"What the fuck!"
Harry raced across the room and dropped to his knees to check on what was causing the blood loss. Peeling back the formerly white shirt that Sirius was wearing, he saw a long slash that went from his right hip diagonally just under his navel and ended about three inches past that. The wound was at least a foot long, and it was at its deepest right in the middle of his abdomen. Harry immediately pressed down with his hands, trying to stem the blood flow as much as he could.
"Dobby, what happened?"
"Mister Black got in a fight with a bad wizard and his nasty axe."
Sirius had passed out, either from the blood loss or the shock. Harry grabbed his wand, but had no idea just what he should cast. If he went to Madam Pomfrey, there would be a lot of questions, and he guessed that Sirius had asked Dobby to bring him here instead for a reason.
"I hope he at least won," he muttered. Pansy was still staring almost stunned over by their bedroom door. "Do you know any healing spells?"
"No." She looked away from the pool of blood to Harry's face and shook off her own shock. "But you can try the mending charm."
"I thought you weren't supposed to use that on living things."
"It will leave a scar, but better that than dying."
"Fuck, here goes. Reparo!"
Harry watched as the gash was sealed by his magic, and sure enough there was a dark line that remained behind, which he could still see even through the blood that covered Sirius' stomach.
"Shit. What now?"
"He's lost a lot of blood, Harry," Pansy replied. "Dobby, we need you to get a blood-replenishing potion."
"Right away miss!"
Dobby popped back in a moment later, holding a large vial with a dark liquid in it.
"Pansy, you'll have to do it," Harry said. "My hands are too slick. I'll help sit him up. Dobby, keep an eye on the wound in case it re-opens."
"Yes, master Harry!"
Harry crawled around behind Sirius and held him up so that Pansy could pour the potion down his throat.
"Come on, Sirius, you can't die on me now," he pleaded. "Not when you've just started being really useful."
Pansy stifled a laugh, but Harry's gallows humor steadied her hand as she tipped the potion. Thankfully, Black didn't choke on it, as Harry had one of his bloody hands holding his godfather's head up. She poured it slowly, trying to make sure that as much of the liquid as possible went down and within a moment she was done.
"Let me get my wand," Pansy said as she ran off to the bedroom and quickly came back. "Hold his shirt out of the way. Tergeo!"
Pansy's spell siphoned some of the blood off Sirius' stomach, but it was just scratching the surface of the mess.
"It's going to take me a few minutes to get this cleaned up. Try to keep him still, I don't want this to accidentally tear open the wound."
"Right," Harry agreed, his arms still wrapped around his passed out godfather. "We really need to learn some healing magic as soon as possible."
"I know."
"Dobby, can you see if you can find some of my clothes that you might be able to enlarge a bit? We're going to need to get him out of this bloody stuff. I'm pretty sure this shirt is done for."
"What makes you say that?" Pansy snorted as she cast the spell again, cleaning more of the blood away from Sirius' stomach. The scar left behind by Harry's mending charm was now very obvious. "Is it the slash that tore it almost in half or the enormous new red stain?"
"I was thinking that we should destroy the evidence, actually." Harry thought for a moment. "Dobby, can you go back to wherever Sirius was and clean up whatever blood he might have left behind?"
"Dobby will master Harry!"
The little elf was gone again with a pop, and Harry tried to calm his nerves while Pansy cast Tergeo a few more times until Sirius was clean. Or, at least his stomach now was clean. He and Harry were still basically sitting in a big puddle of blood.
"What are we going to do next?" Pansy asked.
"You should stay back," Harry suggested. "It's good for one of us to not be covered in blood, just in case."
"Right. Let me try to clean up some more of the mess."
"Alright, but I'm going to keep the two of us pretty still until Dobby gets back. We'll need his help for whatever the hell we do next."
"What are you thinking?"
"We should get him cleaned up and into bed, I guess. He'll need rest and I just hope he doesn't have anything else wrong with him, like any curses that might not be obvious. That reminds me."
Harry shifted a bit so he could use his wand again. He cast three different spells at Sirius, which was more than a little awkward since he was practically in Harry's lap at the moment.
"What were those?" Pansy asked.
"Remember when you got exhausted after the ritual you used to create 'my' skeleton? I had Dobby swipe several of Pomfrey's books and I cast every diagnostic spell on you that I could that night. I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else wrong with you."
"Why am I not surprised," Pansy exhaled nervously. "I'm not going to be able clean anything else until we can get you two up."
"Okay. I guess we'll just have to wait."
"What do you think happened to him? Was it MacNair?"
"I would guess so. I can't think of any other wizards that would have an axe for any reason. And Sirius did know that he was a Death Eater. We'll have to ask him when he wakes up. Assuming he does wake up."
"He will Harry," Pansy said, trying to offer some comfort. "He isn't allowed to die on us. Not just when you were starting to like him."
"Yeah," Harry smiled briefly. "Did I tell you about his last letter?"
"No."
"It was after we had our talk a couple of weeks ago. He complimented me on my choice of girlfriend."
"Really? Even after I threatened him?"
"Yeah," Harry chuckled. "He said that I could probably get a lot of girls into a broom closet, but finding one that would fight for me meant you were a keeper. I couldn't agree more."
"Good. That's one of the reasons you're a keeper too, Harry."
"You mean it wasn't all the oral sex?"
"Well, you are pretty good at that too. But no, not just the oral sex," she teased. Harry started to laugh but tried to quiet down when Sirius stirred. He did not wake though, so they spent several minutes talking and waiting for Dobby to get back.
Dobby returned and immediately set about helping his family. Getting Sirius changed into something that wasn't bloody was so much easier with his help, and Harry was especially glad that he didn't have to try to get Sirius out of his clothes. Pansy had ducked into their bedroom for a few minutes to leave Sirius as much of his dignity as possible. Once he was safely tucked in the second bedroom, Pansy joined them as Harry stared at his unconscious godfather.
"I'm going to have to stay in here," he said. "Make sure he doesn't wake up, or have his wound re-open, or... I don't know, probably some other things I can't think of at the moment."
"You don't have to Harry."
"Yes, I do. I'm not going to put this on your shoulders. One of us should be rested for whatever we have to face tomorrow."
"Thank Merlin it's the weekend."
"Yeah," Harry snorted. "I should be able to take a nap tomorrow hopefully."
"Wait, Harry, you really don't need to do that. I know a spell we can use to keep an eye on him."
