Dissindere Temporalis

So here we are again.

This chapter was easier to write, but also more nerve wracking as it is an important plot point I need to hit. I also need to emphasise that the ripples of the revelations are going to echo in this story for a LONG time to come.

If you enjoy this story and want to read me plotting and debating this story, come join us on the discord. MsRt5Pd is the invite code.

Hope to see some of you there, and I hope you all enjoy this Chapter.

Enjoy!

Magicae Amicitiae

"Secrets could never be rushed. They had to come of their own accord, on their own schedule. That way ,when they came , the offered themselves as a gift."

― Donna Jo Napoli

Tierra had always known she was lucky.

She was born to a magical family, to parents who loved her and each other beyond all reason. She'd grown up in a valley filled with all manner of magical creatures, all of whom knew her by sight and by smell and who welcomed her as one of them.

She'd been rejected by magical society, and that had hurt, but she'd also grown up with friends, Brax when he could unbend enough to relax and enjoy himself, Druella and Bash who revelled in the freedom that Hawthorne Hall offered, and Aurora, haughty and who always used her sharp tongue in Tierra's defence.

Her grandfather had doted upon her, and upon her cousins too, although they were far away in Uganda and she was here in the British isles. Her grandmother had been a powerful witch, one who had been blessed with ancient power, but it had come at a cost, sending her far away so often, leaving behind her husband who, it seemed, was content to savour his family, and his grandchildren.

He'd taught her about the feeling of magic, to rely not just on spells and casting but the feeling of the magic all around. Her mother had taught her about people, how cruelty could hide behind a fair smile, and to always be on one's guard when it came to her heart. Her father had taught her that there was no greater magical power than love.

So yes, Tierra knew that she was lucky.

Beyond lucky.

She was truly fortunate.

It had been even more apparent, when she'd begun attending Hogwarts.

There was Brax of course, tied and twisted up with so many knots. Responsibility, duty, bias, hatred, they were his legacy, but the Brax she knew was a gentle soul. He wanted to please everyone, but knew, deep in his heart, he would never be able to do so. She was glad that he seemed to idolise Draco, a Malfoy who was confident in his beliefs. He always seemed less knotted after he spent time with him.

Druella and Aurora had always simply been expected to stay as second fiddle to the boys of their families. To support their husbands, to elevate their family's status. They were never held to the same standards, even though she knew that had Aurora been born a boy, the Selwyns would see her as their next great protege.

Then there was Kara, always an outsider, never fitting in as a Muggle, and now unwanted as a Witch. She was fierce, determined, but Tierra could see the cracks. She could see the hurt. But they weren't cracks that Tierra could fix…

Draco, haughty and regal, but burdened too. Burdened by regrets. And self-loathing.

She didn't know why, he was her age, what deep, dark, choices could he have made? But she never asked. She would not pry…

Ron. For all he was cheerful and gregarious, he too had a feeling to him, a sadness. Regrets perhaps, grief possibly, or even insecurities… maybe even all three…she couldn't be sure. He kept everyone at arm's length, even as he didn't make anyone feel like they were being held at a distance. It turned out that if you smiled and laughed, and joked, you could hide a lot of sadness. She'd seen it, now and then…but again…she didn't want to pry.

The Slytherins were harder to read, Hermione was intelligent and driven, clearly not someone who liked to wallow in distress. She processed her feelings with research and data and she kept her feelings at a distance using information. She was brave, shrewd but also vulnerable. She flourished with praise, and with people admiring her brain, but there were deep insecurities.

And then there was Harry and Tom.

Both of them were complex boys. Hardship had given Harry a sense of sadness, which was channelled into a sharply honed sense of justice. Harry cared about fairness, and cared about his friends. But on the other hand, Tom's hardships had hardened him, sharpened him. There was an edge to him, something brittle and dangerous.

But rather like a wounded, frightened, angry animal, backed up and using aggression to keep enemies away.

She'd known Harry and Tom were special from the moment she'd met them, had felt their power like electricity dancing on her skin, like water from a cool, clean spring. They were special, of that she was sure, and every year that passed only solidified that feeling.

