Hermione sat down on the couch by the fireplace next to Ron and his plate full of pastries. She was full and happy as the night had gone extraordinarily well. It was a dinner she had craved for two years, but also a dinner she had thought they would never have again. The last time they had gathered around this table with Harry was for his eighteenth birthday, and this day had been the new beginning of hell for her. She had lost her brother, just like Ron had lost Fred, and even if she had tried to live her life without Harry, something would never be the same, and she would still miss something, a part of her. Harry and Ron had been her first friends, and as Ron had become her first and forever love, Harry had always been her brother, her confidant, her best friend. It was the reason why this diner had been perfect—because he was here, looking healthy, safe, and whole. This dinner was also perfect because she had finally announced her pregnancy. As she witnessed everyone's happiness, especially Mrs. Weasley's, who exploded with joy, she couldn't wait but announce it to her parents as soon as possible. She would be a mom. Ron would be the father of her child. They would be a family, a real family.

She gazed at the room with a dreamy smile drawn on her lips. Ginny and Saki were nowhere to be seen. Hermione guessed they would probably be in Ginny's bedroom or in the garden, doing whatever they wanted. Ginny had not talked about her relationship with Saki at all. She had been acting as though the young woman was just a friend; perhaps she dreaded her parents' reaction if they learned their daughter was bisexual; perhaps she didn't want to be teased by her brothers, or perhaps she wanted to wait before officializing anything. In any case, Hermione would always be here to support her.

She picked absentmindedly one biscuit from Ron's plate and started to peck it. She wasn't hungry—far from it—but she was happy, and happiness made her want to snack. Her attention switched from the group of adults conversing near the table, to the other couch facing them, where Harry and Teddy lay, both in deep sleep. Harry was on his back, his glasses back on his nose from after dinner, his mouth half open, and his curls concealing half of his face. Teddy lay on his godfather's stomach, his little mouth also half open, his tiny body rising and falling with Harry's breathing. Hermione gently elbowed Ron to show him the adorable scene, making both of them smile. Teddy had finally overcome his shyness and had started giving Harry attention as the evening progressed. It seemed to have helped Harry relax as well, and most importantly, feel less guilty about what had happened. Seeing his reaction when Bill introduced Teddy had been utterly heartbreaking for everyone in the room. They had not expected him to feel sad about it. When he had left the room, Hermione had once again realized how disconnected she was from what was happening inside his head. She somehow could never fathom how difficult his life has been and still was, and how much work he still had to do in order to finally find peace. To everyone's relief, he had played with his nephew all night. In reality, Teddy had quickly become the center of attention, as Ginny, Saki, Ron, George, her, and even Gary had played with him and Victoire. However, Harry was his favorite sidekick. He always ended up asking for him, even if he was definitely enjoying himself with the others as well. They had quickly formed a strong connection, a bond that no one could ever break.

Thus, it was not surprising to see them both asleep on that couch. Harry looked exhausted, and after these more than intense days for him, where he had regained his memory, almost lost his sister, and reconnected with everyone, who could blame him for having discreetly yawned all dinner? He had cried so much and felt so many emotions that his eyes constantly looked puffy and tired. Hermione and Ron were soon not the only ones to have noticed the sweet scene. Arthur hurried to grab his camera to immortalize this beautiful memory.

Harry woke up at the touch of something on his shoulder. He first thought it was happening in his dream, until a voice echoed in his ears, a voice coming from the real world. He opened his eyes with difficulty and quickly noticed his glasses were gone. Someone must have removed them for him. Where was he, and what time was it? He felt confused and extremely tired.

"Harry, we're going home with Teddy and Victoire."

The voice of Fleur was soft, he looked up at the woman who was smiling at him, a half-asleep Teddy in her arms. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was back at the burrow and had spent the day and evening with many people he loved.

"Oh, yeah sure."

He put on his glasses and staggered to his feet. Everyone was gathered in the living room, where he had just woken up. Mrs. Weasley looked like she was planning the bedroom distribution, he heard her talk about Saki and him sharing Percy's room as the man was going back to his place, but Ginny immediately asked to share hers with Saki, as they were "between girls". Harry chuckled discreetly behind Mrs. Weasley, who agreed without having any idea of what was really going on, and Saki winked at him. Molly then turned to Harry, who immediately stopped smiling.

