He could barely process what he was hearing. Dora Tonks, wife of his third year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, who was more of an uncle or almost surrogate father to him than a former teacher really, was dead.

The ringing in his ears was back.

Teddy.

Lupin's boy.

He wasn't yet a month old. And he was motherless.

"Where's Teddy? What about Remus? It was a full moon last night… Merlin. He doesn't know yet, does he?"

"No Harry, he doesn't. He hasn't returned from whatever safe place he uses for the shift yet." Minerva replied solemnly.

He once again felt his heart thrumming in his chest with each rapid beat it made.

"Is my godson safe?" Harry asked, weeping openly now as he let the last tenuous threads of his composure unravel.

Minerva's eyes widened in surprise and heartbreak at his inquiry. She hadn't previously been aware of that detail of their relationship. She didn't fully understand how close he'd been to his old professor, and one of his father's best friends.

"Teddy? Yes. He's safe with his grandmother, Andromeda. Harry, I'm so sorry dear, I didn't know you were the boy's godfather."

He vaguely noticed that he had broken out in a cold sweat and his shirt was practically drenched and clinging uncomfortably to his chest and arms.

Of course, Tonks wouldn't sit idly by when the war came to the school. Wife and mother or not, sitting out simply wasn't in her nature. She'd spent far too long under the wings of Moody and Kingsley to stand aside when she thought there was half a chance she could make a difference, and she was a formidable witch. An Auror trained by some of the best ever to hold the title. The cause was too crucial for her to not participate.

She did what she did, knowing she was fighting for young Teddy's future.

She did what she did because Harry had taken too long to do the one thing Dumbledore had tasked him with.

She did what she did because he'd failed to keep his presence at the school a secret.

She died and left a 21-day-old baby boy without a mother because Harry wasn't up to the task he'd been given.

He couldn't do anything but sob as the weight of the night and that news bored a hole worse than the one in his abdomen into his mind.

Minerva wrapped him up in another embrace, but he couldn't bring himself to react to her presence.

He couldn't bring himself to do anything.

In his mind's eye, all he could see were the worst parts of his last year - and the last year had more "worst parts" than it had any right to.

The sense of fear and immediately fleeing Bill and Fleur's wedding; a fight in a cafe; freezing, starving nights in a tent in the wilderness; Ron abandoning them; nearly being killed in Godric's Hollow; almost drowning to get the sword; betrayal by Xeno Lovegood…

He once again felt the same icy knife carving into his heart he'd felt when he heard the soul-rending sounds of Hermione being tortured at Malfoy Manor. Until today, that moment was the worst of his life. Now he couldn't be sure anymore. Regardless, the terrible sounds were playing on a constant loop in his mind while the worst memories he could conjure were repeating themselves.

Further, there was the loss of life at the castle; watching Snape die; saying goodbye to Ron; turning his back on Hermione; dying in the forest; fighting the last Horcrux; fighting Voldemort; failing to protect Hermione from Tom's curse; getting hit with a curse himself; and then hearing about the losses just now.

It was like he had a Dementor in his brain. All he could see or imagine were the worst moments of his life.

He was still sobbing but outwardly was practically incoherent.

He didn't notice it at all when Minerva stood and left to get a healer. He was too busy breaking down.

Luckily, though, Healer Tolliver was not far and was there in moments with calming and sleeping potions for him.

—X—X—X—

Harry woke hours later from a blissfully dreamless sleep.

Muted yellow-orange light caused a frosted window on his right to glow dimly with the scant first lights of dawn. Through his imperfect vision, he could see the blurry shapes of what sparse healing instruments and modest decoration adorned his room. He hadn't really noticed his surroundings the night before.

The shattering mental and physical blows he took the day before were still there, still present, still pressing on him from all sides, but the night of sleep made things feel just a little more distant. Perhaps, just perhaps, things were just a little less raw and painful.

Further taking in his surroundings and condition, he realized a few things. He wasn't wearing his glasses; he didn't have a wand handy. At some point he'd been redressed into a fresh set of light and crisp linen hospital robes, and he was not alone in his room.

