"You wanna go for a ride?" Ope asked, nodding to where their bikes were parked in the lineup.

"You implying something, Ope?" Jax asked, scowling and walking towards their bikes.

"Yeah. I'm implying that you're brooding."

"Hey!" Jax retorted, flipping Opie off and glancing over to where Tig, Clay and Chibs were working on their bikes. Bobby was seemingly working on his bike, smoking a cigar, his eyes straying to where Gemma was in the office. "I'm not brooding."

"Man, something's eating at you. Something wrong with Tara? Or Harry?"

Opie walked over to mount his bike and Jax did the same, wondering where Harry was now. It had been a few nights since they had shared a dream, since Harry had said that he would send Hedwig to Charming. It was getting cooler during the day, during the nights, and fall was coming to California, slowly but surely. The streets were slick with last night's rain and water droplets stuck to pieces of grass, to their handlebars.

The sun was still shining but the ominous clouds that were getting closer seemed to make it fainter.

"No, nothing's wrong with Tara. I want to tell her about Harry though," Jax muttered, slipping on his helmet and revving his bike. He made sure his knife was at his belt before steering his bike out of the compound, hearing Ope follow. The sun shone down on them as they rode through Charming, taking the road out of the town, and picking up speed.

It was a warm afternoon, not too humid, and the occasional cloud floated by, popping in front of the sun for a few seconds. The club had a run on the schedule, heading to Arizona to visit the charter there, tomorrow. The garage had three custom jobs that they were working on, ones that the both of them would need to get back to the garage later for, but for now…

Jax picked up some speed along the road, feeling the air whipping against him and past him. There were only a few cars on the road and the ones that drove past him stayed clear, the driver seeing his kutte, seeing Opie's, and knowing what it meant automatically.

It was the first week of September and Harry would not be going back to school for his seventh year. His fingers flexed on the handlebars as he rode for several minutes under the sun, feeling sweat start to trickle down his back. He heard the occasional chirp of birds but nothing sounded like an owl. Or at least he assumed none of them were owls. But then again...he didn't know anything about owls aside from what Harry had told him.

Tara though..was a whole different matter and he grinned, heading to the turn off that he and Opie usually took if they wanted to stop and take a break. It was a clearing about a mile off the highway, shaded by trees and full of grasses, no one else but them as he swerved off the road and took care where he rode his bike.

A few minutes later and they were in the clearing, having not said a thing since they had left the compound together. Opie parked his bike by one of the big tree trunks and watched as Jax did the same, flipping the engine off.

"Is something wrong with Harry? That why you're in a snit?"

"I am not in a snit! I don't even know what the fuck that means," Jax argued, crossing his arms and glaring at Opie.

"Heard it from Donna's friend," Opie finally offered. "Means you're angry I guess. Donna's not like Tara but I like her the same."

It was quiet for a few minutes as Opie watched him, following his movements as Jax began to pace.

"Harry's going on the run," Jax said, taking a breath. "The last dream I had… He didn't look good. He's gonna go looking for some things that… the dark lord has. And it's gonna be dangerous. He said I can't…"

"I can't be with him."

Opie stared at him, something flickering in his eyes, something like worry in those dark eyes. Jax huffed and shook his head, stopping to pull out a cigarette and light it.

Jax took a puff of the smoke and began to pace again, his heart pounding in his chest. "You're the only one I can talk to about him too. Gemma doesn't believe me, I ain't gonna tell our brothers and Tara… I'm… not sure I want to."

"Harry's your best friend. Your other best friend," Opie started, shaking his head, thoughts flickering behind his eyes. "You're gonna have Tara be your old lady, she should know. Besides… Harry's not the club. And you have evidence that this thing exists. That Harry's real."

"You like that bruise paste I gave you, huh?" Jax asked, a corner of his mouth twisting up in a smile.

Opie grinned and nodded. "I know that it's only a portion of what he gave you but it worked wonders. Jax. I know you. Tell her or you'll be miserable."

The hooting was Jax's only warning before the beating of wings echoed in the clearing.

"What…" Opie trailed off, his eyes widening as a snowy owl flew through the clearing, circling them once, twice, before landing on the closest thing to Jax. His bike. The owl hooted quietly, her claws perched on the handlebars of his bike, her golden eyes peering at him curiously. There was something tied to her left leg, a small pouch that if his assumption was right, held more to it than was visible.

