Warning for this chapter: Violence.

25. SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Tom looked down at his two scoops of ice cream with slight bemusement, not quite sure what to make of the one scoop of soft white vanilla next to an almost pitch-black concoction, complete with small liquorice wands, that Holly had referred to as "The Wormhole Whirl".

"Dare I ask why you picked this for me?" he asked of Holly, who had already started to dig into her Fruitmania Cup, seeming to find particular enjoyment in the dollop of Fizzing Whizbees flavoured cream on top.

"I just looked at all the flavours and picked the two that I would want to try the least," Holly replied immediately and with an impish grin.

"How sweet of you." Tom rolled his eyes at her. "For future reference I like cherry."

"Would you like some of mine?" Holly asked to his surprise, turning her cup and indicating one of the scoops. "I think this one's cherry-something."

"Thank you," Tom said, taking a little spoonful from her cherry ice cream, savouring it as the fluffy texture slowly melted on his tongue and trying not to get too distracted by the way Holly was licking her spoon.

It was good, very good, but he still decided to give his own ice cream at least a try, since Holly had put so much thought into picking it out for him. And it wasn't half-bad; he didn't mind the taste of liquorice, though he would have preferred it without the chewy bits of chopped up liquorice wands, and the vanilla was predictably creamy and sweet and unexciting.

But Holly seemed to be having a good time, which was the most important thing. Earlier he had thought he had noticed some tension between her and the Weasley boy, but after what he assumed had been a few mumbled words of apology and beaten puppy looks from the red-head, Holly had easily taken him back into her good graces.

He entertained a few more of Miss Granger's endless questions, answering them as truthfully and expansively as possible, not only out of respect for her thirst for knowledge and her sharp intellect, but also because he knew that she was often Holly's first and primary source of information. He caught Holly's interest a few times and she posed a few follow-up questions of her own, but all in all she was too busy giggling as the Weasley boy mostly grimaced his way through his Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans-inspired ice cream cup.

"Can we visit Fred and George's shop next?" she asked when they had all finished their ice creams. "And I would like to stop by Eeylops to get some treats for Hedwig?"

"Of course, to both of your requests," Tom agreed readily, taking the excuse of gently smoothing Holly's robes down over her slight shoulders to touch her.

Holly smiled happily and the next one and a half hours they visited all the shops and places that were on her list, stopping also at Quality Quidditch Supplies, the apothecary and an antiquarian bookseller's that Tom had mentioned to Miss Granger and which had immediately roused her interest, before they finally dropped her friends off at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to return to their respective homes.

Tom pulled Holly to a gentle stop when they reached a slightly quieter part of the alley, next to a currently closed business for optometry, omnioculars and all kinds of optical aids and enhancements and a straight residential street that connected Diagon Alley with Knockturn Alley, studying her carefully. She was exuding happiness, contentedness, but he could also see that her energy levels were wilting, that the constant stares and the frequent run-ins with reporters, who had done their best to 'just happen upon them' as often as possible, had taken their toll on her.

"What do you think, kitten, would you like to get a bite to eat before we go home?" he asked, softly running his hands up and down her arms. "Or would you rather have dinner at the castle?"

Holly hesitated a little before she answered. "I think I'd like to leave. Can we take the Floo, though? Or may I at least?"

"Of course," Tom agreed immediately, brushing one of her inky curls gently behind her ear. "Let's use the Floo at the Leaky Cauldron, all right?"

Holly nodded with a brief flash of that brilliant smile before turning to the Lestranges. "Is that okay for you? Would you prefer to eat something here? Or is there still something you'd like to see or shop for?"

"I think you've given us a very complete tour, Holly," Rabastan offered with a slightly teasing smile.

Holly blushed a little, but smiled back. "Okay then."

Tom debated reaching for her hand, but just when he had decided that that might be allowed, even taking into account Holly's general insistence on being asked before he initiated any kind of physical contact, Holly suddenly tensed, her head snapping around and all the colour leeching from her face.

"Hol-?"

"Something's wrong," she whispered, her wand slipping into her hand; Tom couldn't say what had alarmed her so, but none of them hesitated to follow her example, drawing their wands and moving into battle positions.

"There's- " Holly broke off in a sharp cry as her wand was wrenched from her hand, a second curse already arcing towards her, aimed straight at her.

