Hermione,
You know I love you, right? I can't believe you chain apparated from London to Norwich. I know why you did it, but still, Hermione, you shouldn't have. I was fine. Ron sent me a howler because he was so worried about you doing that.
Besides still taking care of me, what have you been up to? Charlotte and I have fallen into a very comfortable training routine, and despite the experience and age difference, I feel like she's becoming a real friend- not just a work friend.
She talks all the time about her husband and her daughter. She's already invited me to have dinner sometime with them whenever this round of training is finished. Probably in September, sometime when I'm supposed to have that break and I'm going to see you off.
I still find it a little weird to think I will be here doing my job and you will be back at Hogwarts learning. Will you really be okay with that? It's like you said… about being in each other's pockets. The thing is - you guys are my best friends; I like you guys being in my pockets. Maybe we can do something crazy and all move in together
Anyway, as much as training can be routine, I'm in a routine and I'm counting the days until I can see you off to Hogwarts. What do you think Skeeter will print about it?
The Chosen one Left Behind for an Education by Girlfriend!
Nah, too nice.
With love,
Harry
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Ronald Bilius Weasley,
You git! You sent Harry a howler? I should send you a special package! I told you that stuff because I was worried about him not for you to get after him and make things worse!
Hermione
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Hermionarry,
See, now I don't even have to write two names! I thought about Harrione but that made me think of food. Like a nice hotpot or something steamy. I saw a magazine in a muggle market and muggles do this instead of saying both names! Dad will be thrilled to hear about it. He always likes to hear about little muggle doings and the like.
Look, I'm not pointing any fingers, but one part of Hermionarry caused the other part to risk splinching. And as you know, Hermionarry from our time on the run, that is not something one should be risking WHEN WE'RE NOT AT WAR? RIGHT?
Sheesh. Also Lenowitz is still amazing as ever, he hates paperwork just as much as I do, really we have loads in common. Also Hermionarry, is it okay if I go to clubs with him?
Best,
Ron
PS Is the special package a threat or food? I want the food if it's that.
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Ron walked from the dedicated dorms for Auror trainees slowly, yawning and scratching the scruff on his chin. As he stepped into the main mess area, a small black owl swooped by with an ominous red envelope.
"Shit." He whispered right before it burst open and Hermione's voice raged out.
"IF YOU EVER CALL ME HERMIONARRY AGAIN I WILL PERMANENTLY HEX YOUR EYEBROWS OFF RONALD WEASLEY! AND I DON'T CARE IF YOU GO TO CLUBS! AND STOP BEING A DANG LAZY GIT AND WRITE YOUR BEST FRIENDS TWO INDIVIDUAL LETTERS INSTEAD OF SENDING COPIES OF THE SAME ONE!"
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Harry,
First, we're not discussing Ron. Let's consider Ron a topic that is best discussed in person. So maybe in September we can have that discussion.
I don't think of it as taking care of you either. You're my friend. Wouldn't you do the same for me? It's just what friends do when one is in need. I've also still got a jar with Rita's name on it, so she better behave if she knows what's good for her.
I've been setting up a service to come by to take care of the house while I'm gone. I was so focused on setting everything up for when I found my parents I didn't think about the fact the house would be empty for months once I return to Hogwarts.
I'm glad to return to school, even with the memories of the battles and everyone we lost. It embarrasses me a little to admit it, even in writing, but I'm not ready yet to be an adult. All I've been doing each day is worrying. I worry about you. I worry if someone will break into the house with it empty for so long. I worry my parents won't ever be found, and the very last thing I did was steal their memories. I didn't even say goodbye.
Sometimes I feel like it's hard to breathe. I want to have the only thing on my mind be the homework that has to be done for that day. I want it so much. I want it to be so very normal. Lovely, boring, mind-numbingly normal.
I can't wait to see you even though it's going to be too brief.
Your best friend,
Hermione
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Hermione's words the night she visited him circled in Harry's head around and round through the next several days. He could be something else. He could be anything else.
He stood behind an arrested wizard at the Norwich station, trying to keep his situational awareness and not stare at the wizard's mutilated left forearm.