Jax blinked and shifted his weight from foot to foot before tentatively taking a step towards his bike. "Hedwig?"

The snowy owl chirped quietly and waited patiently for him to approach. "Pretty girl."

Hedwig's golden eyes appeared to sharpen a little as she tilted her head, practically radiating smugness. Jax snorted and finally closed the distance between his bike, holding out a hand for her to get his scent. Hedwig reached out to brush her beak against his finger, ruffling her white feathers a little. Jax grinned and slowly traced her feathers, stroking her back. She lifted her right wing, showing what looked to be soft, downy feathers, as if trying to get him to pet her there and he obliged.

"They're so soft," Jax muttered and Hedwig crooned quietly at his words.

"Is that…" Opie paused, his eyes still wide as he watched them.

"Yup. It's Hedwig. I'm gonna take care of her while Harry's…" Jax stopped and shuddered. "While he's on the run."

"So you're gonna be a father."

"Hey! I am not!" Jax yelled, shoving Opie as his friend came over.

Hedwig whistled loudly, glaring up at Opie before she stuck out her left leg. Jax trailed his fingers down her feathers to unhook the pouch from her leg and opened it, glancing in. His eyes widened as he pulled out the letter on top and opened it.

Jax,

Here are her things. They're all miniaturized so speak the words, 'mischief managed', to get them the right size. Make sure you do it without Gemma, Clay or anyone else watching though. It's a bit of spellwork so… But Opie's fine. I know you tell him about me.

I put in a bag of her favorite treats and a few recommendations for supply stores to get them from when it runs out. I had Hermione help with that so she says there are a few stores in your area that offer bird supplies. And use the credit card that I put in here to pay for them. Use your own to get stuff for your bike, not Hedwig. And your house, if I recall correctly. You said you were buying one for you and Tara.

Her perch is in here, as well as her cage, where she prefers to sleep during the day. She'll probably be pretty tired when she gets to you so… don't worry if she sleeps for a while. As I said before, she'll hunt at night so her regular food is taken care of. Don't feed her too many treats or she'll get fat.

You won't need anything to guard your arms if she decides to sit on your shoulder. She'll keep her claws and beak to herself. (Except when she decides to take care of you. She's funny like that sometimes.)

Thank you so much for taking care of her. If and when we share a dream next, mind telling me she got to you safely?

Harry.

Jax sighed and pocketed the letter, written on dirty parchment and wrinkled, like Harry had had to start anew or write in a hurry. There were a few things scratched out but he couldn't quite make out what they said.

"Jax?"

"Hmm?"

"What do wizards use owls for anyway?" Opie asked, drawing his attention back to where Hedwig was leaning into his fingers.

"Mail. Harry's pretty close with Hedwig though," Jax said, shrugging and pocketing the pouch too. "Did you get some water and food as you flew?"

Hedwig tilted her head before she dipped her beak in a nod, ruffling her feathers. As if an owl answering someone in a nod was commonplace. Jax blinked at her straightforward answer and glanced at Opie, who was staring at Hedwig like…

"You wanna say hi? Hedwig, this is Opie," Jax introduced, gesturing to his friend. "He knows about Harry."

Hedwig peered past him to where Opie stood before hooting curiously again. Opie walked up to stand next to Jax and held out his hand slowly. Hedwig stared at him before bending down, letting Opie scratch her head. Hedwig hooted quietly, contently, sleepily, her eyes drooping closed before opening wide again, and Jax grinned faintly. Opie smiled and continued to stroke her feathers, his eyes wide.

"Come on. We should get home. I'll show you the compound, girl," Jax whispered, pointing in the direction of Charming. "Follow us?"

Hedwig chirped and dipped her beak again before taking off, flying higher and higher before he lost sight of her. Jax twitched and then grinned at Opie, shrugging.

"Guess you're owl sitting then."

Jax huffed out an amused laugh and mounted his bike again, revving the engine before taking off back to Charming.

By the time they arrived back at the compound, Hedwig was flying lower and lower to the road, occasionally dipping down to ride air currents. The owl was clearly tired, having flown the entire way between England and California. Jax quickly parked his bike, sparing a look out to the garage where Chibs was working solo this afternoon, and then watched Hedwig circle in for a landing. Opie parked his bike next to him and seemingly stood guard, flanking Jax.