Healer Cartwright was near his bedside, sitting on one chair and with her feet propped up on another, reading through a file folder of some sort.

"What time is it?" Harry asked. His voice was small, and he was a bit groggy. He winced and made a small sound as he made the mistake of trying to shuffle himself over a bit in his bed. He could go for about four hours in a bathroom like the prefect's bathroom back at Hogwarts. A tub the size of a swimming pool with all sorts of different scented and charmed faucets to calm and relax him.

She looked up from her folder and smiled gently. "Almost half five. You're up rather early, mister. How are you feeling?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Uh, I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm not really sure. Do you know where my glasses are? I'm quite blind without them."

"That's alright Harry. They're right here, though there appears to be a small crack in one of your lenses. I was going to send to have them repaired for you."

"Please don't. I'd rather have them now if that's alright."

"Of course, Harry." She handed him back his glasses.

There was indeed a small hairline crack in his left lens. He could notice it a bit in his periphery. With the glasses on, but it didn't affect his ability to see all that much. The crack didn't run through the middle of the lens.

"You still don't mind if I just call you Harry, right?"

"No, that's alright… Erica, right? I'm sorry, I w-"

"You do not need to apologize, Harry, and yes, you remembered correctly. How does your side feel? Would you like me to get Morris to get you some pain reliever?"

"No… Er, it's okay."

Healer Erica fixed him with a gaze that was somehow both penetrating and caring. "Harry. It's ok to take something for the pain. You've no need to do any penance."

Harry didn't know quite how to respond to the soft accusation in her last statement.

Yes, he was in pain. Yes, the terrible cursed hole in his side hurt, but it was nothing he couldn't manage with. It was nothing compared to what so many of his friends and family had been through. Surely he deserved to feel a bit of pain after the damage all of his failures had caused.

"What? No… Wait… What? How did you do that?"

"Do what, Harry?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his bed and another soft exclamation escaped him as the movement resulted in a ripple of searing pain from his injury. If anything, that was feeling a bit worse now than it had yesterday.

He noticed when she sent a patronous, a hummingbird - probably to go get Healer Tolliver.

"How did you know what I was thinking before I did just now? You're not using legilimency. I know what that feels like."

Her face took on a look of muted sadness for a moment at that bit of information before she continued "Harry, I don't want you to think I'm minimizing or oversimplifying anything here, but I've just been going through your treatment history and associated accounts from the Healer stationed at Hogwarts. One Madam Pomfrey, I believe." She smiled tentatively. "It doesn't take someone with my experience to see that you're very likely to be carrying many of these terrible events with you. Pardon my language, but it seems you've been through hell at least once a year for the last seven. Did they ever get you set up with someone to talk to about everything you've had happen to you?"

"No, outside of a few of my friends, not really. And even those I have little chance to talk to while school is out."

"I see." She replied, a sad but not pitying look on her face. "Just while you're here, do you think you'd be willing to give me an hour of your time every day? If you're not comfortable with it, or with me, that's ok. Perhaps we can find someone else for you."

—X—X—X—

Before Harry could answer, Healer Tolliver returned.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter sir." He said with a smile. "How is your side treating you after a spot of rest?"

Harry exhaled sharply. He didn't care for the 'sir' business and was a bit surprised at how much it grated at him at the moment.

"Fine really. I didn't ask her to send for you, healer Tolliver."

"Would you like to try getting out of bed, then?" The man asked with a hint of a smirk.

Harry blanched a bit at the thought. It was frustrating him how everyone seemed to see straight through him that morning.

"No, I think I'm alright remaining in bed just now, thank you."

Tolliver smiled at him. "I suspected as much. Take this, it should help."

Harry shot him a less than subtly annoyed look and hesitated a moment before accepting a small vial of potion.

"What is this?"

