Harry positioned himself so that he could see the entrance to the Manor and the tree at the same time. He knew, at least until the meeting started, that Minerva was safe. Harry also knew she could fight well, even more than well, she was one of, if not the most powerful witch of their time.

Still, when the first Death Eaters arrived, he couldn't help but tense and watch the Manor even closer, so he wouldn't miss even the most minor thing going on. If Harry only saw the slightest indicator that something was not alright and Minerva was in danger, he would give them hell. When the last Death Eaters had arrived, Harry retreated back to the tree they had slept and hid their wands under and from which he had a better sight on the dining room where the Death Eaters had gathered.

For nearly fifteen minutes, nothing out of the ordinary happened, but suddenly his sight began to blur, Harry shook his head, thinking it was because of the intense staring, but it wouldn't go away. Harry blinked, and then a nearly unbearable pain formed in his head, so intense that he could only compare it to the first time Voldemort had touched him on the Little Hangelton Graveyard. The pain forced him to change back into his human form, and a moment later, Harry laid on the forest floor, clutching his head in his hand and biting his cheeks so strong to keep himself from screaming out loud that he tasted blood.

Suddenly everything was over, the pain stopped, but the world around him turned black, and Harry felt like he was floating in darkness. He didn't know where he was, where up and down was or if he was still in the forest at the Avery Manor.

"Happy Birthday Uncle Harry!" a voice suddenly yelled. A voice he would recognize everywhere because it belonged to his nine-year-old godson. Harry opened his eyes and blinked against the brightness, he could barely make out the two people against the light, but even though Harry had travelled through time, he knew it was Andromeda and Teddy. Harry didn't understand how that was possible; what the hell had happened? In the next moment, Teddy jumped at Harry, who opened his arms quickly to catch him, but the boy with the bright green hair jumped right through him.

Harry turned around and saw himself holding the boy close, "Thank you, Teddy." he said, and only then Harry realized that his sight was blurred again. It was like a thin veil had been draped over his face; at first, he had thought it was just his eyes adapting to the light. He raised his hands and saw that he looked faded, so he hadn't been pulled back entirely into his old time, suddenly it hit him.

Minerva! The Death Eater meeting! He had to go back. What if something went wrong and she needed his help? Or what if it was already over and his beloved found him unconscious in the forest? What was this? What the hell had happened? Harry turned and looked around like he was expecting to see a door that would lead him back, then he even closed his eyes, hoping it would take him back, but nothing happened.

He opened his eyes again and then saw how the other Harry lead Teddy and Andromeda into the living room; not knowing what else to do, he followed them. When he walked through the door, he couldn't believe his eyes, and even though he wasn't proud of it, every thought of how to get back left his mind. Harry was instantly overwhelmed with emotions. Each and every one of his family was here, nearly all of the Weasleys, some of his old colleagues, and most importantly, Ron and Hermione, who had another baby, to his honest surprise.

Neville had his arm wrapped around Luna, who had put her own hand on her slightly bulging belly, and both wore the happiest smiles Harry had ever seen on their faces. Everyone he loved and held dear was here, and the wound of losing all of this, of them, which he had patched up so carefully mostly with Minerva's help, dared to tear open once more. Seeing them all again made him once again feel ripped in half, here were his best friends, the people who had become his family, had fought side by side with him in a war.

But in the past, there was Minerva, who he really loved with all his heart, maybe even more than Ron and Hermione. He really had never felt like that with anyone else. Of course, there also were his parents, Sirius, Remus, Albus, Fred, Tonks, Moody, people he had loved and lost, and Harry had not the slightest idea of what to do right now. He had never felt so ripped in two in his life.

Then there was a knock on the front door, and the other Harry, who had been talking with Arthur, left the room to greet whoever stood at the door. Harry walked over to Ron and Hermione; Rose was sitting on her father's lap and offered her little brother a piece of her cake, Hermione held her son securely in her arms, and he saw the pure happiness in all of their eyes. Though he knew he still existed here, that they had no idea that there was another him in the past, Harry somehow wished they would miss him as much as he missed them.

"Look who is honouring us, and especially me, with her presence!" other Harry exclaimed loud with a big smile on his face when he entered the room once more, behind him to everyone's surprise, judging their faces, was Minerva. But nobody was more surprised than Harry himself when he once again saw the face of his Transfiguration Professor, a face which had become so familiar to him, even though it looked different.