"Hey, girl," Jax murmured, holding out his arm tentatively, wondering if…

Hedwig hooted quietly and flew right over to him, landing right on his arm. Her breathing was slow and even, as he watched her chest rise and fall. She carefully toddled up his arm to his shoulder, her claws not making any marks on his skin. "Come on. Let's get you settled for the afternoon. I've got a few hours in the garage so make yourself at home."

Hedwig nuzzled against his neck, making him shiver a little. Her feathers were soft and warm, reassuring almost.

"It feel weird talking to her?" Opie asked, as they headed over to the garage.

"Yeah. Kind of," Jax admitted, grinning a little bit.

Chibs glanced up from where he was working on his bike and clearly was about to focus back on the car he was working on. His eyes widened at the sight of the owl on Jax's shoulder and then sharpened as he stood up, fingers messy with oil grease and dirt.

"That's not…" Chibs paused as he walked over to meet them.

Jax lifted an eyebrow at Chibs' peculiar expression before his brother opened his mouth again.

"You friends with a witch, Jackie boy?" Chibs questioned, glancing over to the clubhouse, as if he was making sure no one else was around.

Jax blinked, his eyes widening as he looked at Chibs, wondering if he knew. There was something in Chibs' voice that he hadn't heard before. "You know?"

Chibs swore, his eyes flicking to where Hedwig was still sitting on Jax's shoulder. "I transferred to SAMCRO to get away from all that shite. There ain't supposed to be witches in Charming. Who're you friends with?"

"I'm owl sitting for Hedwig's owner," Jax offered, shrugging. "What kind of shit? You one of them?"

"No. For all the grief it gave me. I'm a squib," Chibs muttered, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Squib?" Opie repeated faintly, his eyes wide at the new information.

"Non magical kid born to magical parents," Jax explained, shaking his head. "Harry told me about them. Your parents kicked you to the curb then."

"Aye. They did," Chibs retorted, his fingers curling and uncurling. "Fuck 'em. What are you doing with one of them? They're nothing but trouble."

"I know who my friend is," Jax argued, straightening and feeling Hedwig rustle her feathers on his shoulder. He heard the sound of bikes roaring in from the street and sighed. "Harry just wanted Hedwig safe."

"Safe from what? There's nothing going on here," Chibs said, shrugging. "What kind of trouble is your friend in? She gotten into dark magic? She use magic on us poor pitiful people?"

The last few words were said with contempt and Chibs scowled at the thought, his voice low. His eyes were narrowed and Jax watched as Chibs crossed his arms, glaring at Hedwig before focusing on Jax again.

Jax noted that Chibs thought Harry was a girl and he was fine with that. More than fine with that. Harry could be short for Harriet after all. "No. They're just going through something at the moment, for a couple of months, I think. Hedwig, mind going up to the roof of the clubhouse? I gotta…"

Hedwig hooted quietly and took off from his shoulder, her wingbeats slow but steady. But instead of flying over to the roof of the clubhouse, she landed right on the handlebars of Jax's bike, just like she had in the clearing. Opie grinned next to him, his arms at his sides, as he saw Piney ride in behind the others.

"Jax, you sure she's not using any magic on you?" Chibs asked, his eyes flashing angrily.

"It's against the law," Jax offered, dropping his hands to his hips, seeing Clay roll into the compound on his bike. Gemma stepped out of the office at the sound of the bikes, the frown on her face growing wider as she saw Jax. He lowered his voice when he saw Clay park his bike and walk over. "Harry would never use magic on me."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"The fuck's going on here?" Clay questioned as he parked his bike, flipping up his sunglasses, his eyes flicking to the owl that sat on Jax's bike. "Chibs?"

Gemma walked over to them, her eyes sharp, stopping in front of Jax and Opie. "Why the fuck is there a bird on the handlebars of your bike, honey?"

"I'm owl sitting," Jax said, crossing his arms. "For a friend."

"Owl sitting." Clay stood there, disbelief in his eyes, and turned to look at Chibs. "You know his friend?"

"I know her kind. For what it's worth, they do know their owls," Chibs remarked, shrugging.

"Her kind?" Gemma repeated, looking between Chibs, Jax and Clay before looking at Hedwig. "Is there something wrong with the bird? It's just sitting there. Like a pet bird."