"What type of spell?"
"It's an alarm that will wake us if he has any problems in the night."
"That sounds useful," Harry agreed. "When did you learn it?"
"Last year. I..."
"What is it?"
"You'll think it's silly," Pansy sighed.
"If this spell is going to allow us to try to get some sleep, I can promise you I won't laugh. I was worn out just by the Slug Club. Now, I feel like I've been put through the ringer."
"I guess you won't be helping me take this dress off then?" she teased.
"Now, I didn't say that."
"Alright, hold on," Pansy chuckled before pulling out her wand and casting the alarm spell.
"Last year I had this dream," she began while putting her wand away and leading Harry out of the bedroom, hoping that Black would not have any more problems in the night. "I dreamt that I got pregnant, and it started me thinking about what that would be like."
"I guess that probably freaked you out," Harry suggested.
"Not that much really. It was one of those dreams where a lot of things happen and time sort of flashes by. You got somehow even more protective when I was pregnant, as unbelievable as that may seem. It was sweet, if you have a macabre sense of humor. You repeated what you had done to my father to several more Death Eaters, trying to clean things up before our child was born."
"That does sound like something I would do. What else happened?"
"We had a daughter. We named her Alexandria."
"I like that name."
"She was born on your birthday."
"Wow, that would be an amazing birthday present."
"Yes, you seemed to think that in the dream too," Pansy giggled even as she teared up a little bit. "We dropped out of Hogwarts to focus on raising her. Dobby was a huge help, as you can imagine."
"Isn't he always?"
"Yes, anyway the dream stuck with me for several days, so I looked up some charms for new parents. Just in case it became real, or for some time in the future, you know?"
"So, that alarm spell is for children to wake their parents then?"
"Exactly."
"Which means we can tease Sirius tomorrow about us using him to practice for when we have an actual baby instead of just an overgrown one?"
Pansy laughed as she pushed Harry into their bathroom.
"If you can get cleaned up pretty quick, I'll wait to let you take this dress off me."
"I'll be as fast as humanly possible."
Harry did eventually let her get to sleep, and they were both feeling much less stressed when they did finally drift off. The next morning didn't come too early either, as Sirius thankfully slept quite late and the alarm never went off.
However, Hedwig was pecking at the balcony window with an annoyed look on her face when Harry did wake. She had the day's paper and for some reason was waiting for Harry to take the delivery.
He opened the door and she flew over, dropping it at his feet and batting his head with one of her wings before turning around to head right back out the window.
"I'm sorry," he called after her, but the snowy owl did not turn even to acknowledge him. "I'm not sure what I'm sorry for, or why you didn't just leave this with Dobby..."
But then he picked up the Daily Prophet and could guess why Hedwig had known that Harry would need to see this as soon as possible.
If the picture of the glowing skull charm didn't explain things well enough, the headline of Rogue Death Eater? would have probably clued him in. There was mention of a death, with the name not yet released, but people were bound to be terrified at the second recent sighting of the Dark Mark following many years of peace and calm. Even more so since this one was tied to a violent attack, whereas the first seemed to only be a scare tactic.
He began to scan the story just as a cough from the second bedroom drew his attention.
"Where am I?" Sirius asked as he struggled to sit up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Harry stepped inside with the paper still in his hand and a smile on his face.
"How do you feel, Sirius?"
"Harry? Are we at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, my quarters. You're lucky that we have an extra bedroom because I wouldn't make Pansy sleep on the couch for anyone. Not even my nearly dead godfather."
"Only nearly dead is an upgrade over how I felt before I passed out." Sirius groaned as he reclined back a bit and reached down to lift up his shirt, or rather, one of Harry's that had been slightly enlarged. Harry came over to his bedside and helped him get more comfortable. The scar across his stomach was prominent, an angry looking dark red. "Well, it could have been worse."
"Just be glad that we had good timing," Pansy said as she walked in to join them, still clad in her pyjamas. "We got back from the Slug Club minutes before Dobby brought you to us."
"I'll have to thank him for that," Sirius replied.
"Sorry about the scar, Sirius, but neither of us knew any healing spells, so I had to make do with the mending charm."
"Murtlap should help a bit, but it could be a lot worse. I'm glad your house-elf responded to my call. I couldn't think of anyone else at the time that wouldn't lead to a lot of questions I wouldn't want to answer. Besides, chicks dig scars, right?"
Harry chuckled at Sirius who was pointing at his forehead while Pansy only rolled her eyes.
"I can assure you that Harry's scar is maybe the thing I like the least about him."
"He's got a point though," Harry said. "There are a lot of girls who don't feel that way. Of course, you won't be able to brag about yours safely anytime soon."
"I could always claim I got it back in the first war," Sirius suggested with a smile.
"Sure, if you want to remind a witch that you're a relic."
Pansy snorted at Harry's teasing. "Since it looks like the crisis is over, I'm going to let you two talk. I want to see Luna today anyway."
"You could bring her back here," Harry said.
"I didn't think that was allowed," Sirius inquired.
"Strictly speaking, it isn't," Pansy answered. "We could probably get Granger in because she's under Harry's patronage without too much gossip, but Luna is another story. Not that she would necessarily care about her reputation like that."
"So you'll just have to get her alone and have Dobby bring you both up here," Harry answered. "Dobby?"
The elf appeared on the other side of the bed with a smile.
"Thanks for everything last night," Harry said.
"I owe you my life," Sirius said, reaching down to shake the house-elf's hand. "I'm lucky Harry has someone like you."
"Mister Sirius is master Harry's godfather, which means you are almost master Harry's family. Dobby always takes care of master Harry's family."
"Speaking of that, I want you to follow Pansy and bring her and Luna back here as soon as they can get some privacy."
"Of course, master Harry!"
"That really isn't necessary, you know," Pansy said. "I'm just going to see Luna."
"Call me paranoid, but after last night, I don't want you away from me." Harry pulled her over for a quick kiss. "You can have girl talk with Luna in our room if you want. I have a feeling I'm going to need to keep an eye on him for most of the day."
"I'm not an invalid, Harry."
"Let's not push it, Sirius. You might need another blood-replenishing potion for all I know."
"Alright, I'm going to get changed and go find Luna. Don't do anything while I'm gone." As Pansy left, she heard Sirius question Harry over her shoulder.
"You know, since she's technically your servant, you probably shouldn't let her boss you around like that."
