4th, July, 1998

Charlie woke up as he did every day to the ray of light coming through the window through the curtains. He untangled the sheets over his knees with his foot, overheated. Beside him, Kate slept soundly and he couldn't resist staring as her chest rose and fell, an errant ripple of hair on her face.

He watched her eyelids, swollen with tears from the night before, her long lashes resting relaxed; he ran his eyes up and down her neck, surrounded by the chain that once held a dragon-shaped pendant, but was probably found under the rubble of Hogwarts; her chest rose and fell slowly with a few beads of sweat trickling under a t-shirt that had once been his.

He smiled wistfully for a fleeting second, wondering how he could ever manage to share everything with her again.

Gingerly, he moved the sheet that covered her forearms down to her hip, hoping to relieve some of the heat she was feeling.

Today he would talk to her. The day before he had set out to do it, and today he would make it happen. Everything had to come out in the open and if after confessing, Kate still wanted to leave, at least it would be with all the information. But he wanted to be transparent, he needed to be. He could no longer stand not talking about what happened in the battle and everything that surrounded it, he understood Kate had an internal processor, that it was harder for her to open up and verbalise her feelings, but he had to let them out. And what was killing him the most was that no matter how much he talked about it with his friends neither Razvan, nor Andre nor anyone else would understand him as the person he most wanted to talk to and couldn't; her.

Nodding to himself, he decided he should plan his speech for the morning. He left a kiss in her hair after brushing the lock away from her face and sat up to begin his day.

"Charlie! Charles!" Razvan rushed over and grabbed his arm as soon as he appeared in the tent. "They are born!" A wide grin bloomed on the redhead's face and he laughed. He threw his rucksack on the ground and followed his friend. A few weeks back, the expedition group had found five eggs and a worried mother inside a collapsed cave, one of them had to be pulled out from under the stones in pieces. After three trips and a lot of patience, they had been able to take the family to the sanctuary.

"...and in two days we will start the reintroduction protocol when Charlie has... Charlie!" Sonia said excitedly as she saw them arrive. "Charlie, do the cub scouting as soon as possible." She spoke quickly, addressing each of the team members frantically.

He made his way to the tent next to the site from where he pulled out a scale, the specimen notebook, and a camera, which he hung around his neck. After equipping himself with his balaclava, gloves, and fireproof overalls, he carried the items to where the newborns were. After instructing the butcher to bring him a bucket of guts, he saw Razvan float towards him and lean against the fence separating them.

"They've taken Mama away so you can work." He commented to him.

Charlie pulled on his gloves and crawled over to the nest. "Hello, babies..." He gasped at the sight of one of the hatchlings still inside half a shell and turned to Raz. "It's albino!"

The dragon hatchling coughed up some smoke and curled confidently into Charlie's glove, who was offering him a small piece of meat. Thrilled with the novelty of the day and infected with the joy of his companions coming and going to help Charlie with the hatchlings, he forgot all about his promise to himself and didn't think at any point during the day about what he wanted to say to Kate.

The wind was blowing in her face, mixed with dirt and ashes. Her eyes were burning, and she was disoriented, the hard stone of the ground was digging into her hips, and she wanted to sit up, but a sharp ringing in her ears made her lie down again.

"Kate," someone called to her from above, but she couldn't see his face. "Kate."

Suddenly she was on her feet, looking out a window in a castle tower, fearfully making sure that the two bodies she had just thrown out of it, reached their destination: the ground.

The voice called to her again, and she turned away. Suddenly, in the great dining hall of Hogwarts, a single person stood in front of her; Jacob.

"You've done it again," Kate shook her head in denial with tears in her eyes, she wanted to scream but she couldn't hear herself. Somehow, she was seeing it all in black and white. "Killing a brother. Only this time it wasn't yours."

