"Hey, Harry!" someone said cheerfully.

Harry opened his eyes immediately. "Ron!"

"Who'd you think it was, Hermione?" Ron asked. He flinched. "We need to get a move on."

Harry looked at Macy, who had the remains of some seaweed draped over her arm. Harry just gave her the biggest, most grateful smile he could muster. She smiled back at him and whispered, "Don't let Big Hersh see you; he won't be happy, no he will not."

Harry, just barely reminded of Dobby, swam out behind Ron. A sudden thought coursed through him and he told Ron to stop as he swam back into the storeroom where Macy was putting away the seaweed.

"Macy," Harry said, "could you… I mean… could you help my other friend?"

Macy looked at him. "What's wrong with her?"

"Um… well, I don't really know," Harry admitted. He relayed the story of how she got hurt to Macy.

"She needs to see Fraldo," said Macy after listening intently.

"Who?" Harry asked, wondering who in the world Fraldo was.

"The doctor. His name is Fraldo," Macy explained. "Come on, he likes me. I think he'll help."

Harry followed her out of the storeroom and, giving Ron a meaningful look, Ron followed them.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Their doctor might be able to help Kelly," Harry murmured. "Hey, do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"
"Heal my arm? It's been a nuisance…" Harry muttered, moving his arm so that Ron could see it.

Ron took out his own wand. "Reparo!"

Harry bones seemed to heal instantly. "Thanks," he said, moving his arm from side to side. "Better than Lockhart did…"

"You better believe it…" Ron muttered. "That git was horrible… poor bloke, though… in St. Mungo's…" Ron looked thoughtful. "Oh well."

"Fraldo?" Macy asked, peering into one of the houses.

"Yes, Macy?" said an aged merman who had not spoken in Harry's presence before.

"Can you help their friend? You know, the girl who…" Macy looked sad as she continued, "the girl who was possessed by the bad man?"

Fraldo looked at her. "I'm sorry, Macy." He took her into his arms and hugged her. "I'll try and help their friend if that is what you want."

"Oh, yes, Fraldo, yes! No more should die!" Macy said, looking up at Fraldo. "She's outside. He," She nodded toward Harry, "will tell you what happened. I'll go and get his friend.

"By the way…" she added, "I never learned your name."

"I'm Harry Potter, and this my friend Ron Weasley."

Macy and Fraldo gasped.

"The… the one defeated that bad man years ago?" Macy asked in awe.

"Yeah…" Harry muttered, nervously flattening his bangs over his scar.

"Wow…" Macy said, her eyes wide with wonder.

There was silence for a few moments as Macy and Fraldo took in every detail of Harry.

"Macy, go get their friend," Fraldo finally said, as if just realizing what he was doing.

"Oh… right…" Macy said, never taking her eyes off Harry as long as he was in her sight as she exited.

"So…" Fraldo said, "tell me what happened to her."

Harry repeated what had happened to Kelly, how the Hippocampus had attacked her and how Ron's spell missed the Hippocampus and hit her, and that for some reason they couldn't revive her.

"Hm…" Fraldo mused just as Macy swam in the door, dragging Kelly. "Let me see her…."

Fraldo looked Kelly over for what seemed like an eternity, opening her mouth and looking inside, though Harry was sure several times that the water would choke her. He checked her wrists, arms, ankles, and temples for something, then set her down again and looked up at Harry. Harry looked at Fraldo expectantly.

"And you say all this happened from a Hippocampus and a misaimed spell?" Fraldo asked, looking at Harry sternly.

"Er… yes… as far as we know…." Harry said, staring at him. He had a look in his eye that suggested he thought something more was at work.

"Are you sure?"

"Er… I think so," Harry said.

The merman stared at him for several moments. "It seems to me," he finally said, "that it was more than just a Hippocampus and spell that made her unable to be revived. There is something else going on that no medicine would be able to break through."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked quietly.

"How long have this… this switching of bodies been taking place?" Fraldo asked.

Harry thought. "Since… since Christmas, I guess…"

"Have you gone to no one?" Fraldo inquired.

"Yeah… I mean no… I mean… you're right. We haven't gone to anyone," Harry said, a little confused.

Fraldo looked at him sternly again. "This girl has more than physical ailments. Something--someone, and we can all guess who--is not letting her come back to consciousness."

Harry and Ron didn't speak, didn't even dare to look at each other. So Kelly couldn't come back because Voldemort wouldn't let her?

"You… you've got to be kidding," Ron whispered in a hoarse voice. "She's… she's the reason we're still alive. She's saved us tons of times…."