"Well, first of all, she was bossing us both around," Harry chuckled. "And secondly, she is smarter than me, so I tend to listen to her because her advice is often better than what I would come up with on my own."
Sirius attempted to make the sound of a whip cracking.
"I assure you neither of us has ever used a whip in or out of the bedroom," Harry replied to the teasing. "But she does like it when I spank her."
She heard Sirius' bark-like laughter as Pansy had left the bedroom door open so she could listen to them as she got dressed. She felt a hint of a blush at what Harry had just revealed, but she also felt comforted that Harry had another guy he could talk to about something like that for once.
"And then the brunette said-"
"Hi Harry!" Luna interrupted, bounding into the room and throwing her arms around him in a typically enthusiastic hug.
"Hi Luna. Sirius Black, meet Luna Lovegood, one of our best friends."
"A pleasure," Sirius said as he regarded her and sighed softly. "You're Selene's daughter, aren't you?"
"I am."
"You have her eyes. I've never seen eyes quite like that anywhere else."
"You knew Luna's mum?" Pansy asked, following the blonde into the bedroom where Sirius was still resting in bed.
"I did," Sirius replied before grimacing when he tried to sit up straighter. "We were in school together. She was an absolutely gorgeous girl a year older than me. I had an enormous crush on her in my third and fourth years and used to try to get her attention in all sorts of stupid ways. I even took Arithmancy to try to impress her because Selene was brilliant, and almost everyone who took the class was a Ravenclaw back then."
"Most still are," Harry confirmed. "In our year, more than half the class is from Ravenclaw."
"Yes, the problem was that once I found out how dry and... well, boring the class was, I dropped it. Stuck with Runes and Muggle Studies from then on."
"We were thinking of doing the same," Harry added. "It's not a bad class, but I like our other two electives a lot more. Of course, then Hagrid started giving me the silent treatment after I accidentally killed the dragon in the first task, so, who knows how that will work out."
"Anyway, I couldn't really give your dad too much grief over how he pined after Lily when I did something similar with Selene for awhile. I grew out of it, though I have to admit that I got a bit drunk when I heard she was marrying your dad, Luna. I am very truly sorry to hear about how she passed. She was a remarkable woman."
"Thank you," Luna whispered back quietly, and Harry could feel her tremble slightly since she hadn't finished hugging him yet.
"Why don't we talk about something more pleasant," Harry suggested, not wanting to upset his friend. "How about you tell us exactly what happened last night."
"I don't think we should do that in front of young miss Lovegood."
"Luna, this is going to be one of those things that falls under the category of House Potter secrets," Harry answered.
"So mum's the word," Luna finished. "No problem."
"Are you sure Harry? Not to be rude, but Luna might not want to hear some of this and she could be a liability, especially if someone tries to use Legilimency on her."
"First of all, Luna gave a vow to keep my secrets, so you don't have to worry about that," Harry began. "Secondly, do you know Legilimency? Because I welcome you to try it on her."
"I know the spell, but I'm not extremely skilled at it. I tend to use a more brute force approach, and I wouldn't want to do that to your friend."
"Well, Pansy and I have both been learning it, and believe me, you don't want to try to break into Luna's mind." Harry had done so a couple of times, and even when he had been able to get past her defenses, he still found her mind to be incredibly hard to comprehend. And once Luna realized that he had made it in, she started forcing him to watch certain memories. Harry was very embarrassed to witness himself having sex with Pansy, especially when he saw how Luna was masturbating at the same time.
"Alright, if you say so." Sirius sat up and reached over for the newspaper. "As you can probably guess from today's Prophet, I had an encounter with a Death Eater last night. However, to properly tell the tale, I need to go back a couple of months. You see, after the meeting we had last summer, I began to investigate some of the Death Eaters you had told me about, to try to figure out a way to get them arrested. I think you were right though, Harry. There's just too much red tape in the way. However, the Dark Mark appearing at the Quidditch World Cup gave me an idea.
"Since it seemed like there was some sort of rogue Death Eater, I decided to make use of that. I was able to convince Madam Bones to allow me to visit my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, at Azkaban."
"Damn Sirius," Harry exhaled. "I wouldn't think you would go back there for any reason."
"I can hardly believe it myself. But desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. As the head of House Black, I was allowed to visit a family member. I had to take an auror with me, but thankfully I could call on little Nymmie's help."
Sirius started to laugh to himself again.
"Who is Nymmie?"
"My cousin Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora Tonks. She's a brand new auror, and if you ever meet her, be sure to tell her how much you like her name. She'll get a kick out of it."
"Really?" Harry asked dryly, using the single raised eyebrow look he had learned from Pansy.
"Well, maybe not, but I'll get a kick out of it when she tries to hex you for it," Sirius chuckled. "So then I visited my dear cousin Bellatrix and learned something very useful- namely, how to conjure the Dark Mark."
"She told you that?" Pansy asked, her disbelief obvious. "Willingly?"
"I never said she did it willingly," Sirius said with a smirk. "But I got the information out of her, and let me tell you, Bella was not happy with me when I left. I really hope that crazy bitch never follows my example and finds a way to break out of there.
"Anyway, so fast forward to yesterday. I knew MacNair was really bad news, but I had no good way to get him out of the picture. So, I followed him home and made my move."
"You attacked him?" Harry guessed.
"I did. It worked pretty well too-"
"Except for the part where he tried to slice you open," Harry finished with a scowl.
"Yes, but I had managed to get the Dark Mark off, so that part of the plan worked. The paper certainly bought it- the idea that there's some sort of rogue Death Eater out there, and it will be an even bigger notion once it comes out that MacNair had that tattoo. Speaking of which, Harry, you really should contact Amelia soon and try to make sure that she lets that fact slip out to the media."
"I can do that."
"Good. He was a really nasty piece of work. I'm going to sleep a lot better at night knowing he's not out there anymore," Sirius finished. "You really don't want to know what I found in his basement."
Black gave a little shiver and Harry nodded as he looked over at the two girls, remembering Pansy talking about what a creep MacNair was the one time she had interacted with him when she was younger. He tried to keep his imagination from starting to think of anything too horrifying.
"I heard all about your previous escapades with life debts, you know? I probably owe you one for last night, Harry."
"You killed a Death Eater, I think we can call it even."
"I had already done that though, so I still owe you. Besides, I have a lot to make up for in missing most of your life."
