Harry was surprised to hear Arig behind him and turned his head toward the sound, mindfully as he was still lightly touching Healer Huw's arm with his burned hand.

"Hiya, Harry—you all right?"

"Yeah. Just they can't heal the burns yet. I thought you didn't get burned."

"Naw, they just want me to be there for the healing ritual since I was involved in the… altercation."

It sounded like Arig had made air quotes by the way his crutches paused mid-stride. He was walking next to Harry and Healer Huw now, his crutches grinding against the sand as they sunk into the beach, his footstep more labored as he sought traction. Harry was also struggling with his balance as the sands shifted beneath his feet.

Healer Huw made a reassuring sign on the back of Harry's hand on his arm that Harry took to mean, "it's okay—take your time."

The soundscape opened up around Harry as they walked forward—from the enclosed walls of the clinic to the vast expanse of the ocean made known by the distant cries of birds and the crashing surf. The wind picked at Harry's clothes and hair bringing a salty moisture with it that coated his skin. He could hear grasses rustling close by and feel the heat radiating off of the sand as it filled his trainers, though it was cool now. Tony's levitating gurney ahead of him sent a spray of sand that pelted against his shins.

"Ritual?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah, I guess this isn't a simple matter of waving wands and muttering incantations."

"Great," Harry sighed.

Ahead Harry could hear Mei's kvetching above the others as the group's voices ebbed and flowed with the waves. The distance between the two groups had grown. His palm on Healer Huw's arm was stinging as it rubbed against the fabric of his sleeve.

I hope the ritual actually works!

He was feeling light-headed with the sudden change of climate coupled with his empty belly and the pain in his hands. He stopped, let go of Healer Huw's arm, and bent over, trying to get the world to stop tilting. Healer Huw put an arm around his shoulders while his fingers traced a question mark on the back of his hand.

"You all right, mate?" Arig asked.

"Just… feeling… dizzy," Harry admitted as he swayed, his knees buckling under him.

Healer Huw put his arms under his knees and swung him up—cradling him against his chest. He smelled like pine-scented soap and mint toothpaste. Harry's head lolled against his shoulder as his relief and shame mingled and caught in his throat.

Harry made the sorry sign against Healer Huw's chest even though curling his fingers stung sharply.

"Sookay, 'arry," Healer Huw said in a toneless voice that was husky with disuse as he lurched through the sand unsteadied by Harry's added weight. His voice didn't align with the impression that Harry was forming in his mind's eye of the healer and it was jarring.

There was something about the way Healer Huw said his name that made Harry remember Hagrid and he had a penetrating pang remembering the gentle giant—his first friend from the wixen world—and wondered what he was up to and why he hadn't heard from him.

Harry blinked back tears—from what? Loss? Shame? Frustration? as his head rolled against Healer Huw's bony shoulder and his legs swung in an awkward rhythm. He listened to Arig's crutches and foot grinding through the sand next to him and tried to think of other things that were less mortifying than being cradled like a baby in a near-stranger's arms.

He was glad that it was night time as it was likely the beach was deserted. He gulped down a half-sob, half-laugh at the thought of what they'd look like parading across a beach packed with muggles on holiday. That helped him push down the nausea that was swishing in his gut.

It sounded like the group ahead had stopped and their small group was finally approaching them.

"What happened? Is Harry okay?" Healer Jordan called across the expanse and the gulls in the distance seemed to echo back her question.

Healer Huw's hands were occupied—so he couldn't answer her. Harry felt the Healer's hands tighten against his shoulders and knees and understood it was frustration. It took Arig a few seconds to realize that he had to respond. Harry didn't trust himself to open his mouth—he didn't want to add to his embarrassment by spewing all over the healer. His neck and face felt aflame with his humiliation. He reminded himself that he'd had worse days, though he was hard-pressed to remember them at that exact moment.

"Harry said he felt dizzy and then he fainted. Healer Huw had to carry him," Arig shouted.

Okay, maybe this is one of my worst days…

Healer Huw bent down and laid Harry on a soft surface—Harry ran his hands over it, trying to determine what it was and decided it was a bed though it felt too high up in the air.

It must be another gurney.

He signed "thank you," wincing as the motion hurt his hands. Healer Huw patted him gently on the shoulder and then his footsteps were moving through the sand away from Harry.

"Harry, I'm going to run some diagnostic spells on you, okay?" Healer Jordan said as she approached him.

Harry just nodded in agreement… not trusting his voice. His heart felt like it was going to run away and his hands had a tremor that he couldn't tamp down.

"Hmmm," Healer Jordan said as her wand movements stirred the air around his head. "Harry, I think you're in more pain than you're letting on. We've got to heal your burns. I also want to give you a nutrition potion, but I don't think you'll keep it down until we attend to your wounds. We need to get this ritual started right away. It'll take us a few moments to get it set up. Here's a blanket—I'm going to drape it over you and elevate your feet. Please just lie still for a bit. I'm going to ask Healer Huw to keep an eye on you both while I get things set up with Mei."

