Author's Note - my sincere apologies for the delay in posting. I have a few chapters ahead in this story so it wasn't writer's block, but more like…a posting block? I suffered through a slight bout of discouragement and depression within regards to this story, unfortunately. Fun times. Except you know, not. Many thanks to those of you who do read and review. The reviews really do matter, trust me.

Chapter 7: The Wayfaring Stranger Revisited


"Well, at least we didn't land on our arses this time," Harry said as he looked around.

Ginny smirked at him as she also took in their surroundings. When they had first visited Kath and her father's inn with Brogan, it had been the dead of winter, and they'd worried about freezing their collective bums off. But now it was gorgeous summer – with blooming flowers and bright and healthy green trees all around. It was the same clearing as before, but Kath and George were already there waiting for them this time.

"Sis!" Her brother rushed to hug her and then turned to Harry. "Harry! Uh, hang on. What do blokes who are sort of brothers-in-law have as a greeting?"

"Daft sod," Kath said in amusement beside him. "They snog, of course. It's tradition."

"Erm, it's really okay for us to skip that tradition," Harry said, shaking his head.

Ginny laughed as George had a similar reaction, and she smiled at Kath and hugged the other woman briefly.

"We're man enough to at least hug, aren't we, Kath?"

"Aye, reckon so. Well, what do you think of this place in the summer? Far superior, yes?"

"It's very…green," Ginny said as she nodded and looked around, feeling overwhelmed. Harry appeared to be in agreement.

"High praise," George said dryly. He narrowed his eyes at their apparent lack of baggage. "You lot packed light, and I'd have thought you'd have all these extra bags to carry."

"It's all in here," Harry said, holding up his rucksack. Hermione had helped them fit everything inside one piece of luggage. Ginny was glad since she had a feeling that learning her friend's extending charm was going to come in handy in her future. She and Harry seemed to do a lot of moving around without really planning to.

"Hermione?" George said knowingly as Kath and he started leading them back to where they'd parked their car.

"Who else?" Ginny asked, linking her arm with her brother's. "Is the inn terribly busy for the festival, Kath?"

"We're booked to capacity. But as soon as the festival ends, we'll settle down again. I'm glad your brother loves and understands Muggles so much, Ginny. He's been a fantastic help."

Kath smiled up at George, and it was a look that Ginny was used to seeing on her face whenever she used to look at Brogan – it was warm and full of loving affection. And it did Ginny's heart good to see it directed towards her brother. She'd worried that Kath was perhaps settling for George and that her brother may be in for some heartbreak down the line. Still, it appeared the other couple was honestly happy, and Ginny was glad for them.

She glanced back at Harry and winked at him. He shook his head but then nodded, and she knew he had seen the same look and had understood it.

The drive to the inn was short, and Kath promised them a more extended tour of Limerick once things were back to normal capacity. George filled them in on all the local fetes and pub crawls in town for the Solstice. They cut through the small village of Pallasgreen, and then they were arriving at the Wayfaring Stranger in record time. Ginny smiled because it looked just like she remembered it. Minus the cold and snow, of course.

It was also far busier this time. But George quickly led them up the back stairs as Kath immediately made her way to the front desk, which looked a bit chaotic. A young man was at the desk, trying to answer the phone and do other things while dealing with the small mob in front of him. Ginny saw the relief on his face as Kath started to take charge.

"So, does Mr McNamara not work in the inn at all anymore?" Ginny asked George.

"He does his part. But yeah, it's mostly Kath and me. And young Conor, who you just saw. Torin has been busy making a new potion, believe it or not. And he won't tell us what it's for. It's driving us bonkers trying to figure out what he's been up to. Ah, here we go. Room 322, we just finished remodeling it, and you're the first guests. Only the best for my sister and Harry Potter."

George winked at them as he stood back after opening the door. The room was decorated much like their last one, very homey and comfortable. They had kept the tones in gold and red (undoubtedly George's influence, Ginny thought), and there were fine art pieces and antiques throughout it that made it feel posh. But while their last room had been a single bedroom, this room was huge, complete with a sitting area and separate bedroom– in fact, it was a suite. Ginny knew her mouth was hanging open but couldn't help it.

"Oh, George, this is absolutely lovely."

"It gets better. You can do magic in it without affecting the other rooms! This is for any magical clientele we might get. Of course, I got the idea from staying at the flat in London, and Brogan's father has been helping me get everything right and in working order. I want Mum and Dad to stay here next."

Ginny looked at Harry, who seemed just as surprised by the mention of Solace as she did.

"Has Solace been visiting often?" Harry asked as he set the bag down near the settee. Ginny wandered into the opened french doors of the bedroom. It was the same canopy bed with thick and sturdy posts on all four sides and a matching wardrobe against the wall. A smaller, dark-paneled armoire was directly across from the bed, and she hoped it had a telly in it. She smiled as she noticed that the tub in the bathroom bore some striking similarities to their tub at the Abbey, just much smaller. Apparently, George had been on a reconnaissance mission when he'd visited.

