Chapter 16: Touching Base

Ginny traveled with Harry and Brogan to his appointment at the hospital and, after making sure they were set, she hurried off to meet Ron. Now the two men were sitting in a very nice, posh sort of waiting room, which Harry had to admit he'd never even knew St Mungo's possessed. Sid was definitely a Very Important Healer.

"Harry," Brogan said again. "You don't have to sit with me. I'm a big boy. Besides, I have my special book."

He raised the book he'd brought to read and shook it in front of Harry's face. Earlier that morning Brogan had remembered he'd tried to bring Aine's magical bookcase back with him before he'd left the portal. They'd torn through their half-unpacked bags looking for the shirt he'd returned in only to find the bookcase still nestled in the front pocket, right where he'd left it. Harry had enlarged it for him and voila, they now had a super special bookshelf. Their very first piece of furniture. And it was stolen from a mystical Irish Time-Well. Harry thought that might set a hard-to-beat precedent for every piece they collected thereafter.

"I don't want you to feel like you don't have anyone to wait for you," Harry said, frowning. Brogan rolled his eyes, but his look was affectionate.

"Would you go and visit with Tonks and Remus like you said? If you or Ginny aren't back when I'm finished, I'll just hang out and look bookish."

"Now why would you want to make everyone in this waiting room get all hot and bothered," Harry joked, lowering his voice. Brogan chuckled and then nudged him with his shoulder.

"Go."

"Oh, all right, I'll just visit with them a short while. I'll be back within the hour and maybe we can get some more coffee?"

Brogan's lips twitched in amusement. "If you want. You can order juice, you know. Most café's do have it."

"I'm starting to like it in the morning," Harry said as he shrugged. He stood up and realized they were alone in the waiting room, the medi-wizard at the desk having stepped out somewhere. He leaned down and kissed Brogan, just a quick brush of his lips against his, but it still caused the other man to blush. Harry smiled as he pulled back up.

"You'll miss me, admit it," Harry said smugly.

"Aye, probably, but you do have to leave for it to happen. Now, go."

Harry waved as he left and then headed down towards the Apparition points. He knew it was silly to wait with Brogan. But to be honest, ever since they'd got him back, Harry was leery of letting the other man out of his sight. But, he knew that could get old fast for Brogan, so he was trying not to be obvious about it. He'd learned his lesson about being an over-bearing git, finally. Or so he hoped.

He'd sent a message earlier to Remus and Tonks, so he knew they were expecting him. He thought he might Apparate a few streets away and enjoy the morning a bit with a short stroll. London was experiencing a lovely cooling wave, oddly enough, and even though it was July, it was chilly still. At least in the mornings. He was sure it would warm up by lunchtime. He briefly wondered if he could persuade Brogan and Ginny to put off visiting Solace until after lunch, and they could enjoy an open-air muggle café for a treat.

Even though he knew Brogan was nervous about finally seeing his father since coming back, Harry himself wasn't that eager to see the elder Caley. Not for any direct reason, just…he didn't trust Solace not to upset Brogan. Because Harry knew an upset Brogan meant that he was going to eventually get upset and Ginny, too. He knew it was because they'd just got him back, but Harry felt fiercely protective of their little bubble of current happiness and he didn't fancy having Solace possibly muck it up.

o-o-o-o-o

Brogan sighed and glanced at the clock again. Sid was running a bit late this morning, apparently. He tried to focus on the book he'd brought but his mind kept jumping from subject to subject. Mostly about Harry and Ginny. Merlin, now he had it even worse for them. He couldn't even sit in a waiting room without his mind wandering down certain lovely avenues.…

It frightened Brogan a little bit how easy the three of them had just…fallen into being them again. Sometimes, it felt as though they hadn't been together in ages and other times it was like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes. He recognized every touch and every glance between them and the best thing was, he remembered them. He had memories. Not all in order, and sometimes it was more of a feeling than actual memory, but he knew them. Like he knew himself and it was…well, breathtaking. He couldn't believe he had ever forgotten how Ginny sounded when she was excited, or how Harry moaned when feeling pleasure. How much they responded to his touch; how much he responded to theirs.

He felt as though he was falling in love with them all over again, and it was a spinning sort of dizzying sensation. He felt as though he owed them so much and he wanted to do anything he could to show them how much he appreciated what they had done for him. What they continued to do for him every day. Brogan could see how they had changed in the few short months they'd been apart – Ginny was quieter, more thoughtful. She seemed even more in tune with their feelings than ever before. He could see that she had grown magically – opening the portal had given her a confidence he didn't think she was aware of. But she moved and cast with absolute authority now. Harry, on the other hand, seemed strangely more open. As though finally defeating Voldemort had somehow unlocked another part of him that wanted to just…embrace life and all it had to offer. Harry laughed longer and louder, now. He was freer with that wonderful sense of dry humor he possessed. It was wonderful to see. Magically, he knew Harry would always be strong – but his use of his wandless magic had become so second hand to him that now Brogan didn't even notice when he used it.

