Before Harry had a chance to respond to the man who had his hand in a vice grip and was grilling him about his encounter with the Basilisk, Neville had forced his body between them and was pushing the man away.

"Oi! I just wanted to talk to him! What he did… it was brilliant! I'm a fan!"

"Well, maybe he doesn't want to talk about it!" Neville said with so much force that Harry was compelled to touch his robes to reassure himself that it was actually Neville. "And it is rude to just grab someone—especially when he can't see you!"

"Uh, sorry. I … Harry… I'm sorry. I didn't think," the man said.

"It's fine. Neville. Thanks… and it's fine."

"No it's not, Harry," Neville said, turning toward him and putting an arm protectively around his shoulder.

The conversations around them started up again. Harry felt his cheeks get hot. Of course, everyone around them had stopped to watch.

"Is he gone?" Harry whispered to Neville.

"Yeah."

"Do you know who he was?" Harry asked as Neville stepped away.

"No idea. Looks like he's with that guy who floats."

"Oh, Gordon. Figures."

Harry heard the familiar whir of a levitating chair—but wasn't sure if it was Mei or Besel. He turned his face toward the sound, waiting expectantly and thought about casting the revealing charm—but figured with so many people in the room that it would be more confusing than helpful.

"You all right, Harry?" Mei asked—their voice coming from a standing position, rather than seated. It made Harry wonder why Besel was always seated.

"Yeah, Neville was a beast!"

"I saw!"

"Has your family arrived, Mei?"

"Yep, they're talking with Healer Jordan now."

"I haven't looked at the schedule… what are we doing today?"

"There's all sorts of rubbish… this is the meet and greet with tea, then there are some lectures about adapting to change and the like, lessons on adaptive magic, dealing with depression and knowing the signs of potential suicide and a load of other codswallop," Mei groused.

"Hey, where'd happy Mei go?" Harry teased.

"I'm loads happier when I can just hang out with humpback whales in the ocean," Mei admitted.

"That was really brilliant," Harry agreed.

"Yeah—one of the cows is about to give birth. Want to go watch?" Mei asked. "Er, you know what I mean. They sing to the newborns—the whole pod. Welcome the babies. It's beautiful and haunting."

"Want to, Neville?"

"How would we do that?"

"What about a bubblehead charm?"

"I don't know how to do that."

"Me, neither."

"I bet Arig does."

"Won't our families notice if we all just leave?"

"Naw, they are totally caught up in adult stuff… they are busy chinwagging and having tea."

"Just tell them that we're helping Harry deal with the emotional trauma of the Daily Prophet article."

"Nice."

"Hey, we are, mate."

"Arig, do you know how to do the bubblehead charm?" Mei asked.

Arig's crutches clinked as he made his way over to their small circle.

"Sure, why?"

"Could you teach these two so that we can escape and watch a whale birth?"

"Cool—where are you going to see that?"

"Out by my island in the South Pacific—it is their birthing season and I'm pretty sure **** is about to give birth," Mei said.

Harry clapped his hands over his ears at the piercing whistling noise Mei made.

"What was that?!"

The entire room had hushed to an eerie quiet. Harry was certain that hundreds of eyes were on them.

"Oh, her name. Sorry, too loud?"

"Oi. That was painful. Warn us before you do it again so that we can stuff our ears with cotton," Arig moaned as the conversation in the room ramped back up.

"So, the bubblehead charm—can you teach them?" Mei persisted.

"Yeah—I guess so. I want to come, too," Arig said. "My folks won't notice."

"Gemma would want to come, too," Harry said.

"I'm sure she would, but I bet she'll have a hard time getting away from her mum," Mei muttered as her chair turned away.

"Right. But still—I'm going to ask her," Harry said.

"I'll just tell Gran—else she'll think something happened," Neville said slipping away quickly.

Harry had a general idea of where Gemma was in the room because he could hear her mum talking—her voice carried above the general murmur of voices and din in the room and he asked his staff to direct him to Gemma. The route was circuitous around the trusses of people talking, even with the tables and chairs removed from the room.

He felt his face growing hot as he realized that the conversations quieted as he neared and then rose again when he'd passed and more than once he'd heard his name mentioned or some other detail of the article.