"Harry, dear, do you want to have your own room? If you don't want to sleep alone, we can find a solution, maybe you can share a room with George? George, do you want to sleep here tonight?"

"You can sleep with us," Ron offered before his brother had time to answer. Hermione nodded but also looked slightly disappointed as if she had planned something else than sleeping for this night.

"No, no, it's fine. I can sleep alone," Harry said.

"Great, you can take Percy's room then. George?"

"I'm going home."

George had actually never slept at the burrow after the war, unable to be alone in his bedroom, but his mother always asked, to remind him he was always welcome to stay.

She then turned to Gary.

"Gary, you can take our room, we can sleep on the couch!"

The man waved his hands no, he looked like he had never planned to stay for the night.

"Oh no, don't mind me, I'll go back to New York."

"Really, are you sure?"

She looked disappointed. Gary glanced at his son, then refocused on her.

"Yes, I'm sure; thank you, Molly, I have a business to hold." He laughed, "Thank you profoundly for your hospitality, it was a pleasure meeting all of you; I'm truly grateful for you having always been there for Harry, and now I can go home and sleep soundly."

He turned to Saki.

"Saki, call me when you want to come back, I'll pay for your ticket."

Saki shook her head. "I can pay, don't worry about me!"

Gary hesitated, then nodded, even if both he and Saki knew he would still pay, whether she liked it or not.

"Harry, can I have a word?" He asked.

The young man agreed and followed his dad to the kitchen. He was still feeling drowsy after his unexpected nap, every step he took felt heavy.

Gary leaned against the kitchen counter, facing Harry, who was sitting on the edge of the table.

"Do you know what you want to do?" The older man asked.

So he had to think about it after all. Harry sighed and focused on the uneven tiles under his feet.

"I'm not sure..." he finally muttered.

Gary bent forward until his head appeared in Harry's field of vision. The young man noticed him and immediately raised his head.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted."

"I can see that, we can all see that," his father laughed. "I'm not holding you back for too long, I promise, I just wanted to know if you had any thoughts about your future. Do you want to stay in England? Or do you want to come back to New York?"

Harry shook his head "I don't know… I mean, I have a job in New York… and I have you, and Saki, my family…"

"Take your time to think about it, it's not the easiest decision to make, okay?"

He nodded.

"But I wanted to let you know that no matter what you decide, I'll be okay with it. If you want to stay here, and restart your life where it started, I would totally understand and support you. I just… I just hope I will still see you, and that our relationship won't change."

"Why would it change…?" Harry asked, looking at him with a concerned expression.

"I don't know, I just understand that you have other parental figures, and I know I'm not your father, I could never replace your father, but…"

"You are my father." Harry cut him off. "You are and will always be my father. And you're not taking James' place, or anyone else's place, I know that, and it doesn't change anything about how I feel about you. You said it yourself, it's never too late to become a parent."

Gary wanted to say something, but nothing could come out of his mouth. So he straightened up and hugged him tightly, wondering how he could be so lucky to have met him.

"Thank you, Harry, Thank you, my son."

"No, thank you, dad. I'll never be able to thank you enough"

Gary sniffed as he released him from his arms.

"Okay, I'll go home then." He spoke with a shaky voice. "Just keep me informed of your decision, all right?"

"I promise."

Gary kissed him on the head. But Harry took him again into his arms. They had never been separated since Harry's adoption, and he felt bad to let him go without him and oddly dreaded being far from him for the first time.

"Take care, son, love you "

"Love you, dad"

(***)

"How do you find this place?"

Ginny was lying on her bed, watching Saki, who was standing in front of her wall full of posters.

"It's… wonderful," the young woman replied, amazed by the moving pictures of quidditch players.

Ginny grinned. She felt so relieved that Saki accepted her for who she was—a witch—and seeing her here, at the Burrow, was the cherry on top. The American girl finally approached the bed where she sat, still looking around her with her mouth open.

"Life is so strange," Ginny murmured as she was gazing at Saki.

"You're telling me," Saki chuckled. She looked down at her girlfriend and waited for her to develop her thoughts.

"I have to tell you something." Ginny started, "Harry was my first love."

She had wondered for a while if she should share this with Saki and if it was worth it. But she was beginning to love her, and love implied honesty.