She swung her hand but didn't manage to take any steps, only backwards, falling back to the ground. The sand got in her eyes again and someone was calling out to her, but her hip ached and the ringing in her ears was deafening. Something tugged at her stomach and suddenly she was looking out the window, into the eyes of the last one to fall. She wanted to silence her caller, but she couldn't. Jacob melted into a shadow and the ground shook, causing her to fall to the ground.

The wind. The whistle. The voice. The window. Jacob. The wind.

Suddenly everything went black and a warm sensation swept from her head to the rest of her body.

Hours later, Kate woke up sweaty and with a numb hand, which she shook with a hiss between her teeth. She dragged herself to the bathroom and then to the cabin's kitchen, finding a spoon stirring a steaming cup of coffee. Like the nightmare, there wasn't a day that went by without it.

She stepped out onto the porch and sat on the small bench, enjoying the view of the forest and mountains and the warm breeze ruffling her hair. She wondered how Charlie was doing, if he would be all right. Most likely not. With each passing day, his refusal to talk about Fred grew stronger. She didn't insist either, knowing full well what the feeling was. That was what weighed on her the most; being the only person in his circle who knew what it was like to lose a brother and yet didn't know how to help him. As she was about to take the last sip, something flying over the trees caught his attention. In less time than it took her to notice, a barred hazel owl had landed on the railing in front of her.

"Hello, Whiskey." She greeted with a smile. The owl bowed and dropped the mail it carried in its beak before flying to the feeder Charlie had set up on the roof.

Kate finished her cup and set it down to inspect what Whiskey had brought; a Witch Weekly magazine she wanted to unsubscribe to, the Bucharest newspaper and two letters, both from London, but one marked with the clear seal of the Ministry of Magic.

She eyed it warily, not wanting to know how they would want to screw up their lives. Would it be her father? Or a warrant for their arrest for something they did in the war?

She tucked the letter without thinking between the pages of the magazine, suddenly indignant at the magical system that had brought them nothing but misfortune, and opened the other one without delay.

À stór,

I haven't heard from you for a long time since it all ended. I am writing not only to see how you are and to have you say a few words to your poor grandfather, but also to join me in a new adventure.

As I have done every year since your grandmother died, I am going to the land of my birth and upbringing, Ireland. I will visit my brother Patrick, the only one of my nine siblings with whom I keep in touch.

It would be an honour and a joy to have you join me on this journey, so I invite you and your young dragonologist to spend two weeks in Cobh.

I have many things to show you and I am eager for you, like me, to enjoy the wonders of the place. Besides, there is something I must do and it would be nice not to be alone this time.

If it is not possible for you to accompany me, at least answer this letter. I would like to know what is happening in your life.

With love,

Your grandfather, Bernard

P.S. I will leave on Tuesday, in three days' time. If you decide to come, I will give you more details.

Kate's spirits lifted at the sight of the sender. She read it again, making mental calculations whether it would be possible to combine a trip for the two of them. Even if she had never confessed it out loud, let alone to Charlie, she was sick of being in that house.

The wooden walls were still covered with maps, names and notes that neither of them had bothered to remove; the fireplace had stopped working a year ago, when they had had to break it to disconnect it from the Flu net; and as for the layer of dust on every piece of furniture... they had learned not to look at it.

It all reminded her of those dark times that were strangely hard to let go of. And maybe that, Kate thought, was what was killing them.

They needed neutral ground, and it had just been presented to them on a platter.

Taking a deep breath and with a new sense of energy, she reached for pen and paper to accept the invitation.

The day went faster than expected. Kate spent her time thinking about what to wear and in which suitcase, whether she should use an extension charm or normal luggage, sorting her books and deciding which to take with her. With her headphones on and the music from Tonks' Walkman blaring in her ears, she didn't hear the door open and close, and kept pacing around the room, choosing the right words when the moment to talk to Charlie came.

He entered the cabin expecting yet another afternoon of silence, Kate working in the tower and the whole house to himself. Nothing had prepared him for the sight of Kate's half packed suitcase on the bed.