Maybe this was a bad idea. I should have left while I had a chance.

He was relieved when Gemma reached out and tapped his wrist when he stepped near her—her mother didn't seem to notice him and that was fine by him. She was calmer than she'd been earlier, but he could still feel her trembling.

He turned his body toward her and signed, rather than risk garnering her mother's attention by speaking out loud, "Do you want to see some big fish and babies?"

She tapped his hand for sighted guide and they walked out to the corridor where they could talk more freely.

"What were you asking me?" Gemma said—he could feel the laughter in her words.

"Sorry—I didn't know the signs—Mei thinks one of the whales in the pod off their island is about to give birth—some of us are going to go watch," Harry explained.

"Yes! I want to go!" Gemma responded before Harry had finished speaking.

"Good—let's go now, before anyone else wants to talk to me," Harry said, taking her arm again and pulling her toward the O&M room. On the way there, she stopped for a minute to teach him the signs for whale and birth.

Arig was explaining the concept of the bubblehead charm to Neville when they crossed the threshold. Harry stashed his shoes and socks in his staff along with Gemma's and Neville's. His toes sank into the sand in relief as Arig explained that the charm had to be conducted carefully or you could trap yourself in a bubble without oxygen and suffocate. Harry thought of the plastic bags that Mei had been worried about choking the life out of the ocean's animals. He had to force the thoughts from his mind as he concentrated on casting the spell. Arig explained that it was better if you could cast your own spell, but that it worked to cast it for someone else, too, though it might not last as long.

Mei had practically flown over to the water's edge in their new chair—the air under it sending a spray of stinging sand out from under it.

Harry had finally managed the spell as the cuffs of his trousers were soaked by the waves lapping on the shore and were clinging to his legs. Gemma got it, too.

"Oi! I didn't know you could cast nonverbally! That's so advanced, Gemma!" Arig exclaimed as Harry heard their hands connect in a high-five.

Neville was still struggling with it and finally, Arig just cast it for him and told him that he'd have to let him know if it was starting to feel weird. Their voices were strangely distorted under the bubble of air. The bubble around his mouth and nose was hot and uncomfortable until they slid under the cool water—the waves bouncing them along.

Mei was waiting for them impatiently—their tail slapping the water as they swam around in circles.

"How are we going to swim way out to the pod?" Harry asked as his toes were barely touching the moving sand on the ocean floor. He remembered how far he'd flown before he came across Mei and the whale.

"Ha! Your voice sounds so funny!" Mei laughed. Their voice seemed unaffected by the water.

"How come yours sounds normal?"

"Just another Jiāorén trait. We can modulate our voices for the medium that it is being transmitted through."

"You should do that when you say whale names," Arig commented.

"We could get out of the water and fly on brooms," Neville suggested his voice sounding as if he had a bucket over his head.

"Naw, I've got a plan. They are already coming," Mei said as they bobbed up and down on the swelling waves, listening as they crashed on the beach they'd left behind. "Harry—you learned how to swim! Brilliant. Now I don't have to worry about you drowning on my watch."

"I'm just treading water, Mei. And I'm not going to drown with this bubble thing on my face."

"Well, I'm just glad you can kind of swim… it's a good thing."

Gemma's hand fluttered in excitement on Harry's arm.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Are those dolphins?" Arig asked, his voice saturated with awe even within the air bubble.

Gemma made a new sign under Harry's cupped hands—similar to whale, but bouncier.

"Yeah. They probably won't let you near them, but I'll pull you along. Harry, Gemma, and Neville—you hold on to their dorsal fins, okay—gently—but don't let go," Mei instructed, the paper by their mouth fluttering in the ocean breeze.

Harry could tell that the dolphins were skirting around Arig as they brushed up against him and nudged him closer to Gemma. The dolphins seemed small and bouncy compared to the whale he'd met earlier. Gemma's sign made more sense. He wondered if all animals were naturally afraid of Arig. Would it be the same with dogs or wolves? What about sharks?

Mei's hand took his and held it out until one of the dolphins had moved under him—it's sleek body warm against his and his hand clasped around the dorsal fin. The dolphin snorted water from its blowhole and it seemed to Harry that it was laughing.