"She likes me," Jax offered, pulling his biking gloves off and jerking a thumb towards Hedwig. "Her owner is a bit busy at the moment. She's staying with me for a couple months, okay? The issue's been settled."

"Jax…" Gemma paused, looking between Clay and Chibs. "This friend of yours sounds shady. No one owns pet owls except centers. Chibs, what did-"

"Jesus, mom, it's not a problem and won't be!" Jax retorted, glaring at the three in front of him. "It's not club business. It's personal."

Opie took a step over to stand at his side, taller than him, and crossed his arms. "Hedwig can spend some time at my house too. If she wants."

Hedwig hooted quietly from where she sat on the handlebars of Jax's bike, her eyes narrowed.

"Clay." Gemma looked at her husband, her eyes sharp.

"What the kid does while not handlin' club business isn't my business," Clay remarked. "Jax, your friend need anything?"

"Nothing."

"Hedwig's safe."

Jax watched as Harry sat down opposite him in their dreamscape, a ghostly version of the clubhouse. Harry yawned a little bit, his face pale, and Jax could see a hint of bags under the other teenager's eyes. Like Harry wasn't sleeping well. Or at all. His shoulders were hunched inward but at Jax's words, Harry let out a shaky breath, half his mouth twitching up in a smile.

"Good. That's…" Harry paused, taking a deep breath. "That's good. Thanks."

"What happened?" Jax asked, glancing into Harry's eyes across the chapel table, his fingers clenching. If this wasn't a dream, his heart would have been pounding, his stomach roiling at how tired Harry looked. But he had long gotten used to not feeling physical sensations in their shared dreams. In most of them anyway. Though… in the morning after the last few shared dreams… He had woken up sick to his stomach, a hole in the pit of his stomach, fear for his best friend making his stomach upset.

The reaper that was carved into the wood of the table between them seemed to be mocking them both even though it wasn't real. The great wooden table in their dreamscape was dark and ominous, bits of shadows pooling in the reaper's eyes. Their usual dream world was crackling at the edges, ripping and tearing like it wanted to fall apart.

"The ministry fell. Voldemort…" Harry trailed off, his voice shaky. "There's a puppet minister now."

Jax swallowed and reached out to curl his fingers into Harry's, meeting those green eyes. Harry flinched a little but curled his fingers through Jax's, shuddering. "So… Chibs knows."

Harry blinked and tilted his head. "Chibs?"

"He's a squib. He recognized Hedwig as a mail owl."

"Huh. His parents kick him out or something?"

"Yup. He warned me off you."

Harry snorted dryly. "This year might-"

"If you're saying what I think you're gonna say, don't. You ain't gonna die."

"Jax…"

"Harry. Don't you dare."

"I'll be careful."

Jax arched an eyebrow and Harry shrugged idly, as if his shoulders weren't entirely curled inward. As if he didn't have the weight of the whole world on them.

"Jax. Why is there an owl in…" Tara trailed off, her eyes wide and bewildered as she stared at the perch in the corner of the living room. The perch with a snowy owl on it. "Why the fuck is there an owl in your living room?"

"Our living room, Tara," Jax replied, grinning widely. If half of his heart was elsewhere, maybe say 6,000 miles away at the moment, no one had to know. "Babe, this house is for us. You're gonna be my old lady. Besides, ignore the owl. She's only here for a few months. Harry's gonna be able to take care of her after that."

Hedwig whistled in a distinctly unimpressed tone, pulling her head out of her wings where she had tucked it, and glaring at him. Jax flipped her off and Hedwig let out an irritated barking noise, something that he had heard owls make before. Tara stood in the entry way of the house, looking between the two of them, her eyes widening.

"What the fuck is going on?" Tara finally asked, glaring at him. "This another club thing? I swear to god, Jax, this is way too goddamn much. I don't like it."

"Tara!"

"I'm scared, Jax," Tara retorted, dropping her hands to her hips and swallowing as she took a step towards him. "The club's taking up too much of our time and I hate it."

"The club is my family, Tara!" Jax exclaimed, his heart pounding in his chest as he stepped the rest of the way towards her. "Clay, Chibs, Tig, Bobby, Piney. They're all family."

"Yeah? What about me? I punched someone last year! That's not me!" Tara yelled, her cheeks reddening at the words. "I want to become a doctor, Jax! Not fucking becoming the wife of a felon!"

