Chapter 8

When Harry came to, he honestly expected to be alone in the highest tower of Nurmengard. As he struggled to open his eyes with his splitting headache, he made an attempt to sit up. It was an unwise decision. With just the slightest movement, the pain in his head intensified so much he felt his stomach roll with nausea. It was a level of pain that was easily on par with Emily attempting to force herself into his head. But he'd weathered through it before, and he could do it again.

With a monumental effort Harry brought himself up, and promptly emptied his stomach contents onto the cold floor. Wrenching his eyes open to the dark room, he knew it had to be night. He couldn't tell the amount of time he had left, and he knew he had to get moving. Twisting his torso, he prepared to push himself up with his hands before a strong grip took hold of his shoulder.

"Take is slow, son. The pain will dissipate soon now that you've regain consciousness."

At the sound of Grindlewald's voice, Harry almost collapsed in relief. He may have been in incredible pain, stranded in a foreign country atop an impenetrable fortress, but at least he wasn't alone.

"You're still here?" The three words were a chore, but he felt the need to ask.

"During my brief conversation with Dumbledore, he asked me to look after you. It was why I offered you my gift in the first place."

Harry wanted to contest the man's use of the word brief, the conversation lasted hours, but he wasn't able to do so. It was all he could do to not collapse onto his own vomit. All of a sudden, he found himself being levitated into Grindlewald's bed. It wasn't comfortable by any definition, but it was better than the floor, slightly. The floor did have the perk of being extremely cold which he had found soothing. Cracking his eyes, Harry chanced a small glance at the man who had just levitated him and noticed the man didn't hold a wand.

"Wandless magic? Not surprising."

"Yes, I am actually quite capable with it. Its been the only craft I've had to pass the decades in this room, after all. I couldn't undo Albus's ward, until recently that is, but I can do most anything else."

"You used the wand to undo... ward?"

"Not at all, I dismantled it with wandless magic."

His migraine slowly eased and Harry felt like speaking a bit more coherently.

"Why wait so long then?"

"I didn't know how to undo the ward. Only Albus knew how."

Harry was stumped, but the answer came to him.

"You used the stone to make Dumbledore tell you how to leave?"

Gellert Grindlewald laughed openly. "Not at all, Harry. But Albus has always been weak in his goodness. So quick to give second chances, even to a man such as myself. He and I both know that I have left my ambitions in the past. He saw it fit to release me to find any fraction of peace I could outside of these walls. I do admit to using your wand to make things move a bit easier for me, however." He motioned to the wall of the room, and Harry saw a remarkable replica of Gellert Grindlewald laying against the stone. "A transfiguration with the elder wand is almost permanent, so it will hold up while they dispose of the body."

Harry took a deep breath as the pain finally receded to a level he could handle. "What do you plan on doing now?" Finally sitting up with no adverse effects, he watched the old wizard as he waited for an answer.

"I'm rather tired of the mountains. I think I'll spend the last few years of my life at the shore. Perhaps even somewhere in Britain. It has been a long time since I visited my aunt, I wonder if she still lives."

Harry didn't bother questioning him further. He really had no right. Dumbledore was the man who put Grindlewald here and it seemed Dumbledore was the man who released him. Harry had forgiven Emily of similar grievous crimes, though he was willing to bet Grindlewald's were more numerous. The first lesson he learned embarking on his relationship with Emily was that, as a human being, it was not his place to place damnation on others. Something out there, greater than they, would do it at some point, be it a higher entity or even magic itself.

"Well, I guess I wish you the best. I need to get out of here myself. I've overstayed my welcome, and I'm certain my wife is beside herself with worry."

Grindlewald nodded his head. "I shall escort you out, Mr. Potter. We can part ways at the entrance of the castle."

Harry nodded and rose to his feet. True to Grindlewald's statements his head pains were easing every moment. "Lets go then."

Harry allowed the other man to precede him down the stairs. The man knew the way better than Harry did, after all. "So about the sight I have now..."

The man laughed as he navigated the steps with ease. "I can't tell you how to use the sight Mr. Potter. The sight will come to you. In time you will be able to open the eye on your own. Do not fret over it."