He almost forgot how she looked, as when he now thought of her, it was her younger face he came to think of, the face he came to love and know inside out. Harry stood and slowly walked over to her. Now, as he had seen her young, he came to the conclusion that Minerva still nearly looked the same as she did in his school time, a few more wrinkles on her skin and her hair began to turn grey. He couldn't help but think of their future, that hopefully, they would grow old together.

Walking even closer to Minerva, who now greeted everyone in the room, Harry reached out and laid a hand on her cheek. Suddenly Minerva and the others started to fade, trees formed in the living room and build the forest in which he had been, but what caused his blood to run cold were the horrible and painful screams echoing around. Harry flinched back and spun around to see where they were coming from and who was screaming, though his subconsciousness already told him who it was.

But as soon as he let go of Minerva, the forest and the screaming disappeared. Harry whirled around once more, but he was back in his old living room, and everyone was having fun. Dread filled his body. It was Minerva, his Minerva back in the Avery Manor full of Death Eaters; something must have gone terribly wrong! Merlin knew how long he had been here; Harry had to get back to her, he had to save her! He had promised her that if something was happening, he would come and save her, that he would come and get her out of there.

Stronger fear, fury and desperation started to rise in him when Harry thought about what they were doing to her and that he might be too late to help her. No! He had to push those thoughts away; fear and panic wouldn't help him get back; he had to focus now as he had learned. How could he get back? The answer to this question would be easier to find when Harry knew how the hell he had ended up here in the first place.

He had touched Minerva and got a glimpse of her in the past. Maybe if he touched his other self here, then he would go back. He walked over and reached out, but Harry's hand stopped mere inches from the shoulder of his other self, who was currently discussing the latest Quidditch match results with Ron and George.

What if he touched this Harry and wouldn't go back to his body in the past? What if he would end up back in this self, forever stuck in this body, in this time. What would happen with Minerva? Would this have any effects on her future self? Would she disappear, be erased from the minds of everyone who knew her, if she died in the past? No, he couldn't even think about that. Backing away from the other Harry, he looked at the future version of the woman he came to love with all his heart. He couldn't let her down! He loved her; he had to go back. He wouldn't let her get tortured to Death with her last thought being the question of why he hadn't saved her.

The only thought that this was, what could actually happen at this very moment made him angrier than he had ever been, even angrier than the time when Sirius had died. He walked close to the Minerva here and did the only thing that came to his mind. He wrapped his arms around her, the world already started to fade, and then pressed his lips to Minerva's. Harry felt her vanishing in his arms; the laughter disappeared and was once more replaced by the screaming of his beloved.

His sight blacked for a moment, and then he felt himself returning to his human body on the forest floor. As soon as he regained control over his limps, he got up. Harry turned to the house and saw two Death Eaters patrolling it, inside behind the window of the dining hall, which he had watched earlier, he saw more silhouettes of Death Eaters. At the moment, they were even darker against the flickering white light of the torture curse and the reason for Minerva's screams. Hot fury spread in Harry like a fire; he would hurt them for this, he would hunt each, and every one of them down should one escape his revenge he was about to expose them to.

With ease, he stunned the two Death Eaters who had just turned away from each other, wands raised as one was on his way to search the forest. Quickly he turned back in his fox form, grabbed his and Minerva's wand and ran towards the Manor, turning back into his human form once he was at the entrance, where he unlocked the front door. Harry then leaned around the corner of the Manor and aimed at the wall behind which the Death Eaters were.

'Bombarda Maxima!' he thought, and half of the wall exploded. Using the surprise moment, Harry rand inside and to the dining hall, where he found over a dozen Death Eaters, almost all had been flung through the room. Those who had stood too close to the wall had been affected most, the left arm of one had been blasted off while another Death Eater, who had probably leaned against the wall, had been shredded to pieces.

But Harry didn't care; his eyes were scanning the room for his loved one. Before he could spot her, though, the few men who hadn't been significantly affected by the blast had spotted him and sent the curses his way.

Harry ducked and fired spells of his own, all while trying to find Minerva. A cutting curse grazed his shoulder, and his own blood sprayed his face, but he ignored the pain and continued to fight them. Harry ducked behind a shelf and then ran further into the room; he sent one of his opponents flying through the hole in the wall and punched another hard in the face. Where was Minerva? The worry dared to overwhelm him when he didn't see her anywhere. Suddenly he was flung off the ground and crashed into the opposite wall, and immediately following blasting course missed him only by a few feet, and the shock wave caused some of his ribs to break, a rain of splinters cut in his skin while the heat burned his left arm and part of his side.