"Does this tickle?"

"He says that yes—it does. I think it is your clothes. Here, let me vanish them for you," Mei said.

"No!" Harry shouted—his voice trapped inside a tin can. He really didn't want to be starkers in the ocean.

"Settle down. I was just taking the mickey out of you."

"Right."

"I can transfigure them into a bathing suit—then it won't tickle **** so much," Mei whistled another piercing sound that made the three of them slap the sides of the bubbles around their heads in an attempt to clasp their ears. It changed the shape of his bubble, but Harry couldn't cover his ears. He slid off the dolphin as it bucked in response to its name.

Gemma grabbed onto his arm, pulling his hands away from his bubble and started signing frantically under his hands. He was glad for the bubblehead charm because they both slid underwater until Harry finally figured out that she wanted to know what was happening.

"Just a noise that Mei made—it was painful," Harry explained to Gemma, the papers fluttering inside the bubble next to his cheek.

"Sorry," Mei said when they swam over to him and helped him find the dorsal fin again. Mei placed a hand on his shirt. He felt it disappear and his trousers crawl up his legs until they were the length of swimming trunks. He used his free hand to make sure his staff was still secured in his pocket.

Mei transfigured Gemma and Neville's clothes, too, and then they were flying through the water. Harry hung on as tight as he dared—his legs streaming behind him as the dolphin shot like a torpedo through the water. The bubblehead charm meant that he could breathe no matter the speed and the amount of water gushing over his face.

They slowed and Harry became aware of a haunting hum that trilled through the water—vibrating his core. He had resigned himself to the fact that he'd likely miss out on the magic of the whale birth—expecting it to be a visual experience, but he hadn't counted on the power of the whale song to convey the mystery and reverence of the moment. The dolphins seemed equally mesmerized, shivering with anticipation and immense joy. It thrummed through their bodies. They were as captivated as the five wixen.

Neville described briefly how the pod swam in languid harmony around the birthing cow and her calf—their lullaby both welcoming and exotic. Harry floated with his arm looped around the dolphin's dorsal fin, his face under the surface of the water, bobbing along and with his eyes on the moon that had moved through the sky since he'd been there earlier. The discordant music washed over him, filling all his empty corners until he felt connected and whole again.

What a way to be welcomed into the world… surrounded by a community of creatures who already adore you… you beautiful stranger.

Gemma was stretched out between him and her dolphin—her hand under one of his so that she could tell him what she was watching. The signs she used to describe the birth were lyrical and fluid and when it was over, he felt as though he had truly witnessed it.

Harry had no sense for how long they floated in the water beholding the birth, but at some point, the dolphin hosts had nudged them back onto their backs and they swam back to shore—at a much more gentle pace.

Harry was surprised to find that his limbs would support him when his feet sank into the swirling sand of the ocean floor as he embraced the dolphin who'd carried him through the water after buoying along bonelessly for so long. He didn't want the experience to end. He would have been content to just float at sea, except that his stomach was protesting and he was terribly thirsty.

Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

Standing in the ocean, shivering without the dolphin's warm body against him, he summoned his water jar from his staff and tried to gulp the water, forgetting about the bubblehead charm. It ran down his chest.

"Oops!" He laughed at himself and ended the charm. He heard Neville end it as well and heard the same popping sound from Gemma.

"Oh, boy—I'm thirsty, too," Neville said and Harry offered the bottle to him. He heard Neville pass it to Gemma.

Arig and Mei were talking quietly not far from the three of them. Harry got the sense that the experience had been more gut-wrenching for Arig than peaceful. He wondered if it was because of the distance he was forced to keep—he wasn't allowed nearly as close as Harry, Gemma, and Neville.

Was he close enough to see the birth?

Harry walked toward them, lurching across the uneven ocean floor as the waves pushed against the backs of his knees.

"Arig, are you all right?" Harry asked through chattering teeth.

Mei's tail fluttered against Harry's calves. They put a hand on his wrist, helping him orient himself to their position in the water and regain his balance.

"Um. I'm fine," Arig said, though his voice was dull. "I imagine it was kind of the same for you, Harry. You couldn't see it either."