But now…now they had answers…

Harry's voice was quiet, steady, the only sound in the Room of Requirement as he told them a fantastical story.

It began with a Dark Wizard, one who wanted to place the magical world on top of the Muggle one. He wanted the magical world to dominate, wanted to eliminate muggleborns and treat muggles as beasts.

It sounded like Grindelwald but not…

Grindelwald hated Muggles… but he didn't disdain Muggleborn witches and wizards.

Harry spoke of long years of war, until the Dark Lord received a prophecy, that his match would be born at the end of July, and to parents who had defied him three times. The Dark Lord had then been left with two potential candidates.

He chose one of the boys, deciding which one was the greater threat, and killed his parents, before attempting to kill him as well. Instead the spell rebounded and the Dark Lord disappeared.

He was not gone, however and returned many years later. After a long and terrible struggle, the Dark Lord was finally and definitively defeated, but it left the Wizarding World damaged beyond repair.

So the young man decided to go back, back in time to a point where the world could be saved, with his friends at his side.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco.

It was a wildly fanciful story, it seemed utterly impossible…

But glancing around the circle, Tierra had seen Kel's face.

Kel looked shocked, they all did, but there was something there, something in her face like realisation, like recognition, like puzzle pieces fitting together.

She'd seen something. Something that was now quietly confirmed in her head.

Kel believed them.

And when Tierra looked at Tom she saw that his face was drained of all colour, and as hard as marble.

He believed them too.

Ross was the one to break the silence with a weak, thin laugh.

"You're joking… surely…" he looked around the group, and saw everyone's faces, a mix of conflicted unsure expressions and stunned realisation, "Come on…It's… it's impossible!"

"It's not." Draco's voice was quiet, unusually subdued, "The visions we saw… The first two were from that War. Hermione was…tortured by my aunt. And Harry…"

"Died." Harry's lips curved up faintly, "As you can see, I got better."

"That's impossible…" Druella was ashen faced, "No one can survive the killing curse."

"No one has." Ron agreed, before he shared a wry grin with Harry, "Until Harry. Twice."

"Assuming you're telling the truth," Aurora leaned in, her dark eyes fixed on their faces, reminding Tierra forcefully of a snake herself, "Why come back to this time, why… all this?" She waved her hand at the group, "Was any of this real? Do we even know you? Or have you been manipulating us this whole time!"

Uncertainty filled the air, and Tierra was alarmed to see hesitation on some faces, even suspicion.

"How can you say that?" She jumped in, unable to stop herself, stung by the expressions, and the hurt on Harry's face, "They are our friends, this doesn't change that!"

"It does," Aurora snapped back, getting to her feet, "Because they might have been moving us like chess pieces on a board."

"We would never!" Ron lunged to his own feet, that Gryffindor brashness flaring up, "We came back to stop things from going to shit!"

The curse word had the amusing effect of making everyone shut up, shocked at his vehemence.

"We're not here plotting every moment of this timeline," Hermione pointed out, and Tierra could see her eyes were wet, "We came…because our own time had no hope. We'd won…but we'd lost."

There was a world of pain on that last word.

"We came back…we risked everything… for the chance to save everything." Harry continued, voice quiet, "But this? You?" he looked at the group, "It's real. This is real…I…I" he struggled for a moment before admitting, "I've never had friends like this, I had Ron and Hermione and I trusted them, but we were…well we were all in Gryffindor together-"

"You were WHAT?" Abraxas looked horrified, and turned to give Draco a look, "Were you-?"

"Don't insult me." Draco sneered, and something about it seemed to send a ripple of something, something reassuring and relaxing around the group, "The first time around…I was in Slytherin."

"Of course you were," Aurora rolled her eyes, smiling a little towards Draco. But he was looking towards Harry and missed the worry that flickered across her face.

Of course any relaxation was gone the next moment, when Tom spoke.

"I was the Dark Lord. Wasn't I, Harry?"