"Well, that first one is a pretty standard, if potent, pain reliever to keep you a bit more comfortable. This next one," He motioned to a vial he was still holding, "is our first pass at a new solution to the matter of your side. We've been corresponding with a Healer near Modena, Italy about the nature of your condition and feel it's worthwhile to test this method."

"So it's an experimental potion, or an experimental use of a familiar potion?"

"It's an experimental use of a rare potion." The Healer replied. "It uses some unique botanicals that are native to a small hamlet northeast of the muggle settlement there. Local reports we've had time to corroborate seem to indicate it should be potent against particularly powerful cursed injuries."

Harry paused for a moment to consider the resources being put into his care. Verifying the minutiae of local lore in the middle of the night in an area hundreds of miles away, immediately in the wake of the battle at Hogwarts, was a staggeringly massive proposition. It made him wonder once more what was going on with Hermione's care.

"Alright then, cheers." Harry said with an unenthusiastic smile as he downed the first potion. It tasted like over-steeped spearmint tea that might have had a splash of spoiled milk added to it. He coughed a bit at it, but it wasn't an entirely novel sensation for him. He'd had it a few times before, the first time being after falling from his broom in third year.

Healer Tolliver handed him the second vial as Harry noted the effects of the first taking hold. A headache he hadn't noticed he had in the first place drew his attention as it faded away. The sensation of strain in his right shoulder and the sharp twinge in his ankle were still slightly present, but somewhat reduced even before the potion. With it, they all but faded away entirely.

The discomfort in his side lessened considerably, and he took an opportunity to shift himself a bit in the bed. He was becoming a bit sore for laying unmoving in one position for the best part of the last 12 hours.

He focused for a moment to steel himself for what he imagined was going to be a terrible experience in downing the second potion, but was pleasantly surprised when he actually rather enjoyed it. It had an herbal taste that reminded him of a bouquet of dried wildflowers and a hint of honey. It wasn't pumpkin juice or anything, but as medicine and potions go, it was downright tasty.

"Mister Potter, that last potion may take just a few moments to take effect. Would you mind if I looked at the site of the injury? If it makes you more comfortable, perhaps Healer Cartwright can give us a bit of privacy?" He turned a quirked eyebrow at Erica on the other side of Harry's bed.

"She can stay." Harry said quickly.

"Very well then." Healer Tolliver nodded for Harry to lie back and gently shifted Harry's robes and shirt around to expose his side and removed the dressing.

Craning his neck a bit without engaging his core, Harry caught his first glimpse of the curse and nearly passed out at the sight. It looked like someone had taken an oversized melon baller and scooped a nearly spherical chunk out of him about the size of a grapefruit. It looked angry and red, and the new unnatural edges of his skin looked like the ragged charred edges of a piece of paper that had been set ablaze. Additionally, the area around the hole for about 4 inches all around was a terrible purple, yellow, and brown bruise.

As he looked, he felt what he imagined was the new potion taking effect. It started with a tingling in his stomach, which quickly shot up to his forehead. A slightly dizzying sensation of pins and needles spread from there, slowly covering his entire body. When the sensation reached the wound, the bruising faded slightly.

"Get ready for that chill and a bit of a shock again, Harry." Healer Tolliver said with a weary look on his face.

Harry simply nodded as Healer Tolliver cast two familiar charms over him. One made his magical aura prickle like static electricity all around him, while the other set a chill into his bones and gave the healer a small ethereal bubble of information.

Harry laid back and tried unsuccessfully not to shiver, though whether it was because of the cold of the spell or the rapidly darkening look on the healer's face, he wasn't quite sure.

Healer Tolliver made a few quick motions with his wand and Harry felt a pleasant warm pressure over the painful hole in his side. The healer had conjured and placed a new dressing on the wound.

"Mister Potter, I'll need to consult further with my foreign counterparts, but I think we might be on a good path toward getting you on the mend." He pointedly met Harry's eyes for a moment and looked hesitant. "It may be a bit of a process, but I think with a bit of luck and a bit of time, you're going to be just fine."