Harry was dismayed to hear that. "Any idea on the time frame?"

The older wizard stopped suddenly and Harry had to grab onto him before he keeled over down the stone steps. The old man supported him surprisingly well considering his condition. "Your eye will open for the first time in... fourteen minutes."

Harry steadied himself and looked at Grindlewald. "That's... oddly specific. Will I be able to, ah... see, that efficiently when I get control of it?"

Grindlewald smirked before locking his piercing blue eyes onto Harry. "That wasn't my inner eye's prediction, lad. That was... a gut feeling."

Harry could only stare at the man in confusion as the man resumed walking. Harry knew all too well about instinct. He would trust his gut sooner than he'd trust some people he'd known for years, after all. But the way Grindlewald had said it felt mocking, as though the man knew something painfully obvious that Harry did not. Harry wasn't going to pry, regardless. He'd know in thirteen minutes anyway.

Soon enough, the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs and Grindlewald led Harry to the door. Once the two of them passed through it, Harry asked, "Wasn't this thing not supposed to let magical people through?"

"It doesn't allow magical people entrance, but nothing prevents them from leaving. There is a single fireplace that is occasionally connected to the floo network here on the rare instance someone wishes to speak with me. By the way, your cloak would allow you to enter at will. It is impervious to wards, and most other forms of magical detection. It is an incredible magical artifact. Should you ever get the urge to explore Nurmengrad you have my permission to do so. I left many great things in this castle, who knows, maybe you might find something of interest here that was not found and confiscated by the International Confederation of Wizards after my imprisonment."

Stopping to stare at Harry, Grindlewald bowed his head. "Mr. Potter, it was a wonderful pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am happy to have been of assistance to you, and I will be ever grateful for the things you have given me." Not bothering to let Harry reply, with a quick turn, Harry watched as the second most powerful Dark Lord disapparated in front of his eyes.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry cringed. He was in for it now. The voice sounded far off and strained, so he knew the person was sprinting as fast as they could to reach him. Probably why Grindlewald had made a hasty exit.

"YOU HAD ONE JOB, HARRY POTTER! ONE JOB! DO NOT LET HIM GET OUT OF THAT TOWER!"

Harry sheepishly turned around to face his approaching wife. She was livid. The very air around her crackled with her overwhelming magic that she didn't bother controlling in her anger. She stomped right up to him and placed her face only a scant few inches from his own. Seething, she whispered quietly, "What have you done?"

He wanted to open his mouth and immediately reply with, "It wasn't me." He couldn't however. He found that his entire body was frozen. In front of him was his wife, but it wasn't just his wife now. He could see so much more than just Emily Potter's present. The first glimpse was of her pregnancy, seeing her midriff expanded with a child. Next he saw her with a swaddled bundle in her arms, smiling lovingly at her baby. He saw her standing with him, or was it him. The man's image was too murky to discern. He saw her in a beautiful red dress. Perhaps most distressing of all, he saw Emily on her knees, tears sliding down here face as she looked to the sky. As though she had lost everything. Each of these images were laid over top of each other, superimposing their existence onto her, and then, he blinked.

All of a sudden, Emily was staring at him, waiting for an answer and Harry wondered if he'd just experienced the most vivid hallucination of his life. Stumbling over his words, he answered her. "I didn't do it."

"Oh, so he just followed you as you left, is that it? Harry, you just let Gellert Grindlewald out of Nurmengrad. What on earth were you thinking?"

Harry shook his head, trying to explain himself. "It really wasn't me, Emily. It was Dumbledore, he was the one who let him out."

Emily's lips tightened and Harry could only wonder what was going through her mind. He was shocked when she turned about and only said, "Let's go home."

Harry couldn't fathom a single reason why Emily was willing to accept such a wild explanation and he certainly voiced his concern. "Are you really not going to ask anything to what I just said?"

Emily shrugged. "I've spent two years trying to get you to force that man to take responsibility for what he's done and you have refused me. God forbid I rebuke you the first time you blame something on him, no matter how insane it sounds. I'm still taking you to St. Mungo's for a full check up though. Cleary that man addled your brains while you were up there, and your head is already in a precarious place as it is."

