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A Wrinkle in Time

Slim fish lazed in the shallow waters at the river's shore, drifting through the shade of the willow with gentle flicks of their tails and fins and floating back out into the sun. Harry hopped over the wilted brown daffodil heads and peered through the long grass on the bank, but at the touch of his shadow upon the water, they darted away into the depths of the bend.

I'm not a heron. Although I probably eat more fish than most herons do.

He stretched his wings, scattering small droplets of dew across the grass and warming his muscles in the sun. The daisy in his beak fluttered, its white petals caught in a soft breeze, slipping to the left in his loose grip.

No you don't. Harry cocked his head, letting it slide back the other way, and clamped his beak on the stem. You're not going anywhere. He took wing, fluttering over the small river and up into the branches of the willow.

The breeze rustled through the long slim green leaves and up the river valley through the tall grass to stir the pink cherry blossom before the château. A loud bang echoed down from the chateau.

Your maman's going to scold you for slamming the door again, baby bird. Harry cocked his head, watching the way down along the riverbank; a small warm glow rose in his heart like the first light of dawn appearing upon the horizon. Are you coming to see me?

Katie skipped out from under the cherry blossom, a huge smile on her face as she bounced along the riverbank, patting the tops of the long grass as she went.

His heart lurched and a soft croak escaped his beak. Look at you, little chick. He swooped down as she bounded across the white stones and perched upon her shoulder, dropping the daisy into her hands. You grew up so beautiful.

'Merci, papa.' His daughter giggled and picked him up, plopping down on the pebbles and setting him on his feet; she tucked the stem of the daisy behind her ear. 'Does it look pretty?'

Harry shifted out of the form of the raven and smiled down at her.

A bright sparkle of joy shone in her green eyes, and the big white daisy fluttered against her small ear as the breeze stirred her shoulder-length silver half-curls.

'You always look beautiful, baby bird.' He reached out.

'No!' She pouted. 'Don't mess my hair up.'

Harry laughed. 'I'll be good, I promise.'

Katie reached up and grabbed his forefinger, tugging him down. 'Papaaa.' She bounced on the spot, a huge grin on her face.

'Okay, okay.' He sat down beside her. 'What's got you so excited, baby bird?'

'I get to meet my godmothers tomorrow!'

The icy hand of dread clenched shut around Harry's heart, its cold nails biting right through him to the bone. 'Tomorrow?'

She nodded. 'I don't know what they look like! Maman said I'll see them tomorrow morning. And they're coming to Britain when we go and get me a wand, so I'll see them twice! I hope they like me—' his daughter bit at her lip '—will they like me, papa?'

'They'll love you,' Harry murmured. 'They've wanted to meet you for a very long time; I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to see you. They're probably already squabbling over who gets to hug you first, little chick.'

'Maman wants them to come to Britain in case the horrible man there tries to do anything bad.'

A trickle of ice crept through Harry's veins. 'Did your maman say who?'

'No.' Katie scowled, her irises darkening a few hues to a deep pine-green. 'But he's why you're—' she squirmed '—not coming home where you're meant to be.'

'Ah. Him.'

Neville.

He snorted. 'I wouldn't worry about him; he's just annoying.'

'Maman said not very nice things about him,' his daughter whispered. 'She said he came here and was followed, and that's why everyone was hurt and I was cursed.'

'Your maman told you?'

Katie nodded, the tips of her ears turning pink. 'And she let me in the glasshouse with all her special roses!'

Harry offered her a small soft smile. 'Of course she did, she was just waiting until she was sure. Your maman loves you more than anything, baby bird; no more secrets from her, okay?'

'She hates him,' his daughter mumbled. 'I could feel it in her magic. It was like boiling water, but hotter, like bubbly angry hungry fire.'

'He is the reason Auntie Gabby and your maman's parents aren't here,' Harry murmured. 'Your maman will never forgive him for that. She… when she has made up her mind about someone, once her trust is gone, she doesn't change it back, your maman.'

'Why did he even come here?' Katie demanded. 'He ruined everything! If he hadn't come here, you would be home with maman, papa!'