The spell had blown Harry further to the right, and luckily for him, he landed behind one half of the table, fighting against the pain. He already moved to fight again but then stopped in the motion. Everything around him came to a halt when he saw the woman he loved lying next to him.

She was unconscious and was bleeding from minor wounds, but what made his imagination run wild was her laying before him in only her underwear. Rage pulsed through his veins, and he had never felt such hate and fury. Harry's mind went blank. The only thing he had in his mind was to hurt them, to inflict as much pain on them as he could.

He sent a fire blast around the room to keep the approaching Death Eaters away, who were now throwing every curse and hex at him they knew, and he didn't even take notice of all the Killing Curses. Another cutting curse hit him in the side, but Harry was so full of rage and magic that he didn't notice the pain, the caster of the spell was killed when a particular strong Sectumsempra nearly cut him in half. Harry then send another bombarda towards the Death Eaters to clear their escape way.

He picked the still unconscious Minerva up and got out of the Manor as fast as possible. But Harry was only halfway across the lawn to the forest before spells came flying around him once more. He didn't know what spell hit him, but suddenly he was flying through the air again. Harry let go of his beloved, so he wouldn't hurt her in landing on top of her.

Harry hit the ground so hard he bounced right back off and used the motion to stand back up, firing curses at the Death Eaters. As he did so, Harry made his way back to Minerva's body, and once he reached her, he sent off another fire blast at their attackers so he could gather his lover once again in his arms and made a run for the end of the wards.

"Don't let them escape!" somebody screamed, but Harry was almost there, only a few more steps; Harry had to get them out of here! And just when he was about to disapparate, he heard one of the Death Eaters shout "Ossox!" and felt how the curse broke his thigh bone in his right leg. Still, it had been too late because Harry already apparated away.

They landed immediately in front of the Hogwarts Gate, though Harry knew that, until they weren't inside the wards, they weren't safe. But the apparition had been too much for Harry's battered body. With his last bit of strength, he forced himself to carry Minerva into safety. Pain exploded in his body as the magic, adrenalin, and anger left him. Harry knew if he'd break down now, they both were domed. He opened the Gate and walked through; it shut behind him just when he heard the familiar popping of several apparitions and saw Death Eaters in front of the Gate. They tried to get inside for a short while, but the wards protected them and quickly as they had come, they disappeared again.

Knowing they were safe, he'd let Minerva slide from his arms; just before he collapsed to the ground. His sight blurred, and he knew he would be gone soon. Harry raised his wand once more, the feeling of grass tickling his cheek quickly fading, just like the other feelings in his body.

"Expecto Patronum." his stag stood in front of them. "Tell Albus...Help...Gate." with his last movement, he sent the Patronus of and then fell forward and knew no more.

There was darkness around him, but it was a comfortable, if not soothing one. He laid somewhere soft, and then Harry felt how delicate and soft hands caressed his face and the fingers ran through his hair. Then he heard a familiar giggle and knew it was Minerva who was near him, she whispered something to him, but he couldn't understand the words. Harry only knew that he loved whatever she told him and that he could spend eternity like this. It didn't matter to him as long as Minerva was with him.

Following a sudden urge, he opened his eyes and saw tree branches full of green leaves, through which the sun shone and which were slightly moving with the breeze. Then, his beloved's face appeared before him, and she was smiling at him though she was upside down. Only then Harry realized that he was lying on soft grass and that his head was pillowed in Minerva's lap.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Minerva murmured, amused, and Harry returned her smile.

"I could get used to seeing your face when I wake up," Harry said and reached out his hand to take hers.

"Is that so? Well, I think we can do something about that," she answered. Suddenly Harry could hear screams of pain and saw the unconscious and battered body of Minerva in front of him. But in the next moment, everything was back to the peaceful surrounding.

"I am only dreaming, aren't I." it was more like a statement than a question. Harry knew this wasn't real; their real selves were probably fighting for their lives.

"Yes, but it's a good dream, isn't it?"

"One of the best I ever had...but I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you Mina, please forgive me." Harry said and watched how Minerva leaned down to lay her lips on his.