He found her pacing in front of the window, no doubt thinking of how to break the news of her departure. The scene spoke for itself, and he could almost feel his heart tearing.

Kate was surprised to see his desperate expression. She turned off the music as she watched him take a deep breath without taking his eyes off the bed.

"I have something to propose to you." she began. It hurt less than a 'we need to talk' or an 'I have something to tell you', but the redhead hugged himself for the worst. "I got a letter from my grandfather this morning inviting us to go to Cobh for a few weeks, I'm going," She left the Walkman and headphones in the open suitcase and walked over to Charlie, "and I'd like you to come with me." She said it almost breathlessly, as if a pause, however slight, would give him time to decline.

Charlie stood still, staring at her. She began to look around the room and then at him alternately, rubbing her hands on her thighs and shifting her weight from side to side.

"I'd like to..." He began softly. Before he could finish the sentence, Kate sensed the 'but' that followed. Her shoulders slumped, and she averted her gaze to the foot of the bed.

"I understand." And it was true, but all morning she had allowed herself to think that maybe it could work out, that he would share in the excitement that had flooded her and that the trip would give them some respite. Although on second thought, maybe it wasn't just his job, if he couldn't even find a gap to spend weekends with her, why would he use two whole weeks?

"Alright, well..."

"Kate..."

"No, I really understand, it was just in case... you felt like doing something different, I don't know... forget it." She took a deep breath and started tidying up the mess her room had become. "I'm leaving on Tuesday, and we'll be back on the 22nd, I think, I'll ask you for a favour and that is if you can take me to Bucharest to catch the portkey there..." She talked on and on, rambling about the weather in Ireland and how the portkey would take them to Cork first and then to Cobh.

"Wait, wait..." Charlie leaned over the bed and grabbed the suitcase to stop her from continuing to fold clothes. "You won't be here on your birthday."

Kate looked at him in the eye and shrugged. "We didn't have any plans in mind, did we?" she sighed again, "Can you take me to Bucharest in the morning?"

"Su...sure."

Kate saw the question in his eyes and shyly answered it with a half-truth, "I don't want to apparate, yet." Charlie just nodded.

They stood looking at each other apologetically, trying somehow to fill the silence that, for the first time was becoming uncomfortable.

"Did you put cream on your knee?" Kate asked softly, moving a little closer. Charlie shook his head, waiting for her to move further towards him. "Yesterday, at least?"

"Yes, but it won't go away." He took a step so he could stand closer. Immediately, the scent of her hair reached his nose. He saw her move her hands nervously, wanting to lift them, but placing them at her sides again. He took them in his and thankfully noticed her relax.

"It's just to ease your pain. I'm working on it but... I can't." She sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I can't."

He pulled her to him and left a soft kiss on her forehead, feeling her untangle her hands and run them around his waist. He reciprocated the embrace and dropped his head onto her shoulder.

"It's okay."

Kate sighed against his neck, debating whether she should explain to him why she couldn't find him a solution to the curse that had bounced off his leg.

"Do you want me to...?"

"Yes, please." He didn't let her finish the sentence and Kate breathed a chuckle without turning away from him. Charlie also made no pretense of getting rid of this embrace that, however little it was, was healing them inside.

"I'll have to go get the cream then..." he tightened his grip, muttering an 'okay' against her brown curls, not letting go. They swayed slowly, taking advantage of the small moment that had come their way, nourishing each other's warmth despite the high temperature that day, listening to their tranquil sighs and their paced hearts.

Kate rested her forehead on his shoulder and took a deep breath.

"Sit on the bed." She whispered after a while. She released her grip and headed for the kitchen, but not before stroking the stubble he'd grown. She smiled a little. He looked older all of a sudden; the red beard that extended down to his neck; the long hair he'd managed to grow, but which really only reached below his ears because it was so curly; his jawline had been refined; the muscle in his arms and the broad back he had from his exercises with Raz... He looked handsome. Was there no other word?

"What?" he asked in a whisper as he caressed her waist.