"Hearing it was nice, though," Harry said.

"Yeah. I just hate being so feared by everything. It's lonely."

"Yeah. But hey... we don't fear you, Arig," Harry offered.

"Thanks, mate," Arig said. "That means a lot."

"It's just the truth."

The birds on the shore were calling out in their chittering alarm call—their wings flapping as they rose en masse into the air.

"I think someone is on the beach," Neville said in hushed tones, closer behind Harry than he expected. He was also shivering.

"Arig, are you out there?" a voice called. Harry thought it sounded familiar, but he was having a hard time hearing it over the cries of the birds, the crashing waves, and the winds whistling through the grasses on the beach.

"Yep, I'm out here, just a moment, Professor," Arig called back—he was sitting in the water and then was struggling to stand up—his crutches rattling as he shook them to expand them.

Professor Lupin?

"Watch it, Arig—that's my tail," Mei warned.

"Sorry. Hey, thanks, Mei… for listening… for understanding what it is like… I hadn't really thought before about how much we have in common…" Arig said.

"Yeah—us half-breeds have to stick together," Mei said.

"Huh?" Neville muttered.

"Have you met Professor Lupin?" Arig asked.

"The were… er… the person out there on the beach?" Mei replied, catching herself—her voice directed in Harry's direction… then he revised that… Neville's direction.

"Yeah—he's been really great… helping me work through some things. He's been through it, too." Arig's progress through the waves to the beach was noisy and it sounded like it was hard for him to keep his footing.

A blaze of resentment erupted in Harry's gut and he tried to tamp it down by silently declaiming that Professor Lupin had a lot more in common with Arig than he did with him. He grappled with an ember of bitterness that cooled, but wouldn't be snuffed.

He was glad for the cover of night and hoped that the moon wasn't bright enough to illuminate his internal struggle. It was farther away than it had been when he first visited the beach earlier.

Gemma picked up on it though and her questions flitted under his cupped hand. He turned his face toward hers and hoped that the small smile conveyed what he wanted—that he was okay, that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, and that when he had a chance, he'd explain it to her.

"I'm going to stay out here for a while—okay?" Mei called to them. "Let my family know if they're wondering."

"Sure—thanks, Mei, for sharing that with us. It was…" It didn't seem to matter that he didn't put what he was feeling into words—there weren't really words for it. Gemma continued to sign with Harry's hands lightly touching hers. Her message was for Mei and she was also trying to express what it had been like for her. Even though he didn't understand all the signs, the beauty of them was captivating.

"Wow, that was brilliant. Thank you, Mei," Neville said.

"You're all right, Longbottom," Mei said and their tail smacked the water. "Way better than that Weasley bloke."

Neville gave a nervous laugh and Harry shrugged in his direction… he probably understood as he was also Ron's roommate. He wondered how Ron was getting on in Egypt.

Harry could hear Arig and Professor Lupin talking on the beach. The birds the professor had disturbed when he came out to the shore seemed to settle down.

When the sand started shifting under his feet instead of just sinking beneath his weight and making a puddle of water over his toes, Harry asked Gemma to stop so that they could perform a drying charm and get their shoes and socks out. Harry was cold, but Gemma's shaking was alarming him. He cast the spell on her first, then Neville, and then himself. The sensation was like being held in a giant's hands as a warm breath was blown into the sheltering fingers. Except he wasn't wearing any clothes—just the swimming trunks that Mei had transformed for him. But now Mei was gone.

"Our clothes!" Harry said.

"Oh blimey. We can't go back out to the tea like this," Neville moaned.

"Can he help us?" Gemma asked.

"Professor Lupin?"

"Yes," she said.

"Did you need me?" the professor asked from closer than Harry expected.

"Oh, yes, sir. We were wondering if you could help us with our clothes—Mei transformed them into bathing clothes and now we need to turn them back so that we can go back into the Center," Harry explained.

"Sure—I'll give it a go," Professor Lupin said and Harry heard the swish of a wand moving through the air… but he didn't feel his clothes change and could tell that Gemma's hadn't changed either.

"Hmmm. What charm did she use?" Professor Lupin said.

"I'm not sure what they used," Arig said. "They were able to change them just by touching the clothes… could have been their Jiāorén magic."