Ginny had told him once, after they'd first got together, that Harry had a loving and passionate nature and since then, of course, Brogan had born witness to that many times. But now, it was almost radically different – Harry was so free – so bold. He was turning into a fine man, sure of himself and his place in the world. Brogan was not surprised that Harry wanted to show affection in public now – Harry could simply no longer conceive of going through life hiding what he felt. And to Brogan, he knew that was an amazing thing for his lover. From being treated as though he didn't exist to turning into a warrior for his life and the lives of those he cared about, Harry could have easily turned resentful or bitter or any other negative thing, but he never had. Harry had always turned to love. And Brogan knew it was only natural that now Harry wanted to be able to show that love whenever he felt like it.

Brogan was so deep in his thoughts that he did not realize Sid had cleared his throat a few times and was now giving him an amused look.

"Erm, I'm ready when you are, Brogan."

Brogan felt his face heat. "Sorry! I was wool-gathering."

"Hmm, whatever you were gathering, I don't think it was wool. You had a stupendously stupid grin on your face just now. Apropos of nothing I just said, where are Harry and Ginny?"

Brogan stood up and chuckled, following the healer to his office and observation room. "They had errands so I told them to get out of here."

"And how are things? Here goes my lack of boundaries again, but how are things between the three of you?" Sid asked as he opened his door. He indicated that Brogan should sit down on a large, flat-looking table.

"We're…brilliant," Brogan said, clearing his throat and feeling silly. Sid gave him a knowing smile.

"Yes, I can see that you are. All right, so, official healer question here…I am assuming everything works in that department?"

Brogan nodded, grinning before he could stop himself. Sid rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, don't rub it in. I slept with only my lumpy pillow last night. Right. Okay, any strange memory flashbacks? Has there been any occurrences of something you felt as though you forgot but then just suddenly remembered?"

"Erm, this morning I remembered I had tried to bring something back from where I was stuck. I'd completely forgotten until just this morning. It was weird but other than this instance, there hasn't been anything like that. It's more…more like sensations of knowing or feeling something to be true. Like, I couldn't tell you what I ate or wore or did on any given day, but I know I remember things happening. Does that make sense?"

Sid nodded as he wrote something down with his quill into a brown folder. "It does. Memories are wonderful things, but they can be tricky. Emotions play such a huge part in them, too. That's why mind-magic is so specialized. And also why when someone gets a head injury or has their memory tampered with, it can have such varied and different responses. As long as we've studied the mind, we still don't know exactly what goes on in there. It's terribly fascinating from a research perspective. Hmm, how about your Empath abilities? How do you feel?"

Brogan could not help the smile that broke across his face. "Is it wrong of me to say bloody fantastic? There's honest to goodness peace in my head now about everything. Not remembering felt like such a burden, you have no idea. And now…I feel so loved and so incredibly lucky. I probably feel better than I should or deserve to, but…it's…special."

Brogan felt silly for blurting that out – it was so unlike him to admit to such good feelings, even to himself. But Sid seemed to understand.

The healer made another note and smiled at him. "That was refreshingly honest. Most people tell me they just feel fine. Or shrug." He put his folder down and then used his wand on his quill. It floated in the air above the parchment, ready to take notes.

"All right, I'm going to delve into some of your most recent memories, all right? I want to make sure they're forming correctly. And no, don't worry, I won't look at anything you don't want me to. Just think of what you had for breakfast. Got it? Okay, now, relax."

Whenever Sid entered Brogan's mind it was always so peaceful and relaxing. If he didn't know any better, Brogan would swear the healer was putting him to sleep. Except he knew that he didn't because he remembered everything they talked about. He let his mind drift and before he knew it, Sid was casting the usual diagnostic charms to follow their progress and talking to him. Brogan frowned, wondering what he'd missed.

"Ah, interesting. Your hippocampus is lighting up like fireworks in the night sky. Just for thinking about breakfast. Hmm. Did you have an intense emotion this morning?"

Brogan didn't say anything at first, thinking immediately of what had occurred in bed, before breakfast and he saw the diagnostic charm bloom a brilliant red, indicating strong emotion. He immediately tried to concentrate again on breakfast, not wanting Sid to see his other memories. Yes, he'd had a strong emotion at breakfast, he remembered now. Harry had been helping Ginny wash up their morning dishes and she'd got soap in her hair as she'd turned to say something to Brogan and he'd watch as the other man had gently wiped it away for her, without her even realizing. It had been such a tender moment that his heart had swelled with love for the two of them. He smirked as the charm changed from bright red to a soft sort of pink.

"Is pink the color for affection?"

Sid smiled as he checked the diagnostic. "It can be. Or any sort of sentimental, warm feeling. I like to call it the gooey, sweet pasty of love."

Brogan snorted. "I'm sorry, what?"

Sid waved his wand and the diagnostic changed to something more internal. He frowned at something and then looked back at Brogan. "My mum was a baker and she made the best pasties in all of North Devon. She filled each one with love, if she was feeling generous or if you'd pleased her. So sweet and gooey, they'd melt in your mouth. If she was angry, she'd make spicy, savory pasties, filled with exotic heat to burn your mouth. It was maddening. You'd knew you'd regret it but you couldn't help it, you'd eat them anyway and she'd have her revenge."

