Harry and Sean picked up the pace after leaving Godric's Hollow. They rode through the continued woodland leading up to the cast-off point. They galloped through the woods at a fast speed. Harry was the one who suggested it because after his talk with his parents and hearing Sean's vow, he now wanted to hurry and get his special training started.
A few hours later twilight was approaching and Sean knew it was time to look for a place to stop for the night. He slowed down and Harry followed his lead. The woodland had changed to hilly pastures and they looked for a place to camp. Sean found a spot against a ridge that was partly obscured due to some rocks and trees nearby. "We will camp here tonight," Sean said to Harry, "take out the blankets and I suggest you find a place to lay down."
Harry had been carrying Sean's bag on his horse, the same bag Sean had when he arrived at King's Cross Station. It now contained blankets for sleeping; some homemade biscuits Mrs. Weasley insisted they take with them, and a few canteens that Sean had filled before they left the Burrow. Harry removed the blankets while Sean went to find a place to keep the horses.
Harry found a spot near a tree and laid down the two blankets, he looked off to the side to see Sean securing the horses around a nearby tree. Harry sighed at the realization that this was the first time he had ever slept outside in his life, he was sure that Sean had lived outside for months at a time. He then looked at the sky to see the sunset and was reminded of another sunset that he had seen only a few days before.
"Harry? Do you believe in destiny?" "This could be the last time we…"Harry was trying to remember everything he could about those two nights, and the first one in front of the fireplace. He tried to remember every moment, every sight, sound, smell, and above all he wanted to remember the taste of Hermione. He puckered his lips together and kissed at the air, wishing that he could have Hermione's lips in front of him at that moment in time. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, he wanted to have her with him, she was now a part of him…and it hurt for him to be separated from that part of him, what he considered the better part of him.
Harry was lost in thought, night had dawned and the sky was full of stars when Sean came to the sight and lightly shook Harry's shoulder. "Hey" he said, "thinking about her again are you?"
"Yeah" Harry said having abandoned trying to keep this from Sean. "We only had parts of a few nights alone together, the sunset reminds me of her."
Sean was beginning to show a softer side of himself to Harry in an attempt to show compassion and to show he cared. "I won't lie to you and say that I understand," Sean explained to Harry with his usual Irish monotone, "but I can tell you this."
Sean waited for Harry to face him, and then Sean pointed to the stars over head. "You are in a strange place and in a new world," Sean said not as a question but as a statement. "When my people, the Muggles, began to explore the world and find what was beyond what they knew. They thought they had fallen off the edge of the Earth, but in reality, they had just reached the other side."
Sean had gotten Harry's attention, Harry wanted to see where Sean was going with this, but he was also careful to pay attention. In just a couple of days, Sean had taught Harry more than he had learned in any three years at Hogwarts. He thought that if any of his professors had come across as Sean had, serious and potentially lethal yet compassionate and concerned, that he would be the greatest wizard of all time at this point.
He paid close attention as Sean pointed to the stars, "but they found familiar shapes in the stars to remind them they were okay and to guide them home." Sean turned and faced Harry at this point, "We all need to find that which gives us this same assurance and guides us home, to where we belong in this world. And to help guide us back to the great Creator," Sean pointed up to the sky to drive home his point, "who awaits us all."
Sean could tell that what he had said affected Harry. He hoped that it would be for good, but he knew that there would be plenty of time for training and for philosophy after they reached the monastery. "Take some rest now," Sean said, "we have a full day tomorrow and will be arriving at the monastery at night."
"I still miss her." Harry said barely loud enough for Sean to hear. Sean turned to Harry and said what would finally give Harry the comfort he needed.
"Just remember that the same stars shine for her, and that you are always underneath the same sky…if you ever miss her Potter, just look to the stars and let them guide you home."
Harry nodded and made his way towards the blankets, "wait" Sean called out, "you had better take the first watch, I will need to drive the boat and need to be rested…wake me when you can't stay awake any longer." Harry nodded and went to lean against the nearby rocks while Sean lay down to sleep. Harry tried to keep watch, but the glimpse he had seen into Sean's mind was tearing at his curiosity…he needed to know more about his new guardian and teacher.
Harry faced Sean, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind. He had figured out to himself what had happened at the creek. Sean had taught him how to empty his mind, and Harry had discovered that this new talent coupled with his magical abilities made him instantly proficient at occlumency and illigumency…and he had now decided to use it.
He saw once again the scene of a desperate mother hiding her five year-old son from some kind of intruder who had already killed her husband. He heard the mother say a few words to the boy, "whatever happens, stay here and don't come out until I come and get you."
Then he only heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to him, "…makes good feeding" and then nothing.
The next thing he saw was an enveloping darkness, and he could hear horrible noises. The noises sounded like screaming, and then like drinking, then there was nothing for what seemed like an eternity…nothing but the horrified whimpers of a scared little boy. After a while, the door to the closet where the boy was hidden was being opened and a figure dressed in a robe identical to the one Sean had been wearing came in and kindly beckoned the young sobbing boy out. The next scene he saw would be stuck in his memory, he saw two bodies, a man and a woman, on the floor covered in blood, and he could have sworn he saw fang marks on both their necks.
Harry was in tears now, "he's just like me, except he remembers them and what he saw" Harry thought to himself. He now had more respect for Sean than he had for anyone else…he had found a kindred spirit. He continued to glimpse into the mind of Sean O'Sullivan and saw the same robed figure taking Sean to a monastery somewhere in a place surrounded by hills and cliffs. He saw the figure showing Sean how to wield a sword and how to use a variety of other weapons, how to track and kill, and how to pray.
The next thing he saw was an older man dressed in priestly robes taking a young man, who looked about Harry's age, and handing him an iron crucifix which the boy put around his neck. Then, he saw the young man in a far away land, looking for something, or someone. The next little while, he experienced the full memory as if he were viewing it in a pensive.
The young man arrived at a building that was obviously a sort of domicile. Upon entering, he only had to follow the blood trail to get to his quarry. He did accordingly and found himself facing a door. He put his ear to it to listen inside and could hear the distinct sound of a number of creatures…and they were feeding. He produced a sword from a sheathe at his side, took a breath, and then forced open the door.
The scene that greeted him was one of horror. After looking past the drained human corpses on the floor, he saw five pale skinned creatures with all human features…with the exception of the fanged canines and the blood-red eyes. The five creatures were standing in front of a sixth; this one was obviously a woman, as though they were protecting her. The young man sprang into action, using his sword to simultaneously block and attack. Harry noticed the way the young man moved and attacked and knew that this was a younger Sean…the way he moved was incredibly similar to how he had in the graveyard
After the young Sean had dispensed of the five guardians, he began to pursue the female vampire. He sheathed his katana, and then unfurled the crossbow strapped onto his left arm, took an arrow from the case at his back, and fired it through the knee of the fleeing vampire, who stumbled to the ground. He ran and was about to plunge his sword through the creature's heart when she turned around and said one word that caused him to stop…his own name "Sean!"
"Hey" Sean said coming up to Harry, taking him out of his journey. "I think I've had enough sleep. Go get some rest."
Harry said nothing, but proceeded to the sleeping area where he promptly fell asleep. He wondered about what he had seen but decided not to think anything more of it at the time than that he had found someone who was like him, someone who had had to grow up fast and be robbed of a childhood, someone who he could confide in.