After freshening up, she joined the men and smiled at them as they appeared to be as thick as thieves. They were both staring at what Ginny knew was Harry's building schematics for their house spread out between them.

"Getting advice from another layman?" Ginny asked as she sat down next to Harry, and he grinned at her.

"I just had a few questions about what they did to the room. Reckon I'll have to pick Solace's brain as well. I think we might enjoy a telly if we can get it to work right."

"Brogan would be so pleased about that," Ginny said.

"About the television or me working with Solace?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Both, of course. Actually, no, he'd probably be dismayed you and his father were getting on so well."

Harry chuckled. "He'd probably be okay if I could somehow get us a proper Muggle stereo to listen to music on out of it. Erm, do wizards even have stereos?"

Ginny shrugged and looked at George. She knew the concept behind a stereo, but not what one looked liked. All they'd ever had at her house was the wireless. She couldn't recall ever talking about stereos in Muggle Studies, either.

"We just have the wireless for music, which, let's be honest, says far more about the musical choices wizards have than anything else. No wonder ol'Warbeck has been tops for an age," George said, snorting.

"I've been using Brogan's music-player at the Abbey, although it sometimes doesn't work right, I don't think. But yeah, I think Muggle musicians have really surpassed our lot. He's really got some great songs, and I'm pretty sure they're all Muggle."

They chatted a bit more with Ginny promising to let George borrow the music player to try, and then her brother stood up, looking at his watch.

"Right, well, let's talk shop a bit more after tea, Harry. I want to look at those plans of yours for the house a bit more in detail. I think Kath might need me downstairs right now. It's almost check-in time for the Muggles. They can get a bit…rowdy."

George left, and Ginny marveled after her brother. "Get him, Mr Inn Keeper. All proper and helpful, too."

"Hmm," Harry said, pulling her to him. He nuzzled her as his mouth latched onto her neck, kissing his way around, and Ginny smiled. New places and rooms always made Harry amorous, and she didn't think he even realized it. Whenever they went someplace new, he immediately wanted to be horizontal. It was actually sort of sweet to Ginny.

"Feeling better about things today?" He rested his arm around her shoulders and studied her.

"Yeah. I'm anxious about Saturday, but…talking about things helped, I reckon. Sometimes voicing any concerns I have sort of…makes them disappear. Does that make me normal or just barmy?"

"Hmm, normal with barmy tendencies?"

"Harry!" Ginny pushed him, laughing.

Truthfully, she did feel a lot more at ease today. Speaking her anxieties out loud about the three of them picking up their relationship again had made her realize the concerns were entirely normal and probably to be expected. Talking with Harry had really helped Ginny sort herself out. She did miss Brogan, and she did love him. She was pretty sure she wouldn't attempt to open a portal for someone she didn't feel strongly about, at any rate. It was a bit perplexing to Ginny in one regard – her faith in Harry never really wavered, whether they were separated or not. But for some reason, not being around Brogan had made her doubt not only herself but him as well. She wondered why that was, exactly. It was unlike her to be insecure, but it was the only thing Ginny could come up with as a reason for her feelings.

"Should we unpack?" Harry asked, unaware he'd interrupted her deep think.

"Be my guest," Ginny said, nodding at him. "Reckon I should start the potions we need, so they're ready in time. I wonder if I can use Mr McNamara's lab?"

"All you can do is ask," Harry said, getting up. He carried their bag into the bedroom, and she joined him, watching from the doorway as he started unpacking and enlarging the parcels they'd brought. When he noticed her look, he stopped momentarily.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just…you did that without complaining. I was a bit in shock."

"Hah," Harry said, pursing his lips. "I just want this entire weekend to be…smooth. And being unpacked and organized makes you, and therefore me — calm."

"Oh, dear," Ginny said, shaking her head. She grabbed the bag they'd put all their potion ingredients in and enlarged it with her wand, and she checked it to make sure nothing had broken in transit.

"Want to help?" she asked Harry. "It'll go quicker."

"Sure. Let me finish this, and I'll come looking for you."

Ginny leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Try not to dawdle to get out of it."

"I'm insulted, Gin."

She shook her head at him and then turned to head out of the room. Harry called her name before she made it to the door. She turned back in surprise and heard the slight click of his camera. He grinned at her as he lowered it.

"Gotcha."

"Harry! At least prepare a girl so she can smile and toss her hair or something."

"You look fine. Very determined expression, actually. Extremely sexy."

Ginny rolled her eyes and headed downstairs. Some photo album they were going to have in the future. Harry kept snapping shots of her walking to and from places, and she hadn't taken any of him yet. She'd have to rectify that after this weekend. And if the fates allowed, she'd have Brogan back to commiserate with.