"Yikes. What does she make if she's proud of you?"

"Oh, well, she's not with us anymore, unfortunately. Killed by Death Eaters during the first war. She was Muggle, you see, so they'd marked us all. But she was a wizard with food. I always did think if she could have baked something for You-Know-Who, he'd have changed his tune about Muggles. She could have worn him down with her baklava, I just know it." The healer stared at his hands for a moment, as though lost in thought.

Brogan reached out and touched Sid lightly, wanting to comfort him. He understood about missing one's mum. "I'm so sorry, Sid. I didn't know."

Sid gave him a small smile and then his expression cleared and his eyes widened. "You just soothed me! You did an Empath thing. Bloody brilliant, Brogan! Look at your diagnostics, they're fantastic!"

And indeed the charm had exploded with several different colors all at once. Sid pointed his wand at it and replayed the moment when Brogan had been trying to console him – it was blue at first, not surprising, really, since he'd been trying to cheer someone by easing their feeling of sadness, and then it exploded into a rainbow of yellows, greens, and purples.

"Wow," Brogan said. "I reckon you're right, when I touch with a purpose, I do use a fair bit of my magic."

Sid nodded, using his wand to flick through the diagnostic again. He went over to the quill and cast a silencing spell. Brogan could tell he was talking rapidly as the quill practically flew through the air. When Sid turned back to him he had an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't want to force you to listen to my technical jargon there. This is fascinating. Had you put conscious thought into what you were going to do? Was it focused at all?"

Brogan shrugged. "I just felt bad that I'd mentioned a sad memory and wanted to soothe you. My mum always said that Empath's can do everything better with touching. Something about using our hands instead of a wand…that skin on skin always knows more and works faster than words or spells."

"Absolutely bloody fascinating. You know, I think I remember your mother mentioning that in that talk I went to. Your mother was stunning by the way and you look a great deal like her when you smile. But I think you mostly take after your father, yes?"

Brogan made a face. "Yes. To my great shame and horror."

Sid laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to hit a sore spot. Hmm. Okay, have you been keeping a journal as I suggested?"

"Well, I bought some, but I haven't had a chance yet to start writing in them."

"Do try. Any time you have an intense memory or flashback or even just what you did here, write it down and try to capture how you felt and what you were thinking before you did it. Here, I will show you how to do the diagnostic charm so you can see what colors are occurring. I can also teach you how to quickly store a copy of your readings so you can look them over later if you need to. It's a bit like saving a memory for a pensieve if you're familiar with that."

Sid showed him what to do by letting him borrow his wand and Brogan was suddenly itching for his own and couldn't wait much longer. He was glad his next stop was Ollivander's. His old wand had been from America, so obviously quite different, but still very good. Before that wand, he'd just used an old one of his mum's. Brogan was interested to see if he would get a similar type or if, perhaps, something completely different. He had heard that Ollivander wands could be persnickety; much like that man who made them. But they were also known to be the best in all of England. He liked Harry and Ginny's wands and was pleased he could use theirs without much trouble. He rubbed his hand as he gave Sid's back to him. Now there was a wand that didn't agree with him.

"All right, well, your levels are better today, but still below average. I am worried you'll still be affected if you don't rest and take care of yourself, which since you are barely in your twenties and male, I doubt you will bother doing either, so I'll stop wasting my breath. I'm prescribing a health potion for you, and don't worry, it tastes quite pleasant. Just give me a moment, and I'll have the medi-witch grab a supply for you. Take it in the morning when you wake up and before you have coffee or tea, all right?"

"What if I forget though? Sometimes…erm, the call of coffee is strong."

"Take it about two hours after you've had the last sip. It's just because the caffeine can mess with the herbs in the potion. Just get into the habit of taking it and you won't forget."

Brogan nodded as Sid left to fetch the medi-witch. Of course, they didn't have coffee at the rental house yet, but if he knew Ginny, she'd was probably picking something out this morning for him and he smiled to himself as he thought of ways to repay her.

o-o-o-o-o

"Oh, Harry, you are a sight for these sore eyes," Tonks said, throwing her arms around him. Her hair was a pretty purple color and fairly long; Harry could see married life agreed with her as well as with his old Professor. Remus looked younger than Harry remembered, and there seemed to be more laugh lines around his eyes. Although his hair was almost completely grey now, Harry thought it suited the older man. Remus chuckled as they made their way to the Drawing Room on the second floor.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Harry asked as they sat down. He looked around interestedly. He could see the couple had made an effort to brighten the room up. It was almost as though you couldn't tell an entire generation of Slytherins had lived there.

Tonk's smiled at him while she watched him looking around. "Do you approve, Mr Potter?"

Harry grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it's starting to look like a real home. It's brilliant."

"We have so much more to do, but we'll get there. Dad is helping a lot, now since he's back in England. He helped set up an area in the basement to help with Remus's transformations and keep it quiet from the rest of the house."

"So, how was Ireland? How's Brogan? I ran into Ron not too long ago and he mentioned that there'd been some trouble?" Remus asked after they talked about the house a bit more.