Harry had been expecting so much more than that simple answer, and he couldn't help but laugh. Emily would never change, and in all honesty, he didn't want her to. "Fine, on our way to St. Mungo's. Were you waiting out here for me this entire time?"

Emily scoffed at his question. "What kind of loving wife would I be, if I abandoned my husband in a different country, thousands of kilometers away, with the most dangerous force to him on the planet?"

"Emily... I consistently have sex with the most dangerous force on the planet. You've never protected me then."

"To you. Dangerous force to you. I have no intention of ever harming a hair on your head, even the ones I occasionally pull out. But Grindlewald may have other ideas. And I have always used protection when we've had sex, regardless of your awareness of it."

The joke made him snort. An hour later, Harry waited patiently as the healer looked over his head slowly. "It's certainly a mess up there. Good thing you decided to bring him in to us, Mrs. Potter. We can get to work on fixing some of the damage, but most of his recovery will just take time."

With a groan, Emily asked, "What was the spell that was used on him?"

"Hmm, seems like a pretty powerful memory charm, almost sixteen months ago."

"Ugh, I am already aware of that damage, Healer Smethwyck. I want to know of any recent magic in his head."

The healer nodded in understanding. "That is actually the most recent intrusive magical spell he has taken. He's had a cheering charm here or there. And there is some rather questionable traces of dark magic that seem to induce a rather severe sense of depression, but nothing that directly attacks the brain itself."

Emily inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. That was good to an extent. But that meant that Harry had been either telling her the truth and Dumbledore could speak from beyond the gr-. The resurrection stone. Turning to Harry, she asked him directly.

"Did you let him use that stupid rock?"

Harry looked sheepish. "Yeah."

Emily put a hand over her eyes and felt like crying. She knew that stone was going to cause her problems. "Please tell me that whatever he offered you was worth it."

"I, er, actually let him use it for free. He and I had a pretty long talk, and I felt bad for him. I figured it would help him find peace."

"Well, you certainly help him find one kind of freedom. You are a man of many talents."

Harry wasn't certain why, but he felt as though he needed to keep his new found skill at divination a secret. At the very least until he understood more about it. Emily, he knew, would obsess over it. She was a sucker for such things, Trelawney's prophecy being more than enough proof for him.

Emily looked back to the healer, who seemed quite lost at overhearing their conversation. "I want whatever treatment you have available for his botched memory charm. If you could also arrange me an appointment with a specialist in the area, I would like to speak with them as well." Emily rattled on a bit more, determined to find Harry the best help now that she knew that some help was available, promising to be back in the morning to retrieve what they prepared. At the time of his previous diagnosis, Bellatrix had told her that there was little that could be done to help him other than time and rest. While Bellatrix knew her stuff in regards to healing, she was not a healer, so anything innovative or new in the field would have been beyond her scope of knowledge.

Once Emily got Harry back to their home, she sat him down and pressed him for every detail he could provide on his talk with Gellert Grindlewald. Harry told her a story that nearly made her sick to her stomach. She, too, realized the parallels between herself and Harry and the two men of a different time. The very thought of it chilled her, thinking how her fate could end even still.

"Tell me, Harry. If I left you like Gellert did, but crawled back to you, would you have taken me back?"

Harry nodded, "Obviously. There's really no comparison to be made among us versus the two of them when you think about it. Dumbledore and Grindlewald were too selfless compared to us. They were willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, after all, including each other. But you Emily, you're too greedy. You're not willing to sacrifice me for anything. You're not only capable of having me and creating the future you desire, you're the only who's willing to rewrite the stars just to make certain it happens."

"But surely you fall into that camp of theirs? How often you tell me that you would oppose me to protect others, does that not mean you'd discard me?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm nothing like you, Grindlewald or Dumbledore. I'm not a revolutionary, Emily. I can't change the world through my own means. Perhaps with the assistance of others I'd have a shot, but I couldn't do it with my own vision. As far my own selfishness, you can't possibly think that I'd ever discard you, do you?"