Saki was still watching her talk, her expression calm and relaxed, before she escaped a small laugh.

"Who wouldn't have a crush on Harry?"

Ginny frowned, she had not expected that reaction.

"What?"

"Come on, Harry is super cute, I would never be interested in him, he's my little brother, but I'm not blind either. And he is famous in your world, he saved the world! He must have had all the girls crushing on him." She was openly laughing now, making Ginny smile as well.

"Hum, I'm not sure he was that popular at school, but yes, I agree." She said, "But what I meant is, Harry and I dated, it didn't last long because of the war and everything, but yeah, I was still in love with him when he left us."

Saki had stopped laughing.

"I've always imagined my life with him, I naively thought we would be married one day, even have kids... And then I met you, and I think I realized I wasn't in love with Harry the way I thought I was... and I think I'm falling in love right now, but with you."

Ginny looked up at Saki and met her gaze. She was gorgeous as if all the beauty of the world had been offered to her. She saw her beauty approaching her slowly until they were an inch apart, she could smell her perfume, almost feel her skin.

"I only heard the last part of your sentence," Saki whispered before kissing her the way Ginny lost all control of her mind and body. Saki proceeded to remove her girlfriend's top. Ginny was not wearing a bra; her skin was cold and shivery from the cold air and the excitement. Saki sucked her erect nipple in a slow, delicate tongue motion, making her instantly wet. She craved Saki; she craved her long and thin body, her honey skin, her shiny black hair, her almond eyes, her soft lips, and her beautiful pianist's hands that caressed her so well. She bit her lips as she sunk her fingers in Saki's hair, while the girl continued to lick her breast. She closed her eyes and started stroking Saki's leg with her foot, when she heard steps coming from the stairs.

"Fuck, what if someone is coming?"

Saki raised her head from her breast and frowned.

"Can't you lock your door?"

"Lock my door? "There's no such thing as a lock when we're talking about my family, especially my mom," Ginny snorted.

"Well, in that case, we should hide."

The tall girl took the blanket and threw it on them, covering them from the light. She then slid along Ginny's body, disappearing completely under the sheets.

"What are you doing?" Ginny giggled, tickled by Saki's hair against her stomach. But she didn't answer. Instead, she started licking Ginny's inner fold. The girl gasped from surprise, as a heat wave spread throughout her chest up to her neck. Saki's tongue was slowly exploring her, her two hands holding Ginny's thighs, caressing her skin with her long fingers, and then she buried her mouth in her vulva. Saki loved hearing her moan, feeling her legs convulse and quiver every time she licked her, kissed her, swallowed her. She licked her vagina up to the clitoris, where she started forming small circles with her tongue around it. She had every power over her, Ginny's legs contracted increasingly, but Saki held them firmly between her hands. She could feel the young girl's stomach rise and fall at a steady pace as she was close to orgasming. Ginny's wetness soaked her lips, she could taste her flavor in its rawest form, and it excited her even more. She let go of her right thigh, and she started to caress her lower tummy, where she could feel the pubic hairs under her fingers. Her stomach was soft and hot, her beauty could be surmised just by the feeling and smell of her skin. She was Saki's perfection. The girl sucked her clitoris, squeezing her flesh tightly as they both moaned from ultimate pleasure. Ginny was hers, and she was Ginny's.

(***)

Harry woke up late. An incessant uproar could be heard behind his door, from the stairs to the ground floor. The burrow was full of life, and the happiness of Mrs. Weasley resonated throughout the house. Harry sat on his bed, he couldn't identify if he was feeling tired or rested. This night had been strange for him. After the Weasleys' and his father's departure, he had gone straight to sleep. However, what he had thought of as a long, restful night quickly became the source of panic attacks. He wasn't sure why, perhaps it was the fact that he was sleeping in the burrow for the first time after his memory loss, perhaps it was the recent events, a reaction of his body and mind after all the sudden changes, or perhaps it was being away from his dad for the first time. He didn't know, maybe it was all of these reasons. He had managed to relax after a few hours of shivering, nausea, and breathing difficulties, and eventually, in the strangest way possible, experienced one of the best nights of his life. He had ended up falling deeply asleep, his body utterly worn out, and hadn't woken up until this late morning, or perhaps afternoon; he couldn't even tell what time it was.