Tom pulled Holly behind him while weaving a hasty Shielding Charm around them in almost the same move, feeling the curse zip past his shoulder.

"Holly, the portkey!" he ordered, even as Rudolphus and Rabastan closed the circle around her to keep her safe from their still hidden attackers.

He quickly glanced behind him when he didn't hear her activate the portkey, cursing mentally at the all-too-familiar expression on her face: fear mixed with pain mixed with unbending resolve. He called her name sharply again, hoping to startle some sense into her, but then had to focus on the attack.

They were still being assailed by a volley of quick-fire curses, all of them blocked by either of the Lestranges or bouncing off from his shield. "Do you see them?" he demanded.

"Only one, far as we can tell," Rudolphus pressed out, catching two curses with one of his counters.

"End of the street, entrance way on the left," Rabastan added, shooting a quick succession of curses in the indicated direction, but all of them were absorbed by an almost translucent shield around the area. "Bunkered himself in."

"Focus on defence, keep Holly safe," Tom commanded, pulling Holly more firmly behind him and keeping her anchored there with a probably too tight grip on her arm.

He then quickly reinforced his initial shield while already assessing their opponent's position for any potential weaknesses. The unknown attacker was mostly hidden behind an approximately waist-high brick wall that framed the steps up to the house entrance, the neighbouring building with its slightly protruding window boxes and the translucent shield doing the rest to make it almost impossible to get a clear shot at him.

But there were others ways to deal with that, to draw him out, and Tom wasted no time, firing off a series of different spells and curses, from Light to properly Dark, both directly at the shield and at the surrounding area. He let a torrent of hail rain down on him, transfigured a dustbin into a furiously hissing snake and enchanted the ground around his hiding place to become boiling-hot, a floor of molten lava barely holding onto its solid state.

The other wizard clearly hadn't expected so much opposition, probably hoping to blindside and overwhelm them before they even realised what was happening, his attacks petering off quickly under Tom's furious barrage of counter-offense and his shield starting to wobble.

Tom thought he heard Holly whimper, but he knew that for once he had to take her reaction to his use of Dark magic out of the equation and press his advantage before this got out of control. He cast several more strong curses to break through the shield, wanting to end this quickly, and finally managed to create a rip, just large enough for a well-aimed stunner to pass through. He didn't hesitate.

The sudden cessation of magic, the stillness felt almost unnatural and when he turned around, Holly's face was covered in blood from her re-opened scar and her eyes were blown wide, focused on something behind him.

He reached out to her. "Holly, kitten, are you all right? I had to deal with him, but I never meant to hurt you."

"That's not… there's something else coming," Holly said, completely ignoring his own words as her eyes flickered unsteadily over the street, her breathing speeding up in a panicked rhythm as cold darkness suddenly descended upon the street. "Dementors."

Tom cursed, tightening his grip on his wand again and didn't hesitate to cast another Shield Charm, much more complex and tightly woven, hoping against hope that it would be able to ward off the Dementors he could just make out as inky black shadows, circling in the air above them and gliding towards them from either end of the street. They were trapped.

He threw Rudolphus and Rabastan quick looks. They were still standing firm, but just barely, their grips on their wands so tight that their knuckles looked white and the colour washed completely from their faces.

"What defence should we use, my Lord?" Rudolphus asked as the swirling shadows above drew ever nearer, obscuring the late afternoon sun.

"Take Holly home," Tom decided after barely a second of contemplation.

"They're already too close. We'll splinch," Rabastan refuted. "But we can hold them off."

"No," Holly said, looking nothing short of a fierce warrior queen with her scar still bleeding freely and her chin tilted up defiantly. "No, we're not leaving anyone behind."

She grasped Rudolphus' wrist. "Hold on to your brother. Tom." She held out her free hand to Tom in clear demand, the delicate charm bracelet on display. "Let's go!"