Kath set Ginny up in one of her father's older, no longer used potion labs, which was a small room in the basement of the inn where they lived. This was the entirely magical part of the building, and it was removed from most things Muggle. It was actually quite charming, Ginny thought. She smiled when she saw a section on the back of the main door which had a set of shelves for things like notes, keys, and other odds and ends. One shelf was for Mr McNamara (which had more than a few whiskey flasks standing up on it). The next shelf was for Kath (primarily books and herbs and potions ingredients), and then underneath theirs, someone had added a third one marked for George. All his shelf held was a picture of their family taken sometime around the summer of her fifth year (photograph-Ginny kept stealing looks at photograph-Harry, amusingly enough) and a few letters, mainly from Fred and their Mum. It looked like her brother was fitting in just fine.

Kath offered to help her brew some of the potions, but Ginny declined, wanting to do them herself. The Waystone book had mentioned that these potions would protect them from harm and make it easier to find Brogan if he was lost. Ginny didn't want anyone else's magic to get tangled up in them. Well, anyone other than Harry's.

Brogan wasn't lost, technically, but Ginny didn't know how they would find him once she opened the portal. It wasn't as though she could just stick her head through it and call his name. Although, perhaps magically speaking, that was all there was to it.

One potion was for "time protection" – apparently, when one was in a portal, one could get easily confused, time-wise. The potion was supposed to keep her mind sharp and rooted in the here and now. Another brew was to aide in summoning, and then a third potion, one they'd already picked up in Maeve's Hollow, was for remembrance. Ginny didn't think they needed that one, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Opening the portal itself was going to be the tricky bit. Well, that and closing it again. It required her blood as well as Harry's and also something of Brogan's that still held his essence. It also needed the rather large Waystone crag they'd brought with them. Typically, a more formal sacrifice would be required (the death of a relatively large animal, the book had suggested), and she was sure that is what Voldemort had done when he'd opened his portal. Harry didn't know this, but she'd actually written Professor Snape and asked him about it. He was the only person they could talk to about this sort of thing, after all. The reply back had been terse and almost uninformative – yes, Voldemort had killed a snake and used it as an offering. And no, Professor Snape did not know how Voldemort had meant to close the portal once he'd opened it – "the Dark Lord kept such trivialities to himself."

Ginny figured it was just like Tom to take such information beyond the Veil.

She hoped to close the portal (ideally, without Brogan having to re-sacrifice himself) by using the Waystone again. After all, it was a sizeable magical stone, and it should be powerful enough to do it. She was hoping that not only would the stone help them find their lover, but it would help them keep him in their time as well. There was something about the Waystone that would call to his (in the form of her necklace), and the two pieces would want to be together again. Therefore assuring that Brogan would be able to follow suit.

The truly unknown part in all of her research preparations, of course, was the Ophidian Armilla. She wasn't sure how the bracelets would come into play, and since Harry was their master, it was a mystery to her. She was back to wearing hers again. After her run-in with Sean O'Brien, she'd started making sure she had it on all the time now. Most of the time, Ginny forgot she had it on, but it would warm against her skin every now and then, and she often wondered if it was when Harry was thinking of her or if Brogan was.

It still puzzled her as to why Brogan's bracelet had essentially become a part of him. And she wondered if once he was out of the Well, if it would stay that way or resort back to being a regular bracelet. She shuddered thinking about it; that sounded extremely painful for some reason. A noise startled her, and she looked up as Harry appeared.

"You looked very lost in thought," Harry said, smiling at her as he entered the room. He looked around. "If this is one of Mr McNamara's older labs, what do his newer ones look like?"

Ginny glanced around too. Yes, it was practically pristine for an unused lab, and she'd assumed it was because Kath was the meticulous sort.

"Grab a cauldron and pull out that feverfew I packed. Start chopping, Harry. Make sure the pieces are long and smooth."

Harry blinked at her and then grinned. "You bossing me around in a potion's lab is sort of sexy in a way it never was with Hermione, I have to say."

Ginny snorted and then handed him the extra set of knives she'd packed. "You get us all unpacked?"

"As much as I could. Everything is organized, at least. Ew, this stuff reeks."

Ginny sniffed and made a face. "Yeck. Please chop faster, but not too fast, or otherwise, the strips won't be smooth enough. Sorry, love."

"Sure, stick me with the horrible potion ingredients." Harry sighed dramatically. "Don't worry, I'm used to it."

Ginny playfully stuck out her tongue, and they both worked in silence for a while. Ginny watched Harry after a bit and smiled at him. He noticed and stopped, glancing up from his chopping.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just…cute when you're all serious and potion-y."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're daft."

They soon had two cauldrons bubbling away in front of them, and Ginny wondered if she should have Kath at least take a look at them to make sure they did them right. She sighed as she leaned against one of the tables, and Harry soon joined her. He took her hand, squeezing it.

"George asked if we wanted to eat here at the inn or head into Limerick with them."

Ginny considered it. She was feeling a bit peckish, but she was also starting to feel tired as well. Since the last time they'd been in the area, they hadn't seen much of Limerick due to the snow, she was tempted to have a mini-adventure in local eating.