Draco kept his promise, and came back to the burrow in the middle of the afternoon, while Ron and Hermione left to visit her parents. Mrs. Weasley seemed to try to keep them, along with Ginny and Saki, constantly close to her. She prepared tea with cookies and asked many questions to keep them interacting with her. To Harry's greatest relief, they eventually managed to escape, and he led Draco to the riverside, far enough to not be seen from the burrow. They sat on the grass just in front of the water, where giant trees stood above them, whose leaves filtered some warm sun rays onto their skin. Harry placed the butterbeer bottles he had taken on their way on the grass between them.

"So how did it go yesterday?" Draco asked as he grabbed one and opened it.

"Oh, it was intense," Harry chuckled, "I saw many people, it was pretty emotional and draining."

Draco took a sip of his beer.

"Ron and Hermione announced her pregnancy," Harry suddenly added, as if he had forgotten for a moment.

"Wait, what? How… I mean, when, for how long?"

"I'm pretty sure it was during your trip to New York."

Harry leaned backward, resting his weight on his elbows. Draco looked surprised. He stayed sitting cross-legged, frowning at a random tree.

"Well, that's great, I guess finding you back inspired them to move to the next step."

Harry laughed at this observation. He hadn't thought about it that way, but it may be partly true.

"They asked me to be the godfather," he said after he stopped laughing.

Draco looked down at him,

"Oh wow, congrats, Harry, I'm sure you're gonna be a great godfather!"

Harry's gaze got lost on the river, where the light current of clear water reflected the various colors of the sky and branches in a gradient of green and blue.

"Actually, I'm already a godfather"

"What do you mean?"

Draco wasn't sure to understand.

"Teddy Lupin, he is my godson, I saw him yesterday."

His voice was trembling slightly. Draco tried to follow what he was saying, who was Teddy? Lupin? Like the werewolf teacher?

"He is the son of Remus Lupin, one of my father's best friends, and Nymphadora Tonks, whom you should have heard about," Harry explained as if he had read his mind.

"They both died during the battle."

"I'm sorry…"

Harry shook his head and straightened up, rubbing his hands to remove the grass blade stuck to his palm.

"He's really cute, always smiling," he grinned. Draco understood he wanted to lighten the atmosphere and thus decided to avoid any sensitive topic related to the baby.

He loved hearing Harry talk about Teddy, the way his eyes sparkled when he mentioned all the funny and cute things the kid had done the day before, how his mouth turned into a smile when he described him. It made him wonder how it would be to have a child—his child, their child.

"What about you? How was it with your mom?"

Harry's question woke him from his thoughts.

"Oh, hum, great."

His boyfriend raised his brows, obviously waiting for more details.

"She is doing fine; they didn't attack her; they didn't even see her or talk to her."

"That's a good thing, I'm glad they left her out of this."

Draco pinched his lower lips.

"I couldn't tell her about you... I would love to talk about you, but with my father in Azkaban, I just can't take the risk, I don't want to put her or you in danger again,"

"I understand"

"But my father will know about the Death Eaters' deaths one day or another…"

"But he won't know what happened; they were the only ones out of Azkaban, right?"

Draco nodded, but he still looked worried.

"It will be okay, Draco; I'm sure it's gonna be fine eventually."

Harry reached his arm toward Draco's hand and squeezed it gently.

"I think my mom would be as thankful as me for what you did for us, just know it," Draco said.

Harry removed his hand and looked up at him.

"What did I do?" He asked with a serious face, making Draco intrigued;

"Wait, you don't remember? The courtroom, after the war? Your testimony?"

Harry frowned. He couldn't remember any of that.

"I feel like what happened between the war and my encounter with Saki is a big black hole; I can't remember anything, as if... as if I didn't live in my body during that period, as if it wasn't me, you know what I mean?"

Draco didn't know what he meant. He couldn't understand how Harry felt after what happened at Hogwarts, nobody could.

"It's okay; it's okay if you don't remember."

"But what happened?"

Draco gazed at his concerned eyes; his gorgeous eyes that delivered so many deep emotions.

"Let's just say you saved me. and you saved her. And you didn't have to, but you still did it, because that's how you are."

Before Harry could respond; Draco leaned forward on his knees and hands, until he reached his mouth, where he dropped a kiss.