Tom immediately closed his hand around her wrist, over the bracelet, pressing the small silver charms against her skin and took only a second to verify that Rudolphus' had obeyed Holly's command before he spoke the activation word. §Home.§

Nothing happened. Tom cursed again, realising that the attacker must have planned ahead and cast Anti-Portkey Wards around the area. Apparition was probably out of the question as well, even if the two Lestranges had still been capable of it. But even Tom could feel the effects of the Dementors now, feeding on his energy and dragging bad memories and feelings to the fore. He could only imagine how much worse it must be for Rudolphus and Rabastan, who no longer disposed of any natural resilience after years of exposure to these foul creatures, or for his sensitive little wife, who had already lived through so much horror in her short life.

The shield he had cast had only bought them a little time, creating a bluish, opaque dome around the four of them, behind which the Dementors – how many were there? Twenty? Forty? Even more? – appeared like a bank of black fog, swirling and indistinguishable as of yet. But the barrier was thinning quickly, decomposing, skeletal hands reaching through, the light from his magic siphoned off with every rattling inhalation from those dreaded creatures.

He cast a second barrier, just inside the first, even knowing that it was not as strong as the outer one and that it would be even less effective.

"Physical barrier," he muttered mostly to himself, but Rudolphus answered nonetheless in a feeble, trembling voice so unlike his usual calm bass that Tom almost didn't recognise it.

"Won't work… walls don't stop them." Both brothers had fallen to their knees, still clutching their wands in their hands but unable to lift them enough to even attempt a spell. Their breathing was laboured, cold sweat on their broad foreheads, their powerful bodies crumbled and sunken as if they had lost all energy and their will to live. Which of course was exactly true.

He turned to Holly, finding her still upright, but trembling violently, her eyes wide and terrified in her deathly pale face, but still resolved and unbroken. He had never been prouder to call her his wife than in that very moment.

He grasped her by the shoulders, crowding her against the nearest wall to at least give her some protection and shelter from one side, and then leaned down to claim her lips in a desperate kiss – an act of pure selfishness, an apology for all his many wrongdoings, a promise to protect her as long as there was still life and magic in him.

There was no time to judge her reaction as his shields were torn asunder, falling completely with a deceptively innocent 'pfft', the icy coldness and the inescapable feeling of hopelessness suddenly all-encompassing and absolute as the army of Dementors broke through. Some of them had already pushed back their hoods, their lipless mouths gaping open, scabbed, greyish skin stretched taught over empty eye sockets as they unerringly and relentlessly moved towards their small group. One of them was already reaching out to Rudolphus.

Tom wanted to mount at least one last defence, but his mind was blank, all his options already exhausted, the despair settling over him like a shroud.

Suddenly, he felt Holly's slim arms around him, her small hand pressed tight against his chest, right over his heart. "Expecto Patronum, trust me."

He didn't hesitate. If trusting his wife was the last thing he did before his death, he would die perhaps not without regrets, but at least with one less. He conjured up his happiest memory – a collage of Holly's smiles, her laughter, her incredible spirit and the way she had lain so perfectly in his arms, not one week ago, trusting and content as if to give him a taste of the future – and felt a sense of warmth and safety and confidence that he couldn't quite explain. He gathered his magic.

There was no feeble sputtering of light this time, but a bright, thick jet of pure energy that burst from the tip of his wand, taking shape immediately. A fully corporeal Patronus. He almost lost his concentration in surprise because this was clearly his Patronus, not Holly's as he might have hoped against all reason. His charm, his magic had taken the form of an enormous, true to scale basilisk, with sharp, extended fangs and a dangerous fire burning in the opaque eyes – an exact replica of the basilisk that had saved his life when he had been sixteen years old. He could almost hear her comfortingly belligerent hisses.

It tore through the Dementors, tearing through their tattered robes with sharp fangs and squeezing them between the powerful curls of its body. After it had thus disposed of, or at least chased off the grand majority of the Dementors, it wound in a protective circle around all of them, sometimes striking upwards to snap at the Dementors overhead until those too retreated and soon after disappeared from view.

His Patronus made one last pass around them, along the length of the street and then raised up in front of him as if waiting for further instructions.

§Thank you,§ Tom could only whisper as he slowly lowered his wand.

The basilisk inclined her head at him, adding what almost looked like a wink, and then faded into misty light.

With the Dementors gone, the air started to feel like air again, actually containing enough oxygen for them to breathe easily, and the fog of desperation and fear was replaced, at least for Tom, with a feeling of incredulous wonder and almost giddy elation. He closed his hand tightly around Holly's hand that was still pressed to his chest and turned around with a grin on his face.