It looked like the wizard had tried to cut the dark mark off, but that would be crazy. As the saying went, it was more than skin deep. A Death Eater's mark could not be removed by taking a blade to your skin and hacking it off. Harry could already see the edges where it was healing back together on the wizard's forearm.
"I made a fucking mistake. Can't you understand? It was a mistake!" The bitter words flew out of the stringy-haired, tall wizard and spittle flew across the desk as Charlotte sat calmly filling out the intake form so they could escort him to the waiting cells.
Harry yanked him back a bit by the cuffs to prevent him from spraying Halstead if he chose to speak again. "You can tell the Wizengamot, when they review your charges and the evidence. Just keep quiet and let Auror Halstead finish your paperwork."
The wizard glanced over his shoulder and sneered at Harry.
"Well, well well. If it isn't Harry Potter hisself arresting me. Wot am I? The next dark lord? You'd know all about the Wizengamot, wouldn't you, Harry Potter? They talked about it, you know… back then. When they drug you afore them. But for that silver slippery tongue of Dumbles, they might have gotten your wand broken!"
It was easy to remain impassive at the taunts. Harry had faced Voldemort and death in the dark forest with the small comfort of the ghosts of his family and friends provided by the resurrection stone. The wizard continued to ramble on, wavering between pleading about his mistakes to trying to get a rise out of Harry.
They placed him in the holding cell and turned over the paperwork to the warden in charge of the detainees.
You are not under a prophecy for the rest of your life.
He placed his hand in his robe pocket to hold his wallet with pictures of Teddy. He didn't even have pictures of Hermione or Ron in there. Why not? He'd always had an aversion to pictures since Skeeter and Col-
He shook his head, dislodging the thought and Charlotte gave him a concerned glance.
"Don't let him bother you, Harry. We have to concentrate on doing our job, and do our best to ignore the things they say to us."
Harry glanced over at Charlotte, walking next to him. "He didn't bother me."
"Are you sure?" Charlotte gave him a slightly skeptical look.
He paused in the middle of the corridor leading out of the cells area, facing her. They were mentor and trainee, but Harry felt very comfortable with her. She had this air of calm competence that inspired confidence.
Insults from a second rate dark wizard were nothing compared to the thoughts of a forever sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast that haunted him. As he struggled to make himself say the words to make her understand, comprehension seeped into her expression and she nodded, briskly moving on.
"I heard from Robards that he's going to give us a few days' layover before the next assignment because there's some people from the ICW visiting MLE to see about supplementing our workforce until it's up to shape."
"Nice of them to step in to help after the war."
Charlotte gave him a wry smile. "Although we had the brunt of it, everywhere was dealing with their own issues of death eater resurgence. The International Confederation of Wizards was actually split pretty thin at that point. We don't have a standing army to throw at problems like the muggles."
"Mhmm." Harry said noncommittally. "Why would that mean we have to head back to London, though?"
Now Charlotte looked away, gesturing for him to continue walking down the corridor. "Well. They want to demonstrate some training techniques to them."
Harry looked over at her, but she was still staring straight ahead as they walked. "You had told me we were going to be taking assignments to take us through all the perimeter stations… but suddenly we're heading back for a training exercise?"
"Robards needs to show them training techniques with you ."
Ah. Time to be put on display as the Chosen One or Boy Who Survived or whatever idiotic title for some im portant visitors. He rolled his shoulders to shake off the tension. It didn't matter; he told himself, just do the job. Make the world safer.
This is what he knew how to do, and he was good at it.
"Maybe since we're in London, we can both go home for a bit. I know they said no visitors, but we also weren't going to be back in London before late August either." Harry offered, trying to put a positive spin on it.
Charlotte gave him a smile. "That's the way to think about it. Maybe you can come by and have dinner at my house. My husband is a great cook."
"I'd like that." Harry was really curious to see the interaction of their family. Charlotte always spoke very lovingly of her husband and baby, and seemed to have the perfect little family. It was something Harry eventually wanted for himself, and he was eager to see what he could learn from observing them.