"There's a wizarding pub nearby, the Hippogriff's Grotto. Kath swears by it."

"All right," Ginny finally said, nodding. "Why not? We've made progress on these, and since you've taken away my joy of unpacking from me, what else do we have to do?"

"Well, I could think of a few things," Harry said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Hmm, yes, I'm sure you could," Ginny said as he twirled her around to stand in front of him. They kissed, with just the soft noise of the bubbling potions behind them, and Ginny soon got swept away into the mood. Maybe Harry did have a point about doing other things.

He laughed when they finally broke apart. "Come on, before we get carried away and have to desecrate these clean tables with our formidable backsides or other body parts."

Ginny reached out and tested the table strength, considering it. "You know, it might be kind of fun."

Harry grinned. "We really shouldn't."

"Hm, you're probably right."

Harry suddenly wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, setting her on the table. He moved in between her legs, his eyes alight with mischief. Ginny grinned and rested her arms around his shoulders, and she started running her hands through the back of his hair.

"My, my, Harry, feeling daring today, are we?"

"No one said we can't have a serious snogging session."

"As a reward for all our hard work?"

He nodded, face looking somber, but his eyes were full of life. "As a reward for all our hard work."

He leaned in and caught her lips, and Ginny threw herself into it. They were soon both getting rather heated and worked up. She nipped at his neck as he lowered his mouth to her collarbone. His hand had already snaked up under her shirt, claiming one of her breasts.

"Ahem. Honestly, you two. Get a room. Oh, wait, you already have one. Oi! Brother alert!"

George smirked at them from the doorway as they hastily broke apart. Ginny grimaced at her brother.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" She asked grumpily as she re-adjusted her bra. Harry tried to help her, but she lightly slapped his hand away.

"But the door was already open," George said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"We got carried away," Harry explained, trying to smooth down his hair. He smiled at her brother. "My apologies, George."

"Were it not my sister you were just canoodling, I'd say bravo, mate, bravo for getting in there, but…since I know Ginny is, of course, still as innocent as the pure driven snow-"

Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brother and hopped down off the table. She stalked over to him and pointed him in the chest with a finger. "Just watch where the rest of that sentence is going, George Weasley."

Her brother held up his hands and backed away, mouth twitching with amusement. "Sorry, sis."

Harry joined them, and Ginny knew he was making sure that no one was really angry. "What did you need, George?"

"Kath wanted to know if you wanted to go eat now while it's quiet. Everyone's been checked in, and Conor should be able to take care of anything that comes up. Torin's returned to help if needed. So, are we dining out tonight? Or did you two want to try room service? Although, you two do hardly seem to get up to anything in actual bedrooms…"

"Shut it," Ginny said. "Yes, let's eat." She glanced at Harry. "And you can stop looking so…."

"Madly in love with you?"

"Well, that's my cue to hum really loudly," George muttered as he turned to head back to the front of the inn.

Ginny smirked at her brother and fell into step with Harry. "Reckon it's good he showed up when he did, or we would have had some explaining to do."

"Potions. Who knew it was so sexy?" Harry chuckled. "Must be all the steam in the air. That, and the lack of Snape breathing down our necks."

Ginny laughed. "Must be."


After their excursion of fun, food, and catching up with Kath and George, they returned to the inn. Their bellies were full, and their wits a bit softened as Kath had made them try a local drink called a Rummy Broomstick. A cocktail that combined a bit of Ogden's Firewhiskey, a bit of some Black's Spiced Irish Rum, and pomegranate juice, of all things. Ginny had been delighted to find that the concoction was utterly delicious. She and Harry had enjoyed more than one, much to the amusement of her brother, who wisely did not say anything regarding her alcoholic intake.

Limerick was a lovely city – at least the part where the wizards and witches seemed to be. Ginny did notice there were quite a lot of pubs, and there was a large body of water nearby, the River Shannon, as well as an old castle to explore. George explained that the Muggle part of the city tended to get a bad reputation for criminal activities but that he'd personally never experienced anything of the like (yet). He'd almost sounded disappointed. Kath was more familiar since she'd spent time at the university and agreed it was usually safe. Overall, Ginny felt it was a nice place to visit, but she wasn't sure if she could live there. It was funny to think of Brogan spending most of his young life in the area right after his Mum had died. She idly wondered which part of Ireland Solace was from. She knew Brogan had been born in the area, but she didn't know if that also applied to his father and mother.

George and Harry started singing some sort of tuneless ballad they'd heard in the pub (indicating they were both far more pissed than she was) as they wandered into the residence area of the inn. The plan had been to sit out under the stars in the McNamara's garden before turning in. Kath made them tea and then joined Ginny as the men attempted to play a game of horseshoe pitching. It wasn't going very well, but George was doing slightly better than Harry.

"He's going to drop right off tonight," Kath said, nodding at Harry. Ginny smiled.