His voice was dull, flat, without emotion, colour, warmth.

It was cold.

Pain flashed in Harry's eyes.

"Yes."

Tom stood in one swift movement, and swept to the door.

"Tom!" Harry shot up after him and rocked to a standstill when Tom whipped around, wand drawn.

"Do not follow me."

And with a sharp slam, the door shut behind him, leaving Harry standing there, looking lost.

The rest of the group broke out into questions, clamouring for answers, but Harry didn't seem to hear them.

Slowly his gaze moved away from the door and locked onto Tierra's.

In them she saw a world of pain, a world of grief and fear and hurt…and it broke her heart.

So she simply smiled at him, weakly and nodded.

No one noticed, apart from the Boy Who Lived, as the Hufflepuff left the Room behind.

She knew where he'd be, and sure enough she found him in the small tower room they quietly studied in together.

"Go away Tierra."

"Fat chance of that." She moved forward and sat down in front of him, ignoring his furious, icy glare, "Stop that, you're mad if you think that will work on me."

Tom's laugh was weak, and harsh, "Apparently I am mad. Didn't you hear? I became a Dark Lord, like Grindelwald. No worse! A madman who attacked a baby in his crib, who brought this world to ruin! A madman who murdered Muggleborns! A madman a million times worse than Black or Parkinson could ever be!"

His fist was clenched so tightly, she thought she could hear the bones creaking.

"Yes," she said softly, and Tom let out a laugh, a desperate, wrenching sound as he gripped his hair.

"Shouldn't you be comforting me!?"

"What would be the point of that?" Tierra cocked her head to the side, longing to reach out and soothe him, but knowing that it would be unwelcome. Not yet…not yet… "You're too smart for me to fob off with false platitudes…"

"Tierra!" he growled at her, "Go away!"

"Nope." She smiled at him sadly, "Tom… they came back to save you."

"They came back to save the world FROM me!" Tom snapped.

"Fiddlesticks!" Tierra flashed back, quick and fierce, "You're telling me that Harry. Our Harry, came back to save the world from you? If they'd done that they would have just come back and stopped you from being born. Instead they came here. To this time, to Hogwarts with us. With you."

Tom's face cracked for a moment and she saw the desperate sorrow and anger under the facade, "None of it is real! They never really…"

"You don't really believe that," she was ruthless, forcing him to face the emotions, rather than withdrawing, "You of all people, you know Harry better than any of us. The way he looks at you… You're bound together Tom, you always have been. That's how you knew that you were the Dark Lord. Because you've always been tied to each other, and a part of you has always known that!"

"Stop it!" Tom snarled at her, moving to stand, and yelping in shock as the Hufflepuff lunged forward to shove him back down, "Tierra!"

"No!" She snarled, determined and fierce.

Because she knew him, she knew Tom, knew that if he withdrew from them all, if he isolated himself and listened only to the little dark voice in his head, he'd be lost.

He stared at her, both of them breathing heavily, her hands planted firmly on his shoulders, crouched over him as his back leaned against the wall.

"How many people get a second chance Tom?" she breathed, squeezing his shoulders softly, "We have a chance, to change the world, to save the magical world."

"Because I destroyed it." His voice was harsh, like gravel, "Because I killed Harry's parents, because I brought war and destruction to the point when no one could fix it any longer."

"And that is what's really hurting you, isn't it Tom." She pushed, relentless, because she had to be, "You hurt Harry. You were the reason for that deep dark sorrow, you and I both know he's always had."

Tom's dark eyes flashed, pain, anger, fury. Oh she was dancing on the knife's edge alright.

"Tierra…"

"How many times have you wondered?" she pressed, "How many times have you wished you could ask, about his pain, about his past. How many times have you wished you could fix it by hurting those who'd hurt him?"

In a movement so fast she barely saw it, his wand pressed up under her jaw.

"Because I'm a monster."

"Because you're human, Tom." She lifted her hands to cradle his cheeks, feeling him flinch faintly as their skin met, before he leaned into it ever so slightly, almost like he was unaware he was doing so, "Because you care about him."