Harry sighed. He felt bad he hadn't shared more with Remus and Tonks before this, but everything had been so intense and draining that he hadn't had the energy to write a letter about it all. He filled them in the best he could, and for the first ten minutes all the couple could do was listen and exchange looks. Especially when Harry got to the part about Sean O'Brien and what he had done to them and Brogan.

"I don't like the idea of you and Ginny being in danger, without you telling me, er, us," Remus finally said, frowning.

"They're adults now, Remus, they can't very well write home every time something happens, although I am a bit hacked off about you not telling us about getting Brogan back," Tonk said, narrowing her eyes. "That was something major, Harry."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But…it was something we needed to do by ourselves. Can you two understand that?"

Tonks eventually nodded and then poked her husband, tilting her head. Remus gave Harry a sheepish look.

"I'm not trying to be an overbearing parent here, Harry, or overstep my bounds as a friend. But we care about you and Ginny, and we could have helped you with anything you wanted. I hope you know that Tonks and I both would drop just about anything to come to your aide."

"I know that," Harry said, pausing. He could tell his mentor was hurt, based on the note of reproach he'd heard. He needed to make Remus understand that his attempt to handle things on his own and be independent had nothing to do with Harry's feelings towards him, but was more about Harry's need to be his own person.

He looked at the couple and smiled. "You two had just wed when we left and, honestly, I thought you deserved time alone to celebrate joining your lives together. And…well, I know I am not a burden to you, but, Ginny and I had to do this. I can't offer any more explanation than that. But know that had things gone completely belly up, you would have definitely been hearing from me. In fact, Remus, I'd like to have you swing by the house and talk to us about a few things."

Remus seemed heartened by Harry's speech, and Tonks gave Harry an approving smile. They chatted about other, more mundane things and Harry realized his hour had come and gone. He reckoned Brogan would be done with his appointment by now and perhaps Ginny had got the shopping done, too. He told them where the house was and that he'd let them know as soon as they got the floo connected. Harry wanted to have them over for dinner as soon as they were able and Tonks threatened to jinx him if he forgot in the coming weeks. She mysteriously said she had news that she would like to tell all three of them.

Remus walked him to the back door so he could Apparate and they ran into some of the kids and former students still living there, and Harry chatted with them for a bit. He recognized one or two but didn't know them, but the younger ones seemed in awe of him and it made him uncomfortable in a way he hadn't felt in a while. He was glad to make a quick escape.

"Are there still a lot of them that are displaced?" Harry asked as he stepped outside.

"A fair bit. The Ministry is trying to find places for all of them, but it is a slow process. I was wondering if you might like to go with me to talk to the Minister about it. Spread a bit of that irrepressible Potter charm around."

Harry laughed because he could see Remus was joking. "I'd like to let them think I'm still in Ireland for the time being. Although the more out and about we are, I suppose that possibility grows smaller and smaller. It was nice not being bothered there, I have to admit. I'd almost forgot what it feels like to be recognized."

"Must be one of the reasons you stayed then," Remus said wisely. "Also why you've completely given up on your glasses. It does help make you blend in a bit more."

Harry grinned. "I don't miss those either. Although I think Brogan and Ginny do."

"How are things really, between you three?" Remus asked, voice neutral.

"We're good. We're…so much better than we were. It was…it was hard for a while there, Remus, I'm not going to lie. We'd just about given up on him ever remembering us. Ginny and I were ready to move back and leave him behind. Well, to be fair, he left us first. But…while I hate that he had to suffer and that Sean O'Brien turned out to be a major creep, some small part of me can't be too upset because he gave Brogan back to us without realizing it."

They said goodbye, and Remus promised to come over the following afternoon so they could talk a bit more, and Harry focused on St Mungo's, anxious to see Ginny and Brogan again.

o-o-o-o-o

Ginny managed, with the surprising helpfulness of her brother to get all the shopping done as well as a few extra items she'd needed. She'd even manage to pop back home and drop everything off before returning to St Mungo's and felt proud of herself. They had enough food to last for the next five or six days if they cooked things and had leftovers. She hadn't even gone over her self-imposed budget. She'd been fascinated with the muggle grocery store Ron had taken her to. Ginny had a feeling that this is where having Brogan back would come in handy. Harry was good in the kitchen too, but Brogan always seemed to have more creativity with dishes. She never thought she would live to see the day, but Ginny was excited about learning to cook more and could understand now why her Mum and Ron enjoyed it. The idea of making food for the people she loved, in her own home, made Ginny feel warm and happy inside.

Thinking of her mum made her realize she hadn't even let her parents know they were back and practically moved into their own place. Frowning, she thought she'd better send a quick note with a promise to either come by or floo when she was able. She asked the first medi-witch she found for directions and made her way to the hospital's owlery. Well, it was more like a small room where she could rent an owl from the Diagon Alley post and transmit her message without having to leave the hospital proper. It was a new program Minister Spunk had put in so that loved ones could stay close by to the patients without having to go back and forth to alert family members.