"Fine, then kill another one and we'll be square," Harry replied. "So, what do we do now? We can't just keep you here for too long- we've got classes tomorrow after all, and neither of us knows anything about healing."
"I was thinking I would go to Andi's for help," Sirius replied. "A lot of people learned a fair amount of healing back in the day, and she's patched me up before. Plus, she won't say anything."
"You sure about that?"
"Don't worry, she owes me for bringing her and Nymmie back into the family. There's not a lot of us left anymore. I would have kicked Bellatrix out, but it could be useful to hold over her in the future possibly.
"Speaking of my family, Narcissa left a couple of months ago, and I heard you had something to do with that, Harry."
"Uh, yeah, it's a bit of a story."
"Why don't we leave you boys to your chat?" Pansy interjected. "Luna and I have some things to talk about by ourselves anyway."
By the time the afternoon was over, Luna had been dropped off back in her dorm when it was empty and Dobby then took Sirius to his cousin's home, making sure he was safe there before returning. Harry and Pansy took a nap before dinner, still tired from the lack of sleep the night before.
Because of that nap, they were late getting down to the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione immediately asked Harry where he had been all day and he just said that he had been worn out from a long night and had decided to rest up for the day. It was basically true, even if it left out a lot of salient details.
Hermione could still be annoyingly nosy at times, and despite how much Harry liked her, he really didn't feel like involving her in some of the darker aspects of his life. He couldn't shake the idea that she was just too softhearted to deal with things like the necessity of killing someone like Walden MacNair. After the girls had left them alone, Sirius had told him of finding that the Death Eater had a lot of victims and kept trophies in his basement of his many kills. Sirius has refused to go into details, but the haunted look in his eyes told Harry more than enough.
He thanked Sirius again for removing such a dangerous enemy, and his godfather had laughed that bark-like laugh, saying that the price of his new scar was worth it to make such an evil bastard finally pay for his crimes.
The ministry letting so many free while condemning him without trial had left Sirius possibly even more contemptuous of the justice system in the magical world than Harry was, and that feeling had clearly been exacerbated by what he discovered about MacNair.
Thinking about it was enough to cause Harry's appetite to be diminished that evening. By the time he had forced himself to eat close to a normal amount, Pansy and Luna had been merely chatting for at least half an hour and the Great Hall had mostly emptied.
Still feeling extra paranoid, Harry insisted they walk Luna back to Ravenclaw tower that night after the meal. Luna wasn't one to turn down the escort either and happily chatted away with Pansy on the long stroll.
When they made it back to the Gryffindor tower that night, an ambush was waiting for them.
"Pansy! Harry! Can I talk to you two for a minute?" Parvati was smiling and Pansy agreed, so they both led Harry over to a small table in the corner of the common room where Lavender was already sitting. Once again, Harry had a feeling that he was about to be ganged up on by a bunch of girls.
"So, you'll never guess the rumor I heard a few days ago." Parvati had a teasing smile and Lavender was giggling already.
"I have a feeling I know what you're going to say," Pansy countered. "But for the sake of amusement, let's see if Harry can guess."
"At this point, I've had so many rumors about me that I don't even try to keep up with them all." Harry could only shrug. "I assume by your expression that it isn't something too awful, but the last month has had so much crap thrown my way that I really don't feel like it."
"Come on, Harry, don't be like that," Parvati replied, still grinning and batting her eyelashes at him. "Pretty please?"
"Yes, pretty please?" Pansy echoed, also batting her eyelashes.
As if it wasn't bad enough when she had Luna's help, now Pansy was teaming up with Parvati to make fun of him. Going along with it would be easier in the long run he figured so he tried to think about what all had happened recently.
Parvati had said a few days ago, so it wouldn't have to do with the Slug Club. The duel with Rita shouldn't have too many rumors with all the people that watched it, and there definitely shouldn't have been anyone who could have found out what came later.
"Uh, I really don't remember anything that would lead to rumors. I mean, there were a couple of public things, like Pansy's obliteration of Skeeter, the hag. But I doubt you would be excited over any gossip about that."
"Want me to give him a hint?" Pansy asked.
"Sure."
"The day after that, Harry."
"Okay," he thought a little more. "We proved that Hermione is definitely a bigger Hufflepuff than I am?"
"I don't know what you mean by that, but it does have to do with her," Parvati replied. "You were spotted with the rest of the ladies in your supposed harem coming from the kitchens looking all sweaty and tousled, but I missed out on it. Then, compounding my sorrow, I find that you made fudge brownies that were so delicious Hermione raved about them to Lavender and I all night. Hermione never does something like that."
Parvati was pouting now, so he looked over to Pansy who was clearly enjoying this and thus was not going to be of any help.
"When are you going to make some brownies for me, Harry? I'm feeling left out. I'm sure I could make it worth your while." Parvati was giving him a coquettish grin. Lavender started to giggle and Pansy lost all control, bursting out into laughter. He looked over at his girlfriend, feeling slightly confused.
"Why are you encouraging this?"
"Maybe I just want to watch you bake again," Pansy shrugged once she got herself under control enough to answer.
"Fine, I will make some more brownies and be sure to invite you next time, Parvati."
"Can Lavender come too? It would cheer her up," Parvati pleaded.
"Why do you need cheering up?" Harry asked.
"I, um, well you see..."
"Seamus did not turn out to be a very good date to the ball," Parvati answered as Lavender frowned. "She had to slap him by the end of the night."
"I'm sorry about that. Sure, you can come too. I'm not sure when it will be though, as it would have to be a weekend for me to have enough time, and I've got a few things to do before the second task comes up. Let me figure out when I'll have time and I'll let you both know."
"Thanks, Harry," both girls chorused in reply.
Once they got back into their quarters, he turned to Pansy.
"You know, if you want me to make brownies again, you can just tell me. You don't have to go to all the trouble of helping Parvati ambush me like that. And then teaming up with her, that was a low blow. Bad enough when you and Luna are working together against me."
"Well, you're the one who immediately decided you were going to help her escape any potential future arranged marriage, so you might as well get used to Parvati. Besides, I like her and would much rather hang out with her than Granger, so-"
"I like Parvati too," Harry insisted. "I don't even mind Lavender, most of the time. But I feel like I should probably invite a guy or two, just to try to not have this create any more ridiculous rumors. I'm sure Neville would enjoy brownies as much as anyone."