Emily sat at the head of the bed with her legs crossed as she listened to her husband speak. Harry was seated on a linens chest at the foot of the bed. "You know, I've already got my plan picked out on what I'd do if I had to defeat you. I decided I'd tear your soul from your body and put you in a form you couldn't harm people in. I'd wait out the years, before I put you back into your body. Enough time that there wasn't anyone left for you to hurt. Then I'd spend the rest of eternity making it up to you."

"Thats... morbidly romantic, I suppose. You'd wait until, what, the human race was extinct?"

Harry laughed at her, "Hopefully not, just until whatever or whoever made you snap ceased being a problem. Anyway the point, Emily, is that neither you or I are willing to let go of the other. We made our choice a long time ago on which ship we would go down with. Grindlewald and Dumbledore, similar to us they may have been, they aren't us. They couldn't make the choices that we do. Their story... was never meant to have a happy ending. But ours," At this Harry got up and approached her on the bed. With a light kiss to her cheek, he finished, "you don't intend on having it end any other way."

Harry watched Emily's eyes close. She loved romantic comments like that. Even more so when she knew he believed in them. "Or if I even allow it to end at all. Have I ever told you what you do to me, Harry Potter?"

"Yes, constantly. Actually, long before it was appropriate for you to do so even."

"Oh? Because you were only fifteen?"

Harry softly laughed. "Umm, no, Emily. You just told me way too early. It was creepy at first, well... now that I think about it, you were just really creepy back then. Obsessive."

Emily, who had been moments from kissing him pulled back. "Wait, what do you mean creepy? I was incredibly romantic at the beginning of our relationship. I wasn't creepy in the slightest."

Harry wondered if this was a conversation he wanted to have, before deciding to just go for it. At the very least it might bring her some perspective. "Emily, probably every single person I know, other than you, would agree that your single-minded obsession with me was excessive."

"Of course it was. Harry, that's the kind of love you and I share. It's an all consuming inferno, it's why we will never part, as you said. Anyway, there were many obstacles preventing us from being together at the start. Many of my own making, honestly, but if it were not for my persistence and refusal to take no for an answer from you, then we'd never have what we do now."

"So, you don't see anything wrong with how our relationship developed? A sixty year old woman pursuing a teenager? Stalking me in my neighborhood. How about when you lured me to your home? Or when you pretended to be my teacher for an entire school term?"

Emily scoffed. "You are obviously twisting the events to fit your narrative. Clearly, I am rubbing off on you. Age is irrelevant when two people share a bond like the one we do. As for stalking you and luring you to my home, I was incredibly horny and wanted sex. That was before I had an interest in falling in love with you. The last part I feel is proof of how much I love you. I placed myself under the employ of a person I loathed just to be near you."

"Yes, all while I was unaware."

"I told you soon enough."

"To extort me for sex."

Emily shrugged her shoulders, as though this was a non-issue. "You were a teenager, Harry. Of course I thought the best way to your heart would be your dick. Its not my fault you were a strange young fellow. You still are, though I've grown to appreciate your... odd nature."

Harry was completely out of things to say at this point. This was some masterful deflection and denial. Giving a sigh, he decided that there was really no point. Emily could never understand a regular person's outlook on something. She was not, nor would she ever be, a regular person. Taking a seat on the bed beside her, he decided to goad her a bit.

"In any case, I suppose I'm happy, having married my stalker."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Please refrain from calling me that while others can hear. The last thing I want people to think is that I am some pathetic boy-who-lived groupie. Or even worse, to be compared to one of your simple minded school mates."

"True enough. You are the probably the only person alive who could love me solely in spite of my being the boy-who-lived, rather than partly for it."

"Depends on your definition. But I will admit that I am rather pleased you tend to survive deadly scenarios. Its worked out well for us. Now, how long ago did Voldemort visit Grindlewald?"

"It was about a week ago. He isn't certain, not really bothering to keep track of time."

Emily nodded. "She probably couldn't be away from Bellatrix for long, considering her condition. That would explain the delay. And she won't have been able to run off to grab the heart immediately after either."

"How do you know?"

