He almost had it. Just a little bit more. He stretched his arm out as far as it could go towards the elusive shimmering silver pendant that hung near him. However, every time he almost had it, the pendant would poof into thick smoke before it would reappear elsewhere near him. For months now, he had tried to reach it in his dreams to no success.

"Come on," the young boy mumbled, stretching even farther than before. "Come on! Stop it! Mum needs you." He jerked his body forward and felt his fingertips brush briefly against the silver chain of the necklace. A gentle tinkling sound surrounded him soon after. He had almost had it that time. If he had just stretched a little bit farther . . .

Forcing the air deep within his lungs, Harry decided to try one last time. He'd get it this time. He was certain of it. He looked around, searching for anything that would assist him. But as always he found nothing. He needed to get the pendant. He didn't know why, but he just knew he had to.

It was right there. Just on the edge. If he had a stick, it'd have been so much easier to reach.

"Harry," his father's voice echoed around in the mist.

There wasn't time. He had to get that pendant. It was the key to everything. He just knew it. Inhaling deeply once more, Harry took a flying leap towards the pendant. As his fingers closed around it and his face lit up, a bright green light erupted from the emerald that was surrounded by the snakes on the pendant.

"HARRY!" he heard his mum scream, fear in her voice.

As he felt himself falling through the mist, his hand clenched even tighter around the pendant. He had it. His mum would be all right now. He had the pendant.

"HARRY!" his mum screamed again.

This time his head jerked up to look towards where he heard Aurora screaming his name. His eyes widened when he saw her floating in the mist, bound by vines and struggling against them. When his eyes met hers, he felt an intense sadness come over him.

"Tell Severus! Harry, tell SEVERUS!" A loud whoosh, and everything vanished.

"Son, it's time to get up," his father announced, sounding closer to him now than before.

Waking slowly, the young boy groaned quietly and rolled over in his bed. He rubbed at his eyes and blinked several times. Was his dad still part of the dream or was he real?

"Or you're going to miss the train." A hand then gently patted Harry's shoulder.

With a start, Harry sat up as everything came rushing back to him. He grabbed his father's arm and stared at the older man with wide green eyes.

"Dad! I saw her! I saw Mum!" the thirteen-year-old shouted.

"What? Harry, you're not making sense." His dad frowned, grabbing his arm as well. "What do you mean, you saw her?"

"She was in my dream. She wanted me to tell you that. And something about her pendant, maybe, I don't know. She just told me to tell you."

His dad blinked, staring at him for several moments. It was clear his father had no idea how to reply to that. So, Harry continued, hoping more information would help.

"I was trying to get her pendant back, and then she screamed for me once I got it. There was this bright green light. And when I looked at her, she was covered in vines and stuff, floating in the air. Dad, I saw her, though. I saw Mum, and she wanted me to tell you."

His dad kept staring back at him, though, saying nothing.

"Dad, she wanted me to tell you."

"All right." His father scratched his head for a moment before he glanced towards the door.

"What does it mean? Is she, like, trapped inside her own body or something? Did the Horcrux thing do something? What is it? What do you think, Dad?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." His dad shook his head, frowning. "She was covered in vines in your dream? And you only saw her after you caught her pendant?"

"Yeah. And there was this bright green light that came out of the emerald after I caught it."

"I see."

Harry waited for his dad to elaborate, but when he didn't the young boy frowned. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Yes, but, son, sometimes a dream is just a dream."

"But she wanted me to tell you!"

"I understand that. I do. I-I don't know what this means, Harry. But thank you." His dad then sighed again. "Aurora's here, though. Fully awake even. I just came from seeing her actually. So, I don't understand why you would be dreaming that she's covered in vines telling you to tell me you saw her."

The little boy's eyes darted towards the door briefly before he lowered his voice. "What if that's not Mum, though?"

"What?"

"What if it's not Mum, Dad? Quirrell had—"

"The Dark Lord is contained, Harry," his father interrupted before Harry could finish.

"So we think," the young boy pointed out. "We don't know that for sure, though."

"Harry—"

"It's possible, and you know it, Dad!"

"Is it possible? Yes, but, Harry, no one is possessing Aurora, though."

"How do you know? It could be some sort of alien or something fooling us. Just like Quirrell and the bad guy who took Mum last year."

"Harry—"

The young boy pushed on, though. "Isn't it worth checking out? Just to make sure?" He watched his father cover his eyes and sigh then. "If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. But, Dad, I have to be dreaming about this for a reason. And Grandpa always says there's no such thing as a coincidence."

"Fine. I'll contact Pomfrey," his father groaned, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

Harry nodded purposefully in response. They would find out the truth now. One way or the other. He glanced towards the door before he leaned towards his father.

"When you tell Mum," the young boy whispered so only his father heard him, "be sure to take your wand with you. You know, in case she attacks you or something."

