“Can we really do this?” asked Niamh as she and Harry began to walk towards the dungeons.

“We ‘ave to,” replied Harry.”

“But he’s…”

“’E’s na Tyls, Ni!  ‘E’s…’e’s just some creature tha’ Voldemort created ter shake us up.”  Harry’s expression turned savage as he continued, “’E knew!  ‘E found ou’ about me past.  An’ ‘e found ou’ about Tyls’ death.  ‘E found ou’ an’ ‘e’s been tryin’ ter use i’ against us.  ‘Gainst me.  Bloody bastard…”

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it,” whispered Niamh.  “I knew he was dead.  Why didn’t  I know not to trust him?”

“Ye did’na ‘ave ‘im die in yer arms,” said Harry softly.

Niamh wrapped an arm about his waist and said, “Harry, I’m…”

“Sorry?  Doan be.  Jus’…jus’ doan le’ me do this alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” whispered Niamh.

“I’m gla’,” said Harry, curling his left arm about her shoulder.  His right extended out to his side and he muttered, “Appello Chalybs!”

There was a swirl of emerald green motes of light from his hand and then the sword he had borne out of the Chamber of Secrets appeared.  He swung the blade in a smooth circle, a grim expression on his face.

“Harry,” breathed Niamh, “that was…that was wandless magic.”

“Yeh.”

“But…”

“We’re ‘ere,” interrupted Harry.  He looked down at her and said, “Ye ready?”

Niamh stared right back up at him and took a deep breath before saying, “As I’ll ever be.”  She then softly added, “We have no other choice, do we?”

“No,” replied Harry gravely.

Niamh leaned her head against his shoulder and whispered, “This is wrong.”

“I know.”

“We shouldn’t have to do this.”

“Bu’ we do.  ‘Ere’s nothin’ fer i’.”

“I know…”

Harry hugged her close for a moment then released her, reaching out to open the door.  He had just pulled it open, when something hard came crashing down on the back of his neck.  With a moan, he went down and Niamh after him as she too was hit – but not hard enough to knock her unconscious.  As she fell, her eyes focused on the face of their attacker.

“Tom?” she breathed.

Tyls stepped out into the hallway and leaned down towards her.

“Can’t find good help these days, can you?  Thomas, if you would?”

Thomas leaned down and hauled Niamh to her feet.  She fought against him but he held onto her with a single-mindedness that scared her.  A glance at his eyes, which were blank of all emotion, scared her even more.

Something was wrong.

“Well,” said Tyls, standing over Harry.  “It looks like I’ll be able to finish what I started.  Do you mind if I use your sword, Potter?  No?  Alright.”

He leaned down and had just wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword, when a hand came down sharply on his wrist.  Black eyes met green and Harry snarled, “Tha’s mine.”

Tyls just smirked and rammed the end of the hilt into Harry’s face.  The dark-haired teen turned his head so the blow glanced off his cheek and slammed his fist into the smirking visage above him.  Tyls was thrown backward and Harry leapt to his feet, charging him.

The sword lay on the ground.

Niamh looked at it then at the battling Harry and Tyls.  Then back again.

If she could get to that sword, she might be able to end this.  Only she was having some difficulties with this plan as she was currently incapacitated.

An elbow in Thomas’ stomach, followed by a fierce uppercut to his jaw fixed this.

Niamh glanced at Harry and Tyls then dove for the sword.  Tyls saw this motion and threw Harry back a few feet, drawing his wand.

“Crucio!”

“NO!” snapped Harry as the spell sped past him.  Niamh hit the stone floor in convulsions, her screams echoing down the corridors of the dungeons.

“YES!” crowed Tyls, laughing.

Harry, eyes burning black, drew his wand and pointed it at Tyls’ chest.

“Favillesco!”

Fire enveloped Tyls and he immediately stopped laughing.  He began to scream.

“Potter!  What are you doing?”

“Burnin’ ye,” snarled Harry.  “Ye’ll be gone in a few minutes.”

“No!  Please!  Harry!”