"Holly, how did you -?" He broke off when he actually saw her.

Her normally creamy complexion looked even more ashy than before, now that the colours had returned to the rest of the world, and she appeared so painfully small and fragile as if she might shatter at the slightest breeze.

"Holly," he said again, much softer, reaching out to gently cup her cheek; she flinched away violently, her eyes finally focusing on him, but with fear instead of clear recognition. She pressed herself against the wall, away from him, hardly seeming to notice when she banged her elbow hard against the bricks.

He didn't know what to do, how to reach her, didn't know if these were just the aftershocks of the attack or if maybe she had harmed herself in giving him a Patronus.

"My Lord." He was almost glad when Rabastan softly cleared his throat behind him. "We disabled the Anti-Portkey Wards and contained the attacker – he's one of the guards from Azkaban. And I have your wand, Holly."

He slowly held it out to her, handle first, also studying her with obvious concern. She snatched it out of his hand, wrapping her own tightly around it, but Tom didn't think that she felt any safer for it. He suppressed a sigh.

"Are you both back on your feet?" he asked when Rudolphus also stepped up next to them; he turned only slightly, still keeping Holly well within sight.

"Yes, my Lord," Rudolphus replied immediately. "We've secured the area for now, but I think we'll have company soon."

He indicated the small stretch of Diagon Alley that was visible from where they were standing. A group of onlookers had already gathered, craning their necks and whispering furiously to each other, and behind them, Tom could make out the distinctive red robes of a team of Aurors, hastily making their way towards them.

He turned back to Holly, pitching his voice as low and reassuring as possible. "Rabastan and Rudolphus will take you home now, all right, kitten?"

He told himself not to expect an answer, but he was still disconcerted when she flinched away again even at his soft words. He still reached out to her, gently but firmly pulling her away from the wall and into his arms. She seemed to him as brittle as glass, likely to shatter at the smallest verberation, which did not fit at all with his fierce little wife. He sighed, pressing a small kiss into her hair and then carefully transferred her into Rudolphus' hold.

"Take her home and stay with her," he ordered softly, both brothers nodding immediately.

"Yes, my Lord," Rudolphus agreed, gently cradling the young witch against his chest. "Holly, I'm going to Apparate us, okay? Hold on tight."

Holly didn't answer him, either, but after a few moments she did wrap her arms around Rudolphus' middle, curling her fingers into the dark fabric of his robes. The Death Eater, clearly assuming that this was the best he was going to get, Disapparated with a soft plop.

"We'll look after her, my Lord," Rabastan promised.

"I don't think she's hurt physically, other than her scar, but have Severus check her over, just in case," he replied and Rabastan nodded again before holding out his left arm with the bared Dark Mark.

"Do you want me to stay here until the others arrive?"

"I don't foresee any further attacks and your job right now is to keep Holly safe." Tom shook his head before he cleared his mind and touched Rabastan's arm with his wand to call in reinforcements, focusing on the handful of his followers whom he judged most useful for whatever the next few hours might bring, including Lucius, Brutus and Walden, but exempting any of the Death Eaters who had served extended time in Azkaban.

"Yes, my Lord," Rabastan agreed before also Disapparating and leaving him to deal with a rogue, still unconscious Azkaban guard, tied up in magical ropes like a Christmas present, a steadily increasing crowd of bystanders and a very consternated-looking troop of Aurors that were just pushing through the crowd, wands at the ready and clearly prepared for the worst, whatever that might be in their minds.

§*§*§*§*§

"Where's Holly?" Tom asked as soon as he stepped into their quarters and found Rudolphus and Rabastan both sat on the sofa, but his wife nowhere in sight.

"She locked herself in the bathroom," Rudolphus offered softly. "We've been checking on her every ten minutes or so and she always answers, but she doesn't want to come out."

"Severus checked on her and offered her a Calming Draught and some Dreamless Sleep, but she didn't want to take either," Rabastan added. "Dobby brought some hot chocolate for her, though, and she drank that under the condition that we do, too."

He indicated two large, empty mugs on the coffee table, both brothers smiling wryly.