Harry's face was cold; he could feel his cool skin against his nose. His lips tasted chocolate from the cookies they had eaten earlier. He sat close to him and grabbed his waist, pulling him on top of him. Harry took place on his crotch, his two legs around Draco's hips. His black hair floated and danced in the breeze, like a wave of feathers, the light bathed his back, and reflected on his white cotton shirt, so soft under Draco's hands. His cheekbones were painted peach pink; he was winsome in every way, his beauty lingered in Draco's mind like a daydream with no end. Draco kept kissing him, his tongue inside his mouth as he was devouring him. Harry held the sides of his head, his cold palms on his jaw, his fingers around his ears. Their erections touched each other through the layers of their clothes, making them both excited and longing to do more.

"Let's go into the water," Draco whispered against his lips.

Harry put his head back and glanced quickly at the river.

"The water is freezing cold," he complained, already quivering from this cool, winter-like spring.

"Scared, Potter?"

Harry stared back at him in surprise, his mouth half open. Draco was smirking, visibly proud of himself for this provocation.

"You wish."

The Gryffindor rose to his feet, and before Draco had even had the time to stand up, he had already removed his shirt. Draco laughed; he finally recognized the stubborn and proud Harry, the one who hated being challenged as much as Draco did. They quickly got rid of their clothes and approached the river. Harry was right; the water was freezing. Harry entered first; he took a deep breath and dug his entire body into the water, while Draco remained on the water's edge, his wet, frozen toes begging him not to follow.

"I was joking, we don't have to do that," he said as he kneeled to protect his naked body from the wind. Harry laughed and walked toward him. The water wasn't as deep as he had expected; it only covered Harry's body up to the chest.

"Come on, I thought you would be braver."

Harry held out his hand to him, inviting him to take it. Draco was hesitant; one part of him wanted to put on his clothes as quickly as possible and go back to a warm place, and the other part wanted to join Harry to prove to him he wasn't a coward. He finally accepted his invitation and took his hand, only to be violently pulled into the water. He first gasped, then held his breath and closed his eyes when his body came into contact with the water.

"Fuck you" he spat, half joking, half serious. Harry exploded with laughter, which had the instant effect of melting Draco's heart. He pulled Harry against him and kissed him again fiercely. He grabbed Harry's legs and replaced them around his waist, as Harry clung around his neck. The current of the river was pushing them slightly, forcing Draco to focus and keep his balance. But his main focus was Harry; his wet skin, his wet long curls whose tips floated in the river, his contracted limbs around him, his lips… He kissed him passionately, their tongues playing as if they were exploring each other for the first time. He grabbed his ass with his right hand, as he held his neck with the other. His penis was throbbing, pleading for more, pleading to enter into his lover. He felt Harry's erection against his stomach, as the young man started kissing Draco's cheek, ear, gently biting his earlobe, then went down to kiss his jaw, his neck, and his shoulder. Draco wrapped his left arm around his torso and pinched his back, while the right hand was still squeezing his asscheek. He couldn't refrain from moaning, he had a hard time controlling his breathing and his heartbeat, Harry was driving him crazy, and he seemed to know it perfectly.

"Fuck, I love you so much," Draco breathed. He wasn't expecting an answer, and Harry didn't give one. He continued to kiss every inch of skin that was above water and finished at the beginning—his mouth. Then he looked him in the eyes with a gaze that told everything.

"Come inside," he asked.

"What?"

Harry didn't repeat. He held his gaze without even blinking once. A single, tiny drop fell from the tip of his bang and rolled along his cheek.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. Draco felt Harry's penis rubbing slowly against him. He reached for his mouth, where he sucked his lower lip and seized his own penis to place it right under Harry. The tip entered, and Harry moved a little, his body pressing down, provoking an intense wave of pleasure in Draco, who restrained himself from gasping. Then he lifted himself up and came down again at a slow pace until Draco's phallus was completely lodged within him. The blond man pressed his forehead against his and focused on Harry's breathing. He made sure he felt comfortable and relaxed.