Healer Huw had come back over to Harry's gurney and put a warm hand on Harry's forehead. He seemed to be moving between the two gurneys.

Tony groaned and Harry imagined that he was in far worse shape and he wished that they'd hurry up and perform the ritual and heal their burns already. Lying down, Harry had realized that his elbow on both arms hurt—he wondered how he'd managed to get burned on the backs of his elbows, too.

"Arig, here's a chair for you. We'll come to get you in a moment when we've got everything ready." There was a popping sound as Healer Jordan conjured a chair out of thin air for Arig.

"Mei, let's get started," Healer Jordan said.

Mei was being uncharacteristically quiet. They moved toward the ocean and the sound of the waves swallowed Mei's response.

After what seemed like an eternity, Healer Huw was tapping Harry's hand and made the sign for walking across the back of his hand. Harry started to sit up, but the healer pushed gently down on his shoulder and the gurney started moving.

"Harry, Healer Huw says it's time to head down to the water's edge. Just lie back and we'll bring the gurney's down as far as we can go," Arig explained.

"Okay, thanks," Harry said. His heart started fluttering at the base of his throat again.

The waves crashing against the beach grew in intensity as they approached the ocean swirling with briny aroma. Growing cold in the night's air, Harry was glad for the blanket. He was tempted to pull it up over his face.

He had a growing dread about what they were about to do… he felt unsettled by how dramatically things had changed—he'd awoken with the feeling of elation still on the back of his tongue—as if he'd lapped down all that flying like the biggest cone of Bacio ice cream. And now he was on a beach on the other side of the world in the middle of the night—the vast ocean spread out before him, it's depths unknown and containing who knows what. His imagination supplied large tentacles reaching for him from dark caverns.

He drew in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly as he thought about how much he trusted Healer Jordan … and Arig … and Tony… and Mei, even Healer Huw who he had only known since entering Healer Jordan's office that morning. And even though Mei had hurt him, he knew they didn't mean to. Intention meant something. Mei was here because they couldn't control their magic. It sucked to keep getting blasted by it, though, and he hoped that they'd figure it out.

Does that mean they won't be able to control it for the ritual?

Harry tried to push the doubts away as footsteps pushed through the wet sand toward him.

"Harry, you'll need to enter the water. Let me help you take off your trainers. Let's stash them in your staff. Here, I'll help you off the gurney. There you go," Healer Jordan helped him off the gurney and Harry could hear Tony doing the same near him with Healer Huw's assistance.

"Once we're in the water, we can't speak—the Jiāorén will join us and begin the healing process. You won't be hurt—you'll be healed. You'll have to relax into the ritual and accept the healing for it to work. I know this will be challenging for you and I know you can do it. Do you have any questions?"

"Will you be nearby?" Harry asked as his feet sank into the cool, wet sand. Healer Jordan tapped the back of his hand and he took her arm. They started walking toward the surf as she continued to explain.

"Yes, I'll be a part of the circle. You and Tony will be in the center. There will be times that you'll be immersed in water. They will not let you drown. Your burns may sting as they are healing—like they would if they were healing at a normal pace without magic to accelerate the process. Please don't make any sounds. Okay—now I have to be silent."

Healer Jordan removed Harry's hand from her arm and gently pushed on the center of his back, urging him to continue walking forward into the water. He moved slowly forward, his feet splashing in shallow water that was lapping at his rolled-up trouser legs, worried that he'd step on Mei's tail or into a hole carved out by the waves. He could hear other people nearby and a sound that he now recognized as Jiāorén bodies moving through shallow water—their tails slapping against the water as they maneuvered on the sand. It sounded like there were a lot of them.

Harry walked into someone. He had to bite his tongue to avoid both cursing and apologizing and reached out to steady himself and the person he bumped into… Tony. Pain flashed through his palms and he swallowed a gasp. He kept the back of his hand against Tony's back—figuring that if they were given nonverbal directions, he could follow Tony at the very least. Tony leaned into his hand a bit and Harry took it as reassurance.

Tony started walking deeper into the water. The waves were breaking against their knees—it was colder now with the night air cooling and more of his body being immersed in the water. It was harder to keep in contact with Tony, but as they moved deeper into the water, the circle of people around them drew closer and he felt the tails of the Jiāorén moving against his legs. He flinched involuntarily. He folded his other arm against his chest—worried that the saltwater would sting on his burns.

When they were waist-deep, cold strong hands grasped his arms and drew him down into the water, other hands grasped his feet and drew them up so that he was floating on his back. He recoiled as the saltwater stung his burns. It was all he could do to not cry out. He could hear Tony trashing and imagined that his pain was worse. Other hands supported his head.

