Episode Fifty Two
With special permission Graves had been allowed to visit the castle on weekends. Since the attack and Gwen's return he'd been especially anxious to keep tabs on her. Gwen half suspected that Dumbledore knew about his late night "searches" but didn't comment. She had the feeling he might be hiring him for a security type job anyway.
The two friends were sitting in the Great Hall at the end of Gryffindor table where they had sat almost a year before, talking quietly and excitedly about the things they had in common and the things they did not.
"Oh Christ on a cross." He exclaimed.
Gwen recoiled. "What?"
"This sucks." He said pointing to an article he'd been reading in the Daily Prophet about a Quidditch team he had placed a bet on. They had lost, contrary to the confident advice of the bookie that they would win. Graves was now 250 galleons in the hole.
"No, the Christ part. Where did that come from?"
"I dunno. You know, sometimes I feel like I've lived in another dimension." He said while folding the paper and setting it on the table. "It's like I have this whole other existence in my memory that's completely impossible and the craziest things pop out of my mouth sometimes. Like Christ on a cross."
"Did I ever explain my whole dream life to you?" Gwen asked.
"And this has what to do with Christ?"
"This has a lot to do with Christ actually. I lived in this dream world that my mother made for me after my father died. And she borrowed you to make a doppelganger, although I'm not really sure how that whole part worked. Mom was kind of… mysteriously magically advanced we'll say. In any case you were in this other existence and we were best friends in college. We both grew up roman catholic in the dream, so the Christ on a cross would be something you'd say. You were kind of offensive like that. Sort of abrasive, like sandpaper actually."
He looked at her wide eyed. He didn't know whether or not to believe her. Gwen wasn't the type to lie, but this story was just so far-fetched. "Are you shitting me?"
"I shit you not." She said. "I know, it seems insane, but it's the truth."
He frowned. It made sense in a crazy kind of way. Maybe that's where all those random memories came from. He shrugged. "Ok." He conceded. "Did we ever make out in the dream world?"
"All the time." She said dramatically.
He laughed. "You tease me as much there as you do here?"
"Only on days ending with Y."
"I see." He sighed, looking up at the bewitched ceiling. He felt like his heart was bursting, half joy, half fear. He was so glad to be back near Gwen and yet so fearful it wouldn't last. He was more than angry with himself that he hadn't been there for her when she needed him most.
He didn't know how to tell her, but he needn't have bothered. Gwen knew him long enough to understand without words. She had known him in two lifetimes. She patted his hand softly and grinned over at him.