"Are you okay?" He asked

Harry nodded against his forehead. Draco hugged him tightly and kissed him. The pleasure he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced, as it was the first time Harry enjoyed himself as much as he did. Then he began to kiss Harry's neck, savoring his smell and tasting his flavor. He caressed his spine, his leg, then his penis against his stomach. He seized his testicles, while the rest of Harry's body was still motioning up and down. The black-haired man moaned as he engulfed his face in the crook of Draco's neck. Draco smiled and started to stroke him. He pressed Harry's penis against him, and with his palm, he made gentle motions at pace with their bodies, then he caressed the tip with his thumb. Harry was shuddering; his muscles were contracted as he held his breath, his mouth open against Draco's shoulder. If time could have stopped and left them in this corner of paradise, just the two of them, forever, Draco would have given up everything he had.

"Harry?"

"Harry!"

But the reality proved otherwise. They both sighed at the sound of the voices calling Harry's name from across the field.

"Why..." Draco muttered through gritted teeth.

He didn't want to let Harry go, he wanted to hold his naked body tight against him and forget about the rest of the world. Harry grinned and gave him tiny pecks all over his upper body and face before Draco slowly pulled out his penis. They didn't get time to come out of the water when Ron and Hermione appeared from nowhere. Harry was still clinging to Draco, and the two of them suddenly turned their heads toward the couple, right before Ron's voice exploded:

"Harry, what are you doing in the river! Get out!"

The two young men flinched at his sudden uproar; even Hermione jumped slightly and glanced at her boyfriend.

"It could be dangerous," Ron said in a low, almost shaky voice.

"What?" Harry let Draco go and stared at his best friend, embarrassed by the situation but also confused by what he was saying. His hands unconsciously hid his upper body, even if it was already concealed by the water.

"Ron it's fine," Hermione murmured, but the young man sighed, before backing away and dashing toward his house. She turned to them, still completely naked in the river, and her cheeks flushed.

"Well, you should come back home, people are looking for you…"

They didn't get the time to respond that she was already following Ron.

(***)

When Harry and Draco came back to the burrow, a loud gathering was taking place in the kitchen. The Weasley siblings were there for dinner, along with Fleur, and their children. Draco had the old reflex of looking for the other twin, as he was not used to seeing one without the other until he remembered Fred had died two years ago. He had never felt comfortable with the twins, but his heart squeezed at this realization. Draco felt relieved that no one judged him for being there and even looked friendly to him, which made Draco suspect that he had been one of the subjects of conversation the day before. After Harry introduced everyone, and particularly Teddy, to Draco, who, to his own deception, was very awkward with kids, they entered the dining room, where Hermione was already seated at the table without Ron. Harry took a seat near his best friend and whispered to her.

"What was that, at the river?"

She looked up at him and Draco, who were both staring at her, before checking if Ron was around.

"Hum, he just got scared…"

"It's just water; it wasn't even deep…"

"Look…" she sighed. "After you left, Ron and I had a lot of nightmares about what had happened to you. It wasn't even logical, it was just stupid nightmares, but Ron constantly dreamed about your having drowned in this river the night of your birthday."

"Oh."

Harry felt bad, he hadn't expected that answer. Draco gently put his hand on his back, but the rest of the family was already joining them at the table, making him instantly withdraw it. Ron eventually sat next to Hermione. He seemed to be back to normal, even if he tended to act embarrassed every time Harry spoke to him.

"So Harry, do you have any plans for next week?" Bill asked, when Mrs. Weasley proudly placed a freshly cooked treacle tart on the table.

"Hum…" Harry stared at the tart, he had actually thought about his future all morning before Draco had arrived. "I think I want to go back to Japan."

"What?"

It was Ron, he sounded surprised and disappointed. Saki looked up from her plate at Harry, who was also staring at her.

"I have things to do there, to finish."

"But… what if you lose your memory again? What if there is something wrong there?" Ron said

The whole table looked as worried as him, Molly didn't hide her disappointment to see him already leaving the burrow. Only Saki smiled and seemed to understand what he meant.

"Ok, I guess we could go. George, sorry, I'm gonna take some additional days off." Ron eventually sighed

"Actually," Harry cut him off. "I was thinking about going with Saki."

Ron, Hermione, and Draco frowned at him simultaneously

"Just the two of us." He added.

"Wait what?" Ron appeared offended.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Asked Hermione

Draco remained silent.

"Yes, I am sure. I think it's something we have to finish, Saki and I."

Her sister was still holding his gaze, her eyes and her smile told him she agreed.

Ron sighed again as he leaned back in his chair.

"Do you know where your wand is?"