"Thank you." Tom nodded, running his hand through his hair and trying to shake off everything that had happened that day to be able to fully focus on what he could do for Holly now. "It's been a long day. Go get some rest."

They nodded, moving over to the bathroom door again, Rudolphus gently rapping his knuckles against the wood. "Holly? The Dark Lord has returned so Raba and I are going to say goodnight. We really hope you feel better soon."

"Wait," Holly's small voice stopped all of them in their tracks and Tom reached out to the two Lestranges to pull them back a few steps so that they weren't all hovering around the bathroom door and blocking Holly in.

When she carefully pushed the bathroom door open, she was still pale, the strands of her inky hair around her face slightly damp as if she had washed her face, and she had wrapped herself up in her bathrobe and thick, fluffy lime green socks. She threw him a quick, wary look before holding out a small potions bottle to the two Lestranges.

"No, Holly, Severus made that for you," Rabastan refuted gently. "And you look like you could use a good night's sleep."

"I have another one," Holly mumbled, showing an almost identical bottle in her other hand. "Please take it."

"If you're sure," Rudolphus said, allowing her to press the bottle into his hand. "Is there anything we can do for you still, Holly?"

Holly shook her head with a very tentative smile. "I'll be alright. Thanks for keeping me company. And sorry again about your shoes."

Rudolphus shrugged his broad shoulders with an easy smile. "Nothing a quick Scourgify couldn't fix."

The two brothers bowed respectfully, which at least prompted a slight huff from Holly, and once again bid them a goodnight before leaving them alone. This time, the wary look she cast him lasted a lot longer and he could almost trace the tightening lines of tension in her slender form.

"Perhaps we could indulge in another round of hot chocolate?" he asked her gently. "It might not be my preferred drink, but I admit it sounds rather heavenly at the moment."

Holly nodded a little jerkily, slipping around him and claiming one corner of the sofa, quietly thanking her house-elves when the requested hot chocolate appeared on the table in front of her, Rudolphus and Rabastan's used mugs taken away simultaneously.

Tom sighed quietly, stepping around to the other side of the sofa while shrugging out of his robes and sending them to hang themselves up neatly with a delicate flick of his wand.

"You're hurt!" Holly exclaimed, jumping up and taking a hasty step towards him before seeming to remember her earlier skittishness and freezing into stillness again.

Tom twisted a little to inspect the shallow cut on his upper arm that had alarmed her so. "It's barely a scratch, Holly. I hadn't even noticed."

"It still needs to be cleaned," Holly insisted, disappearing in the bathroom again before he could protest and returning a moment later with a soft washcloth and some antiseptic balm.

Tom sank down obediently upon her indication, offering up his arm to her tender care even knowing that he probably should not be enjoying it as much as he did.

"You got that when you pushed me out of the way," she murmured when she was finished, her brow furrowed unhappily. "You protected me."

"Why does that surprise you so, Holly?" Tom asked, gently taking her hand. "You are my wife and I vowed to keep you safe. I'm not in the habit of breaking my promises."

She pulled back abruptly, retreated from him completely. "When the Dementors get near me I can hear how you murdered my mum. I can hear her scream."

It made all such horribly perfect sense, suddenly – her shell-shocked reaction, her reversion to his touch, the returned mistrust and fear in her expressive eyes.

"I know there're no words… nothing I could say that would even begin to… It's the biggest regret of my life, Holly," he whispered after a long silence. "I would not dare ask your forgiveness."

She glared angrily at him. "Of course you regret it. You tried to kill me and it backfired on you!"

"You have every right to be angry and to disbelieve anything I say, but that's not what I meant. That night was the consequence of more than one bad decision, motivated by fear and fuelled by incomplete information," Tom said.

"So killing my parents was merely a bad decision?" Holly demanded. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, Holly, of course not." Tom sighed. "Tell me what I can say, what I can do… or is the only thing I can offer you right now not to burden you with my presence?"

"I want you to say you're sorry and I want you to mean it," she fairly snapped at him. "And I'll know if you're lying."

He nodded, clearly surprising her when he slid to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry I caused you so much pain, Holly, that I took your parents from you and tried to kill you. I'm sorry I dragged you into this war when you were still only a baby."

Holly studied him for a long moment then sank back into her seat and reached for her hot chocolate with slightly trembling hands. "Okay."