"Oh, there was more than one mermaid?" The professor sounded surprised.

"No, just Mei," Harry said, feeling obtuse. "They don't like to be called a mermaid, though."

"Right. My apologies. I think I'll have to try while touching you. Hmmm. I notice you have scripts by your lips—is this for the benefit of … " Professor Lupin trailed off.

"Er, yes. Sorry, Professor Lupin, Gemma Boot reads the papers. Gemma, this is Professor Lupin," Harry introduced. "Do you know the Scribunt loqui charm?"

"Ah, yes," he said, and then he cast the spell. "I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Boot."

"And I don't believe we've met either," Professor Lupin had stepped over to Neville.

"Oh, right. Professor, this is Neville Longbottom—he and his gran came to visit me today."

"Right, for family visiting. Are you Alice and Frank Longbottom's son?"

"Yes, sir."

"And how are they doing?"

"Er. They are… er… ," Neville muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

Harry was desperately wracking his brain, trying to think of another way to direct the conversation… to save Neville from having to explain what was going on with his mum and dad. The warmth of the drying charm had faded and he was starting to shiver again in the cool night breeze that carried the mist from the nearby waves cresting on the beach.

Where is Arig? Why is he being so quiet?

Gemma's hand fluttered against his arm and he realized that she was asking about their clothes.

"Sir, could we try changing our clothes back again—we're all pretty cold," Harry asked.

"Right. So, maybe if I hold your hand—like a handshake—maybe that will work."

Harry held out his hand for Professor Lupin to grasp and heard him mutter something under his breath—and then felt his swimming trunks transforming back into his T-shirt and trousers. He ran his hands over the T-shirt—the one that the twins had transfigured weeks ago—it was warm and dry. The professor did the same with Neville and Gemma—and Harry summoned their socks and shoes out of his staff and they started walking back to the Egress.

Professor Lupin walked with Arig speaking in low voices. Arig was clearly troubled about something and Professor Lupin was listening intently—only murmuring a few reassuring responses. Harry felt the ember of resentment flare up again and tried to douse the feeling by reasoning with himself, but didn't have much success.

Out in the corridor, Professor Lupin surprised Harry when he clasped him on the shoulder. "I'll see you after lunch, then?"

"Oi—er. Yes, sir."

"Sorry—didn't mean to startle you, Harry," Professor Lupin said. "I wanted to ask how are you faring? What with that exposé in the Daily Prophet?"

"Er," Harry was tempted to lie and say he was fine, but he couldn't get the words off his tongue.

"We went out to swim with whales to give Harry a break from all the people here who were talking about it in front of him," Neville explained.

"Right. Good move. Well, perhaps we can talk more about it when we meet—out here, after lunch?" Professor Lupin said.

When Harry nodded in response, the professor turned and said, "Arig, shall we go?"

Arig was uncharacteristically quiet as he walked away with Professor Lupin.

"He seems really sad," Gemma signed.

"Arig? Yes, he does," Harry said.

"Well, yes—him, too, but I meant _," Gemma said using signs that Harry didn't recognize. She taught him the sign for Professor and then they worked on creating a sign for Professor Lupin. Harry could feel Neville going through the motions next to them as he tried to learn the signs as well.

oO0OooO0OooO0OooO0Oo

Harry made it through lunch, though he just picked at his food, moved it around his plate and only managed to take a few bites. His stomach was threatening to rebel and his throat was tight. The continued whispers of his name on his way to the buffet line had put him off eating.

His friends had provided a physical barrier that seemed to be working in terms of keeping random people from approaching him. He was so grateful for the screen they provided. When one of them was pulled away to talk to their family, another would step in, though Neville stayed by his side throughout the morning.

"It's time for me to meet Professor Lupin, Neville," Harry said after asking his staff for the time. He stood up and shook it out.

"Er, do you want… me to go… with you?" Neville asked, his mouth full of food.

"Naw, you can finish eating. I'll find you afterward, okay?"

"Okay, if you're sure."

Harry started across the dining hall, but about halfway to the door someone pushed a chair out in front of him and his staff tinged against it. Harry managed to stop before he ran into the chair and was moving around it when the person put a hand on his chest. Harry felt his T-shirt heat up at the same time the person started shouting in his face—his breath hot and spital spraying across Harry's cheeks.