"I've spoken to healers and law enforcement about the Dark Lord's 'follower'. The MLE said that she'd ditch Bella, but the healer shared with me how she might keep her alive if she was certain to do so. Temporarily using the hearts of other muggles and magical beasts would work for a few hours at best, but also damage the body. But Voldemort would have had to wait until Bella's body had healed before leaving her alone after the transplant. An almost complete recovery from having your organs turned into paste. She probably experimented heavily before thinking of going to Grindlewald, as well. He was her last option."

Harry nodded, following along well enough. "So what about unicorn habitats? Obviously there's the one near Hogwarts, where else would she go?"

"Unicorns are almost universally rare, Harry. The only habitat in Britain is the one in the Forbidden Forest. The only country you might see a unicorn at any time is North Korea."

This news sat strangely with Harry for some odd reason. He'd never heard it before. "Why is that?"

"I personally do not know, though there are reports that the ruling family in that area has a special connection to them. In any case, even the muggles know about the unicorns there, though its a government secret."

"Huh, wow. The things I can still learn. So, what are we going to do about Voldmort and Bellatrix and our eventual unicorn kidnapping?"

Emily steepled her fingers, adjusting herself on the bed so she could lay down. "The forest is massive and the unicorns have free reign. There is no feasible way we can find out when she starts hunting there. Unicorns are hard to hunt Harry, it took Quirrel months just to kill two, after all."

"So the lead we have is useless?"

"No, we'll just have to recruit. Or rather, you will."

"Say no more." Harry got off of the bed and made to leave the room.

"Wow, you picked up on that one fast."

"Well, Hagrid doesn't really dislike you, per se. But he's obviously the best man for the job when it comes to the forest. Him being my first real friend, well, how could I not see what you were getting at. I'll let him know Voldemort will be trying to hunt unicorns and to keep an eye on things as well as he can. Maybe he can get the acromantulas on it or something. I know the centaurs will help, solely to keep poachers out of the forest."

Emily sat up to smil at him. "Already solving our problems. Just make sure he knows to tell either you or myself immediately. I know he might worry about you facing her, so feel free to direct him my way if you think it will help."

Harry nodded. "Don't worry, Emily. Hagrid was Dumbledore's right hand man. He might worry, but he'll trust me. I get the feeling Dumbledore asked a lot of people to do that before he passed away."

Emily sent Harry off with a smile on her face, but as soon as he was gone, she followed suit. There was absolutely no way she'd allow Gellert Grindlewald to remain on the loose without some kind of watchful eye on him. He had departed only a couple hours ago from Austria, and she knew without a doubt where he'd go.

It took Emily twenty minutes to arrive at Godric's Hollow. Once she arrived at the cemetary, she started looking for the man in question. He was standing precisely where she thought he'd be.

She approached him openly, not bothering to hide herself. He'd know either way. Coming to a halt beside him, she glared at the grave.

Albus Dumbledore's

August 25th 1881 - June 30th 1997

To the well-organized mind,

Death is but the next great adventure.

"I was wondering if you were going to meet me here or not."

Emily snorted. "As if I'd be okay allowing you to roam unchecked. I will be assigning you a house elf from the Malfoy family. The elf will assist you with any needs you have, but will report to me everyday. Should you begin to behave inappropriately, you will be dealt with, am I clear?"

The old man gave a dry laugh. "Would it not be easier for you to simply kill me now? Why take the risk to allow me any kind of freedom? Surely you don't think I can stop you. Even I know better than that."

Emily gave him a side long glance. "Harry is certain you are of no harm to anyone. The bastard that lies here would preach to anyone who would listen to trust my husband. It was possibly one of the only sentences that left his mouth that I agree with wholeheartedly. It is only by the grace of Harry Potter that you breathe, don't make me regret my decision." Having stated her terms and sharing her piece, Emily made to leave.

"He won't survive, you know."

Emily stopped dead, she didn't turn, but she was listening with every fiber of her being.

"He's not strong enough. He's lacking. By allowing him to follow you, you lead him to his demise."

Emily waited, and when no more seemed forthcoming, she continued on her way, noticing the barest hint of dawn on the horizon. She did not do so quietly, however. Speaking loudly enough for him to hear, "He doesn't need to be strong. I have enough power for the both of us." With a fervent desire to never see the face of Gellert Grindlewald again, she turned on her heel and vanished.