"Just how much time and luck are we talking about, Morris?"

He smiled weakly "Harry. I don't want to speculate just yet. Give me a few hours, or maybe a day, and I'll surely have more to go on. This is uncharted waters for all of us, but the trial we just did here gave me some good new data."

"Okay, thank you." Harry said, letting out a strained breath as Morris left the room.

He wasn't particularly uncomfortable, but something about the hesitant manner of Morris' comments didn't sit right.

He was just starting to think about and focus on the stress and loss and uncertainty surrounding him, his fears for himself and for Hermione, his guilt at the situations developing in the battle's wake, when he saw Erica's face above him.

"Harry, are you cold? Are your blankets warm enough? Do you need a drink or anything? Would you like to perhaps sit up for a bit?" She caught his gaze and her questioning snapped him out of the downward spiral of thoughts he'd been headed toward.

"Yeah, a bit of water would be great, actually." He said after a moment. "And if this bed will sit me up, I'd like that too."

She smiled at him and patted his arm gently. "Yes, we can do both of those things… Once you're a bit more awake and a bit more comfortable, there's someone I think you'd like to meet."

—X—X—X—

Moments later, at a few taps of Erica's wand, his bed had morphed. Slowly, its head rose, and the foot lowered slightly until he was in a comfortable, slightly reclined seated position.

Another wave of her wand and his bed/chair was hovering two inches above the ground and he was floating right along with Erica as they made their way out into the dimly lit hallway outside his room.

He floated past a closed door, which he suspected he'd very much like to go through, but resisted the urge to protest. Erica had been doing well by him so far, so he'd decided to trust her a bit.

As they made their way down the hall, Erica asked again, "So Harry, have you thought about what we were taking about before Morris came in? Would you be open to talking to me or someone like me?"

He thought about it for another moment. "Yeah, I think I could maybe give that a go."

She stopped them in the hall and angled herself in front of him, smiling genuinely. "That's great Harry. I'll take care of it. You needn't worry about any of the arrangements. Now, I promise I'll take no offense, but would you be ok with seeing me, or would you prefer me to find someone else?"

"You'd be great, I'm sure."

Continuing a short distance down the hall, they found a small office where a woman wearing comfortable looking deep blue pants and matching tunic styled shirt under a white coat that ended a bit above her knees. A notable departure from the standard healer robes he had seen on Erica, Morris, all the other workers at the hospital.

Erica knocked on the jamb of the open door, and the woman looked over.

"Ahh, nice to meetcha! Mister Potter, I presume?" A smiling witch who was far younger than he'd expected greeted him, if she was indeed who he was suspecting she was.

"Harry's just fine, thank you." He said with a tired smile.

"Right! Thanks Harry. I'm Doctor Tipton, but you're welcome to call me Milly." She had an accent he recognized to be American, but beyond that, it wasn't distinctive.

"Okay then Milly, what precisely are you up to here?"

"Haha, cutting right to the chase. I can appreciate that and given what I've heard, I'm not surprised at all." She maintained her bright smile, but her eyes didn't quite match it. He didn't feel she was being disingenuous at all, though, simply trying to make a warm impression before pivoting into some harder topics. "Let's get into it then. Harry, in your words,"

"Hold on just a moment Milly, I've another question for you." Harry interrupted the doctor. She didn't look like she was far into her thirties, much less of an age congruous with being a world leader in a very complicated field.

"I bet I can guess what it is, but go ahead and ask it then, Harry." She was smiling still, and it was putting Harry at ease.

"Right, er, I mean no offense, but what are your qualifications? I must admit, I was expecting someone a bit older. I understand you're one of, if not the best in the world for whatever you suppose is going on with her?"

"No offense taken Harry, I get this question pretty frequently. I don't like to throw around phrases like 'best in the world', 'foremost', 'leading' or any other superlatives. I'm really not one to brag. But yes, if it makes you feel better to hear it from me, I am the best person you could have here to help her through this. I attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where I was the first student in history to sort into two houses." She paused a moment for Harry to ponder that for a moment.