"What are you playing at? There's no way a scrawny little git like you was able to kill a huge serpent!"

Harry stumbled back as his shield charm erupted from him forcing the man away and enclosing him in a dome of protection. Though the noises of the dining hall were now muted by his shield charm, he registered that the legs of several chairs were screeching across the tile as others stood up and footsteps were clattering toward him as voices rose in alarm.

Harry was crouching under his shield charm, his staff in one hand, his wand in the other, listening intently and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Graham, what in Circe's cauldron are you doing?" Tony shouted from a bit of a distance as he thundered closer. " . . !"

"Get off your high griffin, Tony. You may have been taken in by his stories, but anyone can see that it's all lies and deceptions."

It sounded like Graham was being restrained as feet shuffled and people grunted.

"I don't care what you think…"

"Enough. Mr. Montague. You will treat all our residents with respect or not be allowed to visit your brother. Is that understood?" Healer Jordan's voice rose above the melee—fierce and sharp.

"My brother lost his sense when he splinched himself. Friends with a Gryffindor. He's barking."

Tony made an anguished noise.

"Graham, get a hold of yourself," an older male voice demanded and Harry placed the voice—Mr. Montague. "Please, apologize to Mr. Potter, and let's go."

"Pa, you can't be serious."

"I am. Now."

"Hrumph… sorry," Graham said with an air that was decidedly not sorry.

Harry stood up straighter as he ended the shield charm and flicked his wand away. He nodded in Graham's direction to let him know that he'd heard the apology, but couldn't verbalize a response. He wasn't sure if Graham had even seen his nod as the footsteps were retreating—he had a feeling that Mr. Montague was dragging his son away.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Tony said as he swung a heavy arm over Harry's shoulder and turning him away from the gathered crowd to speak close to his ear. "Sometimes my brother is a right a prat. I don't know what got into him. I think he's still smarting because you were a seeker in your first year and he's still hoping to make the team."

"No worries, Tony. You don't have to protect me from your whole family," Harry said, managing a weak smile.

Harry could hear the crowd dispersing.

"My pa adores you… so don't worry on that account. He still feels badly about the pitcher of water he dumped into your lap."

"What? Oh, yeah."

"And your shirt—really told off Graham—how'd you do that?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked perplexed.

"As soon as he shoved you—it started taking the mickey out of him!"

"What?" Harry felt his shirt and remembered it was the one that Fred and George had charmed in the ice cream shop."It's still doing that?"

"It's brilliant. I want one like that. Are all muggle shirts like that?"

"Harry, are you alright?" Healer Jordan asked.

"Yeah, sure," Harry said as Tony stepped away.

"Listen, if you'd rather do something else today—I would understand. I know you spent some time with Mei and the whales. If you need more time away from all the comments today, please take it. Also, Besel wanted me to tell you that she's covering the desk today, but if you need to talk with her, she's available and Godric will cover for her."

"That's… well, that's kind. Thank you. I was on my way to talk to Professor Lupin, though. So, I should probably go… not keep him waiting any longer."

"We're pushing for a retraction—I think we may secure one soon."

"Honest?"

"Yes, I'll let you know."

"I guess that would help? Even though everyone's already seen it?"

"Sure, but done right it can make amends for the damage."

"Truly?"

"Better than nothing. We'll see what they do."

"Thanks for pushing for it."

"Well, Godric and Besel have been sending the owls. Thank them when you have a chance."

"Okay, I will."

"If we're successful, that is."

"Harry?"

"Professor Lupin. Sorry…"

"I'm sorry to keep Harry from meeting with you, professor—there was a bit of a disturbance. I think we got it sorted out. Might be best if you can find an out-of-the-way spot to talk though," Healer Jordan explained. "My office is available—you could sit in the herb garden, if you want."

"Harry—how does that sound?"

"Yeah, it'd be good to get away for a bit," Harry said as he accepted Professor Lupin's offered arm for sighted guide. The patches on his elbow seemed more frayed than the last time he'd held his arm—and he'd only met him on Monday.