"Ugh, fine," she relented. "But just Longbottom. Finnigan is a definite no, which means Thomas is out too since they're attached at the hip."
"Okay. Now, before we got distracted, I believe you were going to tell me something that you and Luna had been talking about."
"Oh, right," Pansy said with a smile. "Get the map."
Harry nodded, liking the look on her face and retrieved the Marauder's Map from his trunk. Pansy followed him into the bedroom, and he folded it open out across the bed.
"Fifth floor, right there," Pansy pointed to a door that was marked with a password that read 'Pine Fresh.' "That is the prefect's bath, and apparently it is quite eye opening with a small pool in it. Luna told me about it, and no, I don't know how she found out about it, but after finding out how she had been picked on and locked out of her dorm in the past, I guess that she probably has explored the castle more than most people. She suggested we take the egg there to figure out it's clue."
"Really? Couldn't we just use our own bathroom? I mean, the tub isn't enormous, but-"
"From what Luna said, I believe she thinks we could have a lot of fun in the prefect's bath." Pansy was smirking and Harry quickly caught on.
"Oh. I guess I'll have to thank Luna for suggesting it then." Harry leered at Pansy as an idea took hold. "If there's a pool in there, then that means you'll just have to wear your bikini doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't have to," Pansy responded. "We could always go au naturel."
"We could," Harry replied, folding the map back up and pulling her into his arms. "Or, we could go in our swimsuits and I could try something I never got to do last summer."
"What's that?"
"Try to take your bikini off with my teeth."
"That does sound fun," Pansy agreed. "But we have to make a wager. If you fail, then you have to do whatever I want for the rest of the night."
"I'd probably do that anyway," Harry laughed. "If I win, then you'll do the same for me. And that does mean all night long."
They ended up deciding to wait until Thursday night, after the Astronomy lesson. That would leave them already out past curfew and should also mean the room would be empty.
While the weekend would have let them stay up as late as they wanted, they didn't have any morning classes the next day due to the late night lesson so they should have plenty of time to get some rest. Even if Harry followed through on his suggestion of keeping Pansy up till dawn. The weekend also would have been more likely to have some of the actual prefects using it.
It was still January in the castle, so they were wearing the full uniform with robes over them, which they both began to remove as soon as they entered the luxurious white marble filled room. Harry smiled as Pansy took his hand and pulled him over to a bench on one side, where she sat her book bag down. Harry tucked the invisibility cloak under the bag so it would be easy to find for the return trip to the tower. While they could have called for Dobby's help, Harry tried not to bother the little guy late at night unless it was really necessary.
He quickly began to strip out of his uniform while Pansy handed him his swimming trunks and then pulled the golden egg out of her bag, setting it down on the bench. They probably should have dealt with the egg first, but Harry was eager to get to their wager.
When he had asked, she had only given him an enigmatic smile about what she might make him do if he failed. So, Harry had taken a few free moments over the last few days to try to test and improve his oral agility. He had managed to unbutton the sleeves of one of his shirts, but it took him several minutes and left him with an odd cottony taste in his mouth.
Still, the attempt would be worth it even if he failed.
Once he was finished changing, Harry stepped closer and leaned down to kiss Pansy, as his hands stopped her from unbuttoning her shirt. Taking her clothes off was always fun, but tonight he was particularly excited because once she stepped back he could see the bikini top she was wearing instead of a bra.
Damn if she wasn't amazing. Harry sighed happily and knelt down in front of her. While she sometimes rolled her eyes at how much he liked undressing her, Pansy always had this pleased little smirk on whenever he would take off her shoes and socks. Probably something about the submissive nature of it, Harry guessed, even though she tended to prefer the other role sexually.
He was just glad that the whole toe-sucking thing hadn't been ruined by the dalliance with Narcissa because that would have been tragic. Pansy had such cute little toes and she made such wonderful noises whenever he did that to her.
But then, it was time for the skirt to come off and Harry was face to face with his challenge. His mouth versus her bikini.
Pansy was watching with restrained glee in her eyes as he stood up and looked her over.
"I love you," Harry said as he stepped behind her and kissed the back of her neck.
"Of course you do," she replied with a small hitch in her voice as his lips trailed down her spine until he reached the string tying the back of her bikini top. This was going to be the easiest part he thought.
However, Pansy had anticipated his efforts by making the knot tighter than usual, so Harry struggled to get a good grip but eventually he succeeded and the battle against the top half of her bikini was soon won. Harry took great pleasure in slowly peeling it away from her breasts.
"Ooh, that looks like fun," a giggly voice said, shocking Harry into stumbling backwards. He had been leaning over, and now that he fell back onto his arse, he saw Moaning Myrtle sitting over on one of the taps that surrounded the large swimming pool, eyes watching them and full of mirth.
"Don't stop now, Harry," Myrtle continued with another giggle. "I haven't had a show this good in years."
"She's right, Harry," Pansy teased. "You don't want to lose the bet do you?"
"What's the bet?"
"Harry thinks he can take my bikini off with just his teeth; I bet he wouldn't be able to do it. And the loser has to do whatever the winner wants all night long."
"Now this I definitely want to see," Myrtle cackled. "I heard stories about you two at the Yule Ball."
"Really?" Harry asked as he sat back up and tried to refocus on his task. Hopefully, Myrtle wouldn't be too intrusive an audience because he had multiple ideas of fun things to do for the rest of the night. He was not planning on failing at his task.
"Oh, yes," Myrtle replied. "Several different girls have complained about the evil bitch who stole your attention away and the horrendously scandalous way she was dressed. One or two of them might have even cried about it."
"Which ones?" Pansy asked with a sardonic little grin.
"If you want gossip like that, you'll have to give me something in return. But we'll talk about that later. Right now, Harry needs to get back to work."
"You want to see him win, don't you?"
"Harry is one of the few people who has been nice to me. Getting to see a naughty side of him will be such a thrill." Myrtle growled out the last word in a way that was a bit frightening.
"Alright, then don't distract me," Harry groaned as he drew close to Pansy again, kneeling down to one side of her. This would be a little more tricky. He didn't want to accidentally bite her, so he tried to slide his tongue under the side of the bikini bottom where it was at its thinnest.
But he ran into three problems. His tongue wasn't that magical (which brought a thought to mind that he would have to remember for later), and the swimsuit was meant to be rather form fitting. Plus, it seemed he had found another of Pansy 's ticklish spots as she started to laugh and writhe.