"We've had a full day. He's entitled."

Both women enjoyed a companionable silence as the clang of horseshoes only occasionally hitting their mark filled the night, followed by an indignant swear or two. Ginny smirked and shook her head at Harry.

"How goes your…preparations?" Kath finally asked, breaking the quiet between them. Ginny had written Kath a week or so ago to let her know what they were planning.

"I think we're…set," Ginny said after thinking about it. "The potions will be done on time if I didn't foul them up somehow, and we brought everything we needed. And we had the Healer at the Abbey take our blood so that we wouldn't panic in the moment and cut something important."

"Clever thinking," Kath said, nodding. She took a long sip of her tea and then set her teacup down. "What are you using of Brogan's?"

"Ah, that was a bit harder to consider," Ginny admitted. "I have an old handkerchief that he gave me, and Harry has one or two of his shirts that haven't been washed." Ginny paused as Kath raised her eyebrow at that. "I know, I know, but I didn't ask him about where he'd been stashing those. I do have his music player. The Waystone book that Grange left me seems to think that music can work in calling someone back if it was a favorite song or a song that had significance. The book doesn't say it has to be literal blood from the intended person you're seeking, but just that it should be something that contains their 'essence.'"

"Hmm, I may have something to help with that, believe it or not. Back in a tic."

Kath got up and went into the house, and Ginny shrugged when she didn't return right away. She was just about to help Harry put George out of his misery when the other woman returned. She slid a square plastic holder towards Ginny, which she immediately recognized as a muggle cd case.

"This is a recording I made of Brogan singing," Kath explained. "He didn't know I had it, or he would have no doubt figured out how to steal it and destroy it. Bloody hell, that boy could be stubborn." Kath smiled to herself as though remembering a specific memory. She eventually shook her head as though to clear away her memories.

"Sorry. Anyway, when he was, oh, around fourteen? Fifteen? We made this recording of us having a gig with a local band. It's mostly them playing random songs, but track 7 is all Brogan. Just him and his guitar, and it…it's one of my favorite things ever. When you listen to it, you'll see why. If a recording can contain an essence, then this is it. It's an old Beatles song. Erm, they were a famous muggle rock group back in the day. I think it was his Mum's favorite, and he taught himself how to play it for her before she passed, and…well, you'll see why he connected with it. He really made it his own."

Kath rested her hand over Ginny's as she reached for the disc. The other woman gave her a kind smile, her eyes full of some emotion Ginny couldn't place. She nodded back at Kath as she held the disc close to her heart.

"I'll treat it as it should be treated and return it to you when we get back. And if Brogan's with us, I won't tell him you have it, promise."

Kath chuckled. "It's okay. You keep it, Ginny. I have a feeling he'd be okay with you and Harry having it. Besides, I…I think my taste in music has changed a bit. To something more upbeat, you might say." Kath's eyes flicked over to her brother, and Ginny held back a smile.

Harry and George soon joined them to have a cup of tea as well, and then they were heading back to their room. Harry nodded at the disc as she took it out of her robe pocket.

"What's that?"

"Something Kath gave me to help us with that essence of Brogan we needed. She says it's him singing an old song that used to be his Mum's favorite. He learned it for her before she died, taught it to himself and everything."

"Oh, wow," Harry's eyes got big as he looked at it. "Let's listen to it tonight?"

Ginny smiled. "Why don't we listen to it right now?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and they got comfortable on the bed. Ginny pulled the music player out of one of the parcels and exchanged discs. She tapped it with her wand and made the player skip ahead to track seven. A mild round of applause burst through the room, and Ginny adjusted the sound. Live recordings were apparently louder on the player. There was general murmuring and then distinct grumbling, which Harry and Ginny smirked at – it definitely sounded like Brogan not wanting to sing. Suddenly, they heard the light and gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar begin. The audience noise quieted, and then Brogan's lovely tenor filled the room. It was quiet at first but then grew louder as he became more comfortable in performing.

Here I stand head in hand

Turn my face to the wall

If she's gone, I can't go on

Feeling two-foot small

Everywhere people stare

Each and every day

I can see them laugh at me

And I hear them say

Hey, you've got to hide your love away

Hey, you've got to hide your love away

How can I even try?

I can never win

Hearing them, seeing them

In the state I'm in

How could she say to me

Love will find a way

Gather 'round all you clowns

Let me hear you say

Hey, you've got to hide your love away

Hey, you've got to hide your love away

The song ended with someone, possibly Brogan himself, whistling along to the gentle, lilting melody. Ginny sniffed and wiped at her eyes. It was so…haunting and sad, the way his voice sounded. As though he remembered his Mum with each and every line. Harry rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. Ginny paused the player before the next song started.

"We are definitely using that," Harry said quietly, and Ginny nodded in agreement. How could they not?

"Play it again, Gin. Please?"

And so she did. They spent the rest of the night just listening to their lover sing to them from a different time and a place, and it was almost as though he was there with them. Perhaps a part of him was – at least within their hearts.