The silence was broken by a plaintive wailing that at first sounded like a baby crying or a small wounded animal, but then—one-by-one other voices in the circle joined and the sound became a discordant song—eerie and unworldly. As the seawater washed over his face filling his ears, the sound blurred and became distinct again—he realized that under the water the sound was amplified and even more hauntingly beautiful. A profound ache was building in his core and radiating through his limbs until it exited through his fingers, toes, and the top of his head. He felt a sense of relief that he'd never felt before—complete and utter weightlessness.

Strong hands had taken his hands and spread out his fingers, tracing his burns. At first, he flinched thinking that it would hurt—but then he realized that it was soothing. They seemed to be tracing the burns with stones. There was a faint radish smell in the air.

Harry was starting to feel dizzy and realized that the Jiāorén who were holding him were swimming in an increasingly faster circle that was picking up speed along with the Jiāorén song. The water around them had become warmer—like they were swimming over a hot spring. Around the edges, he could feel cool water seeping in.

There was a thunderous crack and the heavens exploded with light—Harry cried out involuntarily as the light pierced his head. He heard others gasp. Cold raindrops splashed on his face. He felt as though he'd been cleaved in half from his crown to his groin. There was a pause in the song and then it began again, building strength and washing away his pain—not only in his palms, arm, and elbow, but also behind his eyes from the lightning.

The swirling vortex of bodies slowed and as they moved back toward the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. The song slowed and quieted until it was just the one voice again—uttering a growly mournful song that seemed familiar … Mei. He felt compassion for Mei that he hadn't experienced before—as if all of their struggles of being pulled between two worlds were embodied in the plaintive notes that were escaping their lungs.

The strong cold hands and formidable tails pushed Harry's feet down and his torso upright until he found the sandy seafloor beneath his toes. He stood, a bit unsteadily at first as the world stopped tilting and the waves pushed insistently at his legs. His flailing arms found Tony and he was relieved to discover that he could grasp with his hands again without pain. Tony turned toward him and Harry was almost bowled over by his horrid garlic breath. His eyes watered and he turned away. He wondered when Tony had had a chance to eat anything. He opened and closed his hands and rubbed his fingertips together.

A hand tapped the back of Harry's hand and he followed the wet robed arm up to the elbow.

Healer Huw.

Harry stumbled a bit on the uneven ocean floor, wincing as he stepped on a shell, but mostly enjoying the way the wet sand swirled through his toes. His clothes hung heavy on his body, clinging to him. He shivered as the cold air replaced the warm water that had been enveloping him.

Healer Huw stopped and slowly turned so that they were both facing the ocean. Mei's melancholy melody was moving out to deeper waters and they stood on the beach until they couldn't hear it any longer.

The reverence was broken quietly by someone's footsteps in the wet sand.

"Harry, let me look at your hands," Healer Jordan said. "I'm going to cast a light—close your eyes."

Harry shut them tight and still could see the light shining through his eyelids. He held his palms up to Healer Jordan. She traced her fingers along where the burns had been, up his arm, and then turned his arm over to look at his elbow.

"Was I burned on the back of my elbow, too?" Harry asked and when he spoke he realized that he, too, had rancid garlic breath.

"Yes—the exit wound," Healer Jordan said, taking a step back—no doubt to get out of the cloud of Harry's halitosis.

"Why's my breath so rank?" Harry asked, holding his hand in front of his mouth (which forced it up into his nostrils and he gagged).

"Side effect of the Tellurium crystals they used to heal you."

"Oh, the white stones?" Tony asked.

"Yes. Here's a mint," Healer Jordan tapped Harry's hand and he opened up his palm to accept the candy which he gratefully popped into his mouth.

"Can you see where I was burned?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you have some wicked swirling dark marks—like whirlpools—on your palms and up one arm," Arig said.

Tony chimed in, "me, too, but on my stumps."

"Those should fade with time. The ritual worked," Healer Jordan said with a fair amount of relief evident in her voice.

She paused and Harry could feel Healer Huw signing.

"Yes, Healer Huw, Mei will stay with the Jiāorén for a bit to learn more about controlling their magic. I think that this incident has really brought home the need for these lessons. And we'll look into figuring out a way that they can always have some seawater with them so that the accidental magic isn't so harmful—this has been a learning experience for all of us."

Healer Huw was signing again.

"Yes, I agree! Let's head back to the Egress—it's night here, but the day is just beginning in London. We've got a long day ahead of us," Healer Jordan said as they started trudging through the sand. They paused for a second at the spot where the gurneys, chair, and Mei's wheelchair were parked in the sand. Healer Jordan cast magic that made popping noises—Harry imagined that the furniture had been vanished. Harry used the pause to put on his socks and trainers again while Healer Huw helped Tony get his on. He also did a drying charm on all of them, much to Harry's relief. His shivering arms and hands had made getting his socks on challenging.