'No…' Harry shook his head, wry bitter humour twisting the corner of his mouth up in a faint smile. 'No, I ruined everything. That's why I'm out here, and you and your maman are happy together at home.'

Katie's eyes bled black as pitch. 'You saved me!' She balled her small hands into fists as little white tufts burst through her skin. 'Maman said so! She told me. You did the thing you were most afraid of to show how much you wanted the magic to happen, and it saved me.'

'I did, but—'

'And maman thinks she failed!' Tears shone in her dark eyes. 'She thinks her part of it went wrong and you didn't come back! But you're right here!'

Harry's blood froze. 'Her part?'

Did she…? The sharp, crimson thorns of the rose tattoo on Fleur's hip sliced his heart to ribbons. Did she really give up after all? He swallowed the pain. No. If she did, she clearly only gave up on me. Not on our baby bird. So it's fine.

Katie nodded. 'Maman was so sad.' A little shudder swept through her. 'It felt like… like before you came back and I was down here all alone and maman didn't tell me anything ever.'

'She had to do it—' Harry forced the words past the hot lump in his throat '—to make sure you were safe and happy.'

His daughter glowered at the white pebbles and crossed her legs. 'She's not happy, she's sad, papa. And it's not fair! The loophole thing she made must have worked, because you did come back!'

'Loophole?' The word tumbled off the tip of his tongue. 'Katie, what did she say?' He fought the stirring storm as it swelled, but it tore his heart to shreds with white-hot claws and scattered it away like pink cherry blossom in the wind. 'What exactly did she say?'

Katie's forehead creased into a small frown. 'That you came back to her once before because you didn't know what you did to your wand and that made a loophole thing so you could come back. And she tried to make it happen again. You'd be away from us forever, but when you came back, you wouldn't remember and she made another thing of all your memories from before, so you'd come back and be okay.'

'She—' the storm stole the air from his lungs in a swirl of searing razors '—she…'

'Papa,' his daughter whispered, her green eyes wide. 'Papa…?'

The world spun.

Katie's words tangled in his ears, drowned beneath the hammering of his heart; everything sank into the bright green of her eyes, spiralling down and down through all that staring emerald and the small flecks of bright summer sky blue shining at its centre.

Black spots flickered across his vision.

'Papa!' Katie scrambled to her feet, and glanced toward the cherry blossom and the chateau. 'I'm getting maman.'

'No,' Harry gasped. 'I'm fine. I just…'

She obliviated me. He clawed back through his memories to those strange scrambled moments and that soft, odd sense of déjà vu. I went into the pensieve and she took away the memory of it when I came out, so I couldn't remember giving up loving her. And then what? All my memories from before?

Harry squeezed his eyes shut.

I was so scrambled when I came back to her after I died at Hogwarts, I had to figure out who I was, and… He swallowed the hot lump and opened his eyes, bitter certainty bleeding through the storm. She made me do it all again, because if I didn't remember giving up and did that, I'd've learnt to be me like I did before; I would've loved her again.

'Qu'as-tu fait, Fleur?' he breathed. 'What did you do?'

I never gave up, did I? I never stopped loving you. His gaze strayed to the slim piece of ebony in Katie's hand as she hovered over him, glancing back and forth from the château to him. And if I'd remembered, if I'd known I hadn't given up, I would've known it must've been the horcrux who paid the price, because it wasn't you, either. But you… you…

Hot tears blurred on his lashes. 'We ruined it all and it had always worked,' he whispered. 'There was nothing wrong. Nothing.' Harry felt the warm tears slide down his cheek and trickle along chin. 'It would all have been perfect.'

'Papa…' Katie patted at his face with her hands, smearing his tears across his chin. 'Why are you crying? I'm sorry. I'm sorry, papa. I didn't want you to cry.'

Harry took a deep breath and mustered a smile. 'It's okay, baby bird. You've got nothing to be sorry for. Thank you for telling me.'

A small frown wrinkled her forehead. 'What's wrong, papa?'

'Nothing—' he stifled a stab of hysterical, bitter laughter '—nothing is wrong. Nothing was ever wrong.'