He wanted to be 'normal' for Teddy, but he didn't really know what that looked like. The Weasleys had a loving household, Molly was a little controlling of her children and Arthur a little bit too hands-off.
Charlotte reminded him of Hermione a bit. She was very intelligent, caring, and diligently focused on doing her best every day as an Auror. He couldn't wait to see the dynamic between her and Caroline.
That night, as Harry sat at his desk to write a letter to Hermione, he wondered what a little Hermione would look like. He remembered Hermione from first year on the train, wild bushy hair, bossy manners and practically a walking encyclopedia and laughed to himself.
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Hermione,
So good news, for some reason Robards wants us to come back into the main office since some visitors from ICW are in, to show off training me. Or at least that's the impression I got from Charlotte. The good thing though, I might get to see you sooner, depending on timing. I'll let you know as soon as I know more.
And stop doing that to yourself, Hermione. You made the only choice left to you to protect them. You're a hero. You're my hero, with how often you saved both me and Ron. Also, I know this is weird, but maybe we can take some pictures together? I'll talk to you more about it in person! See you soon!
The guy you always rescue,
Harry
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Instead of dinner, Harry ended up eating breakfast with Charlotte's family as they ported over just after six in the morning the day they had to report into the ministry so they could show him off.
Charlotte had let her husband know about the timing the night before, and they approached a nicely done house not too far from where Harry grew up in Little Whinging, but that was all the similarity as they stepped into the warm home.
The tall bookish man Harry remembered from the picture opened the door and immediately pulled Charlotte into his arms. "Charlie."
Harry looked away as Charlotte gave a giggle at her husband's tone, turning a bit red.
"Tony, behave!" Charlotte gave her husband a playful shove back, before turning to Harry. "Don't mind him, he's around books so much he forgets how to behave with people."
Harry grinned at them, his cheeks still a little red. "Ah, I have some friends like that too."
"Harry, this is my husband, Anthony Halstead. Tony, this is Harry Potter."
"Pleased to meet you, sir." Harry nodded his head.
"Harry- do you mind if I call you Harry?" He continued at Harry's shake of his head. "Please, let's not stand on formalities. You're probably the most famous person in the world right now and you're about to eat the second batch of pancakes and scones I made because I was so nervous I burnt the first."
Harry gave a chuckle as Tony grinned at him, motioning them all in and directing them to the kitchen.
"Nah, as far as muggles are concerned, I'm a nobody." Harry said as he approached the table.
"Bacon!" the loud yell made them turn in the direction of the table where three-year-old Caroline was peeping over the table.
"Ask nicely, baby." Tony returned.
Caroline gave a soft huff as if this was an enormous burden. "Bacon pleeeasee."
Charlotte laughed, coming around the table to lift Caroline up into her arms. "You know what happens if you eat too much bacon, right?"
"What?"
Tony smirked at Harry as he answered, walking over to poke Caroline's tummy. "You turn into a little piglet!"
"Nu uh." Even as she disagreed, Caroline's little face was thoughtful, as if weighing the risk of too much bacon and turning into a little piglet.
"Can I help you with anything?" Harry asked as Tony moved into the kitchen and began waving the food towards the table.
"Thank you, but just make yourself comfortable! I know you've been run ragged by this stupid training schedule they have you on."
Charlotte made eyes at her husband, and he quickly changed the subject. The table was set, and they all sat down for breakfast in a very short amount of time, as the older couple was very much in sync with one another, each doing their tasks without any verbal coordination.
It reminded him of how he worked with Hermione after Ron left. Many times, as they prepared what food they could scrounge up, they fell into easy roles, neither of them arguing.
Tony prepared Charlotte's coffee, setting it in front of her, then leaned down as she gave him a peck on the cheek in thanks.
"How are you getting on then, as an Auror trainee under my Charlie?" Tony inquired as they all began eating.
Harry gave Charlotte a quick smile. "It's been great. I'm learning so much from her."
"He's definitely exaggerating. Except for the paperwork and some procedures, he could practically go out on patrol on his own. Wicked quick with his casting."
"Me go patrol too!" Caroline waved a piece of bacon for emphasis.