When Sean O'Brien was a little boy, he already knew he was different from the others. He could see things that weren't there – which even in a wizarding family was not something talked about very often. Inordinately strong and intensely gifted with magic, his parents had opted not to send him to Hogwarts. They decided (influenced by Sean himself) to homeschool their child his entire educational career. It was not that rare to do— at the time— and they knew their son would still have the local lads to socialize with if that was something he wanted.

Sean did want, but only because he used it as a learning opportunity. He needed to know how other humans behaved so that he could fit in better. It was a means to an end. But friends? Lovers? He knew he would have no need of them. In truth, he never had, and not in the way that most people did.

When his parents eventually passed away, he was still relatively young-looking, which made people start to ask questions. He soon realized that the younger he stayed in appearance, the more wondering people would do. So he learned how to perfect the Aging Potion – in fact, created his own version of it — it would not age him all at once. Instead, it would happen gradually and almost naturally. But that grew tiresome after the first few hundred years. So he also learned all he could about mind-magic, how to manipulate the memories of muggles and wizards alike. They couldn't afford to have anyone asking too many questions. And when he did find those followers who were loyal, those whose fellowship was even enjoyed, however distantly, Sean learned how to keep them close. He hated having to break someone new in because it was an exhausting process. For instance, he'd been in Michael's life since birth, although the other man did not know it (nor did he have any idea how truly old Sean was).

It wasn't foolproof, of course. There were those magical humans who, for whatever reason, could sense him. Sense what he was. There had been a natural legilimens he'd encountered in America over seventy years ago that had come close to figuring out his secret. He'd had to think fast then and had almost destroyed her mind. It had just been a chance encounter and the dumbest luck (for her). He'd regrettably had to turn her down a path he would have never generally chosen for her. Sean often wondered how it had turned out for the young woman in his more speculative moments.

Through the years there had been empaths, legilimens, and even a handful of seers that had come close to figuring him out before he'd learned to distort his true self. He wasn't sure why it was that this particular group of magical people could understand his duality. Perhaps it was just that he could never truly hide his true self from them no matter how hard he tried – not all of it, at least, and not completely. Sean was happy there had only been a handful of genuinely talented ones he'd ever come across – like himself, they were rare. Perhaps that was what often helped them recognize him – like understood like, after all.

So it was with some irony, Sean found himself about to open the realms to get back one such type of person. He had met Brogan Caley only a handful of times, but he'd seen enough to realize that the young man could sense him if Sean let his attention waver or spent too much time around him. But if Caley was the third of Potter's triad, then Sean needed him to be on this plane of existence. One would think that having the three together again would make it harder for him to get the bracelets back, but Sean knew better. Time and distance only made the Armilla stronger, especially in cases of forced separation. If three of them were missing each other, the bracelets would work extra hard to keep them connected. He needed them to be relaxed and inattentive. Well, what he really needed was for them to be unobservant of everything but each other; if he could lull them into complacency, they would be ripe for the picking.

When he had first met Ginny Weasley, he had been struck by her force of will – she had a strong mind and was reasonably capable, magically speaking. But he had not sensed the bracelet, and that bothered him. Sean did not know what that meant exactly. Some part of him had perceived it on Harry Potter almost immediately. However, even that too had not been instantaneous like it should have been. It was a puzzle for his darker moments, but for now, he would assume it was something the three had done by mistake and that it would soon be put to rights.

Sean had to proceed carefully – the couple had to believe they were responsible for retrieving their counterpart back themselves. His influence in allowing them to find Caley had to be non-existent. In the old days, he would have offered to do it for them himself, but he knew better than that by now. The fewer questions the better was usually the best road to take. He didn't dare try too many spells on their minds – the bracelets made them harder to manipulate. He'd had minor success with Ginny Weasley, but Sean was not a fool, and he knew that Potter would be impossible to bend to his will. Already at the age of 17, the man's power of self-preservation was practically a physical shield around him. If put in harm's way, Potter would filter that protection to anyone he loved, whether he knew he was doing it or not.

As always with all old magics, it took a tremendous amount of effort to do what he was doing, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Voldemort had been almost sloppy with the opening of his particular portal, and Sean could practically still feel its echo without even having to look too closely. He would be able to find Caley eventually, and then he would just have to make sure that Potter and Weasley found him after that. He thought about trying to get Caley's bracelet before the other man left his realm, but even from this distance, Sean could sense there was protection around him. It was an ancient sort of magic that Sean didn't want to mess with if he could help it. He'd learned the hard way that old magics meant headaches and possible loss of limbs, even. It'd taken forever to grow his right foot back.

He arrived in Lough Gur on the day of the festivities, even though he knew Weasley and Potter would not attempt their rescue until the next day. Sean allowed himself to enjoy the festival. Aine had been a mighty witch in her day, and she deserved at least a small modicum of his respect, he supposed. Disguised as someone else, he blended in with the surrounding magical folk and muggles alike. And he bided his time.


