I'll See You When I Fall Asleep

by Federer Rex

Adventure beckons once sleep claims Harry Potter, explanations are few apart from the possibility of a new prophecy and an unknown companion who didn't wait for him. What's a Gryffindor to do? Charge in and save the damsel? It turns out she's not so helpless.

1. Chapter One

I'll See You When I Fall Asleep

Chapter One

I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the related characters. The Harry Potter series is created by JK Rowling and owned by Warner Bros. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Harry Potter story belong to Warner Bros.

Beta'd by Red Renera, any and all errors in grammar, spelling and plot are mine

Bedtime for Harry Potter has changed over the years. Initially, it was the lack of a bedroom, then he had someone else's bedroom, which was a definite improvement. Then he was sharing with four other boys which was less so.

He was currently in his bed in the fourth-year Gryffindor dorm and had just passed his third hour counting the dots on the ceiling and listening to his roommates snore away in blissful ignorance of the racket they made. Harry tugged at the hem of his pyjamas to prevent the collar from strangling him and to cover his belly. He once again thought about removing the slightly too-small garment.

I need new ones.

Harry pulled his bed curtains back and reclaimed his wand from the bedside table and aimed at Ron Weasley's bed.

"Silencio."

Yes, that was an improvement. He turned his attention to Dean Thomas' bed and repeated the process. Peace at last! The heavy silence woke Neville Longbottom up.

"Huh? Wazzat?"

Harry kept quiet and listened to the snuffling sounds as Neville settled again. He heaved a sigh and tucked his wand under his pillow. An idle thought flitted through his head.

I wonder if I hold my breath long enough I'll pass out. That's like sleep, right?

Harry rolled onto his side and squirmed until he achieved some measure of comfort. His eyelids drooped as sleep claimed him at last.

--Scene Break--

Sudden light and colour made him open his eyes wide. He leapt a foot into the air and landed on his behind. Warm sand cushioned his fall. His hands and booted feet scrabbled in the sand until he stood again and squinted his eyes against the sunlight to look around.

Shock. That was what he felt. Pure shock and terror.

I was in bed, Harry thought desperately, I'm sure I had been in my pyjamas in bed, and now I'm wearing leather trousers.

Harry stood on a sandy beach that marked the gentle bank of a sluggish river. Charred grass and the remnants of branches and ash were all that remained of a small fire.

Wait.

Leather trousers?

Harry looked down and inspected the sturdy brown leather boots which came up to his calves; the rough stitching had a homemade quality to them. The leather trousers were of a lighter hue than the boots. They were quite tight on his legs and not something that he would have chosen to wear, but they felt snug yet unrestricted at the same time. He clapped his hands to the usual places where a witch or wizard kept their wand but no luck; he was wandless.

A baggy white shirt covered his torso and arms, a string looped through half a dozen holes across his chest but was loose so Harry tugged on the ends to close the gap. A distracted hand ran through his hair in exasperation and stopped. Both hands felt the long locks and a handful was pulled into his field of vision. Harry pushed his hands back into his hair and gripped tightly for a second. No wand. Longer hair. Leather pants. He released his death grip on his hair and scrubbed his face, fingers automatically moved to correct his skewed glasses but froze.

No glasses.

His eyes flicked around the clearing to confirm that he could indeed see perfectly well. He looked down at the ground again. Was he taller too?

"What the hell's going on?"

Birdsong made him realise that the forest had been as silent as a grave. Harry turned in a slow circle and took in his surroundings. Trees packed both banks of the river and hid the river in both directions as it wound its merry way to and from his position. On the far side, a gap showed a narrow game trail and to Harry's eye, it looked dark and foreboding. There was a strip of white water along from where he stood and a light breeze flicked bush branches and wave ripples on the grass. The game trail lined up with a similar gap in the trees on this side also, like nature's service station.

He was alone. He looked around again and then noticed a set of log stools positioned around a firepit. He was sure that they weren't there before. Harry frowned. Harry turned and considered the camp. Near the logs, a canvas bag hung from a stick driven into the ground, the strap wedged in a v made from two offshoots. A straight length of wood leant against the stick, it seemed too straight amongst the natural curves of nature around him. It resolved to be shoulder height when Harry took it in hand. He sighed.

What to do? Where to start?