"Hedwig ain't something for the club! I'm taking care of her for a friend!" Jax retorted, crossing his arms, feeling his stomach roil at the words coming out of Tara's mouth. The mid afternoon sun snaked its way through the open window that he had left open for Hedwig.

"Oh yeah? What friend would that be? You hardly have any friends outside the club! Would it be that fake one that Gemma said you talked about several years ago?"

Jax swallowed, his heart stopping at the mocking tone in Tara's voice, and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "You talked to Gemma about that? Jesus fucking christ, Tara. That's my mother. You shouldn't be fuckin' talking to her!"

"Yeah, well, then what's the owl for? Target practice? You're too loyal to the club!"

"I would never harm that owl!" Jax hissed, shaking in place, anger warming him up. "Besides, you punched that guy first! I didn't start that fight!"

Tara slapped him at that, her hand dropping down to her side immediately. Jax stiffened, feeling the sting of it coil under his skin. She glared at him like that fight had been his fault and he glared back, his chest heaving with anger. Hedwig hooted loudly, angrily behind him but Jax ignored her for the moment, too focused on Tara.

The air whistled with the motion of feathers and then he felt Hedwig land on his shoulder, letting out a sound that was distinctly threatening. He could feel her claws dig lightly into his kutte, her feathers brushing against his neck, and Hedwig hooted again, low and predatory.

Tara gulped in front of him, her skin paling, but continued to glare at him. "It's a weird fucking family then! You all carry guns around like you're in a gang!"

"We're a club, Tara! Those are my brothers you're talking about! Not-"

"I don't want to be your old lady then!" Tara yelled at him before half turning around, facing towards the door. "I'm leaving you for good!"

"Fine! You'll just come crawling back soon!"

Tara hissed through her teeth and whirled around. "I'm leaving Charming, Jax! I want out! I'm not coming back!"

Tara stomped off, walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her. He heard her car's engine turn on, heard her drive off, and then swallowed. His cheek still stung from where she had hit him. It'd probably leave a bruise.

Hedwig crooned quietly and nuzzled into his neck, rubbing her beak against his unbruised cheek. Jax snorted and reached up to stroke through her feathers, seeing how shaky his fingers were. His stomach was roiling, pitching like it intended to... "Hey, girl."

"Fuck. Fuck. Shit." Jax shuddered and then hurried over to the door, seeing Hedwig take flight. She followed him right out the door, followed him as he looked for Tara's car on the street outside. "I…"

"Tara…" Jax trailed off on a dry throat, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt sick, like he had the worst hangover and… His heart felt like it had gotten stomped on, like it had gotten run over by a truck as he took shaky breaths, hitching as he attempted to breathe. "Shit."

The fight drained out of him as his legs buckled and he landed on the dry grass of the lawn. Hedwig landed right in front of him, worry visible in her golden eyes.

"She left."

Hedwig hooted quietly, tilting her head as she looked at him. Tears pooled in his eyes but he angrily wiped them away. He wasn't… Tears were weak. This wasn't… "You gonna run off too?"

Hedwig bent down and nipped his finger, ruffling her feathers, and then hopped up, taking flight to land on the handlebars of his bike. It was parked in the driveway, sitting there idly, and now Hedwig was peering down at him. As if saying she'd be staying with him.

Jax huffed and stood up slowly, walking over to pet her in that one spot he figured out a couple of nights ago. "Think Harry will still like me after all this is over?"

Hedwig leaned over and nipped his finger again.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

Hedwig just looked at him, looked at him like he was stupid, her golden eyes unimpressed with him. Jax shuddered and stroked over her wing feathers, his heart still thundering in his chest.

The next time they dreamed together, Harry looked worse, if that was even possible. He looked exhausted, the bags under his eyes more prominent, his chest thinning out, fat disappearing to make way for muscle. His hair looked like it was or had thinned and longer. His eyes were dull and lost as Jax stared at his friend, looking Harry over.

Harry was thin and pale and looked haunted. He looked like a soldier. He was in regular clothes, not like the ones he usually wore during the summers at his aunt and uncle's house, but clothes that fitted him. Jeans and a long sleeve shirt that had a few stains on it. At least none of them looked to be blood stains though with what Harry had mentioned over the past several years… Harry could have cleaned those up with a word. And yet he hadn't.

"Harry?"