"Don't play with your food. If you want to be an Auror like mommy, you have to learn rules. And we don't play with food." Tony reached out to lower her little hand back to her plate. Carline gave him a sweet smile, nodding, as she went back to eating by ripping tiny pieces off her scone and separating them on her plate into categories known only to her.
"Charlotte told me you work at the Wizen Library?" Harry asked.
"Yes, for a few years now. I mainly handle the acquisition of new books and contracts for maintenance of our inventory."
"They'd never stick him at a front desk. He'd ignore people while he took care of the books."
"I'd never ignore you, Charlie." Tony gave her a flirtatious glance, while Caroline's eyes followed her parents' back-and-forth responses inquisitively.
"Lies."
Tony turned to Harry, saying seriously. "Witches never forget. It's a legitimate magical power. You could be Nicolas Flamel and live more than half a millennium, and your witch will still remember exactly what you did wrong in the 1600s."
"This was not the 1600s. This was last month when you got that book shipment-"
"Oh yes, that book shipment." Tony said with a dreamy smile clearly still thrilled over it.
Charlotte gave a wry look towards Harry. "See, this is why he can't be a people helper. He's a book helper."
"Me too book helper!" Caroline said excitedly. Her little face was sticky with jam and her plate was a disaster zone of tiny pieces of scone she had decided to rip into little pieces for some odd reason, but all the bacon was gone from her plate.
"Yes, you too!" Charlotte looked over to Harry with a smile. "She likes to be part of things, always nosy this one."
Caroline giggled and scrunched up her little nose adorably.
"But first let's go wash your face, little miss." Charlotte stood up to pick up Caroline and with a word with Harry to let him know she'd be back in a minute, they walked down the hallway.
Their departure caused a small lull in the conversation, as Tony's eyes were on Charlotte as she disappeared down the hallway with their daughter.
"She talks about you two all the time." Harry offered.
Tony looked over and gave him a small smile of acknowledgement. "Do you have someone special in your life?"
"I've been a bit too busy for that sort of thing." Harry responded awkwardly. Hermione's face flashed into his mind and he pushed it firmly away.
"That's too bad. You should take time for happiness too, not just work."
"I'm happy helping people."
"No wonder you and Charlie get on. She's been working in law enforcement all our lives. That's what she says all the time."
"What do I say all the time?" Charlotte asked as she came back with a clean faced Caroline, clinging to her.
"That you like helping people."
"Mummy stay home! Mummy helps Caroline." Caroline's hands tightened in Charlotte's hair and she winced.
"Now little luv, I'm going to be back so-"
"No!"
Tony stood up and helped Charlotte get her hair away from their upset little girl. "Caro, you're hurting your mum's head."
"Tell mummy stay home!" She demanded to her dad.
"Caro, look at mum's friend Harry. She has to go help him for a little bit, but she'll come back when she's done, okay?"
The little girl looked over to Harry, her dark brown eyes a little glassy with tears as she threw a fit over her mother leaving, and Harry felt a tug in his chest. "Don't worry Caroline, I'll make sure she comes back as quick as possible."
Harry and Charlotte headed down the steps of the home after they extradited themselves, with many promises to come back as soon as possible. Harry could still hear Caroline's loud squeaky voice as she argued with Tony about her mother leaving.
Charlotte gave him a quick glance as they headed towards the sidewalk to apparate out. "She's usually not that bad when I leave. It's just been a bit harder because I've been gone for more than a month."
"She's amazing. It must be hard to be away from your family."
"It is. But this is our calling, right?"
Harry nodded at her as they apparated to the front of the ministry building. The ministry building hummed with activity as everyone bustled about and the International Confederation of Wizards visitors were readily apparent in throughout the building in their strict black uniforms emblazoned with their stylized white ICW logo on the upper left of their dress robes.
Harry and Charlotte had barely approached the lift in the main atrium when Robards called out and approached them swiftly with a group of five ICW representatives.
"Here they are! We've just been talking about our exception to our normal training processes for you and Weasley, Harry."