"They don't really-" Tom swallowed, "None of it was real."

"All of it was real."

Harry's voice was low from the doorway, and both Tom and Tierra started as they looked over at the other boy.

Harry looked pale, exhausted, but his green eyes were fixed on Tom's, and slowly Tierra drew back.

"Potter."

"Don't-" Harry's hand slashed through the air sharply, "Don't do that, Tom. Not with me..."

"You lied to me."

It was a sentence infused with as much anger and hostility as he could, but all Tierra could hear was the genuine heartbreak behind them. The lonely, hated, orphan lashing out in his vulnerability.

"I didn't" Harry moved forward and sank to his knees beside Tom, earnest and beseeching, "I've been as truthful with you as I could be. I'm not Charlus and Dorea's son. My parents died when I was a baby and I was raised by my aunt and uncle in the muggle world. I'm half-blood. I'm a parseltongue."

"I killed your parents." Tom's voice was cold, trembling, "I destroyed your world so badly you felt like you had to rip time and space open to fix it.

"You made all the wrong choices," Harry smiled faintly, "But you also were never given a chance. Now you do."

Tom stared at him, "Don't you hate me?"

Harry shook his head, "No."

It was a single word, but it was honest.

Tom looked flabbergasted for a moment.

"How?"

"Because it wasn't you." Harry reached out and gripped his arm, "A version of you, yes, one that was capable of…terrible things. I'm sure that there is a timeline out there where I was capable of it too. Where I let my anger…." He swallowed, "Tom, it's not our blood, or our circumstances that make us who we are. It's our choices. You made your choices then… but they aren't your choices now."

Tom stared at him.

Silence reigned for long moments.

Tierra held still, watching, afraid to even breathe.

"You still lied to me."

"How could I tell you?" Harry whispered, and Tierra felt a pang deep in her heart, "How? At what point would it have been okay for me to tell you all of this?"

It was a fair point, and Tom was too smart to dispute it.

"Alright." He said slowly, "But I need you to be honest with me Harry. I need the truth. Do you promise?" he paused, and then said, even quieter, "Not a sanitised version you think will protect me. I need the truth. Do you swear?"

Harry's gaze flickered, something in it that was deep and powerful and relieved.

"I swear."

Tierra felt it, like gold dust flickering in the air, seeping into her skin. It was inexplicable and powerful and completely indefinable. Both Harry and Tom clearly felt it too as Harry lifted his hands, staring at them in confusion as Tom frowned, considering his arms.

"What was…?"

"I don't know." Tom's gaze met Tierra's, "Did you feel that?"

She nodded, shaken.

"It wasn't an Unbreakable Vow," Harry assured them, "It doesn't work like that."

Tom gave Harry a look.

"The fact you know that, deeply concerns me Potter."

Harry grinned at him, a little shy, as Tierra gave a quiet giggle, relief welling in her chest.

"The truth then." He said, and Tom's eyes gleamed, "Tom."

"Harry." He mimicked, and Tierra decided it was time to go.

She got to her feet and headed towards the door, giving them both a small smile as they watched her, "I'll see you two later."

"Tierra." Harry drew her gaze back as her hand touched the door handle, "Thank you."

His gaze was soft, warm, green eyes bright with relief, and it made her smile softly.

For a moment her eyes met Tom's.

They were deep, dark, intense… almost burning. And they made her shiver with something… more.

"Of course." She said softly, speaking to them both, "Anytime."

And then she slipped away.

It wasn't a magical fix.

The next few days were some of the most excruciating of Tierra's life.

Tom and Harry's talk had ended with the two of them not speaking, Tom asking Harry for some time to consider what he'd told him.

No one knew what secrets had been shared, but all of them knew that while Tom wasn't angry, he also hadn't forgiven Harry either.

As a result, Tom was avoiding the group, and Harry was brooding.

Abraxas was avoiding everyone too. But especially Draco, Hermione and Kara.