"There is nothing you need forgiveness for, Harry. You saved me," she whispered once they parted.

"But-"

"Shh," with that, she kissed him once more, "You have to wake up now, Harry."

"I don't want to, not yet," he answered her honestly and laid his hand on the side of her face. Minerva mirrored his movement in laying her own hand over his and closed her eyes.

"But you have to, and it's time for you to wake up. Dreams can't last forever." and when their lips met for their last kiss, Harry was once again surrounded by darkness and nothingness.

When he regained the feeling in his body once more, he felt that he was lying somewhere comfortable and warm.

Harry heard distant voices, but they were still too far away to understand what exactly was being said and by whom. Remembering the dream and what had happened before, he didn't want to open his eyes. As long as he laid here unknowing of his and Minerva's fate, he could pretend that everything was alright. Still, all too soon, his mind began to create several horrible scenarios, each leaving Minerva either dead, fatally injured or driven insane like Frank and Alice Longbottom had been.

So after a while, Harry decided it was time to wake up, and he opened his eyes. He stared up at a white ceiling that, due to the bright light and the lack of his glasses, was blurred. After blinking a few times, some of the blurriness went away, then Harry was able to make out where he was, the Hospital Wing. Slowly he tried to move each arm and leg, and to his relief, he was able to move all of them, though he had a tight feeling on his left arm, a quick glance down told him that his shoulder and his complete left arm were heavily bandaged and between some of them, he could see a thick orange paste.

Turning his head once more, Harry saw that nearly the whole hospital Wing was empty, except for a bed across from him, around which the curtains had been drawn, so he didn't know if it was Minerva or a student laying there. The voices he had heard earlier had disappeared, then the doors to the hospital wing opened, and quick steps entered. Turning his head slightly, he was met by the sight of a worried and upset looking Dumbledore.

"Albus," Harry said, his voice was hoarse and weak, but it had been enough to make the old wizard turn his head to him.

"Harry! Thank Merlin, you're awake." the headmaster said and hurried over to him.

"Albus, where- where is Minerva? Is she-?" Harry forced himself to ask as Albus handed him something to drink, his voice already giving away as it hadn't been used in a while.

"She is alive, though I cannot say how exactly she is doing. She has not woken up yet, and Poppy refuses to wake her. She has been through much, though her wounds seem to be worse on her mind than her body." Albus answered, and as he did so, he looked to the bed across from him. Harry immediately moved to sit up, though his ribs, despite healing, still felt tender and not speaking of the pain in his left side and arm. Dumbledore quickly, jet firmly, pushed him back on the bed.

"Don't Harry, you still need to recover. You have been severely injured."

"No, what I need is to see her!" Harry argued back, but Albus wouldn't let him move.

"What happened, Harry?" the older wizard asked and set some privacy charms around them.

"I don't know...everything went like we planned it, and then something strange happened, something I can't really explain," Harry said and then thought about how he could possibly try and explain what had happened.

"I lost consciousness, and suddenly I was back in the future. Well, not really; it was like I was stuck in between the times. I could see and hear everything the others did in my time, but they couldn't see or hear me. I tried to go back, I did, but then...there was everyone I lost and loved. For a moment, I forgot to try and find a way back. Then future Minerva arrived, and when I touched her, I partly went back to the forest...I heard Minerva scream. I don't know how long I have been gone or how they found her." he told Albus, who was listening intently.

"Still, once I let go of Minerva, I was back with the others in the future. I didn't know what to do! I only got back when I hugged and well...kissed Minerva. Once I was back, I fought the Death Eaters...when I saw what they had done to her to the woman- I lost control. We barely escaped them because of me." Harry ended and looked at Albus, who looked thoughtful. "What happened to me?"

The older wizard gave a long sigh, "I have to be honest with you, Harry, I have no idea what happened, there are only a handful of wizards who have travelled in time, and none of them lived long enough to tell all of their experiences. The whole concept of time travel is still not greatly explored, but I think that whatever those two Unspeakables did to you wasn't as fool proofed as they thought. I will investigate further into this, Harry." Albus told him, and Harry nodded slowly.

"But I also have to ask you not to blame yourself for what happened, it was something far out of your control, and you managed to save Minerva from a much more horrible fate than Death. You fought alone against over a dozen of Voldemort's followers and won, even though you barely survived it and apparated you and Minerva out of danger. Thanks to you, the woman, and I hope I'm not greatly mistaken, you care for deeply and maybe even love survived," Dumbledore said and was quiet for a while.