"They ended up letting me choose between the two; Horned Serpent and Pukwudgie. I ended up favoring Pukwudgie, as that's the house that tends to produce the best healers, and that's been my intent since I was about 5 years old." She stopped for a breath and asked, "Do you have any questions about that bit?"

"Well, that double sorting bit sounds like a story, but perhaps later."

"Fair enough! Anyway, after Ilvermorny I wanted to learn even more about how the mind works, and I did something that surprised my whole family and pretty much everyone I knew… I went to a muggle college, and then managed to be accepted into a muggle medical school. I'm one of only about a dozen doctors in history to go through both a magical and a muggle program, and I'm the first to do a concentration on the mind."

"That's… Quite remarkable, actually. I didn't know that was even a possibility."

"It's certainly not a common thing, Harry." She looked him in the eye steadily. "I've been doing research for a long time, specifically regarding treating curses directed at the mind. I think I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on with your friend, and I think with a little help from you, I can get some confirmation. If I'm right, I think we've got a shot at a treatment plan that we can move pretty quickly on as well."

Harry perked up considerably at that news. "How quickly?" He asked with genuine optimism in his voice for the first time in far too long.

"That depends on a few things, Harry. I will let you know just as soon as I know for certain, okay?

"Sounds great. What were you going to ask me before I interrupted you a bit ago?"

"Right, well, I have a working theory as to what's been done to her, but in order to be sure and be able to quantify her actual symptoms, I need to get an understanding of what she was like before the attack. I'm told by… Well, everyone, that you're the man I need to talk to about that. That you're someone who's been there for her in the past, and that you know her well, and that you're pretty good friends, to say the least."

Harry took on a bit of color at that, but couldn't formulate an argument about it.

His brow furrowed, and his eyes filled with water. "Given everything she's done for me, half of which I can't even begin to explain to you, much less pay her back for in any meaningful way… I haven't been there for her nearly enough." His eyes prickled with tears, but his voice carried unquestionable resolve. "What do you need to know?"

"Well, let's keep it simple for starters, aright? Tell me about Hermione, from your perspective. With a focus on just pure, unfiltered Hermione, her personality. What is she like?"

"Well, Hermione is… Hmm, this is hard… She's bloody brilliant, for starters. She's kind. Beautiful too." He realized that comment just sort of slipped out and he grew a little pink in the face. "Uh, sorry, that's not what you're asking about, is it?"

Milly simply nodded for him to go on. Erica settled into another chair in the small office.

"Let's see, she's better organized than any 5 other people I know put together. When she cares about something, and sets her mind to making something happen, just… stay out of her bloody way. There is not a thing that girl can't or won't do once she takes on a cause…

"And she cares a lot. She cares about fairness and equality. She cares about justice. She cares about making a difference, about helping people. She cares…"

Begrudgingly, he had to stop for a moment. He was a bit lightheaded all of a sudden. Swallowing thickly as tears he'd been holding back finally escaped his hold along with the rest of his thought.

"…She cares about me.

"She's always available to help a friend in need, and she gives so incredibly deeply of herself… perhaps too deeply at times, especially when I'm involved. Merlin, if she didn't, I'd be dead and buried in the ground for years by now, our perhaps eaten by that dragon at the tournament fourth year. She's always, every time, freely given everything she had for me. And I never once asked her to.

The weight of his words and emotions around her weighed on him now that he slowed down to give her proper consideration. He was feeling like an idiot for not recognizing the stunning level of self-sacrifice she'd put into their relationship.

A fresh wave of heavy sobs washed over him as another thought dawned on him.

"She gave up the one thing I've ever truly wanted in my life. The one thing I was robbed of before I could appreciate it." He stopped again, breathing shakily and wiping still more moisture from his eyes. He ignored Milly's offer of a handkerchief.

"She had parents, Milly. A family that loved her. A comfortable place to lay her head at night, safe and secure with people who I'm certain loved her more than life itself. She gave that up. Threw it away to come with me, and I didn't even know she'd bloody done it until much later." He was still letting the thoughts rake harshly over him.