After she'd stared at her message to her mum for far too long, she made her way upstairs to Sid's office. She'd noticed this morning that it was very posh, and smoothed her hair down, feeling out of sorts for a moment. They'd put off clothes shopping today, opting to do it next time, but Ginny was suddenly feeling as though her robes were too shabby. She shook herself; it was unlike her to care so much about such things and she chalked it up as a reaction to spending money that technically wasn't hers.

Brogan was sitting where she'd left him, reading. He looked up when she came in, his face brightening. Ginny nodded at the witch behind the desk and joined him.

"Been out here long?"

"No, just a few minutes. Sid was late this morning, and Harry's not back yet anyway."

"You actually convinced him to leave you alone for a moment?" Ginny asked, smirking.

"Only just," Brogan nodded. He ran his hand up and down her arm, looking wistful. Ginny shivered because it felt nice, and it tickled. Brogan smiled gently, and, after glancing around, leaned forward and kissed her.

"You're in a good mood," Ginny said, studying him. "Sid give you a good health report?"

"He did. Well, almost. I need to start taking a potion in the morning." Brogan made a face at the idea. "And he taught me how to do the diagnostic spells so I can understand what happens when I remember more. We discovered my magic gets a bit intense when I try to soothe someone. He wants me to keep a journal about what happens when I try different things, with, erm, touching and emoting."

Ginny grinned. "A journal, hmm? Of everything? Why, Brogan Caley, are you going to be writing a naughty diary?"

Brogan chuckled and it was so masculine and full of promise that it made her stomach do somersaults. She'd missed the way he could do that to her.

"I wasn't planning on it, but that could be fun, now that you mention it."

They were still grinning stupidly at each other when Harry joined them. He looked between them, raising his eyebrow.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing, love," Ginny said, standing and wrapping her arms around him. She took in a deep breath of just Harry and smiled. She turned to Brogan. "Are we ready to get you a new wand?"

"Yes! Please," Brogan said, standing up. "I feel like I'm missing a limb."

They quickly made their way outside, and Harry filled them in on his visit with Tonks and Remus.

"Oh, and how did it go at the shops?" Harry said, squeezing her hand. "Only, I invited Remus over tomorrow afternoon, and I thought it'd be nice if we could serve him something homemade."

Ginny gave him a skeptical look. "You're pretty free with donating my time to your food pursuits, you know that, Harry?"

"I only meant a small something with tea or coffee! Not a four-course meal!"

"Yeah, he was waiting to spring that one on me," Brogan deadpanned. "He thinks we're his domestic slaves."

"Oh, shut it," Harry said, looking disgruntled at the pair of them. "I was going to suggest she make another Barmbrack, but see if I do you any favors."

Brogan laughed, and after glancing around, he suddenly pulled them both against the side of the building they'd just passed. He kissed Harry first, and then Ginny, and they were both rather dazed after it.

"Oh, I think I have ways of convincing you to do loads of favors for me," he said smugly as they continued on their way.

"Prat," Harry said good-naturedly. Ginny merely shook her head at them and they managed to make it to the Leaky Caldron in relatively good time.

While inside the pub, she realized people were staring at them and felt unnerved again. Brogan frowned at her, as though sensing her discomfort. She shook her head to let him know it was nothing. Harry, of course, seemed oblivious as he often was when people stared at him. Probably because they'd always done it and it didn't even faze him anymore. Still, Ginny wished she had worn something a bit more…well, something. She'd gone with comfort instead of glamour and she felt a bit dowdy all of a sudden. She was 17 years old, shouldn't she show a little skin, at least? This was probably the last time her body would look this great. Once she started having kids she knew the infamous Prewett hips would find her and take her prisoner.

They decided to go to Gringott's first, so they could transfer their Irish money back into Wizarding money as well as get more Muggle money. Harry, because he wanted to get something from his vault, went first, waving at them as the goblin led him towards the cart. As they waited in the queue to be allowed access to his account next, Brogan leaned down and pretended to push her hair back for her. His blue eyes met hers with concern as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just…it's silly. I just noticed everyone staring back in the pub and it made me feel funny. I felt it back in Sid's office, too. I usually don't care about such things, but I just felt severely underdressed. You two look very fashionable, and here I am with a dull, second-hand robe and boring muggle clothes, which actually, I think, used to belong to my brother, so they're not even girl's clothes. Brilliant."

Ginny bit her tongue. She had not meant to admit all of that. Brogan looked thoughtful though and didn't notice her embarrassment.

"Why don't you go buy yourself some new things while I get a new wand? Just give them this and tell them to withdraw the total." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card that had his Gringott account on it and his signature. Ginny waved her hand in front of her.

"No, Brogan, I couldn't."

"You let Harry buy you things, I've seen you. That's him being your boyfriend and his usual generous self. Why can't I do the same? Besides, I never did get you a birthday present this year, or any year, really."

Ginny opened her mouth and then closed it. He had a point. Well, about the boyfriend thing, not the birthday thing.

"I mean, honestly, Ginny. You let me make mad passionate love to you and I can't buy you some clothes? That's a bit messed up."

His mouth was twitching and she knew he was having a laugh, but still. Somehow along the way without realizing it, she'd got used to Harry buying her things as her boyfriend. But she felt odd letting Brogan do it.