Kate snapped out of her reverie and motioned for him to sit down and remove his trousers while she went to get the ointment.

He sat down in his underwear and looked at his knee as a prickling sensation ran up his leg. It was swollen and throbbing, and he had to bring a hand to it to soothe the pain. A variation of sponge-knee curse. That's what they'd told her at the hospital, and why Kate had argued with a nurse and had been studying in her tower since they'd returned to Romania. Charlie hadn't dared to contradict her even though, deep down, he knew his leg would be like this forever.

He watched her approach and kneel in front of him with the flask in her hand and a notebook and pen in the other.

With a concentrated expression, she put two fingers on the throbbing lump on his knee and looked at her wristwatch for a few seconds. She wrote a few numbers on the paper and set about applying the cold cream.

He closed her eyes as she began to apply more pressure, feeling a mixture of pain and relief, noticing how the substance hardened on his skin, becoming impossibly icy, only to suddenly melt and begin to emanate warmth. He exhaled.

In those moments of silence they were sharing, Charlie came up with something he should have tried a long time ago; he opened his mind, leaving it blank as Kate had once taught him, and put his knowledge of legilimency to use. He concentrated on connecting with her mind, as they had done so many times during the war, searching the ether for messages, news or support. But this time, nothing.

That tunnel through which he was to travel was black, empty and silent. No one on the other side. He opened his eyes with a slight crease between his eyebrows.

Kate concentrated on the circular motions of her massage, satisfied with how the lump dissipated under her touch, oblivious to her partner's concerns. She squeezed with her thumb a little harder and Charlie hissed through his teeth. As she continued, her other hand slid down to caress his calf apologetically.

She looked up several times, nervous at times, as she saw Charlie's worried face staring down at her. Suddenly, she felt exposed. She watched him open and close his mouth several times, trying to find words to say to her but unable to express them.

She tried to hide a sigh and steeled herself for what she was about to hear; if Charlie was so uncomfortable with her at home, let him say it once and for all. Every day it was the same story, and she was tired of him not telling her. Come to think of it, she wasn't voicing her complications out loud either, but Kate didn't focus on that, with her it was more normal but with Charlie that had never happened. What if she asked him directly? Maybe she'd have to hear something she wasn't ready to hear, that she was invading his space, that he needed time alone to process Fred's death, that he didn't need anyone to heal his knee, that it wasn't enough to try to give him space anymore...

"Do you want something to eat?" Charlie asked in a breathy voice as he saw that the swelling had gone. Kate sat up, leaving her sticky hand in the air, not wanting to touch anything.

"No, I have..." She cut herself off as she saw Charlie was going to keep talking, but saw him lower his gaze. "I'm not hungry now."

He nodded, "Thanks for the massage."

With a sincere smile, she held up the jar of cream, "Of course. I'll make some more."

She slipped out of the room and then out of the house, no longer able to bear the way they were treating each other like strangers, but with an intense need to hug him again like before she had treated his knee. She headed for the tower, leaving Charlie to put on his clothes.

He didn't know how to interpret that moment; a few seconds ago it had seemed like they were fine, they'd melted into a hug that Charlie needed more of, but everything suddenly got strange. As he made his way to the kitchen, he questioned his legilimency skills, not understanding why he had encountered such resistance in Kate's mind. A void he wasn't familiar with.

A small tapping on the roof and then on the window caught his attention. Stepping out onto the porch, he found Whiskey standing at the railing ready to go into the woods.

"Goodnight." He whispered to him, stroking his head with a knuckle. The owl took flight, leaving Charlie alone with the sound of crickets.

After scanning the area, passing his eyes over the mountains in the distance, the forest in front of him and the meadow to his left, and checking that everything was in order, he went into the house but not before picking up the magazine Kate had left forgotten on the bench. He tossed it on the coffee table without looking and set about making sandwiches for them both, not noticing the official envelope that had fallen to the floor and which he would later find with trembling hands and a weight pressing down on his chest.