"Harry, can't she just go back to her parents now that it's over?" Milly asked softly. She was trying to be reassuring and talk some of his burden off of his shoulders.

"No, that's the worst part! She's never once taken a half-measure her entire life. She wanted them safe, and she knew that by associating with me she'd be a target, and thus they'd be a target. So she modified their memories so they don't even remember they have a daughter. I don't know how she did it. She seems certain they've moved to Australia and are safe. Apparently, they'd always wanted to move there. Who does that unprompted‽ Who'd do that even if I'd begged? What have I ever done to warrant that level of devotion and sacrifice?"

"Harry?" Milly tried to interrupt him, but it was like he was in a trance or something. Talking about her seemed to calm him and he was settling into a groove or sorts as he recalled all the times she'd been there for him.

"I don't even know if I should tell you this, but if it helps, I really don't care. A few years back, she helped me break more than a few laws to help a man we knew for a fact to be innocent escape prison and execution. My godfather, Sirius… He died a couple years later. In 5th year, she walked with me into a trap that she even suspected was a trap to help me. Took a curse that damn near killed her along the way, but even after all that, she's stayed with me.

"She helped me start a sort of student organization. It was basically a secret dueling club when the ministry was trying to take that sort of training out of our defense class. Merlin, just that alone saved so many lives over the last year or two."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath. His last handful of comments had simply flown from his lips with little or no thought. Thinking back on all the times Hermione had been there for him and the simple, wonderful presence of her in his life made him feel so stupid. He had been stupid not to see plain as day that she'd been far more than a friend for too long.

That familiar sensation he'd been feeling all too much for the last day was back. He felt tears forming, and they were starting to pressurize, but he couldn't break again. Not knowing anything about mind magic really, all he knew was that Dr. Milly seemed to need whatever information he could provide, and he'd yet to speak a word about the last year.

"This past year… I don't even know where to start."

Milly's face dropped slightly at the obvious weight of the struggle Harry had been and was still going through. "It's okay Harry, I understand you've been through a lot. We can stop there if you need to."

"No. This last year is the most important part."

He took a deep breath.

"In the last year, the number of times and ways in which Hermione Granger has saved my life… I can't even put a number on them. She had a bloody go-bag packed for me, without my knowledge, weeks before the school year was to start. And it's a great thing she did because we ended up needing it.

"She saved us in London when death eaters attacked us in a cafe right after Shack sent us a patronous and we got word of Scrimgeour's death at the Weasley wedding.

"Her brilliant research and forethought to bring useful books saved us again, providing clues for how to perform our task.

"When… when Ron left us, we both fell apart a bit. I had been so fucking terrified she was going to leave with him. I'm certain I'd have got myself snatched and likely killed within a week without her. But of course, just like all the other times, she stayed by my side.

"It wasn't long after he left we went to Godric's Hollow searching. It happened to be Christmas Eve, and it was the first time I'd ever been to the Hollow, the first time I'd ever had a chance to see my parent's graves. I cried, and she held me. Stood right there with me with her head on my shoulder. Then she conjured a wreath to put on their headstone and I could hardly decide whether to cry again or kiss her on the spot.

"At that point, I let myself think for the first time that I might actually have half a chance with her after all of this," he smiled warmly, "but not an hour later we were attacked by Tom's familiar and I nearly died. She cast a hex that saved my life in the most literal of senses.

"That's also when I broke my wand and we ended up sharing hers for a while."

Milly's eyebrows shot up a bit at that, but she said nothing.

"The thought that I had missed my shot with her terrified me when Ron came back a few weeks later." We'd been growing closer for the isolation of it all, but she was different with him when he returned. I think she can't quite forgive him for leaving us alone in the woods. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I can either. Not entirely anyway. Cold, that was.