"Tomorrow then?" Brogan asked Harry.

They were lying on Brogan's makeshift bed, not touching because Harry didn't want to wake up just yet.

"Yeah. Are you eager? Excited to get out of here? Okay, that was a dumb question. What do you think you'll do first?" he asked, smiling at the other man. Brogan gave him an amused look.

"You seem so sure that I'll be out and about so I can do things."

"You will be. Now answer the question."

"Well, the first thing I want to do is-"

"Ahem."

"Okay, the second thing I want to do is…Merlin's robes, I want to take a long, hot bath. Keeping clean in this place is a nightmare. I've mostly just been doing cleansing spells on myself until I can't stand it anymore."

"But it's a cave with a water supply," Harry said, puzzled.

"It won't let me use that water, and I tried when I first realized I'd be stuck here," Brogan said, sounding put out.

"You don't smell or anything, though," Harry said, taking a deep breath. No, Brogan smelled like he always did, a bit citrusy and something that was uniquely him. Amazingly, he did not smell of coffee. But Harry was sure that was just from the lack of drinking it around the clock.

"Must be the dream aspect of the whole thing," Brogan said, shrugging. Harry turned over and rested his head on his hand.

Brogan sighed."Bugger this. You can't recognize how dodgy I smell, and we can't touch for very long. Brilliant trade-off."

"Well, when we get back to the Abbey, you can take how many baths that you want. Ginny and I usually do, and we take one most nights, actually. Very relaxing."

"Hmm, I'm sure it is." Brogan's eyes flashed at him, a particular seductive look in them that Harry knew well. He felt pinned to the spot, and it was hot in the cave all of a sudden.

"Stop trying to get me to leave," he said now, shaking his head. "Unless you want me to go?"

"No, no," Brogan said immediately. He curled his hand into a fist next to Harry's. "Please, not yet. It may be tomorrow for you, but it'll feel like a week to me."

"We're going to be together soon," Harry said gently. "I have absolute faith in Ginny to do this…she's so prepared, Brogan. She's leaving nothing to chance either, I might add. She's like a woman possessed."

"Yes, she seemed to be earlier when I saw her, very strict about it, too. We should try to find a way to channel this aspect of her personality into other activities. Could be promising."

Harry laughed, and the tension in the room seemed to ease, and he felt his temperature return to normal. "Oh, she'll love that."

Brogan gave him a lazy smile, and then he sighed. "I will not miss this place, but I will miss my bookshelf, though. I wish there was a way I could take it with me."

Harry glanced at the bookshelf. "Well, not to ask a dumb question, but why couldn't you? Just shrink it down and put it in your pocket or something. I mean, the Waystone necklace traveled with you, didn't it? And your wand did, too."

Brogan frowned. "You're right, of course. Hmm. It'd be interesting if it was a two-way street. I'll try it after you leave."

"Although," Harry said, biting back a smile. "You could end up with a bookshelf sticking out your arse or something equally weird."

"Erm, sorry, but what?"

Harry nodded at Brogan's wrist. "I mean, your bracelet did a bizarre thing."

"Good point. I don't really want a bookshelf tattoo on my arse."

The two men laughed, and Harry made a mental note to share the notion with Ginny to make her chuckle when he woke up.

"Not to mention it'd be a nightmare to get a book out of your arse," Harry said after they'd finished snickering.

Brogan shuddered as though imagining it. He raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Perhaps you should try taking the bookshelf and see if it happens to you. That way, I'll have the bracelet tattoo, you'll have the bookcase and…."

"Ginny could get a cup of coffee tattooed on her breast?"

Brogan laughed. "Yeah, on second thought, let's not continue this conversation. Not sure she'd want a needle, magical or otherwise, anywhere near her lovely bits."

Harry smiled and conceded his point. "You may have something with that."

They enjoyed a companionable silence, and Harry eventually sighed, knowing it was almost time for him to go. It was odd; suddenly, the spell would just…let you know. In case everything didn't go as planned, Harry wanted to make sure Brogan knew how much they missed him.

"These dreams have been great, but we miss you, you know. Not just because of the…." Harry paused and gestured between them. "Physical stuff. Not just because of that. But we miss you, the person. I just thought you should know. We're good as Harry and Ginny, of course, but we also became Harry, Ginny, and Brogan somewhere along the line."

Brogan grinned and then sobered. "I…I appreciate that. I mean, when I thought before that I would have to do…what I did, you know, sacrifice myself in some way, I honestly thought I was okay with doing it. I thought, well, this is how it is meant to be. But I have to say…missing the two of you is the hardest thing I have ever done, Harry. God, you have no idea. It just hits me. I'll be reading something and want to share it with you two, and then I get sad because I can't. Or, it's worse in the morning. Waking up all alone in this cold, miserable bed. And not because of the lack of sex either. I just sort of miss the two of you keeping me warm and making me feel safe."