"I just hate feeling-"

"Beholden to any of us. Yes, I know. I still respect your mad independence and fierce love of freedom, have no fear. Come on, let me do this. It would mean a lot to me. I'm…look, I've never had anyone to spend money on, I'll be honest. And I don't know the first thing about being a proper boyfriend to you, not really, so let me buy you a nice outfit or, even a few nice outfits. Okay?"

Ginny felt a hard lump form in her throat but she nodded. "All right."

Brogan looked pleased and then impressed. "I thought that would take longer and I'd have to break into song or remind you how utterly alone I was before I met you two. This is nice. Easy, even."

"Oh! You are impossible," Ginny said, huffing. But she took the card from him and then stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "And you're also incredibly sweet and of course, you are a proper boyfriend to me. As well as to Harry. And you had best buy him something to ease my guilty conscience."

"Deal," Brogan said, winking at her. The goblin waiting on them cleared his throat and Brogan moved forward, but not before shoving her gently towards the door. "Go. Go and buy something pretty. And sexy too. That can be a gift for all of us."

Ginny snorted and shook her head. Her men had a one-track mind and she loved it.

o-o-o-o-o

"So what was your old wand made out of?" Harry asked Brogan as they waited for Ginny. They'd decided to get ice cream and were sitting outside, basking in the warm sun.

"It was an American-made wand, so it had a Thunderbird tail feather core and it was made out of fir, Douglas fir to be precise. Nothing special, but I liked it and it was hardy and good for transfiguration."

Harry watched Brogan as he stared at his new wand. It had taken them a while to find one that reacted to him. Mr Ollivander had carried on in his usual manner and had asked to see Harry's wand too, raising an eyebrow at the scuff marks he'd found on it. Harry had pretended his shoes were fascinating while the older wizard muttered under his breath and gave it a cleaning and a 'touch-up'.

Brogan's new wand was longer than his old one and completely different. It was hazelwood, and instead of a regular brown, it was now a lighter, almost orangish-yellow type of color. It had long, Celtic markings along the side and looked rather pretty, Harry thought. He could tell why Brogan was nonplussed over it. The interesting thing to Harry was the markings and the Unicorn hair core.

"You're not happy," he said now as he took a bite of his Strawberry and Peanut Butter parfait.

"No, I am. It's a good wand. Just wondering why it's changed so dramatically. I knew there was no chance I'd get a phoenix wand core," Brogan paused and flashed a smile at him. "But I was shooting for dragon heartstring, I reckon. You know I have this urge to be the most powerful wizard in the room."

Harry guffawed rather indelicately at that and two young girls sitting near them eyeballed him rather disdainfully, reminding Harry of Malfoy for some reason. Harry stuck his tongue out at them in a pique of immaturity, and the girls whispered madly for a moment before getting up and moving. Brogan smirked at him.

"Brilliant effect on the young, Harry."

"They were being snobby."

"Hmm. Ah well, at least it's long. You know what they say about that." Brogan practiced flipping his wand and twirling it. Harry watched him for a moment.

"No, actually. What do they say about wand length?"

Brogan smiled and waggled his eyebrows. "The longer the wand…the…longer….other things on a bloke are."

"They do not," Harry said, finishing his last bite of ice cream.

Brogan raised his eyebrow. "Well, I mean, just compare your relatively short wand-"

"Watch it."

"Ahem, no, you're right, 11 inches is respectable. Okay, compare your medium-length wand to mine, which is a lovely 13 inches, and erm, sorry, where was I going with this?"

"Getting your arse kicked by my wandless-doesn't matter what size it is-magic? I mean, you've basically implied that my wand is less in size than your wand, which as we know, doesn't matter because it's all in how you use it. And I know for a fact that you are quite, quite agreeable to the way I use mine."

Both men grinned and then burst out laughing, and it was then that Ginny found them. She sat down in a huff and fanned herself. "What's so funny?"

Harry smiled. "Nothing. We're being boys. Did you have fun shopping?" He leaned forward and started looking through her bags, which she pulled out of his reach.

"Yes. And you will see everything later. But now, please, one of you…a glass of water? And a mango ice lolly?"

"Aye, I'll get it," Brogan said, standing up. "I need more coffee before facing my father, anyway. Back in a tiff."

Ginny placed her wand on her table and started looking through her bags and Harry stared at it, comparing the length to his and Brogan's. When he burst out laughing, she raised her head, perplexed.

"Tell me! What is so funny?"

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing, sorry. Say, Gin, how long is your wand?"

"Hmm, 14 inches, why?"

Harry had to bite down another loud laugh and tried to shrug. "No reason. You have the longest wand out of all of us. Brogan will be absolutely gutted."

"I don't even want to know."

As they waited for Ginny to finish her ice lolly, Brogan and Harry took turns people watching, trying to imagine what sort of pants people had under their clothes, getting more and more outlandish as time passed. It was at the point when they were discussing a long-legged brunette witch around their age and what she could be wearing under her rather short robes that Ginny announced loudly that it was time to move on. Harry grinned at her when she gave him a petulant glare. He kissed the top of her head and then swung his arm around her shoulder, taking her bags to carry with his other hand.