"In case she attacks me or something?" his father repeated with a scoff. "I doubt my wand will do any good when she'll likely punch me in the face instead."

Harry then shrugged. "Okay, well, then cover your face with your other hand when she tries to take a swing at you. I don't know. Just defend yourself, Dad. Because whoever is inside Mum, they're going to try to kill you probably for discovering the truth so no one else figures it out."

His father stared at him for several moments before he finally sighed. "You clearly watch too many shows, son."

"What? It's classic—"

Without a word spoken, his father headed for the door. The moment Harry saw his dad's wand slide into his father's hand, he felt himself relax. However, the feeling didn't last long. As soon as his dad had left and was out of his sight, the young boy found himself start to panic. What if whatever was possessing his mum did try to kill his dad?

"Even Batman had Robin," Harry mumbled under his breath, quickly grabbing his own wand from the nightstand and heading to follow after his father. He would not let his dad go in there alone.

"Is Harry almost ready?" the young boy heard his mum ask from the direction of the sofa in the sitting area. He couldn't see her, though, since his dad was in front of him.

"Almost," his dad replied, his wand perfectly hidden in his hand from her view.

"Good." His mum then paused for a moment. When she spoken again, deep concern was heard in her voice. "Severus, is everything all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm concerned about all of this." His father's voice was low and gentle. "Walking around here is one thing, Aurora. However, King's Cross . . . there will be more obstacles for you there. It'll be harder, too. I . . ."

"I'm fine. You saw me earlier. I can do this. Plus, I'll be using those stupid crutches anyway, and you'll be right at my side in case something happens. I can do this, Severus. I can see Harry off."

"Aurora . . ."

Harry had to give his father credit. His dad was a really good actor. Even he believed that his dad was worried about something happening to her at the station today.

"No. Stop." She sighed heavily. "They're wrong. It's not too much for me. I mean, I think I know my own strength a little bit better than two healers who are playing it extra careful just to get a little bit more amusement out of this. I am not some stupid China doll who is going to break, Severus. I can do this. And if I'm wrong, well, then I've got you. Someone who is a hell of a lot better and easier to work with than either of them."

"Humor me. Please?"

"All right. Where do you want me to walk to?"

"No, Aurora. I don't want you to walk right now."

"Then what? How can I prove to you that I'm fine? That I can do this, so you'll quit worrying?"

"Let me get Poppy to examine you."

If Harry wasn't trying to be stealthy, he may have applauded his father for his smoothness. His dad had guided the conversation beautifully. Then again, did Harry truly expect anything else from the Head of Slytherin?

"Dear Circe, tell me you're joking!" his mum replied, clearly outraged. "You want to bring that horrible woman back here to poke and prod me again? Severus, if I didn't love you as much as I do, I'd hex you for that. Right there in the arse, too, so it hurt!"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. That was almost something his mum would say.

"Fine," his mum declared a moment later. "Bring in the damn witch. But you owe me for this. I mean it. Because I am fine, Severus. Slightly irate with you right now, but I'm fine. The potions are working. I actually feel more like my old self today, but go ahead. Tell the stupid healer she can come and poke and prod me like a pin cushion yet again for her own sick amusement. If it makes you feel better, do it. I'll just sit here on the sofa, thinking up how you can repay me for this later."

With his eyes locked on his father's hidden wand, he watched the thin black object slide back up into his father's sleeve. Harry, however, didn't follow suit and put away his own wand. He wasn't so easily convinced. It may have sounded like her, but that didn't mean it was her.

After Pomfrey had arrived and examined Aurora closely a few minutes later, Harry joined them in the sitting area. The imposter certainly wouldn't try anything when it was three against one. He glanced towards his father as he took a seat across from his mum.

"Interesting," Madam Pomfrey said suddenly as a group of translucent images floated above Aurora. All three glanced at her with wide eyes. Did that mean Pomfrey had found something?

"What does that mean, Interesting?" his mum demanded, her eyes narrowing on the healer.

"It means that I found something, dear."

"Yes, Poppy. I figured that out for myself, thank you," she snidely replied. "What exactly did you find, dear matron of Hogwarts?" The sarcasm that was coming out of his mum's lips nowadays rivaled that of Severus's sometimes.

Pomfrey's eyes darted up towards Aurora before she sighed. "Do you truly want me to say?" Her eyes then flickered over to Harry and Severus. "With them present?"

"What are you talking about? What did you find?" she asked, as the anger rapidly dissipated and was replaced with confusion.

"You've been internalizing your magic, Aurora."

"Well, yes, Madam Pomfrey, I have, because murdering you would earn me a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, and I rather enjoy being here with Harry and Severus much more," Aurora drawled, rolling her eyes before she scoffed in annoyance.