Harry nodded and swallowed roughly. "I can't even imagine how you've remained sane, Brogan. Ginny and I have each other, at least. But…" Harry looked down, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

Brogan's hand lingered over his for a moment, and then he felt the warmth of the other man's fingers enclose his. He was instantly filled with serenity and peace. He looked up as Brogan leaned down, his expression tender.

"Reckon it's time for you to go. See you later, then?"

"If not sooner," Harry said, feeling breathless as Brogan moved closer.

"Aye. Kiss that redhead for me when you wake up, will you?"

"Always."


Lough Gur was different in the summer -warmer for one thing, and everything was in bloom. There was so much meadowlark around. It was amazing to Ginny. Even now, more than halfway there, she could look out the window and just see rows and rows of white flowers on either side of the car. George had offered to drive them to the stones, although currently, he was teaching Harry how to do it for the last part of the journey. Ginny shook her head at them and looked back down at her notes.

She had the Waystone book in her lap, going over the instructions again. Even though she knew them backwards and forwards. Even though she could list the instructions in order from memory if needed. Their collection of objects they'd require sat beside her. Harry had been very organized about it, and she was grateful. He may have left the heavy reading bit to her, but his strength and support for what they needed to do had been fantastic. He'd been so helpful and willing to do whatever they'd needed. And his unwavering positivity about it had been fantastic too – Ginny knew the only reason she wasn't a ball of nerves right now was that Harry's absolute certainty about what they were attempting had never wavered.

They finally arrived in the same car park as before, and as expected, it was deserted. Still, Ginny was going to cast a few repelling and notice-me-not charms to keep people away. The weather was gorgeous, and she didn't believe someone wouldn't want to eventually visit the site today, hungover or not. George said he would stick around and make sure no one wandered in, as well. She was unsure, exactly, how long opening the portal would take. She had a feeling that it wouldn't take too long, but then she didn't know how long it would take them to actually find Brogan. The Quinn books had mentioned that it could often take a few days of wandering around in something called the E-space before they found him. Muggles called it E-space, wizarding kind called it the Land of No, which had amused Harry greatly. But it was this aspect of the whole thing that had her worried the most.

But now, now she pushed her worries down and chased them from her mind – as far away as she could. She needed to be composed and settled. There was no need to wonder about Harry's mood; he exuded confidence in everything he did. He'd awoken from his visit with Brogan that morning, relaxed and calm. And then he'd kissed her rather intensely and insisted they make love before doing anything. She had to admit, it'd been an exhilarating session, and he'd been rather…passionate. She shivered in remembering.

"Hey, you all right?" Harry asked her now as he got out of the car, and she smiled at him.

"Was just daydreaming about this morning."

Ginny was amused to see that he didn't even blush in response. He glanced back at George and then moved closer to her, kissing the side of her head gently.

"We were pretty great," Harry murmured, eyes alight with emotion.

"Inspired even, you might say," Ginny said, smirking at him.

"I wanted you to be in a good mood."

Ginny snickered and then handed the container holding the things they'd need to him. "Make yourself useful."

"Yes, Ma'am." Harry took the box from her, and she grabbed her robe, in case they were there past the sun going down. She looked at her brother.

"How long are you going to stay?"

George shrugged. "I'll wait until sundown."

"You don't have to," Ginny insisted. She hated to think of her brother just sitting out in the car by himself, and she knew Kath probably needed him for stuff at the hotel.

"It's okay, I've brought some letters I need to answer, and Kath wanted me out of her hair today anyway. It's slow at the inn, and she wants to do some brewing. Ah, speaking of which…." George ducked back into the car and pulled out a silver flask, which Ginny recognized as one of Mr McNamara's.

"She brewed some Pepper Up for you two, in case you're stuck in No-Man's land for more than a day. Should help you keep your wits about you."

Ginny felt touched that Kath had done such a thing for them. She took the flask from George, and it felt really full. She realized the other woman must have included extra in case Brogan needed some when he crossed through to their dimension. George helped them start casting the different spells necessary to keep people away. When Ginny was finished, he grinned at her.

"Is it okay if I walk with you two towards the stones and check out the site? Hearing Kath talk about it has me a bit curious, I have to admit."

Ginny nodded, and they joined Harry, who was waiting for them near the entrance to the stone circle. As Brogan had instructed them at Christmastime, they waited to allow George to enter into the circle by himself. Harry grinned at her.

"Excited, Gin?"

"Hmm, not the word I think I'd use, but yeah, there's some of that in there, I reckon."

"It's going to go great. Just wait and see," Harry said, nodding. She smirked at him as George called out he'd made it through alive and they went to join him. She paused and placed her hand on the stone nearest to her and felt a little sad it didn't react like it had before. But she reckoned that had all been because of Aine. Since she was back to being regular Ginny Weasley again, the stones had no use for her.

But she definitely had a use for them this time.

o-o-o-o-o