"She was plain, Gin. Only redheads for me. And erm, dark-haired types," he said glancing at Brogan.

"Smooth," the other man said, smirking. He also put his arm around Ginny, hugging her briefly. "Yes, Ginny, you know Harry and I have a particular type and will never stray from your redheaded freckly body of absolute bloody perfection."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but she blushed prettily, and Harry knew she wasn't angry. They were just heading back towards The Leaky when someone bumped into him rather harshly.

"Should know better to look where you're going, Potter," a reedy voice drawled, and Harry frowned.

"Draco. Didn't see you there. Or anywhere for the last several months. It's been too short a time. Really. Maybe you should go back under the rock you were living under."

Draco sneered at him and then he looked at Ginny and Brogan, grey eyes narrowing with disdain. His thin mouth formed a frown and he looked on the verge of saying something, but surprisingly he didn't. Harry didn't think anyone could have their head more up in the air than the man in front of them. Draco sniffed as though smelling something bad and pushed past them, blonde head eventually getting swallowed up by the rest of the shoppers.

"Did you know he was back?" Ginny asked as they all turned back around.

"No," Harry said. "You'd think Ron or Remus could have mentioned it, or even Hermione. I thought he and his mum weren't allowed back in England."

"I looked at the Prophet someone left in the ice cream parlor while I was getting Ginny's treat and just read something about Malfoy senior being brought before the Wizengamot for trial. Perhaps that's why Draco is back in town?" Brogan said, frowning.

"He should be on trial too," Harry muttered darkly. "He was a bloody Death Eater as well. And he almost killed Ginny that one time. I've never forgotten nor forgiven it."

"Me either, strangely enough," Ginny said dryly. She linked her arm around his. "Come on, Harry. Forget him. Let's not allow it to ruin our lovely afternoon."

"I hope this isn't an omen that my talk with my father is going to go to tits up," Brogan mused.

Harry shook himself and looked at them. Ginny was right, he shouldn't let it bother him. He and Draco could exist in the same world, surely. Still, it didn't sit right with Harry that Malfoy was walking around as though nothing in their world had changed. Bloody wanker.

A woman gasped next to them and put her hand around her little boy's ear, glaring at Harry. He looked at Ginny and Brogan again. "Did I say that part out loud?"

Ginny nodded, her eyes bright. "You did, love."

"Bugger."

Ginny and Brogan exchanged amused glances. She reached out, taking his hand. "Come on, let's get to the flat before you say something truly rotten. Also, can't you tell we need to put this one out of his misery?"

"You're getting nervous?" Harry asked, turning to Brogan. The other man nodded.

"A bit. I am not sure if I am in the mood for Solace as Guest Lecturer about my life choices just yet."

"He'll be pleased to see you, I promise," Harry said, thinking of his last conversation with Solace over the summer.

"It always starts that way, but then we…forget the social niceties and act like our troublesome, antagonistic selves without fail."

"You'll have us, Brogan," Ginny said as they queued for the floo.

"Yeah, Solace loves us now," Harry said reassuringly.

Brogan merely shook his head in disbelief. But Harry hoped Solace would surprise them this time.

o-o-o-o-o

From the foyer, they let themselves into the flat, as Harry had owled earlier in the day to say they would visit with a surprise. They hadn't heard back so they assumed Brogan's father would be there.

"It let us in, so that means he's here, right?" Ginny asked, looking around.

Brogan nodded, feeling as though a bundle of nerves had settled in his stomach. Maybe this was a sign they should come back another time. He was just about to suggest it when the door to the sitting room opened and Solace appeared as though summoned.

It was funny, Brogan supposed, how the various expression warred on his father's face with happiness finally winning out over all the others.

"Brogan!"

"Hey, Solace."

His father moved with grace and agility and before Brogan could prepare himself he was being hugged. Tightly. There were actual tears in his father's eyes when he finally pulled away to look at him. Solace's eyes seemed to travel over him, taking in everything. He finally half-turned towards Harry and Ginny.

"Does this mean he's…." His father stopped and then turned back to him. "You're…good? You've remembered?"

Brogan nodded and Solace hugged him again, which was starting to cause actual alarm within him. His father then turned and without warning, pulled both Harry and Ginny together and hugged them as well.

"You did it. You said you would do it, and by God…thank you, Harry. Thank you, Ginny. You gave me my son back."

Brogan caught Harry's eye, hoping he'd know what was going on. Harry just shrugged and patted Solace consolingly on the back.

"Er, are you sure you're my father because, honestly, Solace, all of this emotion seems a bit…much," Brogan said nervously.

Solace sniffed loudly and looked at him. "I apologize for my emotional outburst; you're right, very un-Irish of me. But if you ever have a child and have to live through what I have these last few months, then and only then can you take the mickey for how I feel right now. I thought I would never see you again, Brogan. And that scared me more than I'd like to admit. But come, let's all get a wee dram of something strong and let me sit down before my legs go out from under me."

