher be doing for the young master and his friend?"

"Kreacher, can you bring my trunk from… wherever the fuck it is and put this gun in it? And… I'm gonna go sleep for a while."

"Kreacher will make sure you are not disturbed."

Harry handed the gun over to Kreacher, who wrinkled his nose in disgust, and watched as the house elf disappeared again with a quiet crack.

Harry nodded and then looked back up at the painting and the fat lady in it. "There. You satisfied now?"

The lady huffed and the door swung open, miraculously undamaged from the fight. Harry looked at Jax before tugging him through the portal and right over to his bunk. The bed was made and it looked just like it did when he had last seen it, on that last day of classes after Dumbledore had been killed. He fell right onto it, unhooked the knife and holster from his hip and placed it on the table next to him, and looked up at him.

Jax smiled and just stood there for a moment, looking around at the dormitory that he had seen in dreams so many times. There were several beds laid out nicely, well made and inviting in appearance, circled around the metal fireplace in the center of the room. A noise drew him out of his thoughts even as Harry reached out one of his feet to curl around him, yanking him onto the bed.

Jax let out a startled noise, a yelp that he would deny to his dying day, and landed on the bed, right on top of Harry. He laid his hands on the bed to hold himself up, bracketing the man underneath him. "Little impatient?"

Harry snorted and wrapped his arms around him, just looking at him for a minute. For two minutes and then the pixies were back in Jax's stomach, as he met those green eyes. Harry stared right up at him, one of his hands tracing circles on his back before coming around, framing his face.

Streaks of sunlight filtered in from the stained glass windows, brightening up the dormitory around them. Jax could feel Harry's fingers flex and curl into his back, bringing up goosebumps on his arms, before he slowly pulled him down, pressing their mouths together. Jax shivered and froze a little bit, just enough that Harry let him go.

"Was that okay?" Harry whispered, something hesitant in his eyes, looking him over.

"I… Harry…"

"Jax. You're not in Charming," Harry said, his eyes flickering with some emotion that looked a hell of a lot like disappointment. Jax's stomach lurched at the thought and he swallowed, holding himself back from… this. "You are very much not in Charming. The club's not here."

Jax closed his eyes, feeling Harry's hands move up his back, slow and careful. The club weighed on him even though he wasn't wearing his kutte, wasn't in Charming, but then he felt those familiar fingers running over him and reopened his eyes.

"I got you," Harry added wearily, exhaustion filling his voice.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Hmm?" Harry lifted an eyebrow at Jax's words, confusion in his eyes.

"Who's gonna be the girlfriend in this?"

Harry blinked and then laughed, loud, unburdened and clear, tugging him down for another kiss. "You asshole."

Jax smiled into it even as his breathing hitched, as Harry pressed their lips together lightly. Warmth flooded him, coiling in the pit of his gut. But it was an easy warmth, no expectation for anything else, just… the start of something new.

Just the press of their mouths together, Harry leaning their foreheads together, before pulling back just the tiniest amount. Jax lay on his side and Harry lay opposite him, with very little space between them.

"I'm glad you came," Harry whispered, tilting his head in thought, reaching out to curl his fingers into Jax's hoodie. "You leave your cut behind?"

"Yeah. Didn't see the need." Jax looked at Harry, seeing the way his eyes drooped, his breathing slowing. Now he looked at Harry in a different way but still very familiar and his heart thumped loudly in his chest. "Get some sleep."

"Don't need to tell me that twice," Harry muttered before his eyes drooped and stayed closed.

Jax watched as Harry's breathing evened out, as his body relaxed, in person for the first time ever. No need to wait for his best friend to fall asleep to meet up in their dream world.

He could see Harry's scar on his forehead, vivid and red and looking like it hurt like hell. He tentatively reached out and traced his thumb over it, smoothing over the raised skin of the scarring. Jax watched as Harry lay there next to him, asleep, feeling his own body relax, knowing that he was safe. Knowing that Harry… was finally safe from that fucker. He withdrew his hand and slowly but surely fell asleep too, right next to the man he had shared dreams with for the past ten years.