“Go ter ‘ell!” bellowed Harry as the fire completely enveloped Tyls.  He saw flickers of flesh burning away before he turned and stalked over to the sword.  Picking it up, he turned and threw himself at Tyls as a blank-eye Thomas charged him.  The fiery form of Tyls was thrown to the ground and Harry let out a roar as he raised the sword then let it drop..

Tyls’ head rolled away from his body, the fire about it dissipating as the head and the body burned itself away into nothingness.

Thomas staggered and stared at Harry.

“Harry!  He had be under Imperious!”

“I figured,” muttered Harry.  He then whirled about and rushed to Niamh’s side, lifting her up into his arms.  “Ni!  Ni, talk to me.”

“Hi,” mumbled Niamh.  She blinked tiredly at him and whispered, “It hurts.”

“I know,” whispered Harry.  “I’m goin’ ter ge’ ye ter Madam Pomfrey.  Tom…”

“What?” asked Thomas, looking up from the spot where Tyls had died.

“Go tell Professor Dumbledore wha’ ‘appened.  Everyt’ing.”

“Okay.”

Thomas ran off as Harry tucked the sword into his belt and hefted Niamh up into his arms.  She let out a little whimper as he staggered to his feet and he whispered, “Sorry.”

“Wasn’t…your…fault,” whispered Niamh in a pain-laced tone.

Yes, thought Harry, it was.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Two weeks later the gang were on the train heading back to King’s Cross.  They were all sitting quietly in one cab, none of them wishing to talk.

Niamh was leaning against Harry, her head pillowed on his shoulder as she slept.  Dumbledore had talked to some people and – with a small demonstration of her few scars by Niamh – her Aunt Maeve was given custody of her.

Harry was also asleep, his head leaning against Niamh’s.  He had wanted to stay at Hogwarts with his father but Dumbledore – who had done some string pulling and had ousted the Dursley’s as his guardians – was sending him to the Burrow.  He could do that as he had become Harry’s ‘guardian’.  In reality the papers that named him as such were void.  They were just for show until as such time as it was safe for Harry and Severus’ relationship to come forth.

Ron, Hermione, Mika, and Ginny sat on the other side of the cab, watching their two friends.  Jardin perched on the luggage rack above their heads.  Hedwig was curled up in Ginny’s hands, muttering something that the redhead explained was about humanity being stupid.  Ron gave his little sister an odd look as she said something in Parseltongue back to the snake but he said nothing.  He was okay with it.

Thomas yawned from his position on the floor and said, “Anyone else really tired?”

“Those two,” said Mika, nodding at Harry and Niamh.

< I would say so, > said Jardin.  < Voldemort practically came after the both of them this year. >

“True,” said Hermione.  “I can’t believe that someone could be so cruel.”

“I can,” whispered Ginny.  “I can believe that he could be so cruel.”  She shook her head and added, “I’ve been in his head after all.”

Mika gently touched her shoulder and she leaned towards him, earning a grumpy look from Ron.

The door of their cab suddenly slid open and Ron turned his attention towards it, instantly snapping, “Get out, Malfoy.”

Malfoy spared him one glance then looked over at the sleeping Harry.  He then took a step back and said, “As I see Potter isn’t awake, I’ll leave.  Good day.”  With that he left, leaving the others to look at each other.

“What was that about?” asked Hermione, looking at the three Slytherins sitting to her left.  All three shrugged in response.

“No idea,” said Thomas.

“He probably just wanted to talk to Harry,” said Ginny.  “They’ve got an odd sort of…what would you call it?”

“Alliance?” suggested Mika.  “Friendship?”

Ginny just shrugged and looked out the window to see stone walls flashing by.

“We’re here.”

“Really?” said Harry, lifting his head.  He then gently shook the girl beside him and said, “Ni, wake up.  We’re ‘ere.”

“Mmm,” mumbled Niamh, attempting to burrow further into Harry’s side.  He shook her again and blue eyes opened to glare at him.

“Sorry, Ni,” said Harry sheepishly.  “Bu’ we’re ‘ere.”

“Oh,” said Niamh, sitting up.  “Sorry.”