"Like I said, I don't you enough about time travel, but I do think that it wasn't a coincidence, that it was being close and kissing Minerva that sent you back to her Harry." and for the first time, Dumbledore smiled a bit. Harry was still too shocked and surprised by what Albus had told him, especially that he apparently knew of his and Minerva's relationship.

"This is once again proof for me that love is one, if not the most powerful force in the world." Harry didn't answer him, though he thought that Dumbledore was right. It was the love he felt for Minerva that brought him back, even though he hadn't told her how much he really cared for her. But then another thought entered his mind, what was he supposed to say to her once she woke up? And to the others?

"Albus, what am I supposed to tell her when she wakes up? What had kept me from fulfilling my promise to her and come and save her? And to everyone else?"

"I think the best would be to tell them you have been caught by one of the Death Eaters who attacked you from behind." Harry nodded in agreement.

"What happened after we arrived here? Have the Death Eaters been caught? How long have I been out?"

"You have been unconscious for a little over three days, though if Poppy hadn't insisted on giving you a sleeping potion to make sure you wouldn't leave her care sooner than you should, you would have woken up earlier. To your other questions, when I received your Patronus, Leonard, Aurora and I immediately went down here to help you. I have to admit it was quite a gruesome sight. For a moment, we were sure we had been too late.

We got you to the Hospital Wing as fast as we could, and though we gave our best to hide what happened to you from the students they know. Upon our arrival in the Hospital Wing, Poppy send for help from St. Mungo's. As I feared for your safety in the Hospital, the healers came here to help. It turned out to be good that I ordered so because my informant in the Hospital told me Death Eaters searched it for both of you.

The healers and Poppy managed to heal you just alright, but the multiple-use and prolonged exposure of the Cruciatus Curse Minerva had to endure proved to be more complicated. Only just this morning, they were able to tell us that she should make a full recovery. After we brought you here and I was sure you two were alive, I informed Mad-Eye. He and the Aurors immediately went there and were able to arrest seven Death Eaters, under them Orlando Avery and his son, three were dead." Albus explained to him, and Harry was glad, though he wasn't sorry, that there was no accusation in Albus' voice regarding the fact that he had killed three people.

"You did not kill them out of joy Harry, it was them, or you and you understandably lost your control after you saw what they had done to Minerva." Harry didn't answer because no answer was needed, and it seemed like Albus thought so too. After a long moment of silence, Harry once again looked at the bed in which Minerva was laying, shielded from his eyes.

"Please, Albus...I have to see her..." Harry said while still looking at the curtains, and even though he tried to hide it, he couldn't keep the desperation out of his voice. Slightly nodding, Albus removed the privacy charms around them and helped Harry getting up and then supported him when he walked slowly across the room. His heart started to beat faster in his chest, and even though he had been told that she was alive and going to survive, he feared what he would see when Albus removed the curtains.

As the older wizard pulled the curtains back, Harry felt both guilty and relieved. Minerva laid peacefully in the bed before them and looked like she was only sleeping, the cuts and bruises that had marred her skin when he had saved her in the Manor were already healed, and nothing remained of them. Her arms rested at each side of her body on top of the blanket that covered her. Minerva's black hair was out of its usual bun and framed her face. But the most important thing to Harry was not how she looked but to see how her chest slowly rose and fell with each breath she took.

He nearly fell into the chair Albus had fortunately moved under him and gently took Minerva's right inside his own hand. Being able to see her breathe and to feel her slightly warm skin on his was the only thing in the world that mattered to Harry. Slowly he lifted Minerva's hand to his face and pressed his lips on the back of her hand, only to hold it against his face.

"I won't leave your side until you wake up, Mina... I'll be right next to you where I belong. I swear I will never break one of my promises again." Harry whispered while looking at the witch he loved with his whole body, heart and soul.

Hello again!

I hope you liked the chapter and my idea of what happened to Harry! I would appreciate it when you would leave me a review and tell me what you think about it.

Now the question is, will they find out what exactly happened to Harry? When will Minerva wake up, and how is she going to react to Harry?

Find out in the next chapter!

I would like to thank everyone who read, favoured, followed and reviewed the story! It means really much to me!

Until next time

Patti