He led them to the study, of course, and Brogan watched him carefully. Solace looked older to his eyes or maybe that was just because he always tended to remember his father as forever young. Brogan could hardly imagine something like him disappearing into an endless void causing Solace to age. He then chastised himself for his uncharitable thoughts. Ginny gave him a look as though she had sensed his feelings and he shrugged, unable to defend himself.

"So," Solace said, sitting down in the chair across from the sofa. "Tell me what you need to tell me."

"Um, about?" Brogan asked, glancing at the other two.

"How you made it back, why I couldn't see you for almost a month, and what happened to bring you," Solace paused and tapped his head. "Back to us? Avery filled me in on a few things, but she was very tight-lipped." Solace glanced at Harry and Ginny a bit disgruntled, as if knowing that had been their doing.

The three of them had already discussed what to share with Solace and what not to share. So Brogan told him the slightly modified version of the events of the last month, trying not to lie exactly because he knew his father would pick at anything he didn't buy. They had also decided not to tell Solace about Brogan's near-death experience after dealing with Sean O'Brien, thinking what his father didn't know, he couldn't worry about after the fact.

"So…" Solace began and stopped, pouring himself another drink. "You have some memories back but not all of them, but you have…all of your emotions back? And previously you…had neither?"

Brogan nodded. "That's exactly it. I hadn't considered it that way, but, that sums it up."

"It does. It explains exactly why we felt so estranged from each other," Ginny said softly, next to him. "It's why we almost lost you." She slipped her hand into his, her eyes were a bit haunted. Brogan squeezed her hand to reassure her that he was still here. He gazed at Harry, too, to let him know as well. Brogan wasn't going anywhere if he could help it.

"No wonder you didn't want me to see him," Solace said, frowning.

"His healer wanted him to experience positive emotions first-" Harry said as Solace snorted.

"Yes, well, that hardly sums up our relationship does it, son?"

Brogan grinned slightly. "I don't know, I thought we were doing better there by the end."

Solace's eyes filled with emotion and he nodded. "So did I."

No one said anything for a moment and Ginny stirred next to him. "Erm, I'm going to use the loo. Is that kettle of yours still always on, Solace?"

His father nodded. "Of course. Help yourself. I believe we have Darjeeling this afternoon."

"Harry?" Ginny asked, giving him a pointed look. Brogan hid a smirk behind his hand as Harry slowly realized he was supposed to leave them alone. Before he left, Harry touched his shoulder gently and gave him a look that he knew meant they'd be monitoring his emotions in case he needed them. Brogan reached up and squeezed his hand with thanks.

Solace, of course, watched the whole display but for probably the first time since being in each other's lives again, his father's gaze did not hold cunning or suspicion or even a hint of calculation. In fact, he appeared pleased. Brogan waited for the door to close behind the couple and turned back to his father.

"They love you," Solace said, sounding slightly amused. "You tried to tell me, but I didn't listen. Make sure you save this memory for later son, for posterity." He smirked and then took a deep breath as though bracing himself. "I was wrong to think you didn't matter to them. They've done right by you, and I am…I am in their debt for making sure you have a chance at life again. A life that you deserve to live any way you please, and while I may not…understand it, I support it. I support you, Brogan."

"I'm glad to hear you've finally pulled your head out your arse," Brogan said without thinking, and Solace's eyes widened in surprise and then he laughed.

"Well put, Brogan."

"I learned from the best."

"Oh? I don't recall your mother having that quick a tongue."

"I meant you."

Solace blinked at him, full of emotion again. "When can I see you again?"

"Er, well, I have to have weekly visits to the healer, so…we can make it a regular thing if you'd like. Have lunch, perhaps? Just the two of us? I'm willing to try."

"Why are you still seeing the healer? I thought you were fine?" Solace frowned at him.

"Erm, it's just a precaution. Getting a bunch of memories back at once sort of threw my head for a loop. But he was suggested to us by Avery, and he's the best. I like him."

"But physically you're okay?"

Brogan sighed and bit his lip. "Da, I'm fine. He's a mind-healer and he just wants to help make sure everything is okay up here. Honest. I'm fit as a fiddle. Even more so than before I left."

Solace was still frowning but he accepted his explanation. Brogan sighed inwardly in relief. He'd almost said too much. Just then a silver St Bernard burst into the room and he realized it must be Avery's Patronus. A moment later it was confirmed when he heard her voice.

"Can't make diner, Sol, there's been an explosion at Diagon Alley, lots of kids were hurt. I've got to stay and help out. See you later, hopefully. I'll let you know more when I know more."

The St Bernard ambled over to Solace and affectionately slobbered all over him, licking him with its tongue, and then it disappeared the way it had come. Any other time, Brogan would have been curious enough to ask what it felt like to get licked by a Patronus, but right now he felt in shock. He stared in disbelief at his father.

"Did she say there was an explosion in Diagon Alley? We were just there! We'd better let Harry and Ginny know."

"Aye," Solace said getting up, looking worried. "I suppose this means you three will be right in the thick of things again. Give your old man's heart a break, would you?"

Brogan pursed his lips and didn't say anything as he hurried to the kitchen. He hoped this wasn't the start of something that Harry would eventually get tangled up in, but knowing him as he did, he knew that it was probably already too late for that.

o-o-o-o-o