“S’alrigh’,” said Harry.  He then looked at his friends and said, “Le’s go.”

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Out on the platform, Mrs. Weasley was chatting with a dark-haired woman of average height.  She was thin and dressed in ripped black jeans and a fishnet t-shirt, underneath which was a black spaghetti strap shirt.  There was a black leather bomber’s jacket slung over her shoulder.

Ron gaped openly as Niamh called out to her.

“That’s your aunt?” he gasped.

“What?” said Niamh.  “You expected the Easter Bunny?”

“The what?”

“Easter Bunny, Ron,” said Harry.  “Easter Bunny.”

“Never heard of him.”

Harry sighed and said, “I’ll explain i’ ter ye later.  Le’s go say ‘ello.”  He began to walk towards the two women, Niamh and Ginny at his heels.

“’Allo!” he called cheerily, waving at Mrs. Weasley.

“Harry!” exclaimed the Weasley matriarch.  “Severus told me you were in a coma…”

“Yeh,” said Harry.  “I’m alrigh’ now, though.  Goh me accent back though.  Sort o’ annoyin’ bu’ a’ tha’ same time na.”

Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, “It brings me back a few memories.  Ah, Maeve this is Harry Potter.  Harry, Maeve McAnally.””

The other woman nodded and said, in a slightly Irish accent, “Yes, Nia’s told me a lot about you, Mister Potter.”

“Harry, please.”

“Very well.  Nia, are you ready to go?”

Niamh nodded and replied, “Just have to get my trunk.  Then we can go.”

“I’ll go get it,” said Maeve.  “It was nice to finally meet you as well, Molly.”

“And you.  Now, Niamh…”  Mrs. Weasley turned on Niamh and smiled warmly at her  “…you know that you are welcome to come to the Burrow anytime.”

“Yes, Mrs. Weasley.”  She winked at her friends before adding, “I’ll definitely make a visit.  Or two.”

“We’ll all be looking forward to it.  Now where have Fred and George gone?”

“Slytherin knows,” remarked Ginny.  She then grabbed Mika’s hand and Harry’s and chirped, “C’mon!  Let’s get our trunks!”

< Hey! > yelled Jardin as Harry’s shoulder – which he had been about to land on – got jerked away.  He instead settled on the arm Niamh offered and rustled his wings irritably.  < Thank you, Virginia! >

Ginny just grinned cheekily over her shoulder at him and continued to pull the two boys towards the baggage car.

“Hyper, isn’t she?” remarked Mika.

Harry just shook his head and grinned.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Around twenty minutes later, Hermione’s parents arrived to get her as they all had managed to unload their luggage from the train.  The bushy-haired girl promised to visit sometime during the summer before she left.

Mad-Eye Moody limped up to take Mika, who gave the grizzled old Auror a worried sort of look.  Moody gave Harry an odd sort of look then lifted Mika’s trunk into the air with a flick of his wand, turning and limping off.  Mika followed him after giving the same promise as Hermione.  Just before he and his father passed through the wall to the Muggle half of King’s Cross, they saw a girl of about ten with a crop of silvery hair leap into the white-haired boy’s arms.  Then they were gone.

Thomas had disappeared long ago with his parents and they saw Neville and Amanda leaving with a woman they assumed was Neville’s grandmother judging from a stuffed vulture hat atop her head.

Niamh was the last to leave and gave Harry a tight hug before she did so.

“Don’t get into any trouble without me, you hear?”

“I goh ye,” said Harry, returning the hug.  “An’ ye’d be’er visit.”

Niamh just grinned at him then grabbed one end of her trunk as her aunt grabbed the other.  The two of them walked off, waving back at them.

“Well,” said Mrs. Weasley, “let’s get going, shall we?”

< I concur with that decision. >

“Hush, Jar,” admonished Harry, tickling the feathers on the raven’s chest.  He took charge of the trolley his and Ginny’s trunks were stacked on and began to wheel it away, chatting amiably with the girl and Hedwig (who was still in the redhead’s possession) as they walked.

And for once since the beginning of his fourth year, the memory of Tyls’ death did not haunt him.