Only us. We were both wrong. He swiped his tears off his eyelashes on the ball of this thumb. But it's fine. This is perfect enough.

'Does this mean you can come home?' Katie pleaded. 'Papa?'

'No, little chick,' Harry whispered. 'No, it doesn't. I can't ever come home. I'm sorry.'

'But you came back!' Katie's eyes flashed black and she stomped her foot on the pebbles. 'Maman didn't fail! It worked!'

'I know, but…' He sighed. 'This is just how it has to be. If I come back, I will still ruin everything.'

It might not be the price of La Victoire Finale in the end, but Fleur still won't trust me. She won't ever trust me again. None of you will be happier or safer than you are now if I come back; this is as perfect as it can be.

'You said no more secrets from maman!' His daughter glowered at him with midnight-dark eyes. 'Papa,' she whined. 'S'il te plaît.'

'Tu m'as promis, non?' he murmured. 'Katie?'

'Je sais—' a huge pout crept onto Katie's face and she folded her arms, sticking her nose in the air '—j'ai promis. I won't tell her.'

'Merci.' He shoved it all down behind a smile. 'Now, if you're going off to Britain to get a wand, I want to teach you a spell. Just in case.'

'What spell?' Her irises brightened back to green. 'Maman said I can't take your wand, papa; I won't be able to cast it.'

'Your maman is right, but it will still be good to know, in case you can get your hands on a wand.' He chuckled. 'If the shop you are going to is anything like it was when I last went there, it will not be hard for you to get hold of one if something happens.'

'You know where I'm going?' Katie chirped. 'Where? Where is it? What's it like, papa?'

'You'll see,' Harry said. 'I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. Don't worry about the man who makes the wands; he's a little bit creepy, but he's very good at making wands. He made mine.'

She beamed. 'I'm going to get a wand just like yours, papa.'

'Probably not exactly like mine,' he murmured. 'Because you are not collecting the key ingredient from my wand core.'

His daughter stuck her lower lip out. 'I will.'

'No you won't,' Harry replied. 'I will be very cross with you if I hear you went running off to fight a basilisk.'

'But you said it's a snake! I could just talk to it!' Katie swished his wand, showering silver sparks over the white pebbles. 'It might be nice!'

'Let's not take the extremely high risk of you being eaten by a very big snake, little chick. Your maman and I would be very upset.'

She waved the wand about and scrunched up her face. 'Fine. What's the spell?'

'The Shield Charm,' Harry said. 'The Shield Charm will stop most spells, but not all of them. It's like a big bubble of magic shielding you from anything that intends you harm. If anyone tries to hurt you, you can use that spell to get away somewhere safe.'

'I have my necklace with the big sparkly white stone!' Katie patted her chest. 'I don't wear it at home, maman said I don't have to, but if I say your name, it takes me back here.'

'Good,' Harry murmured. 'Listen to your maman, she wants you to be safe.' He pointed at the wand. 'Want to have a try? The incantation is protego. Imagine a big bright bubble of magic all around you keeping you and your maman safe from everything.'

Katie drew herself up and raised his wand, a serious gleam in her green eyes. 'Protego!'

A blinding white flash seared Harry's vision.

'Ow,' his daughter whined. 'That was really bright.'

He blinked hard as the green spots faded. 'Yes, that's not quite what's meant to happen. It would probably give you a good chance of getting away, though, so don't forget how to do that.'

Katie beamed. 'It's good?'

'It's not a Shield Charm, but if you're in a dark room and anyone tries to do anything, that's going to stop them and give you plenty of time to get away while they're trying to see again.' Harry offered her a warm smile. 'Now, let's practise this one and see how far we can get before tomorrow. It's a spell you don't learn until you're fourteen or fifteen usually, so it might be tricky to get the hang of, and if your godmothers are here tomorrow, this might be the only time to practise. Although… I'm sure they'd help you if you asked them.'

She shook her head. 'I want to learn from you, papa.'

'Okay then.' Harry swept his long hair away from his eyes and pointed at the river. 'Maybe aim that way this time, though. Another flash like that and I might need glasses again.'

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