Aurora was giving all of them the cold shoulder.

Ross and Ron had patched things up quickly, Gryffindor tempers burning brightly and then fizzling away into nothing. They'd had it out, privately, and seemed to have both come to acceptance.

Kel was avoiding everyone like the plague.

Out of all of them, Bash seemed the least affected. He had taken the information in stride, simply added it to what he'd already known, and moved on.

And as for herself?

Somehow she'd found herself the piggy in the middle.

Everyone was talking to her.

A lot of them shared their prickly feelings and complaints with her.

But Tierra had never felt quite so isolated.

"You're good with them."

Tierra looked up in surprise, as Professor Kettleburn set a bucket down by her side.

The Professor was a gregarious and engaging plump man with whiskery sideburns and laughing hazel eyes. His frame was dotted with scars and he was missing a couple of fingers from his years of treating and taming magical creatures.

He was a kind man, incredibly skilled, but also a little eccentric.

And his gaze, right now, was sympathetic.

The Thestral that had been nibbling on her sweater, let out a low puff of breath, before it nudged her sharply.

"Oof." Tierra chuckled quietly, "Alright then, steady on. Do you want food, or more scratches."

The Thestral gave her a look. Like she was dense.

And pointed its delicate nose firmly towards the bucket.

"Food, of course."

Scooping out the remains in the bucket, small animal carcasses that were whole with the bones and organs still inside, Tierra felt her stomach roll.

But the animals were already dead, likely without any pain, and the Thestrals required the protein and nutrients of the whole body.

The sounds were the worst.

"Sometimes lookin' after creatures is what you need, when other things don' go as well." Kettleburn's voice was gentle, "An' you certainly have a gift for it. Thestrals are mighty picky. Prickly they are, they know when people fear them. They know when they're not wanted."

Tears stung behind Tierra's eyes but she didn't say anything, even as the Professor left, with a quiet assurance that she was always welcome to come spend some time with the 'beasties'.

The Thestral eyed her, the pupil-less depths inscrutable.

It was still watching her when she left, pushing away her sorrows as she returned to the castle, and her friends, who needed her.

Tierra wasn't sure why she wasn't as phased by the revelation of time travel as the rest of them.

Maybe it was her personality, favouring an outlook of going with the flow.

Or maybe it just wasn't that surprising.

She'd known they were special, the four of them, but especially Harry.

She'd seen the connection, seen the bond between the two dark haired Slytherin boys. She'd seen how they made each other better. Tom made Harry confident and assured. Harry helped Tom learn to feel…

They'd always been complex, the four of them, with hidden depths, and lingering regrets.

Now she knew why.

So no, it didn't upset her.

She trusted them. And that was still true.

Unfortunately, it seemed that she was the only one.

The days turned to a week, and Yule loomed.

She was not letting them all go their separate ways for the holiday and have this be unresolved. She'd go mad if she had to worry about it for the three weeks they were all at home.

Divide and conquer, she told herself.

One by one.

"What is your problem?" She asked Aurora bluntly, cornering the haughty Ravenclaw in a bathroom on the 4th floor and swishing her wand to lock the door.

The dark haired girl drew herself up, a familiar pose to Tierra, as she'd grown up alongside her.

"Stick your nose out, Tierra." She sniffed, "No one likes a busybody."

"No one likes a vicious harpy either," Tierra bit back, matching the acerbic tone, "And yet…"

Aurora's eyes narrowed, "You want to know what my problem is, Hawthorne? It's everything. They lied to us. They manipulated us. They made us pieces on a board."

"They did?" Tierra smiled sweetly, "Or Draco did?"

Aurora froze, cheeks paling.

"What the dozy doxies are you talking about?"

"You think I haven't noticed the way you look at him?" Tierra rejoined, ignoring the Ravenclaw swiftly drawing her wand, "Put that away, honestly."

Aurora flicked her wand sharply, making the basins suddenly sparkle like they'd been scrubbed. Clearly agitated but not hostile. "I don't look at Draco."