A roar shook the landscape and Harry spun, the staff held in a defensive posture. Harry searched the skies wild-eyed, his movements jerky.

"That is a dragon."

The voice came from behind, deep and sonorous. Harry jumped a foot in the air but managed to keep his feet.

"I wouldn't recommend going that way, death and misfortune lie yonder. At least not yet. Not until you're both ready."

An old man sat on one of the firepit logs as he poked a stick into a merrily crackling fire. His cloak folded neatly on the log beside him, sword at his hip and quiver of arrows peeking over his shoulder.

"W-where did you come from? I was alone here."

Harry stumbled a few steps away, the staff still in wary hands but now pointed at the stranger.

"I am a gatekeeper of sorts, a greeter of lost souls."

The old man scratched at his chin with the unburnt end of his stick, winced as he pulled some beard hairs out and looked askance at the end as he rubbed at the sore spot on his chin.

"Erm, dragon?"

Harry glanced towards where the terrific sound had come from.

"He's far away, plus the magic won't allow him near here. Too many interesting people pass this way for that to happen."

The old man smiled gently up at Harry and gestured at the log stool on the opposite side of the fire. Harry swallowed and glanced around the clearing again, with another stumble he moved over to the seat indicated and deposited himself onto it gracelessly.

"So, what do you go by, traveller?"

"Erm, Harry, where am I?"

"Well met, Harry, I am Edward and you're at the edge of the map. Well, about five miles from here is the town of Durendale, it's probably as good a starting point as anywhere. Your partner already left, she was tired of waiting for you."

"My partner? Waiting?"

"Oh yes, waiting or rather you've been expected to come for years, a prophecy if you will. She turned up on time and then sat here with me for three hours. She wasn't best pleased when she left. I asked her to stay but she was impatient to get on. Once I've given you a few pointers you'd best catch her up. She has a few choice things to say about you."

Edward chortled and returned his attention to the fire.

"Who?"

"I don't remember her name, I never do. Pretty thing though, long blonde hair, ice blue eyes. A balm for my tired peepers."

Edward smiled at Harry and stretched.

"Hang on, where am I? Is this still Earth? What prophecy? Why me? I'm just a student, only fourteen."

"All good questions, but unfortunately I can't answer them. I can tell you that you are in the kingdom of Illyria and that you both have tasks to complete, but I don't know anything more. Before you go though there are a few things I've got to make sure that you do know."

Edward stood and moved around to Harry's side of the fire, he plopped himself down on the same log and took up the bag that had been here since Harry's arrival.

"Now, your bag."

"Mine?"

"Yes, and this will go quicker if you don't keep interrupting. Your bag is larger than it looks. Weighs less too. There's an axe strapped to the bottom, keep the leather wrap on it if you're not using it or you'll cut your arse."

Edward looked at Harry who nodded mutely.

"Good, strapped to the top is your camp roll, wool and cloth blankets wrapped in waxed canvas. Keep it dry or your nights will be even more miserable than they're going to be."

Edward reached inside and pulled out a tin tied with twine.

"Here's your fire starter kit. Flint and striker, wooden shavings and some wool. You'll have to refill or buy a new one every so often."

The kit went to one side, he next retrieved a small wooden bowl and spoon combination which was placed to one side, a corked ceramic water bottle, then a wrapped parcel appeared which he held in both hands.

"Twice baked bread, a staple for travellers like yourself, tastes like shite but will last for months. I'd recommend only eating this when all other options are spent and you're very hungry. And that's it. I'll show you how to start a fire. We will discuss magic and you can go."

Edward was up and almost ran towards the forest edge before Harry had time to blink, he sat there mouth open and mind empty as he tried to process the sudden influx of information.

What?

Edward turned and stood stockstill, the only movement was his hair flowing around his ears in the light breeze. He raised his arm and motioned for Harry to approach.

"Come on! It'll be dark soon and you'll have to catch up with your friend."

Harry rose and approached the old man who had started to root around on the ground. Edward sounded muffled as he spoke to Harry with his back turned and crouched down.

"You're looking for twigs, about this size and smaller. The more you collect now and carry with you the easier lighting a fire will be when you need it."

He twisted around and held up several sticks and twigs. Harry nodded and squatted to search a few metres away.