"Okay?" Tom hazarded softly.

"I can't forgive you, not right now at least. But I believe you," she explained, tucking herself into a small ball in the corner of the sofa.

Tom slowly rose to his feet and just as slowly took a seat on the other end of the sofa, allowing Holly the quiet and space she obviously craved as they both finished their drinks.

"Incomplete information… You mean the prophecy," Holly finally murmured, when both their cups were empty. "You still don't know all of it."

"I don't," Tom admitted cautiously.

"Do you want me to tell you?" Holly demanded and he saw the clear challenge in her eyes, knew that this was a test he couldn't afford to fail.

"If it's something you wish to share with me, I would be glad to listen, of course," he thus offered, picking his words with care. "But no, I do not think knowing the prophecy would change my plans at this point. After the fiasco at the Ministry, I did some further research: There are only a scarce few scholars who even believe that prophecies can be prevented or altered – while all are agreement that there's a high chance of misinterpreting even the seemingly most straight-forward prediction. So what good would knowing do? I don't want us to be enemies, Holly, and I have absolutely no intention of repeating past mistakes."

Holly was silent for a few long moments. "I wish I didn't know," she finally whispered. "I wish Dumbledore had never told me."

Tom's heart seized at the pain in her voice, the resignation and fear he could hear in it. "The prophecy cannot change who we are, kitten, nor force us onto a path we do not choose ourselves. We make our own decisions, our own mistakes, and despite the pitfalls, I think I prefer it that way."

Holly glanced up at him, her fingers curled tightly around one of the throw pillows. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do," Tom vowed, hoping that Holly could read the sincerity in his words.

"Oh," Holly made a small, barely-there sound. "I guess… I guess I prefer to think of it that way as well."

Tom smiled encouragingly at her, resisting the urge of reaching out to her, taking her hand to show her that they were in this together. But despite this moment of shared understanding, he knew that Holly wouldn't welcome his advances at this point, that she was still reeling from all the memories the Dementors had forced her to relive. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel better, to help her understand.

"You know you can ask me anything, kitten," he finally said after they had sat another few minutes in silence.

Holly shook her head, looking at him with wide, startled eyes as if he had just suggested something horribly untoward.

"I really think we need to talk about this," Tom told her softly. "Not now, of course, I understand that, but soon. I want us to build a future and I want you to be happy, Holly, and I don't think that's possible if we keep on carrying all these burdens from the past with us. And I know I can't offer you a good explanation for all my actions, but I'm also convinced that if you give me the chance to explain, you will find that I'm not the monster Dumbledore made me out to be."

"I know you're not a monster," Holly mumbled.

"Then please help me understand why you're so reluctant to let me explain my side of things," Tom asked, careful to keep any note of reproach from his voice.

Holly took a long moment to answer, nervously fiddling with the belt of her bathrobe. "I guess it's just… what happens afterwards? You say you want to explain, but what you really want is for me to believe you. And what if I can't? Or worse, what if I do believe you but it's just not enough? What if I can't forgive you? I'll still have to live the rest of my life with you."

Tom could see clearly how stressful and frightening that thought was to her and he wished he could promise her that those fears were unfounded. But the truth was that he had made many mistakes and some of them might well be unforgiveable, even to someone as sweet and kind-hearted as his little wife.

"I know I've been pushing this, but I won't anymore. We can talk about this whenever you feel ready, kitten," he promised instead, glad when she seemed to relax a little.

"Thank you, Tom."

"Of course," he replied, smiling at her. "Would you like another hot chocolate? Or maybe some actual dinner?"

"I think I just want to go to bed," Holly mumbled, throwing him a cautious look.

Tom nodded, getting to his feet and offering her his hand, just about to withdraw it when she finally reached up to him and allowed him to lift her to her feet. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep in our bed tonight?"

"I have Dreamless Sleep Potion," she reminded him, avoiding his gaze.

"I was wondering more about your need for privacy and if you were thinking of sleeping in our bathtub again, kitten."

She shifted uneasily, tugging her hand out of his gentle hold again, which was all the answer he needed.

