Three—

The feeling's not mutual.

After our diplomatic triumph over the Guilden Warriors, Harry and I travelled around a bit. We saw the writing of the scrolls of Alpha, the Moon landing in 1969, the cliffs of Grame, with the famous Purple Sea washing at its banks, the crowning of Gwyndola, princess of Rendim, and occasionally we stopped back to 1998 to make sure everyone was OK. Time flew (literally) and before either of us could figure it out, we'd been travelling for six months. One day, when we were on Omicron 6, Harry came up to me.

"Keira, I've been thinking."

"Mmm?"

"And well, while nearly all of this is too much to figure out, I have figured out something."

"What?" I asked, not looking up from the computer screen where I was watching the intergalactic news.

"Keira, I love y—."

"Stop right there, Harry James Potter! Don't say another word."

As usual, he ignored me. "C'mon! I love you! I will always love you, and no-one else!"

"NO! You can't say that!"

"But I love you! I want to be with you! Why not?"

"I'm a time traveller. Do you know what that means? We can never be together. I can never get too attached to anyone, because it will never last. Now you... you end up having a full and happy life, while I... I just keep wandering, forever lonely. I can never be with anyone, ever! And it sucks. And it always will. I've saved the universe so many times, and what do I get? Nothing. I'm lonely, Harry. And no-one can change that. You're lucky. You get to see this, all these amazing things, and at the end of the day you can go home, and rest, and look back on this with fond memories. But me, I can never rest, never stop, never look behind me, in fear of what I've done. I've destroyed whole civilisations, whole planets, whole species. And I have to keep on doing it, so that the universe is always safe. You see this mark?" I asked, holding up my wrist. "It's written in my people's language, Deltan. My home was beautiful, and amazing, and that was our job. To do this. To protect planets. When we're old enough, we have to go to the High Temple and we're given a planet to protect for our whole lives, and it is tattooed on our wrist. It's so if we die, and our bodies are recovered, the High Council can replace us. In Deltan, the language of the Deltan people, inhabitants of the great empire of Delta, it says 'Earth'. I was assigned the planet Earth, a fairly low level planet, because the High Council thought me unworthy of higher planets, such as Omicron 9 or Gardah." I rolled the R in Gardah in a frightening way. "And look where it got them," I continued, tears welling in my eyes. "They're dead! All of them! I'm the only survivor of what could possibly have been the greatest civilization of all time! I've got the universe stacked against me, and I'm still alive. Probability says I should be dead! But look! Here I am, alive and well, and oh so lonely. Maybe I should just let the universe turn to dust. Let the creatures who want to wreak havoc do so. Because maybe I just can't be bothered any more. So many people who I've watched grow old and wither while I keep living, because the universe needs me, and Harry, I'm sorry. I've interfered in your life far too much already."

"You seem to know so much about me, and my future, but how can I ever get over you?"

"You can, you have to, you do."

"But who? Who could possibly be as wonderful as you?"

"Someone who's been there the whole time, who loves you with all their heart."

"Give me a name."

"No, I can't. It would ruin the future."

"Then what you said before, about watching people grow old and die! Do you know when I die?"

I nodded slowly.

"But you can't tell me."

I shook my head. "But Harry... I'll be there. I will be there on the day that you die. I promise."

"So that's it? You're just going to bring me into your amazing life and then push me out again, with only a promise of being there when I die?"

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off. "No, don't. Just... don't."

"I'm going to take you back to Earth, and you're going to forget about me, and you're going to get married, and you're going to have the most wonderful wife, and children, and you won't speak to me until the day that you die. And it's going to torture you on the inside, but I can't help that. And I'm sorry, I really am, that it had to end this way, but I'm doing my best to make sure that you return to normal life. Because none of this was supposed to happen."

"What do you mean, never supposed to happen?"

"My meeting you isn't like me starting World War II or assassinating JFK. It wasn't a fixed point in time. I literally was never meant to meet you. But I got the dates muddled and had to ask you, all those months ago, on the fourth of June, 1998. I wish I could give back to you the part of your life that I've stolen, but I can't. And it's killing me on the inside, like it always does. It's all glitter and beauty until someone attacks you, or you fly into the middle of a war. And then there's the danger of losing you, and disrupting the space/time continuum. Because every moment you spend with me puts you in even more danger."

"You think I don't know what it feels like to be in terrible danger? For the best part of the last seven years of my life before you I was in constant danger, all the time. How does Lord Voldemort stack up against your intergalactic dangers, eh? I had to leave the girl I loved to fight him. Because that's what people like you and me do. We fight evil, and we fight, and we fight, and we give up terrible amounts because we must keep fighting. "I had to leave Ginny, and you know what? She didn't even cry. That's how brave she is. Ginny's just... Ginny..." he trailed off and looked at me. My eyes were sparkling with tears.

"Anyway, we couldn't be together. Think of the age gap. You're what, eighteen? I'm seven hundred and eighty-two."

"You're looking good for your age, then," he smirked. I was about to set the co-ordinates for Earth when FAI's lighting started flashing red and a siren sounded. "What does that mean?" Harry yelled over the noise.

I was staring at the screen in horror. "No... Harry, I've just put you in terrible danger. Omicron 5 and Omicron 7 are about to go to war."

"Hang on; didn't you say we were on Omicron 6?"

"Yes. Harry, we're in the middle of a war-zone!"