"You mentioned magic."

Harry picked up several sticks, not really understanding the criteria or why he should be worried by the size. He turned slightly and caught Edward watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, I understand you are a practitioner?"

Harry decided that ten was sufficient for whatever he had to do and sat on a convenient moss covered rock.

"I'm a wizard, yes, but I can't find my wand."

Edward frowned and looked back at the camp.

"What do you mean?"

Harry held out his hands to approximate his wand's length.

"My wand. About this long, Holly wood, carved handle. I don't have it. I can't do magic without it."

"It's over there."

Edward pointed in the vague direction of the fire and Harry looked in that direction. He shrugged.

"The stick?"

"It's a staff, no one uses anything shorter. It makes the magic unstable, unpredictable."

"Oh, so how does that work? Are the spells the same?"

Edward lent on his staff like he was weary and his pile of sticks rose on their own accord and floated over to where Harry's rested and formed a neat pyramid a metre away.

"I wouldn't know. I push magic and intent through mine. It's all in the imagination. Your friend said random words that had the same effect. She didn't like my way."

"Who is she? Did she know me?"

"We only knew someone was coming. No details, no idea on time. This is enough. We will make it here. I'll do one and you make your own."

Edward knelt down and brushed the area before him free of the detritus of the forest, he rebuilt the pyramid of sticks into a teepee and nodded with a satisfied smile. He went through the motions of making a fire, the flint and striker, the tinder, the spark and blowing so hard he went red in the face. He made it look ridiculously easy. Harry looked down at the fire kit he had been given and shrugged. It took him fifteen minutes to even get a flicker. By which time he had invented some new curse words and earned himself a couple of splinters and a third degree burn.

"Great, now you've lit it, put it out."

The cheer in Edward's voice seemed excessive and Harry glared at him for a second before he got to his feet.

"What, how?"

It had taken a lot of mental energy just to light the damn thing. He experimentally kicked dirt towards it, but nothing happened apart from a guttering of flame.

"Aren't you a wizard?"

Harry huffed and went to collect his staff and Edward smirked.

"So you just will it and push your magic?"

"Yes, but do it your way for now, you can figure the other way out later."

Edward had gone back to leaning on his staff and nodded genially at Harry.

"Aguamenti."

Harry intoned and pointed the bottom of his staff at the fire, a gout of water streamed from the top of his staff to soak the trees and brush behind him.

Edward bursted into raucous laughter and a dozen birds took flight. Harry spun his staff and extinguished both fires and seriously thought about extinguishing the giggling old codger.

"The little miss did the same thing, and she wasn't that happy about it. I think you know everything you need to get you started. Let's be off with you."

Harry repacked his bag and checked around for missing items. The shoulder straps dug into his skin but it wasn't too painful, staff in hand he shook the offered hand and nodded his thanks to Edward who pointed downstream.

"Right, the town is in that direction. Follow the river and, if you hurry, you might catch her up by nightfall. In fact, you had better run."

Harry turned to face the path and sighed. He flicked a glance back at Edward then did a double take. Edward had disappeared completely. No sound, no fire, the mess that Harry had made of the forest floor as he learned to light fire had gone too. He pulled a face. Harry turned back to the trail and sighed again.

--Scene Break--

Harry ran toward the red flashes, his pack bounced hard on his back and he had to hold his staff in a one handed grip at his hip so he didn't tangle it with his legs and fall. As he rounded a corner in the trail he skidded to a halt.

A red light flew towards him and he flattened himself to the forest floor. The spell zipped up the trail and impacted on a tree at the far end. Harry looked over his shoulder at the charred trunk. Gulped at the still shaking branches, and felt his mouth go very dry.

Harry climbed to his feet and absently wiped off the muck and dead leaves that had stuck to his cheek. He assessed the chaos before him and checked which end of his staff was at the top.

There were three massive wolves surrounding a tree at the edge of the clearing. Two still forms, thick fur coats smoking slightly littered the glade and a figure perched precariously on a branch three metres up.

Harry gaged the distance and took aim.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

A surprised yelp from the right most wolf as it suddenly became weightless and with a flick of his wrists Harry sent the wolf careening into the wolf in the middle. He kept the swing going and released his hold as all three animals impacted the trunks on the far side.