His best friend said nothing, just sat there in what looked like a tent. Their dreamscape was small and utterly dark, tinged with green on the edges and Jax didn't like this. Didn't like it one bit.

It was almost October of 1997, the night of September 30th, and Jax shuddered at the sight.

"You safe?"

Harry swallowed and just stared at him, his nostrils flaring, before sighing. "Ron left."

Jax grunted at Harry's words- spoken in a quiet, listless voice, unnerving him more than usual- and began to pace in the small ghostly version of a wizarding tent. One of their dreams during Harry's fourth year had been in a tent so he knew this was more or less normal for one. Though the lack of color around them proved this was a dream.

Harry slowly peered up at Jax as his best friend scowled, beginning to pace between the tent walls. Their dreamscape mirrored the tent that Hermione had brought with them, sharing the camp furniture and couple beds from the real one. Everything was grey and the light that tried to filter through almost wasn't enough to see what Jax was wearing. Jax was wearing a SAMCRO hoodie, the black one that Harry frequently saw him in, and baggy pants.

Harry sat on one of the ghostly beds on one side of the tent, blinked, as Jax scowled even deeper, passing one of the camp chairs. Harry grimaced as he heard the faint hissing of the locket horcrux even now and ran a hand through his hair, wishing… "Jax. What the fuck is going on?"

"She left!"

Harry flinched as Jax wheeled around, turning to face him, his fingers clenching and turning to fists. "You wanna be more specific?"

"Tara up and fuckin' left me!" Jax yelled, his eyes flashing with anger as he began to pace again, kicking out at one of the camp chairs. The chair fell backwards with the force of Jax's kick and thumped down onto the floor, echoing in the silence.

Harry scowled and lay back down on the ghostly bed, wiping a hand over his eyes. "Isn't that something the two of you do? You leave each other and get back together? Very frequently too."

"She ain't just left me! Harry, she left Charming all together! She left me! And yelled at me!"

"Jax."

He heard Jax stomp around the tent, kicking out at the ghostly kitchen set, stubbing his toe on the oven. He heard swearing fill the tent and rolled his eyes, yawning a little. "You sure she left Charming?"

"What do you care? You've never liked Tara! You don't-"

Harry's scowl deepened at Jax's words and he reached his arm up to cover his eyes, swearing under his breath. "Jax, sit the fuck down. I swear to Merlin. I didn't-"

The thump that filled their dream tent made him start, pulling his arm back to sit up. Jax was looking at him, blinking once, twice, sitting on the other camp chair like his legs had given out. Surprise was quickly followed by panic in Jax's bright blue eyes and Harry tilted his head before swallowing, half a guess as to what had happened floating in his mind. It hadn't been magic that caused Jax to sit down.

He stood up, walked over and pulled the dream chair that Jax had kicked over, to sit opposite his friend. "Jax, I didn't say anything about Tara other than to say it wasn't safe to tell her about me. I've had other things on my mind is all. Besides, I've never met her."

Jax's cheeks reddened, embarrassment radiating from him. "I don't… I didn't…"

"We're sleeping, remember? No one can see us," Harry offered quietly, taking a breath before sighing, meeting Jax's eyes steadily. "You trust me, right?"

Jax visibly swallowed before nodding, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. The blond strands were getting longer than usual, longer than Harry had seen before. Jax had just a hint of scruff on his face, maybe a day's worth of growth that would have made Harry smile normally but now… He was just too damned tired. "Yes. I trust you."

"I trust you too. Even though we've never met in person before. So… Tara left, huh?"

"Yup. I think… She thought Hedwig was here for club business or something," Jax muttered, quieter than he had been.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Club business."

Jax nodded, his mouth twitching up into half a grin. Harry looked at him, half sure he was joking before huffing out a quiet laugh.

"What the fuck kind of club business would that be?" Harry muttered, before smiling faintly. The smile did not make it to his eyes, judging by Jax's look. "I appreciate you taking care of her. It's one less thing I have to worry about right now."

"No problem."

Harry slowly stood up and made his way out of the tent, glancing at Hermione as she flicked her wand at the tent behind them. As soon as their campsite was clean and every trace removed, Hermione nodded, taking a deep breath.

Their eyes met and Harry scrubbed a hand over his face, blinking once or twice. He didn't even have the energy to talk right now, didn't have the energy to fight or eat or… fly, not that they had broomsticks with them but… "Hermione."