He stopped what he was doing and used his hands to hold her steady. The fact that one of them was on her sexy little bum was purely incidental, of course.
When no other solution came to mind, he moved up just a bit and as carefully as he could tried to nibble at just the fabric without pinching her skin. Miraculously, it worked and he pulled the bottom down a couple of inches, but Pansy moaned and moved again so he lost his grip. At least it was a start.
He spun her around to the other side and tried again. This time, his teeth scraped her skin as he pulled the fabric down, but she didn't cry out and the bikini slid down even further. Harry was smiling as he kept going, and slowly, side to side and inch by inch, he was able to get the swimsuit down past her hips and then it fell to the floor.
"I win. Time for my reward," he said before quickly reaching up to lift Pansy's right leg, which he hooked over his shoulder as he began to hungrily devour her. He heard her moan about losing her balance, so he reluctantly agreed to move over a few feet so she could brace herself against the wall. For his part, Harry just crawled there, unwilling to let his prize out of sight even for a second.
With his usual amount of fervor and the excitement that had built in both of them that night, it wasn't long before Harry had brought Pansy to the brink. He made sure that both of his hands were helping to steady her before she came, and sure enough, it was a good thing that he did as the one leg she was balancing on nearly gave out as she shook through her orgasm.
"Yummy."
Pansy let out a breathy chuckle as she shakily sat down on the nearest bench.
"What are you going to make her do Harry?" Myrtle asked, breathlessly staring at the bulge in his swim shorts. "Please make it naughty."
"Um," Harry looked over at the ghost, wishing that they didn't have such a vocal audience. But then he realized that Myrtle had been stuck as a teenager for more than fifty years, and knowing what he did of her, he assumed she had almost certainly died a virgin. Maybe he should just try to relax and not let her bother him.
"Which of these taps is for hot water?"
"Those three," Myrtle answered while pointing. "But do you really just want regular water? Don't you want some of the fancy bubbles?"
"Wouldn't the bubbles make it harder to see?" Harry replied with a smirk.
"You're too good to me, Harry," she replied, with what looked like the closest a ghost could get to blushing- a slightly dark grey tone came to her cheeks as she continued to bat her eyes at him.
"Let's get this filled up. We never got to have sex in a pool last summer either," Harry smiled at Pansy who finally was able to join him over by the taps, which they turned on and watched the water quickly flow out.
Pansy tugged at his shorts as they waited and he was soon also nude.
"Oh, you lucky girl," Myrtle giggled. Harry couldn't help his blush. While he wasn't normally too shy, being eye candy for a horny ghost was able to overwhelm the usual lack of shame. This was much worse than trying to perform in front of Luna.
"I know I am," Pansy answered with a throaty laugh. She put a toe in to check the temperature, then carefully slipped down into the water while keeping her hair dry. "Come on, Harry. We've got a pool to christen."
"This should be fun."
He joined her and sure enough his hormones were able to push away any thoughts of his audience. Taking Pansy into his arms always made everything better, and sliding inside her was the best thing in the world. The wet setting gave them an extra thrill, and the buoyancy allowed Pansy to wrap herself around him without Harry having to bear the extra weight. He still reached down with one hand to caress her bum, but purely for fun instead of support.
It was slower than one might have thought as Harry felt so comfortable that he was in no hurry to reach his climax. Pansy had one hand in his hair, pulling him close and keeping them almost constantly attached at the lips before directing him downwards to her throat.
Well, if she wanted a love bite or two, Harry wasn't one to refuse her. She moaned as he went to work on her delicate neck and he could feel her passion building. He hastened his pace and reached down with his other hand to rub at her clit, sending Pansy into convulsions. A moment later Harry lurched forward as her tremors brought about his own climax and he felt himself spilling into her while Pansy's nails dug into his back.
Even with their peaks ending, Harry still held her close and nuzzled at her neck and Pansy happily kept her legs firmly wrapped around him. They just floated quietly in bliss together.
At least until Myrtle cried out in ecstasy. Who knew a ghost could masturbate?
"I guess we should check the egg since that's what we supposedly came here for," Harry said as he got out of the pool. Even in the magically heated bathroom, he missed the warmth of the water so he hurried as much as he could without causing himself to slip. He could hear Pansy and Myrtle giggling at him, so in response he leapt into the pool with a cry of 'cannonball' and splashed both of them.
Myrtle just laughed as the water passed right through her.
But Pansy was glaring at him when he surfaced, with her hair now very wet.
"We have to listen to the egg underwater anyway, so you were bound to-"
"I don't have to listen to the egg, I was just coming here as moral support," she claimed with a huff.
"And for the obvious fun we had," Harry teased. "Don't be mad, let's get this over with so we can get back to that fun."
"Fine, but you're washing my hair tomorrow morning in the shower."
"Alright." As if that was any great hardship. Harry had come to understand that one of the things they had in common was absolutely adoring the feeling of each other's fingers running through their hair and receiving a nice scalp massage. Maybe that was the reason hairdressers got such good tips?
"Let's do it then," Pansy prompted and they both took deep breaths and ducked under the water as he screwed open the egg and the message played. No longer was there a horrid screech, it was replaced by a chorus of voices singing.
Harry came back to the surface and coughed for a second as he had run completely out of breath. Pansy was taking deep breaths as well, the song was long enough that he hadn't heard the entire thing. He summoned his wand over and cast the bubblehead charm on each of them before trying again.
The second time, it was much easier to focus on the words. When he resurfaced, Harry was tempted to throw that damn egg against the wall. Only the reminder of the horrendously loud and shrill sound kept him from doing so.
Pansy looked over at him and saw his furious expression.
"Over my dead body," he growled.
"There are merpeople in the Black Lake, aren't there Myrtle?" Pansy asked and the ghost confirmed it. "Good thing we learned the bubblehead charm then."
"I'm going to fucking kill Dumbledore."
"Why?" she asked, not quite sure why he was so upset. This didn't sound nearly as bad as the nesting mother dragons. Now that was a nightmare.
"What do you think I would surely miss? None of my possessions are that important- I mean, yes, my father's invisibility cloak is both useful and sentimental, but I strongly doubt that they're going to take some random object for the second task. I'll bet it's a misleading clue and really should have said 'who' I'll surely miss. I will kill that fucking old man before I let him place you in danger. Fuck this whole stupid tournament. This is crosses all sorts of lines and I will not stand for it. I will kill them all."