"Sir." Harry nodded at him and the small crowd watching him. There were three men and two women, all older and wearing carefully controlled expressions as they observed him and Charlotte.
"Do you really feel that this type of training is sufficient for you to be able to adequately handle your duties as an Auror, Mr. Potter?" One of the witches inquired of Harry.
Robards cleared his throat. "The ICW has some some concerns about the exception we granted, but I've reassured them regarding your unique history. You are already quite skilled already as noted in Auror Halstead's reports. However, Mrs. Svetlana Kuznetsov has expressed several concerns regarding our reasoning behind-"
"My concern is that no matter how you attempt to dress it up in reporting, a seventeen-year-old and some other children saved your asses." The witch's words had a heavy Russian accent, making them sound even harsher. The black ICW robe highlighted Svetlana Kuznetsov's bright blue eyes and made her straight ash blonde hair stand out.
"There was a prophecy-"
"And what? What support was he given? What training? From your reports, the prophecy was made before he was born and it was known he was the one referenced since he was a toddler. Yet nowhere in these reports do I see any significant effort made to give him the tools or knowledge he needed to fulfill this prophecy. The ICW understands circumstances were unusual, but that does not excuse the British Ministry of their shameful behavior-"
"If the ICW felt that way, they could have stepped in to help." Harry interrupted quietly and firmly. Yes, he had had his own issues with how the adults in his life behaved, but pointing fingers after the fact was a waste of everyone's time.
"You're right." The wizard at Svetlana's side spoke up. "But Britain wasn't the only one having issues at that time, and we had to go where the need was greatest. Rege Laurent, at your service."
Rege nodded his head at Harry. The other witch of the delegation stepped forward, squeezing Svetlana's elbow discreetly as she began to speak with a British accent. "We're not here to rehash the past. We just want to make sure that there are no inconsistencies with how your training is going, Mr. Potter… I'm sure you can understand our concerns?"
Not really.
"My training is progressing wonderfully. Auror Halstead has been amazing."
"We're very glad to hear that, of course. Considering the enormity of the exception that was granted, there are some concerns. ICW is aware that Britain mandated all other students who missed out on their last year of schooling to return to Hogwarts to repeat it… with the exception of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley."
Rege glanced at his companion and continued when she paused. "While your work during the war was laudable, we are concerned about whether you may have been pressured into accepting this offer. We are also planning to speak with Ronald Weasley. Our understanding is that Hermione Granger declined the offer of the exception and is returning to Hogwarts, so we will not be contacting her directly."
A small smile curled Harry's mouth at the thought of what Hermione might have to say if confronted with these people.
"I was grateful for this opportunity to continue helping people, and I don't feel I am being taken advantage of–this is what I want to do."
A dark-haired wizard from the ICW delegation, who had so far not spoken, stepped forward. "Then I'm sure it wouldn't be too much to ask for a small demonstration of skill? We, of course, don't expect you to be able to subdue our mages, but we want to see the effectiveness of the training you have received so far in action, and not just reports."
Svetlana gave a stiff smile towards Robards. "Yes. We would like to observe what passes for training these days in MLE."
Robards looked irritated, but he nodded at the delegation group. "Let's proceed to our training area, please this way."
As their small crowd of eight moved towards the training area, Robards gave the visitors some background on the spells and wards used to make the area safe for spectators and ran through a short list of rules.
Although there was always the risk of injury, only binding, disarming, stunning and knock back spells were allowed during training exercises.
Harry looked at Charlotte and she gave him a wink and whispered. "Let's kick some butt."
The two ICW wizards who had never spoken stepped up as their competitors for the training round and they approached the large indoor arena.
The dueling area of the arena was surrounded by a high chain-link fence that had been warded to prevent spells from going past the barrier and injuring spectators who were observing the training. The spectators themselves sat on high tiered benches that provided them an overview of the arena and the competitors.
The dueling arena had several training designs. The one they would be using today was modeled after a warehouse. There were large wooden crates stacked at odd heights to give cover and make a more complex layout for training. Each team would start at opposite ends of the arena, and the goal was to safely arrest the opposing team. The gate clanged behind as Harry stepped in alongside Charlotte, to face off against the ICW Mages.