"Maybe I can offer you a more comfortable alternative to that," he said, ignoring her suspicious look and stepping over to the stretch of wall next to her writing desk. "But I'll need your help. Do you see this slightly darker stone here? Please place your hand on it." He waited for her to comply, giving her an encouraging smile. "Good. Now I want you to trace the rune Algiz onto the stone. It resembles a capital Y with the central line extending further upward to create a third tip."

Holly followed his instructions carefully, snapping her hand away when the completed symbol lit up in bright orange before seeming to sink deeper into the stone and lighting the wall in a large circle around it. The circumference of the circle glowed brightly for just a second before all the bricks within simply puffed out, leaving a circular opening just tall enough for Holly to step through without having to bend her head.

"I asked David to set this up for you," Tom explained gently as Holly stared wide-eyed at the room that had been revealed. "I hope you like it."

It was light and airy, just as he had hoped, with cream-coloured walls and large bay windows all around to give it the shape of a flower. The room was equipped with a queen-sized four-poster bed and a matching bedside table in birch wood, a chest of drawers and a small vanity. There were light-blue and silver throw pillows on all the window seats, gauzy curtains to block the view if desired and a narrow door next to the vanity to lead to a small ensuite bathroom.

Holly took a few tentative steps inside, then swivelled back around to look up at him again. "This is for me?"

"I know you have your study, and your gardens, but I thought you should have your own room here as well, a safe haven for when you wish for some quiet and privacy – or just a door you can firmly close between us," Tom replied softly. "I promise I shall never enter this room without your permission, kitten, though I would like it if you could ask your house-elf to alert me or your godfather or someone else you trust if you should ever be in trouble."

Holly nodded obediently, with a small, honest smile.

"I have also enchanted one of the paintings so that I can see if you're in here," Tom offered next, summoning the mid-sized oil painting of a light-house that normally hung over his desk to show it to Holly. There was a small light burning in the lantern room now that Holly was in her room, and the usually serene sea had changed to heavy waves crashing against the rocky cliffs to mirror the inner turmoil she must still be feeling. "If you judge this too much of an intrusion, I will reverse the spell, of course."

"It's fine," Holly replied, turning back around to look at her room again. "This is perfect."

"It's actually situated in one of the smaller towers, but David drew this connecting passageway for you and I'm sure he'll be happy to assist with any changes you still wish to make. I also asked him to ward this door so that only you can open it."

"Thank you, Tom, truly," Holly said, moving towards him and then moving into his arms, resting her cheek against his chest and wrapping her slim arms around his middle. "Thank you for caring, Tom."

"Anytime, Holly," he gave back, breathing a gentle kiss into her hair and breathing in the soft fragrance of her shampoo, the warm, comforting scent of her skin.

§*§*§*§*§

Holly couldn't have said if it was having her own bed, her own room, or merely the effects of Professor Snape's Dreamless Sleep Potion, but she slept very well that night and woke refreshed and feeling a hundred times better than the night before. She snuggled herself into the downy covers for another few moments, enjoying the soft morning light that filtered through the many windows, before she swung out of bed and grinned when her toes encountered the plush carpet.

She took a small detour to the bathroom before she drew the same rune on the wall again, just as Tom had shown her last night. The passageway opened readily for her, allowing her to step through to their quarters.

"Good morning, Tom," she said, smiling a little when he immediately rose to greet her, abandoning the small breakfast feast that had been decked out on their table to come towards her.

"Good morning, Holly," he replied. "How are you this morning? I called for breakfast in our rooms, but of course if you'd prefer to go downstairs we can do that as well."

Holly ducked her head to hide her smile at Tom's obvious nervousness. "I'm okay and it'd be a shame to let all this go to waste. Plus, I'm rather hungry."

"Then please take a seat and tuck in," Tom said, pulling out her chair for her and gently caressing his fingers over her shoulder before he sank back into his own chair.

"How's your arm?" Holly asked after she had loaded her plate with all the goodies the house-elves had brought up for them.

"Completely healed, thanks to your care," Tom replied easily. "And how is your scar? I should have asked yesterday, but I'm assuming Severus gave you something to ease the inflammation?"

Holly nodded. "Yes, Essence of Dittany. And it's fine, doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good, though I still wish there was a way to further dull these harmful effects on you," Tom said with an unhappy furrow between his dark brows. "As much as I would like to, I know I won't always be able to avoid losing my temper or refrain from using Dark magic. Case in point."