Brushing off the younger woman's sarcasm, Pomfrey asked, "Are you aware of the effects that has on your body?" She waited for a response, but received none. "No? Well, let me inform you. When you internalize your magic, you do damage to your body. That energy has to go somewhere, though, so what occurs is your organs absorb it, something they are not supposed to do." The matron's eyes then narrowed as she crossed her arms and looked down at Aurora. "In other words, you are quite lucky you're not dead!"

"Now, who is being a drama queen?" his mum remarked. "I'm fine, Poppy."

"Which is a miracle in itself, I assure you!" She shook her head. "Look at this." She then motioned towards one of the floating images. "If it weren't for your mother's serum in your blood helping you heal . . ."

Harry caught the instant flash of anger in his mum's eyes and tensed immediately. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was actually Aurora.

"You think that serum is a blessing, Poppy? It's not! I promise you that!" She rose to her feet and shoved her crutches under her arms. "You have no idea what they did to me because of it! NONE!"

She had a downright scary look on her face, causing Harry to glance towards his father.

"If I had my way, I would have bled myself dry just to get it out of me!" his mum cried through tears, as she shook with anger. "But go ahead, Poppy! Tell me how brilliant it is. How wonderful that damn stuff is! Because I know the truth. I know what it did, what it cost me! I know it better than anyone of you."

Harry watched his dad reach for her. However, she moved back from him instantly.

"No! Just leave me alone. All of you! Leave me the hell alone!" And just like that, his mum used her crutches to propel herself towards the master bedroom before the door slammed shut behind her.

"Damn it," his father murmured with a pained look on his face. He then moved to stand before he went after her, leaving Harry alone with Madam Pomfrey.

When his father slipped inside the master bedroom, Harry sighed quietly and hung his head. This was all his fault. His mum had been having such a good day before he had ruined it.

"If it matters anymore, Mister Potter, I found no evidence to suggest possession or another entity inside her. I'm afraid the changes in her are entirely from the trauma she endured."

"But then why am I dreaming about her? About her pendant?"

Pomfrey shrugged as she pocketed her wand. "My best guess? It's because you care so deeply for her, and you're worried about her. When our loved ones are hurting, our mind frequently turns to dreaming about them." She gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "Aurora will be fine, though. She has you and Severus to rely on. Not to mention, your grandparents and Minerva and a hell of a lot more of us at Hogwarts. In time, she will heal. Right now, though, we must be patient, I'm afraid."

Once he had shut the door to the master bedroom behind him, Severus found himself uneasy. There in front of him was Aurora, curled around a pillow on their bed crying. He still hadn't figured out a way to deal properly with her crying yet. There was only so much a book could teach one after all.

"I realize you—" He ducked immediately when she threw the pillow she had been holding at him. The pillow slammed into the door with a loud thump before falling onto the floor. There was no use getting angry with her for that. Not when the healer had informed her that she would likely behave like an unruly teenager at times now. Something he had already figured out for himself long ago. "I deserved that."

"You deserved a whole hell of a lot more than that," she remarked, glaring at him. "I said I wanted to be left alone."

"I know."

"Then why aren't you?" she demanded.

"Because that's the wrong thing for me to do when you're upset, Aurora."

"Oh, wonderful," she remarked, throwing her hands up into the air. "I wasn't aware you were a mind healer too, Severus?"

"I'm not." He bent down and picked up the pillow. "I just know from experience that being alone tends to make things worse." He held the pillow out to her and watched her snatch it from him soon after. "I'm sorry, Aurora."

"Well, sorry isn't going to cut it, Severus. I mean, hell, you know how I feel about them. How I can't stand them at all." She twisted the pillow violently in her hands as she spoke. "And do you see why? Did you hear her lecture me about internalizing my magic like I'm some first-year?" She scoffed. "I'm not trying to hurt myself for Circe's sake. I'm not that screwed up! I'm trying to use my magic. But it just won't work." Her breaths came in loud pants. "No matter what I try, it just won't work anymore."

Slowly, he leaned in and rested a hand atop of hers. He squeezed and waited until she looked up.

"It won't work anymore, Severus," she said shakily, uncertainty in her eyes.

"You've always told me your magic didn't matter much to you, because it didn't define who you are as a person," he replied quietly. "That your magic didn't make you a better astronomer. A better horseback rider." He then gave her a soft smile. "A better girlfriend."

"It doesn't."

"Then why is this upsetting you so much?"

"Because without it, I can't fix this, fix me," she answered, drawing in a shaky breath. The tears fell a moment later, streaking down her cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to be living our happily ever after, not living a never-ending nightmare."

He brushed back one of her dark curls lovingly and felt her kiss his palm.

"I want us to be happy again. All three of us." He wiped away a few of her tears and stared deeply into her eyes, wishing he could take away her pain. "I want what was taken from me back, Severus. Is that so wrong of me?"