A loud bell tolled, signaling the beginning of the match, and Harry looked towards Charlotte, who nodded confidently at him. In unison, they started making their way cautiously through the maze like walls of large wooden crates. Their boots were silent as they weaved through the maze, pausing every few seconds to listen for the ICW wizards they were hunting.
The arena was almost completely silent except for the inaudible murmurs of the crowd that almost resembled the sound of a winter wind winding through the Forest of Dean. Harry blinked, and for just a second instead of crates he saw tall trees. The air was cold despite the fact he wore sturdy Auror robes and he suppressed a shiver.
As Harry approached an intersection, Charlotte on his left, he heard a slight whisper of sound. His wand whipped up a disarming spell rushing out before he even fully processed the noise, the spell racing forward as he ducked just in the nick of time to avoid a red flash of a hex that went overhead.
He reached out, yanking Herm- Charlotte back as another spell whipped past seconds after the first. The ICW Mages weren't going to rely on surprise to get them, they were coming at them in a full frontal assault. They regrouped behind a taller stack of the crates, Charlotte watching the left and Harry watching the right, both tense as they waited to see where the attack would spring from.
"Flipendo!" one of the ICW wizards yelled aggressively and the stack of crates almost exploded from the force of the knock back spell, the crates almost collapsing onto him and Hermione. Harry could feel his chest tighten as adrenaline flooded his system, his wand moving instantly, trying to bind or knock out their attackers.
Charlotte stood beside him, casting a protego, which absorbed some of the impact of the collapsing crates, and handling the majority of the defense while Harry attacked. The match was now an outright duel as they faced the ICW Mages who stood fifteen feet away, their faces set and eyes glittering as they tried to bring them down.
The spells came fast and furious as their opponents maneuvered to separate Harry from Hermione's side. One of the Snatchers grinned at him and abruptly turned, ducking low to avoid Harry's body-bind curse. They were both almost totally focusing on Hermione, deciding to bring down her defense first. A locomotor mortis slipped past her defense and her legs snapped together and she collapsed just as a crate was levitated above Harry's head and he dove to the side, rolling and jumping to his feet. Fuck .
Harry was sweating as he ran, using the crates as cover as he tried to get over to Charlotte's side, shaking his head to try to stay in the present. The cracks of the shooting spells were almost nonstop, some cast verbally with screams while others were silent, only the rushing noise of them charging at their target splitting the air.
He came around the aisle of crates just to see Charlotte dragging herself with one hand towards the cover of the crates, not able to spare a moment to dispel the leg lock curse as she dealt with the rapidity of the spells being thrown at her almost totally with shielding.
With barely a pause, he ran forward and jumped, catching the edge of one of the large crates and climbing on top of it.
"Petrificus Totalus!" When the paralysis spell slammed into the wizard in the rear and he fell, the other Snatcher barely paused. He leapt backward over the fallen Snatcher and yanked him up to use him as a shield to absorb some of the spells cast from Harry, the majority of the Snatchers' spells still trying to keep Hermione immobile with the leg locker curse.
They had the advantage though, with Harry up high and Hermione casting from down below, even with the enemy using the body of the other immobilized Snatcher. Harry started inching his way westward to spread out the fire more from Hermione so they could knock this guy out.
The Snatcher was sweating profusely from trying to hold up the body of the other as a shield and cast to try to turn the tide of the battle. When he noticed Harry's movement, he repeated a previous move, casting a knockback jinx at Harry to try to knock him off the crates, but at the last moment he slipped, his wand lowering.
The spell slammed just above Hermione's shoulder, the power of it splintering the wooden crate and a large shard of wood shot forwards as it blew apart, spearing her right through the torso.
The world stopped.
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⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘ ༓ ∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘ ༓ ∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅
A/N: During the fight, there are times in which Harry mistakes what he's seeing, this was meant to show him having flashbacks and they are not writer mistakes of me switching Charlotte/Hermione or the ICW Mages and Snatchers. Ty for reading.
PS.
Congrats on your job alix33, I'm sure you'll be great!