A stunned silence permeated the area. The wolves twitched but made no sound. The figure on the branch squinted into the gloom to see who he was. Her grumpy comment floated down to him.

"Bloody hell, why didn't I think of that."

The wolves stirred and slowly regained their feet.

"Diffindo, Diffindo, Diffindo." The girl cast rapidly.

Harry's mind cast back a couple of hours to what he had been told about how Edward performed his magic. He thought of a fireball and shoved his magic down through his right arm. The three cutting curses flashed through the air and impacted into the bodies of the wolves, two of the creatures collapsed, one with two deep gashes in its hide. The other had regained its feet and glared at Harry, a guttural growl turned into a snarl just before his fireball slammed into its side. The wolf's fur burst into flame and the furious snarl rapidly turned into a frantic yelp.

"Diffindo."

Harry cast as soon as he saw what his fireball had done, how much pain the creature was in. The cutting curse slashed into the wolf's skull and he followed up with a gout of water. The flame guttered and vanished, and all that remained was a charred and smoking corpse.

"Aguamenti."

The silence that followed such an action packed minute of noise and light seemed deep and sorrowful. He would never celebrate any death. Harry rested the staff on its butt and looked down at his left hand. It trembled slightly as the adrenaline continued to course through his body.

"C-Can you help me down? I don't think I can manage it at the moment, oh Merlin, the smell!"

The same voice filtered down to him. Harry lifted his staff to point at her and decided not to experiment this time.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

He gently brought her down to the battle strewn earth and allowed his gaze to trace across the spell damage they had inflicted. A small sound caused Harry to look up just in time for a female body to crash into him. Her arms clamped around his torso and her sobs wracked her body. It was an unconscious thought which brought his left hand up to caress her back and offer what comfort he could.

The minute it took her to calm down gave him precious time to try and put a name to the face, blonde, pretty, Slytherin, about his age. Oh god, what was her name? Her blonde hair hung to mid back and had been gathered into a thick French braid. Her trousers, also leather matched a corset which held her baggy shirt in more order than his. She was older than him and more developed. Maybe she was a recent graduate? He frowned at the thought that he was bigger too. This didn't make sense.

Harry felt the emotional rollercoaster she rode ease and her sobs changed to hiccups then deep breathing. She pulled back and smoothed a palm across her cheeks.

"Oh god, thank you, thank you, thank you. I was so scared!"

Then she got a good look at him. Her eyes widened and fury overtook her. She clenched her fist and gave him a good whack on his shoulder.

"Harry Potter! Where the fucking hell have you been? I've been shit scared for bloody ages!"

"Ow, I think I prefer you in the tree, I was chasing after you and I could hear the wolves howling. When did they start chasing you?"

He rubbed his shoulder and turned away to protect it. Oh yeah he recognised that temper, Daphne Greengrass.

"Yeah, a few hours I think. I had no clue where I was, I had been on the path but they were herding me, I got here and could go no further. They were cunning."

"Well, it was them or us, Greengrass. I wonder if they have cubs around here?"

"Didn't see any, let's go, that burnt wolf stinks."

Daphne's freckled skin dusted with a faint blush and turned around, she approached the tree to recover her fallen staff.

"You're older. Bigger."

"You are too, I wonder what the hell is going on. Why didn't you wait for me at the clearing?"

"I did for three hours, got bored and decided that you could catch me up. Maybe I wish I had. We should go."

"Yeah okay that's fair. Point me, Durendale."

Harry held his arm out at shoulder height, his staff extended. He pivoted on the balls of his feet until the pull stopped and he was looking back the way they had come.

"Huh, that way. Point me, wolf cub."

He was just being speculative and was surprised when a similar tug turned him around again.

"Will you look at that, it might be my Gryffindor-ness but I don't think I can leave an innocent to fend for itself."

Daphne sighed. She trotted for a few paces until she reached his side and they fell into step.

"I'll let you have this one, Potter, you did just save my life."

The sounds of the forest gradually returned and they moved towards where the point me spell indicated, Harry repeated it several times and they had to adjust their direction, they picked their way between trees and soon came to a cave.

"A lair? it feels very lair-like."

"Point me, wolf cub. Oh look, a deep dark creature infested cave, was this your idea, Potter?"