"After that, the next major problem we had was Xeno Lovegood. We'd gone to visit, hoping he'd have some information that would help us. We didn't know his daughter Luna had been taken hostage. He called in the death eaters and we ended up at… at Malfoy Manor. Can't say I'm thrilled with Xeno, but I don't know that I can blame him too harshly for doing what he did. He'd already lost his wife a few years back…

"Anyway… That was, undoubtedly, the single worst day of my life. And that's bearing in mind that I literally died yesterday. They separated us, and we could… I could hear her screaming as she was being tortured. I already know I'll never forget the sounds she made, the pain and desperation fading into resignation in them, and the helpless feeling I had the whole time along with it. I heard the moment she started thinking she was about to die. All I wanted to do was trade places with her. It's haunted my dreams since and I don't expect that to stop soon. I don't even think it should. It was my bloody fault."

Milly made a move to interject at that comment, but Harry ignored it.

"Just please let me finish. We spent the best part of a month after that at a small cottage recovering, researching, and planning a heist of the most secure place on the continent. And after all that, breaking into Gringotts, breaking into the castle, the fight finally breaking out in earnest… It was so much going on and we were running around just trying not to die. We eventually got a bit separated in the fight at the castle.

"Then, when Professor Snape died, I didn't know what to make of it. Then I saw the memories he shared, and that's when I learned what I needed to do to stop Voldemort. Or rather, to give others half a chance to stop him. I knew I needed to die that day. I knew my entire fucking life's purpose was to die when the proper time came. I knew that Dumbledore, for all the great things he'd done, had only kept me as marginally safe as he had because I needed to die at the right time.

"For the first few moments, I felt lost and utterly broken. Betrayed, to say the very least. And… I don't know, really. Just alone. But once that passed, all I could think about was her. If I was to die, I had to level with her first. I couldn't let myself die, regretting saying nothing about how I feel about her, and what she means to me… I couldn't bring myself to without knowing how she felt too."

"And did you have a chance to tell her, Harry?" Milly and Erica were an eager audience by now.

"Yeah, I did." Harry smiled again. "It was the last thing I did before I left for the forest."

"And did she?" The two healers asked nearly in unison.

"Yes, she did." Harry took on a bit of color again. "I told her everything, and she kissed me. Apparently, we'd both been avoiding the topic, and my impending death was all it took to move me to act. She said she'd fallen for me years ago, but never thought I could feel the same. Neither of us could imagine that possibility, it seems.

"After it was over. Once I came back and everything was done, I… I've never had a chance to so much as say a word to her."

"Harry, there are so many things both of us would like to ask for more details about after that story. But I think it's best if we get to that later. I think I have an idea what's going on here, and if you're up to it, I think it might be a good time for us to pop next door." Milly gave Harry a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Yes. Yes! If she's there, it's where I'd like to be." Harry was feeling happy for the first time since he'd left the castle in the early morning hours of the day of the battle.

"Harry, hold on now. I feel I should prepare you a bit. This will not be the reunion you've likely envisioned…"

"What do you mean?"

"The curse she took, it's attacked her mind, as you already know. Hearing and learning about your history with her, I believe some things she's said overnight have made clear the nature of the issue. In order to be certain though, I would like to observe you two meeting again, but if I'm right, it will be one more difficult thing for you to experience."

"Will she not know me? Will she not recognize me?" Harry was not prepared for that possibility.

"If I'm right, Harry… She will know you, but not what you are to her. I believe that was part of the intent of that curse. I suspect she may be a bit more indifferent about your presence, or perhaps even fearful or hostile, than you're prepared f-"

"But if that's it, you can fix her, right? You can set her right?"

"I believe that to be the case, yes."

"Then let's get on with it."

—X—X—X—

I'll look for your eyes, to keep me inside

When everything dies, with one last sunrise

And when we stand there, together not scared

I'll dry your last tear, and then we're just air

Go put on your best tonight

It's you and me and not much time

To watch the world burnin' bright

We are ready

Track: You and Me and One Spotlight

Album: Paper Walls

Artist: Yellowcard

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