"Now who's lying?" Tierra grinned slightly when her friend gave her a look that could peel paint, "Aurora, he's still Draco. Stop using this to hide away from you hurting him…"

"Don't." Aurora scowled at her, "No one asked you for your opinion."

"I'm giving it anyway." Tierra insisted, "Draco was the first to look at you and see your brain, your magic, not your beauty. And now you think that wasn't real."

"It wasn't."

"Do you know how hard it is to lie?" Tierra put her hands on her hips, "How could they keep that up, constantly, for years? If they wanted to manipulate us, they would have kept their distance."

Aurora considered her words, "They still didn't tell us."

"When could they?" Tierra pressed, using Harry's words, "They did tell us, Aurora. They could have kept it a secret. But when they had an opening, a chance…they told us. They trusted us."

Something flickered in her dark brown eyes, "I called him a coward."

"You did." Tierra acknowledged softly, "Maybe you should apologise."

She did.

But it was three days later.

Proud idiot.

The night of the day she spoke to Aurora, she went to go find Abraxas, and found him at the Quidditch pitch.

"Tierra," he greeted, sweaty and dishevelled, "Finally going to take up Quidditch?"

"I enjoy flying, not being clobbered." She informed him snarkily, a familiar debate between the two of them. Tierra loved flying, she felt alive in the air, but she hated playing Quidditch. It was something Brax couldn't get his head around.

He grinned at her now though, and moved to sit beside her on the stands, tugging his cloak around him.

"What's wrong?"

"You've been avoiding everyone," Tierra said softly, and watched as his expression fell, "Brax… come on, talk to me."

"I…" he struggled, "Draco said… Draco said I followed him. The Dark One." He looked down at his hands, "Hermione was tortured, that happened, what we saw happened. In Malfoy Manor. Because I followed him. Because my family followed him."

Tierra leaned her shoulder into his, "Sounds like a lot of people followed him Brax…"

"I joined him in hurting Muggleborns. Muggleborns like-" he fell quiet, a sound leaving his throat, "How could I do that Tierra? How can I accept that I did this?"

She rested her head on his shoulder, squeezing his arm, "Imagine how Tom feels."

Brax shuddered, "Merlin, I didn't even think…"

"Do you see him as that person? The Dark One? Knowing what we do?"

"No!" his disavowal was swift and earnest, "No Tom isn't the same person, that's what Harry said, that's what Hermione said…"

"And you?" Tierra murmured sweetly, "You're not the same either."

Brax was quiet as he considered her words, "You're a dirty cheat using that against me."

She grinned, "I'll take that as a thank you."

She finally found Kel on the Astronomy Tower.

Out of all the people she'd sought out, she was the one she knew the least. The quiet Ravenclaw, the Seer, the silent shadow.

The Seer who had had her visions confirmed.

"I knew you'd track me down eventually." she sighed very softly, "You've been so determined to fix things."

Tierra moved to stand beside her at the railing, "I just want to help."

Kel's smile was soft, but sad, "Such a Hufflepuff."

They gazed out at the night sky, silent, but not uncomfortable in the silence.

"I saw him."

Tierra looked over at her, surprised, "Sorry?"

"I saw him. Tom. Lord Voldemort, he called himself." She shivered, and Tierra echoed her, unnerved by the name, "I saw him... saw him do terrible, awful, horrible things. I felt it, the darkness, the corruption, the magic was…screaming. It was wrong. It wasn't how it was meant to be."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tierra whispered, and Kel laughed weakly.

"How do you tell someone you already know them, that you've Seen them. Seen them become one of the Darkest Wizards of all time." She shook her head, "No. Even if I wanted to…it had changed."

Tierra frowned, "Changed?"

"I felt it, the day they arrived," Kel's voice was soft, but Tierra could hear every word, "I felt everything change, like silent thunder ringing in your ears. Only I heard it, me and my mother." She looked at the other girl and their gazes met, "After that the visions changed. The future changed. Tom… his future was no longer so…"

She struggled, before shrugging, "No longer so narrow. He has Harry now."