Daphne said as she held her staff out at shoulder height and they watched as it tracked across and stopped at the entrance.

"I thought it was mutual, Greengrass, let me try something."

Harry looked up at the tip of his staff and thought about heat signatures, he sent a pulse of magic down his arm, and, to his immense satisfaction, a small red dot glowed from the cave entrance.

"Did you see that?"

"No, what did you do?"

"I thought about body heat and heat signatures and sent the intent to my staff like a normal spell, I can see a small red glow just there."

He pointed to the left of the tunnel.

"Okay, let me try."

Daphne's eyes closed to slits, then she gasped.

"Yes, there. We should practise with that."

Harry walked towards the cave, stopped and smirked over his shoulder.

"You coming?"

Daphne huffed.

"If I don't you'll probably get lost."

"Charging forward, Greengrass? I'll make a half-decent Gryff out of you yet."

Harry's smirk grew as she swung her staff towards him, the tip glowed red.

"You take that back right now."

Harry chuckled at the half-hearted threat.

"Hey look, it's red. Gryffindor red."

He hurried ahead of her into the tunnel and willed a glowing ball to appear at the end of his staff to illuminate the walls. Bones littered the uneven stone floor. Harry could just make out soft snuffling, and the occasional mewling sounds. As he approached the back of the cave he found a cub so young its eyes were still closed, he remembered from a documentary he had seen a year or so ago, that they were blind and deaf for two weeks and needed milk to live off until they could start eating meat.

Harry relayed his knowledge to Daphne and presented his staff to her, as she took it he moved forward and had a good look at the little thing before him. It was starting to cry and twitch its nose. He slid a hand under its belly and stood up, the snuffling stopped and it sniffed his hand.

"Ah, cute Potter. You're a mother."

"Uncle Daphne?"

Once they left the cave, they inspected their newest companion. Harry looked up and caught a soft expression on Daphne's face but it fell away when she noticed him watch her.

"She'll be hungry soon, maybe we can transfigure some water to wolf milk?"

"She?"

Wordlessly Harry rolled the cub over to show Daphne the undercarriage and plumbing.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry too, there was a stream back that way, might have fish in it."

"You have a fishing rod in your bag?"

Daphne stopped mid stride and stared at him incredulously.

"Bloody Gryffindor, are you a wizard or not?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, accio, good idea, seems a bit like cheating."

Harry blushed and busied himself with tucking the cub inside his shirt, the snuffling stopped as his body warmth lulled it to sleep. They backtracked a few hundred metres and found the glade with a creek flowing through the centre.

"Tempus. Just after seven, camp here for the night?"

A glowing series of numbers appeared floating above Daphne's staff. Bright in the on coming gloom.

"May as well, we're not going to find a better spot, do you know any wards? Or should we try Edward's way?"

"I don't know any, so we probably should, try and tie them into both of us? I'll go get dinner first."

"Okay, I'll set the camp up."

He then proceeded to stand still, mind blank for a few seconds to think what he needed.

Right, fire pit, logs, firewood, fire.

Harry shucked the pack straps off his shoulders and lowered it to the ground. He aimed his staff and thought sweep as he swung his staff across a section or forest floor like a broom, and a carpet of moss, dead foliage and twigs flowed along, but left nothing but barren earth.

"Defodio."

At his whisper a small section of earth scooped itself out to be deposited around the edge of his firepit. This took ten repeats as Harry battled the impatient instinct to do it all at once, he had learnt that jobs like this could not be rushed.

"Accio twigs."

He pointed his staff at the previously piled up detritus and dozens of twigs and small branches flew towards him, with a thought he directed them to pile up in the pit. Next he looked around the clearing for firewood and spotted some likely candidates.

"Accio log."

A large branch soared towards him and he felt the stress of the additional weight on his mind and magic, so he dropped it to his left and looked for another one. He was panting slightly by now and repeated his move and brought another one to place it on the other side. This time he looked up and focused on the smaller branches that were strewn about the clearing and pushed more power into the spell.

"Accio logs."

Twenty branches leapt into the air and curved down to a spot he had mentally designated Lumber Yard and they piled themselves up somewhat neatly. Harry was breathing hard now and dropped onto his chosen sitting log, adjusting for comfort and looked up to see Daphne staring at mouth agape, she looked cute when she was confused.

