Authors Note: I'm not all happy with this but, oh well. Hopefully you won't find it too bad.

When my tears at last ran dry and I started to calm down you stayed where you where with you arms around me until I myself had collected myself enough to step back. Since I had no pretend left to act for anyway I allowed myself to stay in you embrace for a few more moments before I stepped away. Allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of having someone who cared, someone who was there for me when I needed them. My parents weren't very loving when I grew up and embraces had always been something I rarely experienced. Not that I was very bothered by the lack of them, it was how it always had been after all. It was one of all the things I was, and from there on would be, changing my opinion about and realize I actually enjoyed.

There I was, raised to be cold and taught signs of the opposite was nothing but weakness. Had the situation been different I probably would have shrugged you of from the start, before I had time to get used to it, but as the situation was I hardly reflected on it until I already unconsciously accepted it.

Once I'd stepped back I didn't really know what to do or say, but knew that if I didn't say anything the tension would quickly rise to unbearable heights. But like you have the talent of doing you solved it for me, this time by suddenly break out laughing. Not sure what you were laughing at I felt my guards rise, a part of me once again exception you to make fun of me, to take back your earlier soothing words and actions.

As if you could feel what I was doing you did your best to straiten out and calm down. Not fully succeeding you reassured me that what I was thinking wasn't the case and asked me to use the looking glass that had appeared next to me.

I did look rather funny. My normal well kept hair was now all over the place and crying had raised my normal pale complexion more then I myself had ever seen it. Even if it hurt my pride to do it I had to admit I understood your amusement Trying , and failing, to look put out with being the source of your amusement I only increased your laughter.

Soon I too had to fall in with you, like so many times later unable to resist you laughter. A while after that we both went our different ways to try and get some sleep.

The dream I had that night is something I never told you. From the start because I never been much for reading meaning into dreams and didn't want to seem silly, but also because the clear meanings of it was bigger than I was ready to face at that point.

I dreamed I was standing in a room full of people but separation me from all the others was a transparent wall. I was dressed in the formal robes of my family, heavy and uncomfortable I had always hated them. When I tried to talk to those around me none seemed to hear or see me no matter what I did.

Suddenly desperate to make contact I tried to break the wall but the robes stopped me from moving freely and when I moved forward the walls seemed to be moving with me. I grew more and more tired and felt more and more alone and desperate. Then suddenly when I was about to give up one of the figures stopped in front of me and to my endless surprise and relief it seemed to see me.

Slowly a hand was raised and just as slowly, as if not to scare me, it penetrated the wall which i now realized wasn't of glass but more like a force field or magical barrier of some kind. The hand stretched towards me but stayed halfway, as if waiting for me to shake it. First I hesitated, not sure if it would be pulled back just before I reached it or not. But the hand stayed where it was and at last I raised my own hand and grabbed it. When I did that the hand clasped mine and with a sudden pull it pulled me be through the wall and toward the owner of the hand.

This time the walls stayed in place as I moved, and as I passed through them I felt my robes be ripped of from my body, though with a lot more pain then it normally would have caused. Stumbling to my feet as the pull stopped I saw I now was dressed in what I recognized to be muggle clothes. And for some reason it didn't feel strange at all to wear them. You, for the person who'd pulled my hand of course turned out to be you, still held my hand and with the certainty one only have in dreams I knew that if you let go I would fall far further then before, far further then I ever would be able to come back from. But when you then smiled I also knew that you wouldn't. The last thing I can remember is your voice telling me "Welcome".

I woke up that morning to the knowledge of having passed trough that wall and that I now was standing there, my hand in your's, on the unknown other side and know I was welcome. Together with the robes I'd also left behind with my old self lay all the pretend and masks I'd worn over the years.

It was a trial to step out of my room that morning without putting up any mask, to step out of the room and still be myself through and through. How defenseless I felt! So extremely exposed.

I had since the start of your rescue mission drifted apart from my former friends in slytherin and when I took the step to answering your greetings I, in their eyes, also turned my back to them. I guess you never can have your front towards two opposites at once. You will have to turn your back to one of them.

However, I didn't mind much most of the time, true we had been what I guess you could see as the slytherin version of close friends but more out of habit since childhood when our parents put us together than anything else. And it wasn't like I was being ignored or so, we still shared dorm after all and specially now after the war we couldn't afford to shun people who did something we opposed.

But any way, if anyone noticed the difference they didn't comment on it as I made my way to breakfast. Reaching the Great Hall the first thing I saw was you leaning against the wall next to the doors. When you saw me you got of the wall and smiled at me.

-"Morning. Up for breakfast?"

I still remember those words as had you said them to me only yesterday.

After that day I bit by bit became part of your group of friends. Even Ron accepted me in the end. We might never become the best of friends but now we can have an actual conversation going, without insulting each other and fighting, and I know, even if he most likely would deny it, both of us find it pleasant.

You know the rest or the story, it is a story we've shared after all. It was the natural development of things. As Hermione and Ron found where they belonged you and I grew closer. I doubt anyone was very surprised when we got together, or when we announced our engagement later on. It was the natural flow of things after all.

--The end---