He tapped the Daily Prophet next to him with a finger and Holly saw that at least half the front page was filled with a moving picture of the Dementors' attack on them, or more precisely of the moment when Tom had conjured up his Patronus and thus turned the tide in their favour. She could just make out Rudolphus and Rabastan, both on their knees, and Tom protectively spread out in front of her, but the largest part of the photograph was taken up by the giant basilisk Patronus, fiercely slashing through the scattering Dementors.

"They're all wondering how I did it," Tom commented, noting the direction of her gaze. "Truthfully, I've been wondering that myself. Though I'm very sure that I could not have done it without your help."

Holly sighed, having dreaded that conversation. "What are they saying about it?"

"Well, the facts about the attack itself are rather straight-forward: The man who attacked us was a guard at Azkaban and apparently felt that the prisoner release was a mistake to be remedied by him personally. His primary targets were no doubt Rudolphus, Rabastan and I, but during his interrogation he confessed that he wanted to 'neutralise' you first because he had heard that you were capable of producing a fully corporeal Patronus. Sacrificing you for the so-called greater good seemed an acceptable choice to him, no doubt."

"You do realise that he's by far not the only one who thinks that," Holly pointed out with a huff. "Azkaban must be half empty right now. And the Dementors still have to feed. I doubt it made his job any easier."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Holly, he tried to kill us. Forgive me if my sympathy for him is very limited."

"I'm not talking about sympathy – I'm bloody furious. But if we don't at least try to understand his reasons, how can we even hope to prevent something like this from happening again?" Holly demanded, taking it as a win when Tom inclined his head a little.

"That's no doubt a very wise view on things, kitten," he said with an only slightly teasing smirk before returning to his original point. "As for the rest of it, the Daily Prophet devoted entire pages to speculation and wild theories, but there is very little substance to it and certainly no consensus. Amongst the most popular opinions we have the idea that there must have been an additional person, most likely invisible, that cast the charm; that I devised some Dark magic alternative to the Patronus Charm and of course my favourite theory that it was actually you who cast the spell."

"Why is that your favourite?" Holly asked suspiciously.

"Because, firstly, it presupposes my corruptive influence as the cause for the change in the form of your Patronus, which I find both very flattering and highly amusing," Tom replied with a smirk. "And because, secondly, I happen to think it comes closest to the truth."

He was studying her intently, but Holly honestly didn't know what to say and so Tom continued, "I know it was my Patronus. I have no doubt about it, but I also know that you were the one who made it possible, Holly. Was it your empathy? Or your magic?"

Holly shrugged. "I don't know. My magic, I guess."

"Then how did you know it was going to work?"

"I didn't, not really. But Professor Snape said that when you're using Dark magic some of it washes back onto me over our connection and I figured it might work in the other direction as well."

"It did feel like my magic," Tom offered musingly. "But wrapped up in warmth and light and softness – in your magic."

He smiled at her, taking her hand and pressing a soft kiss onto the back of it. "Have I told you yet how absolutely incredible you are?"

Holly could feel herself blush, unsure what to make of that compliment or the comment about her magic. In contrast, Tom's magic felt cool and smooth, like the scales of a snake, but she wasn't sure if he would be happy about her assessment. "It was still your spell. Go figure that your Patronus form would be a snake."

Tom laughed, allowing her to tug her hand free. "I admit it's a rather obvious choice, though I was surprised at how strongly it resembled Erna."

"Erna?" Holly asked in surprise.

"The basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets," Tom explained readily with a rather wistful smile that made something clench inside her.

"I killed her," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were friends."

Tom sighed, gently grasping her hands again. "I had feared as much from what little I know of what happened during your Second Year, Holly. And I regret that it came to this, but I will never reproach you for defending your life or that of your friends. Erna was my confidant and yes, my protector, but I'm well aware that many would have considered her a monster, a mindless killing machine. Her loyalty belonged only to the House of Slytherin; you could not have reasoned with her once she made you out as a threat to its heir."

"I'm still sorry," Holly murmured, allowing Tom to coax her into his arms.

"That is the last thing I want you to be, little kitten," he murmured, placing the softest kiss on her cheek. "The very last thing."