"No, not at all." He slowly moved closer to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her. "I want that as well. But your magic isn't required for that to be possible, though, Aurora."

"Why won't my magic return?"

"I don't know." He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. "The only one who knows that answer is Leonidas, and it appears he's not willing to share just yet. We will figure this out."

"I don't like that healer. Poppy's one thing, a pest you can't escape but he's different."

"He is." Severus felt her finally start to relax. "But maybe different is what we need in order for us to all heal properly." He glanced down at her when she didn't reply. He could see she was still thinking on his words. "I won't let anyone hurt you again, Aurora. If he oversteps his bounds with you, if he hurts you, I will protect you and make him suffer. I give you my word."

"He's a vampire, though."

"He is, but I can cast a wicked spell that produces a brighter light than the sun even. He would be no match to it." He felt her silent laugh and smiled faintly. "Now, rest, my love. We have an hour before the train leaves for Hogwarts." As she curled around him, he breathed in deeply and sighed contently.

As they approached the train, Harry found himself hanging his head even lower. He should've been wearing a big dorky smile, happier than he had ever been before. He finally was normal. Just like any other kid there at King's Cross with his family. But he wasn't happy at all.

A hand gently clapped down onto his shoulder, causing Harry's mood to plummet even more.

"What's wrong?" his father asked quietly, so only Harry could hear.

"Nothing." He kicked at a rock grumpy and watched it skip into a nearby wall.

"Harry," his father said, stopping and turning the young boy towards him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The young boy shrugged. As he heard the tapping of his mum's crutches against the concrete become louder as she approached, he glanced through his shaggy raven hair towards her. He had messed everything up. Again. No wonder he hadn't had a real family. All he ever did was mess things up. "I'm sorry," Harry quietly said to his mum.

"You're sorry?" She gave him a puzzled look, pausing in her approach. Her warm brown eyes briefly flickered towards his dad before returning back to Harry. "Why on earth would you be sorry, love? You've done nothing wrong."

"But I have," the boy argued, stepping closer. "I asked Dad to get Pomfrey in the first place."

"You were? Why? I'm fine, Harry."

"I know that now, but, well, it's stupid but I dreamt about you screaming at me to tell Dad something and you sound scared. And I guess it was just a dream, but it seemed so real, though."

"You dreamt about me?"

"Yeah." Harry hung his head. It was so stupid now.

"That's rather sweet of you, Harry." When he glanced at her, she went on. "To care enough to dream about me. But I'm fine. Really. But the moment I'm not, you will be the first to know, okay?"

"I thought You-Know-Who was possessing you," he whispered softly, holding her gaze. He noticed her flinch instantly and closed his eyes, hanging his head again.

"Wouldn't that be nice, though?" she replied after a moment. When both Harry and Severus glanced at her in alarm, she gave a soft laugh of amusement. "I mean, wouldn't it have been nice to blame him for my actions rather than myself, guys." She then looked behind Harry at something before her smile widened. "Tobias! Don't you look all handsome today."

"Hear that, lad? She thinks I look handsome," Tobias drawled, playfully popping up his blue shirt collar with a wide cheeky grin. "It's the color, ya know, Severus? Does wonders for the ladies. Ya might want to give it a try. Just sayin'."

"Oh, dear God, now he'll never shut up," Eileen groaned, sighing dramatically. "Thank you very much, my dear daughter-in-law. I so needed that today."

Harry giggled quietly. There was just something about his grandparents that made him smile and forget about everything. He had missed them, truth be told. Letters just weren't enough.

"How are you, Princess?" Tobias asked as he gently hugged Aurora, kissing her cheek briefly.

"Alive," Harry heard his mum reply. "But let's not talk about that. Not when it's Harry's day."

Harry's day? The young boy glanced at her and narrowed his eyes. However, when the train's whistle blew to sound the five-minute warning, he forgot all about that. He was enveloped in a strong hug by his grandmother instantly.

"Now, you be good this year, young man. No wild parties in the Forbidden Forest. No romps in the common room like last year. Straight and narrow, understand?" She winked towards him, breaking her serious look. "But most of all, have fun and be safe." His grandmum gave him a quick kiss a top of his head. "I love you, my little pretzel." The moment she had released him, Harry found himself in his grandfather's arms next.

"No givin' yer teachers a hard time either, ya hear?" Tobias said, the amusement clearly in his voice. "Now go on, ya rascal. Get outta here before yer dad turns into a blubberin' mess." Both of his grandparents moved away from him with wide grins.

"We love you, son," his dad said, pulling Harry in for a hug as well.

"And we'll see you soon," Aurora finished, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

The smile that erupted from Harry's face was brighter than the sun. Now, this was a send-off.