Myrtle fled into one of the pipes as Harry ranted.
"Harry," Pansy cooed as she swam over to him. "Calm down. We'll contact Sam and see about setting up a meeting this weekend. Besides, I'm sure you can fight off any big bad mermen to rescue me."
"I'll turn the lake red if I have to."
"I know you will," Pansy snorted. "I have faith in you. I was a lot more worried about the dragons compared to this. Besides, just use a tracking charm and it will lead you right to me. You can put it on my locket."
"That's a good idea. I just hate thinking of you being in danger."
"It will be alright. Now, why don't I remind you of the main reason we are here before it gets too late?"
That Saturday morning, Harry found out how frustrating the law was, and even though he was not going to be of help this time, he was still thankful for having Sam to deal with legal matters. Because the country had five hundred years of laws while the country was still all together under the crown, more than a few of which were still in play in the magical world, as well as three hundred years since the statute of secrecy went into effect and the wizards and witches had apparently done everything in their power to make an enormous mess of things.
Pansy's legal status was different on several levels. On one hand, claiming her via the life debt had left her (depending on which ordinance one was using) either a servant or a slave. As a servant, she still had nominally the same rights as any other witch. However, as a slave, she would effectively be property and thus have no rights whatsoever. Sam had found at least two different regulations still on the books that could be used to call her just that.
The fact that she was now an orphan, even though she hadn't been when the claim was made, also helped to muddy the waters. While her great uncle Malcolm Parkinson still lived, he could technically adopt her back into the Parkinson family. However, even if Harry wanted to do that, the tangled knot meant that he would have to sell her to uncle as well as releasing her from the life debt. And, depending on the timing, someone else could try to claim her in any waiting period before she was once again officially Pansy Parkinson.
In other words, it was all one big clusterfuck.
At least until she turned seventeen because then Harry could just marry her and the mess would go away. Hundreds of years in the past, wealthy wizards had occasionally done just that with both servants and slaves, and wife trumped either category regardless. There would still be people who would snub them, but Harry's childhood had left him immune to the disdain of gossips and busybodies as so many people had ignored the blatant child abuse right in front of their eyes. He still had no idea how the Dursleys supposedly had any sort of good reputation when they dressed their nephew in rags, but wondering over the idiocy of others was not his primary concern.
Because it was time for all of his focus to be on the stairs leading up to the office of Albus Dumbledore and the awaiting confrontation.
He didn't even take the time to make a smart ass comment about the password of 'cockroach clusters.'
Pansy had come along too, mostly to try to keep Harry from losing his temper as it looked quite clear that her opinion was not necessarily something the judges were going to bother with before sticking her under the Black Lake. She wasn't sure if she wanted Harry to succeed in getting her out of the task anyway. Luna might be the second choice, and she didn't want her friend to be thrown into the middle of this nightmare.
Besides, the protections on her locket from the year before would not allow anyone to remove it from Pansy, so it was an obvious choice for placing a tracking charm which meant that Harry would be led right to her. The second task should hopefully be much simpler than the first.
She had her fingers crossed anyway.
"Come in."
Harry pushed the door open and waited for her to enter and then they stepped inside, finding a couple of chairs in front of the headmaster's desk.
"What can I do for the two of you today?"
"I solved the egg's riddle," Harry answered, failing miserably at keeping the anger out of his voice even as Pansy cleared her throat and reached over to squeeze his hand. He looked at her then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"I see," Dumbledore responded as he sat back with a sigh. "I assume you are concerned about the safety of this task."
"Well, last time I had to face a nesting mother dragon, so yes."
"I assure you that Pansy will not be in any danger, nor shall any of the hostages."
"And I would be relieved by that if I felt like I could trust you, headmaster. I'm not even supposed to be in this tournament in the first place, and there has been danger and near death encounters for myself and those around me every year that I've been here at Hogwarts. I'm more than a little tired of it, frankly."
"Indeed, Harry, I can definitely understand that." The old wizard stood up and walked around the desk over towards a perch where Fawkes the phoenix was watching them all. The bird flew over to land on his shoulder and let out a soothing, melodic note which perked the headmaster up. "I would prefer to have much less danger here as well, but even as skilled as I am, I am not all powerful.
"Do you know that Alastor and I have had many arguments over you this year?"
"No sir."
"He thinks I have not been proactive enough in taking pains to train you properly. In a way, I can see his point. However, you have done much on your own these last two years, so perhaps my meddling would do more harm than good anyway. After all, I haven't heard of any other third years who have ever managed a full Patronus."
"Technically, Pansy did too."
"Really? That's splendid. I heard you were working on training both her and miss Granger last year. Has she been successful as well?"
"Not yet, but we haven't spent any time on that spell this year. We've been worried about other things."
"Since the attack at the World Cup, you mean. I have been worried too, and with the nasty business surrounding Walden MacNair's death, things have gotten even more tense. It is bad enough to have those external pressures, but we need to have as much cohesion as possible for those of us who wish to stop any further violence and terror, and for that purpose I want to try to rebuild some amount of trust between us, Harry.
"I would like to ask you a question, but I first want to assure you that I am not accusing you of anything. We are on the same side, but I would like to know if you had learned Legilimency?"
Harry looked over to Pansy who merely shrugged. She couldn't see how this could harm them, so there was no obvious reason to deny it.
"I've learned the basics at least," Harry responded.
"Have you learned Occlumency as well?"
"I've been working on it." He tensed up, hoping that Dumbledore wouldn't suggest testing his defenses but that thought thankfully passed as the headmaster continued to speak.
"I assumed that you must have to find out about the prophecy from Severus. While not wanting to open any old wounds, I must mention it. You have not heard the whole thing yet, Harry. Do you remember what I told you after your encounter with professor Quirrell? That your mother's love had saved you?"
"Yes."
"I would prefer to have the full prophecy known by as few people as possible. Knowledge is power, so they say, and if Voldemort ever learned the entire thing it could endanger us all. However, I think you need to be aware that I believe that the power to vanquish him is love. Just as your mother's love stopped him all those years ago, your ability to love will be the key to defeating him should he return. And I think we both know that Tom will not stop until he succeeds in doing so."
"Alright, how exactly is that supposed to work? Love is an emotion. I don't see how that will defeat an evil wizard. I'm not going to hope for another freak occurrence like what apparently happened all those years ago."