"But she broke through!" Harry exclaimed. "Back there, didn't you see it? She broke though Voldemort's forces--" Macy and Fraldo flinched "--just a few minutes ago."

"She did," Fraldo admitted, "and I thought only advanced wizards and witches could get through such a powerful blockade. It seems I was wrong…."

But Harry and Ron had a distinct feeling that he was closer on target than he knew.

"So how can we heal her? We can do something, can't we?" Ron asked.

"Well…" Fraldo thought for a moment. "there is a way, but it would require someone who knew Legilimency and Occlumency…."

Ron turned automatically toward Harry. Harry shook his head, however.

"I only know a little of Occlumency, and I haven't got a clue on Legilimency."

"So? Just say the spell; I'm sure you can do it, Harry," Ron said.

"What would they do after that, Fraldo?" Macy asked, who seemed more interested in this than Harry and Ron.

"Well, they would have to enter this girl's mind and keep the Dark Lord out long enough to break the connection. It would take about three minutes for him to be away from her to break the connection, and that's assuming he hasn't got his mind focused entirely on her," Fraldo explained.

Harry and Ron looked at each other again.

"Kelly's doomed," Harry said.

"Harry, you've got to try!" Ron protested.

"What would happen if he does have his mind only on her?" Macy persisted.

"Well, than whoever entered her mind is in for a rough ride, because it could take up to ten minutes, but I don't really know the Dark Lord," said Fraldo. "Could be more or less."

No one spoke for a moment.

"Well… that's comforting," Harry finally said.

There was more silence.

"I think that's your cue, mate," Ron said, looking at Harry straight in the eyes. "Unless we go to Dumbledore--and we're liable to be expelled for being down here, not to mention stealing loads of gillyweed--Kelly'll stay like this."

Harry looked at him, then turned to look at Kelly, who was slowly breathing in and out in one steady rhythm. If he didn't do something, Kelly would be finished or he would be expelled….

"Sir," Harry quietly said, "what would happen if Voldemort did break through the barrier?"

Every eye was on Fraldo, who had just flinched along with Macy. He looked up at Harry and grew stern again. He stared Harry straight in the eye as he said, "Then, my boy, I'm afraid it would be an all-out mind battle between you and the Dark Lord."

Harry nodded and stared at the floor and ruffled his hand through his hair in frustration, only afterwards realizing he was becoming more and more like his father. What would James Potter do if Lily was in this state?

Harry took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"

"Follow me," Fraldo said, picking up Kelly and moving toward the next room, Harry, Ron, and Macy behind him. He led them into the new room, this one seeming to be a bedroom, and laid Kelly down on the bed in the corner, speaking all the way there.

"You'll need to be in direct contact with her with one hand, and your other on your wand obviously so that you can say the spell. Once you get in, you'd normally see a bunch of memories, but instead you'll be mentally transported into something like the banished realm, if you've ever been there?" he inquired doubtfully.

"I have," Harry said to Fraldo's mild surprise.

"It'll be all black like that, unless the Dark Lord's mind is fully on her. If so, then he will be waiting for you."

"Waiting? He'll already know I'm coming?" Harry asked.

"No, but he has nothing else to do but wait. It will not surprise him that you are there if his full concentration is on her, though I cannot say how. He will not be ready to shoot at you the moment you arrive, however; it will merely be no surprise that you are there. To make a blockade, you'll need to focus entirely on keeping the girl safe or keeping the Dark Lord out, either will work effectively. If your mind strays to something else, the Dark Lord will know and will attack. He will know immediately that you are in her mind the moment you enter, so you must already be thinking of keeping the Dark Lord out or her safe when you cast the spell.

"In the off chance that the Dark Lord does break through or your mind strays, and you have to battle him, I do not know what to tell you--no one I've heard of has had to go that far."

"Even more comforting," Harry said, walking over to Kelly. "Anything else?"

Fraldo thought for a moment, then added, "If you win the connection, the Legilimens Curse will run as it should. You will enter her mind, know that."

"Okay," Harry said. He took out his wand and looked nervously at Ron. Ron gave him a little nod of assurance and whispered, "We'll be here."

Harry looked at Kelly and noticed some gillyweed sticking out of her pocket. He grabbed two and threw one to Ron. "Here," he said, shoving the other in his mouth. "We shouldn't have much longer without them, anyway."

Harry watched Ron swallow his, then looked at Kelly again. She looked pale in the water, as though her gillyweed was wearing off, though Harry knew it couldn't be. He brushed her cheek with his hand and whispered, "I'm coming." He thought of nothing but keeping Voldemort out of her head as he whispered, "Legilimens!"