"How long do you think we'll be staying here? That's enough wood for the entire winter!"

Harry sniffed, ignored her comment and continued his task.

"Accio dry moss."

Nothing happened, he reached down and touched the moss behind him, it was damp. He looked up at Daphne.

"You know a drying spell?"

Daphne shrugged.

"Yes, but just cast your fireball into the pit and be done with it."

Harry pressed his lips together and sent a whisper of power down into his staff. The twigs were consumed by fire and he levitated a log into the groove he had made.

Daphne sat on the other side, her leather pants creaked as she leant forward and pushed the two long sticks into the earth two fish already impaled on them so they were above the flames.

"Too close? I've not done this before."

Harry pulled a face and tilted his head.

"Keep an eye on them I guess, browning but not burnt? I've cooked fish before but not like this."

"Sort your little friend out and I'll think about wards."

Daphne commanded and stared at the end of her staff. Harry looked down at the wolf cub who was nuzzling his belly in its sleep, Harry adjusted his grip on both the cub and staff then laid the wolf cub onto his lap. He pulled his flask from his pack and thought about a baby's milk bottle with rubber teat, he pushed power down the staff and willed a nearby lump of wood into the form he had fixed in his mind.

"Just like magic."

He summoned the bottle to his hand and unscrewed the lid and poured a few mouthfuls of water from his canteen. He swilled it around a few times and glanced up at Daphne, she had just turned the fish around and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Cows milk or wolf's milk? I'm not sure I can imagine what wolf's milk tastes like."

"You don't have to, I think, the way magic seems to work here you decide you want wolf's milk and the magic does the rest."

"Is it that simple?"

She shrugged and he went back to contemplating the water. He firmly thought, wolf's milk, and pushed power down the staff. The water changed colour and Harry sniffed the white liquid then tasted it. It was milky but cold. He pushed power down his staff again and felt the glass warm, Harry screwed the lid back on and retrieved the baby wolf. It squeaked and mewled its mouth making a grasping sucking sound. Harry gently pushed the teat in between its lips and the wolf did the rest. It took several minutes as the little thing kept falling back asleep. As it suckled Harry heard sniggers float over the fire.

"That is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Daphne's nose wrinkled cutely and eyes alight in the firelight, Harry blushed but refused to be baited.

"Is that fish ready yet?"

"Pretty much I think."

Daphne gingerly tore a morsel off and tasted it. Her eyes grew wide and she hummed a noise.

"Oh yes and it's delicious."

By now the wolf cub had finished and slumped into the deep relaxed sleep of the innocent. Harry adjusted her until she was lying lengthwise in his lap, her tongue lolled and little paws twitched. Daphne pulled both sticks out and stepped around the fire to sit beside him, she handed over a stick and the pair spent a silent few minutes picking pieces of fish off the bones and exchanging pleased glances and contented hums. They shared the remainder of Harry's water to wash the fish down and sat quietly and watched the flames dance. The cub snorted and flopped over.

"Did you finish the wards?"

"Yes, I tried to tie you in, can you feel them?"

"No I- faintly yes. That's good work, what will it feel like if they're passed?"

Harry scratched his cheek and propped a hand behind him so he could lean back.

"An alarm in the head I think, not sure how loud though."

"Good enough for me, I'm wiped. Think I'm going to turn in, we can decide on what the hell we're doing here and how we'll get home tomorrow."

Harry yawned so wide his jaw cracked.

"Yeah, good idea."

Daphne levitated a log onto the fire and Harry improvised a warm bundle for the cub, they prepared their camp rolls on the opposite sides of the fire and bedded down for the night.

â"â"Scene Breakâ"â"

Harry woke with a start and he lay confused for a few seconds, the fire had died down and he suddenly felt something warm next to him, an arm across his chest.

"Wah?"

"Hush, Potter, it's bloody freezing and I can't sleep."

He felt Daphne pull her bedroll on top of them and he almost drifted off then had a thought. He slowly reached out from under the blankets and grasped his staff, he willed power into it and a log floated from the Lumber Yard onto the embers of the dying fire with dull thud and a flurry of sparks.

Harry withdrew his hand into the warmth and drifted off with the scent of lavender under his nose.

T.B.C.