The gulls had settled down and were no longer flying above crying out. A chorus of frogs seemed to fringe the beach. A few crickets joined in the serenade as well as the chirping of other insects that Harry couldn't identify. Harry yawned and wondered if he had time to crawl back in bed … then his stomach rumbled reminding him that breakfast had been due a long time ago. He wondered how long the ritual had taken… it seemed like they had been floating in the ocean for hours.

They crossed the Egress back into the sunlit room of the clinic and shrieks erupted around them.

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

"Oh, Merlin. It's my mum," Tony muttered behind Harry. "What's she doing here?"

"Mrs. Montague," Healer Jordan greeted. "I appreciate that you're worried about Tony. But…"

"Healer Jordan, I insist that you heal him this instant! When Mr. Burbage said that you were conducting a healing ritual on some remote island in the middle of the South Seas… well, what is going on here? What kind of operation are you running?…"

"Healer Jordan, I'm so sorry—she barged in here—I wasn't able to stop her. She's brought…" Godric tried to get a word in, but was cut off.

"Why didn't you take him directly to St. Mungo's? And where is the wizard that did this to him? They should be thrown in Azkaban immediately. I've contacted the Ministry and the Daily Prophet…" Mrs. Montague scarcely seemed to draw a breath.

"Mrs. Montague… please. I assure you if the Healers at St. Mungo's were able to treat these burns, we would have taken him there directly—but that was not the case. In fact, he has been healed and by the very person whose accidental magic caused the injury," Healer Jordan stated firmly.

"She's brought…" Godric tried to interject again.

"I'm not leaving him here. What… are you mad?" Mrs. Montague's voice rose to an alarming pitch. "I demand that you release him to me. I will seek his treatment through St. Mungo's. He. Will. Not. Be. Returning. To. The. Center. You have not heard the last from me!"

"Mum! I don't want to go," Tony shouted. "Please, Healer Jordan knows what she's doing. The ritual worked. Mei didn't mean to… it was an accident. Mum, please. I want to stay."

"Tony, dear, you're delirious. We have to get you to a proper Healer." Mrs. Montague had thrust her way through the group and seemed to be trying to steer Tony away from them. Tony was grunting, clearly trying to get out of her grasp.

"Mum, Healer Jordan and Healer Huw are the best. Please, I'm healed! See! Look!" Tony tried again.

"But you have dark marks all over your stumps! Where are your magical arms? Why aren't you wearing them? Where's the witch that did this to you? Mei! I want to give her a piece of my mind. And why is Harry Potter here?" Mrs. Montague demanded. "Rita Skeeter, are you getting all of this? I want a full investigation into the Center."

"What… " Healer Jordan's normally calm voice seemed to be breaking on the edges. "Did. You. Say?"

"Yes, that's right. I brought Rita Skeeter with me. Rita, show yourself. I've been suspicious about what is going on here since I heard from Tony that he's sharing a room with a werewolf… and girls!"

Arig made a strangled growl—a cry of anguish.

"You signed a privacy agreement! You knew what you were signing up for!"

"My husband signed that and I'm appalled. The wizarding community will not stand for this!"

"Mum, I'm staying. You can't force me to leave. I'm of age. I can decide for myself. I can't believe that you brought that… re.. re.. reporter here after what she wrote about me. Please go. Just go!" Tony shouted, tears of rage in his voice.

Tony's body thumped against Harry and Tony went down hard. Harry tried to catch him, but he was too heavy. Tony groaned from the floor at Harry's feet.

"Rita Skeeter, you are not permitted to be on the premises of the Perenelle Flamel Adaptation Center—and we have summoned Aurors from the Ministry of Magic," Godric stated—it seemed like he was struggling with someone.

Harry wondered how this Rita Skeeter person had been hiding from everyone.

"Get your hands off me! I have every right… we have freedom of the press, the public has a right to know!" a witch shrieked from the doorway—her cries partially muffled by the scuffle with Godric and it sounded like Healer Huw had joined in the fray. "I was invited here by a family member to investigate!" Harry smelled the same sickeningly sweet perfume he had smelled in St. Mungo's weeks ago.

"No, we have protections of our patients which you are violating. Godric, please take Harry, Tony, and Arig away—they should not be exposed to this. My apologies." Healer Jordan seemed to be regaining her footing.

"Protego!" Healer Jordan said.

"But Tony—you have to come with me!" his mother pleaded—her voice muffled by the shield charm that separated her from her son. "You can't keep him away from me! I'm his mother!"

"No, mum. I'm staying," Tony said as Harry helped him to his feet.

The euphoria that Harry had experienced in the ocean after being healed had evaporated—replaced with fear for himself and his friends if their stories were going to be splashed about on the front pages of the Daily Prophet.