"Hmmm." Hermione leaned into him, her hair messy on her head, her clothes sprinkled with dirt, and… She curled her fingers into his, clearly about to apparate, when he blinked, glancing down at where the locket sat around his neck. It was hot around his neck, a heavy presence that made his shoulders droop, and…

"Where the fuck are we anyway?"

"How... " Hermione trailed off, blinking her eyes slowly, yawning. "I think we're on the west coast of England. I don't know…"

Harry leaned his shoulder into her's, glancing up into what seemed to be blinding late afternoon sun. He could hear the faint sounds of a highway in the distance, cars and motorcycles speeding past, muggles minding their- "Hermione."

"Hmmm."

"Hermione."

"What."

"Belfast. Let's go to Belfast. There's a charter."

Hermione blinked and turned to look at him, her eyes saying she thought he was crazy. "Belfast. What."

"I know people who know people there," Harry murmured, rubbing a hand through his own hair, feeling grease and sweat and wrinkling his nose.

"I've never been to Ireland, let alone Belfast."

"Seamus is from there and I may have asked him about directions," Harry muttered, leaning his head against her shoulder. Hermione did the same, bumping their heads against each other.

"You did what."

Harry waved a hand and wrapped his hands around Hermione's waist before whispering the incantation for apparition.

Liam O'Neill rode his bike through the street that the compound was on, revving the engine so that his brothers knew he was coming. The moon shone down on the streets of Belfast, the chill of the evening speeding past him as he rode. Everything looked to be normal, people all stowed away in their homes and asleep.

A yell followed by blasting light made him pull his bike to a stop, his heart rabbiting in his chest at the sight of a magic duel. O'Neill glanced down the alleyway where the sounds were coming from and grabbed his pistol from his holster, looking right at the two teenagers who were running towards him. Or towards the compound. He stood up on his bike, holding it still, but not putting the kickstand down.

The boy spotted him almost immediately in the darkness, his bright green eyes bright with magic and moonlight, wand held tightly in his hand. O'Neill waved him forwards, quickly spotting the scar on the boy's forehead and confirming his identity. The girl was pale but looked just as determined as the boy as they held hands and ran.

"Get on you two," O'Neill muttered, gesturing to where the gate was several feet away. He raised his gun and heard the running footsteps of his brothers, heard guns being loaded. "And wands away. I'll cover ya."

The four Snatchers that were after Harry Potter and Hermione Granger ran towards him, ugly smirks on their faces. Boils and blood splattered all over their clothes, evidence of the two teens fighting back. Potter and Granger ran past him and Liam opened fire, hitting a Snatcher in his leg while his brothers shot at the other three.

Gunfire filled the air as bullets flew and one knife flew right past Liam's head. Once the smoke cleared, Liam was about to open his mouth to tell the others to stop firing, to save bullets, but Keith beat him to it.

"Alright boys, enough. I think we got 'em." Keith McGee walked up, stood next to Liam, his gun out, and looked out at the four dead bodies. "Who're you two?"

Harry Potter stood there, between bikers, between the men that made up the Belfast charter of Sons of Anarchy, and twitched a little bit. He was bloody, dirty, sweaty and looked fuckin' exhausted and Liam looked out at the street ahead of them, checking for any evidence of more Snatchers. He hadn't heard any evidence of apparitions in the past ten minutes but that didn't mean there hadn't been any. Snatchers were mean fuckers.

"Harry Potter and this is my friend, Hermione Granger. I'm a friend of Jax Teller's in Charming. Said I'd be welcome here," Harry remarked finally, standing all of six feet and a couple of inches tall, like a soldier, not slouching. "You're President here?"

"Aye. Keith McGee. Teller did give me a call not too long ago. Said you might be a problem."

"Not anything we've never seen before," Liam muttered, turning to see Padraic Telford's eyes widen a little bit.

"Teller did say you're a friend of his and the club's," Keith said, nodding easily. "Come on in. We'll take care of the bodies. Luther, take 'em over to Maureen's. She'll get them set up."

Harry nodded, swallowing visibly, before following their VP. He still had an arm around Granger's shoulders, the both of them looking like they were mostly supporting each other.

Liam fired another bullet into one of the bodies, seeing it jostle about, blood spurting from various holes.

AN: I'm going to split up Harry's 'seventh year' cause there's just too much I have planned so... to be continued obviously. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this!