Harry drifted his eyes away from Saki and turned to Arthur, seated at the end of the table. His wand, he hadn't even thought about his wand. He shook his head.

"No… I thought you may have it…?"

"No, Harry, dear, you left with your wand," Molly spoke softly.

"Maybe Gary has it?" Hermione suggested, but Saki refuted it immediately

"Harry had nothing on him when I found him, he hadn't a wand or any piece of wood."

"Harry, you can't travel back to Japan without your wand, it's too risky…" Hermione told him.

"I know…"

Harry sighed, he had completely forgotten about his wand, about magic in general.

"Wait."

George got up and headed upstairs, from where he came back a minute later with a wand in his hand. He handed it to Harry, who was staring at it.

"George…" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"It's Fred's; take it."

But Harry didn't take it, he didn't even move his hand.

"George, I... I can't."

The man insisted.

"Just take it, it's not like he needs it, right?"

It didn't make anyone laugh. "Look, you need a wand, and you can't just go shopping in Diagon Alley, so take it, and if you find your wand back, you can just give it back to me, or if you don't find your wand, just keep it."

"But…"

"Harry. I'm the one who knows Fred the best, all right? And I know he would have done the same thing in my place. He wanted you to be safe, and I'm sure he would prefer to see his wand being useful for someone he loved rather than just rotting in his bedroom.

"Oh, George," Mrs. Weasley sobbed, comforted by her husband, whose eyes were also wet. Harry slowly got up from his chair and took the wand.

"Thank you…"

George patted his shoulder and sat back down as if nothing had happened, leaving Harry standing alone, embarrassed and speechless.

(***)

Harry had planned to leave for Japan the next day, on Monday morning, after bringing her to an important last place in England, Godric's Hollow. Molly had tried to make him stay another week, but he couldn't wait any longer; his mind was still carrying black holes he needed to fill, and going to Nara was for him a necessity. Saki had stayed in Ginny's room for long hours this morning; they kissed goodbye hiding from the Weasleys' eyes, a heartbreaking goodbye as they didn't know when would be their next kiss. Saki had decided to go back to New York right after their trip to Japan. She promised Ginny she would come back to England, and Ginny promised she would do the same as often as she could.

Harry had dreaded his goodbyes. He felt guilty leaving them after all this time trying to bring him back, but his heart was telling him to go, and deep down, he knew where his future would be. So he spent his morning in Percy's room with Draco, who had slept with him after having assured Mrs. Weasley that he would stay on the couch. Harry had already packed in things, including his cloak of invisibility, which the Weasleys had picked up at Grimmauld Place and kept safely all this time. Draco was quiet. They lay in this bed, face to face, without sharing a word, both thinking about the future. Harry eventually moved close to his face and kissed him with all the love he could express, and Draco pulled him to his arms and hugged him tightly. The two men stayed huddled against each other, in complete silence for what seemed like hours. Then it was time for Harry and Saki to go. He reluctantly drew away from Draco's arms and stood up. He could hear his boyfriend sniffing quietly, but he pretended he hadn't noticed. It was too hard, he hated saying goodbye, and he hated leaving people, especially after the consequences his last departure had created for his loved ones. He may come back, he thought. Nothing was written for him, the next pages were still blank, as his future was no more mapped out by other hands than his own. But this freedom was still confusing for him, still difficult to tame. They went down the stairs to join the rest of the family outside the house. Saki and Ginny's eyes were puffy and red, and when Harry took the time to look at each of them, he realized the Weasleys' parents, Hermione, and Ron had been sharing tears as well. His heart tightened. He hated that. He hugged them, ending with Ron and Hermione, who started crying again as soon as they wrapped their arms around him.

The tears also welled up in his eyes.

"Please be safe, Harry," Hermione told him.

"It's not farewell, brother, it's just a goodbye," Ron whispered when he embraced him.

"We keep Bill's room ready for you, Harry dear. Please come back as soon as you have found your answers." Mrs. Weasley said as she tried to reassure herself.

He let the mother hug him another time and swiftly wiped his tears. Behind him, Saki grinned as she took his hand. He looked at Draco one last time, and told him with his eyes how much he loved him, how much he already missed him, how much he was sorry; as if they both knew he wouldn't come back, and Draco nodded.

"No one ever says goodbye unless they want to see you again"

— John Green