"You are right, but love can also be a motivation. Has not your love for miss Parkinson led you to want to learn to protect her? You have been working so much harder ever since you came back for your third year here, and I do not believe it is any coincidence that she has been by your side this entire time. I cannot tell you how relieved I was when the two of you kissed at the end of that first dance at the Yule Ball."
The headmaster chuckled which confused Pansy.
"I don't understand why, professor," she inquired.
"When Harry came to my office last spring after the death of young Mr. Malfoy, I was very troubled by his cynicism. Fifty years beforehand, I saw a powerful young wizard walk down a very dark path, and seeing Harry kill Lucius Malfoy in a duel to the death horrified me. I was worried that he would fall to darkness as well, especially in light of their similar childhoods, as Harry rightfully pointed out.
"Despite that and a few other things, there were also signs that Harry was very different from the young Tom Riddle. The way he embraced miss Lovegood, for example, or the help I know he has given mister Longbottom over the last year. Tom would never have bothered with helping anyone else unless it benefited him in some obvious way.
"But that night at the ball, the love between you two was so obvious that it warmed this old man's heart. Voldemort may desire things like power and control, but he knows nothing of love."
"Okay, but that doesn't have anything to do with the second task, which is why we are here sir," Harry argued.
"Not directly, no. But what I was trying to get to was the fact that I believe your ability to love is key, and that means I will do everything in my power to protect Pansy. She is your motivation, and endangering her would be the exact opposite of what I want. I fear what your course of actions may be should something happen to her.
"Without going into any details, the second task will be timed, hence the reference to only having an hour to look for your hostage. I am not going to endanger any innocent bystanders in the second task, and when the time came, I would have spoken to miss Parkinson before her participation. No one would be forced to participate as a hostage."
"So, if I said no, you would find someone else?" Pansy asked.
"Yes."
"Then I am willing to take part," she answered before looking over to Harry who was still scowling. "They would just go down the list to Luna or Granger next, Harry.
"Professor Dumbledore, there aren't any water dragons in the lake I hope?"
"No," the headmaster chuckled. "The only aquatic dragons in the world are thousands of miles away in Asia, and the last person who tried to transport one to the West did not survive the attempt."
"Alright, I'm in. I have faith that Harry will be able to manage this and it does sound like there will be a lot less danger. But I do have one more question for you, headmaster."
"Go right ahead."
"The second task is going to take place under water, so how is anyone supposed to watch it?"
Half an hour had passed, and Albus Dumbledore was still smiling to himself at the conversation, particularly the end of it. Miss Parkinson was right, the crowd was going to be bored to death staring at the surface of the lake. Sometimes the viewpoints of the young caught things that had flown right by their elders. For Ludo Bagman's sake, he hoped the press wasn't too harsh about how dull the second task would be for those not actually participating in it.
With the recent disappearance of Rita Skeeter, he just might get lucky. If so, Ludo should probably thank Harry and Pansy. Who knew how long she might hide from that humiliation though, and the bitter woman would almost certainly be back with a vengeance.
It was just one more thing to worry about in the future. For now, the headmaster was allowing himself to relax a bit as things had gone so much better than the last time he'd had Harry Potter in his office.
There had been no deaths this year at Hogwarts, and Albus had to sigh at realizing how that had come to be a relief instead of the norm. The years to come probably would get worse before getting better as well. He just had to hope that he was around long enough to see things through.
Once more he had to curse the loss of Severus. Without that spy, Albus was left fumbling too much in the dark. He should have done more to curb his former Potions professor's behavior to keep him from so blatantly provoking Harry. The years should have done more to help Severus move past his old grudges, but Harry was obviously his father's son.
He still had wished that Severus could have had a chance at redemption, but now Albus could only hope that he was in a better place.
The day when Harry had called for his judgment had been possibly the worst that Albus had felt in many years. Too many mornings since, he had looked in the mirror and worried about his own judgment that would surely come some day. Would Ariana be waiting for him? And if she was, would he be able to look her in the eye? Had he done enough to make up for that sin, and his greatest failing in all his dreams with Gellert?
Was the world a better place because of Albus Dumbledore?
He wanted to believe that it was, but doubt was always ready to creep in.
Somewhere out there, the spirit of Voldemort was clearly doing something. The attack at the World Cup could have been just a one-off, but he had seen the Dark Mark on the arms of the captured Death Eaters, and they were undeniably darker than Severus' had been last spring. It had only been two months later, and that added definition was disconcerting beyond words. What could have happened in such a short time to change things that much?
Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire was almost certainly a part of the same conspiracy. The boy probably knew more than he had admitted, and Albus wondered if the scar had let him gain any further insight or if his burgeoning Occlumency had prevented that. It was dangerous, but it could have been a great help as well. Especially at that moment, as Dumbledore desperately needed more information.
He could only hope that the second task would go off without any complications and that surely that would lead to a better relationship with the boy who lived. A schism between them now would spell disaster for the coming months or years. That was why he had done nothing to further aggravate things over the fate of Severus Snape. Harry's need for vengeance for his family, even if he had called it justice, was not something that Dumbledore could agree with, but there was nothing more he could do about that now other than hope for less blood to be spilled in the future.
At least Dumbledore now had an obvious goal- ensuring the welfare of Pansy. He probably should try to remember not to call her miss Parkinson anymore, as he had noticed at least one frown at her former surname. He supposed that went with the territory of a Death Eater father, and if his supposition was right, her steps to free herself from him via Harry was a clear sign that her childhood had been less than pleasant.
That was likely a part of the reason for the bond that had grown between them. If things went well, it could be an enormous strength. It had already compelled Harry to learn the Patronus, which had saved lives when the near disaster occurred at the quidditch pitch.
However, if something tragic ever befell Pansy, then it could be a nightmare. It was clear that Harry would take bloody retribution on any who harmed her. Albus should probably warn Horace to watch young Mr. Nott closely because he would be in great danger if he was ever foolish enough to approach Pansy again. She was the unexpected key to Harry Potter's future. He knew that her death might spur him to cruelty and horrors that he didn't want to think of.
Hopefully, her love would drive him to something astonishing that could defeat Voldemort when the time came.
And if it wasn't, then hopefully it would be enough to give him the strength to sacrifice himself. Albus had no more illusions that Harry would die to save the world, but it looked like he would in order to save the girl he loved.