Tierra nodded, but Kel leaned in, "He wasn't doomed you know. The visions I had, before they…'came'." She bit her lip, "It wasn't set in stone… there was a feeling… like warmth…like fire in the hearth, like a blanket in the cold. Like a hug. The visions were a warning…but he wasn't doomed."

"So why are you avoiding all of us?" Tierra asked softly, "Surely it's a relief? To know…to know you were right?"

"It is." Kel nodded slowly, "But I'm still scared Tierra."

"Why?"

The Seer met her gaze, haunted and sad, "Because the future is still in motion. One future is gone…but there are more. And they scare me."

The night before they were all due to go home for the Yule holidays Tierra sat alone in the Room of Requirement.

She went, just as she would have any other night before the revelations.

She went, just as she had every night since the revelations.

They'd never come.

Tonight she settled down in a plush cushion chair and had opened her reading, getting lost in the words.

Until finally the door slowly slid open.

"It's not in any of the books!" Ross' voice broke into her concentration, and she looked up in shock to see the three Gryffindors enter, Ross waving his hands, "You're telling me someone created that spell?"

"Maybe." Ron smirked as his friend flailed at him, and his blue eyes fell on Tierra. Slowly he gave her a nod, a smile touching his lips, before he turned back to his discussion.

Kara followed them, but she looked more relaxed than she had in days, and the reason why entered the room not long after.

Abraxas walked in, with careful nonchalance that was fooling exactly no one, an amused Bash beside him.

Tierra felt her heart lighten.

Druella and Hermione were only a few more moments later, and they were followed by Victoria and Kel, the four of them in deep discussion.

It was better than she'd hoped honestly, and Tierra was content to be grateful with this.

And then the door opened once more.

Draco and Harry entered, Draco wary and Harry pretending unconcern.

"Potter!" Ross called out, and Harry flinched, "Weasley is telling me that someone you know invented Muffliato!" he sounded so affronted.

Harry let out a short laugh of relief, "Yeah, we knew him."

And he went to join the group.

A smile on his face.

Aurora slunk in later on, her eyes flicking towards Draco who was sitting discussing something with Hermione, before she moved to join them, sitting herself by Druella. She was holding herself like she was expecting a blow.

Draco simply watched her.

Then he spoke, voice low and too far away to hear.

But she saw Aurora relax, at least a little.

They hung out for a few hours, everyone slowly becoming comfortable in each other's presence again.

It was almost perfect.

But they were missing a piece.

And everyone knew.

Until finally, late in the evening the door swung open once more.

Tom walked in, and all conversations hushed.

His dark indigo eyes swept over them all, slow, cautious, unsure. And then he walked carefully over to Tierra and sat himself down primly on one of the other squashy chairs.

She beamed at him.

"Stop that," he informed her with a sniff, pulling out an essay from his bag, "I'll leave if you continue to be so obnoxiously sentimental."

She snickered, knowing he was bluffing from the tiny curling upwards of his lips, and turned back to her reading, glancing up once to meet Harry's gaze.

He looked relieved.

But sad too.

She knew why.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was a start.

To Be Continued...

Reviews

Shiara - The Truth is here... at least partially. Most of them don't know too many details. But the truth has been shared...

11Devil - I hope you enjoyed the reactions.

JedBlack - I don't like bashing characters. But Dumbledore is deeply flawed.

Doreene - Hello again! Sorry about the cliffhanger!

Vexinity - You are not the only one to enjoy the Sebione or Herbastian. I've had a number of people enjoy them! I actually enjoy writing them too.

Littledragon5 - Most of them are in Slytherin. Four are Ravenclaw, Three Gryffindors and 1 Puff.

Amk - They do... sort of... secrets are always dangerous, but this was the big one...

Same as Smithback - It's important to look at all characters as human, a good one will have flaws as well as good traits. And yes, Dumbledore was idolised, but its important to look at him honestly.

Gstaffici - I'm glad you're enjoying! And yes the Legacy tidbits are a bit of fun.