-II-

Reluctantly Harry took the pen and gnawed at it while he looked down at the empty sheet.

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

He was on first name basis with them, but it didn't feel right now. He didn't know if he still was allowed to address them like that.

I never could say how sorry I am.

A tear fell down on the sheet, but not at a part where he had already written on. A heavy hand was placed on his neck, and he felt more courage now to go on. He wiped his sleeve over his face and went on.

I'm so sorry I couldn't help Ron. I just couldn't. I tried everything! Please believe me!

If I could give my life to make him alive again, I would do it.

The hand on his neck squeezed, and Light Arrow spoke behind him. "Please don't write more things like this. I don't think you will help anybody with this. It's your letter, and I won't stop you if you go on like this, but think about if this is really helping them or you."

Harry sighed.

I really don't know what to tell you. I just wanted to apologize for not speaking with you before and for not being at Ron's funeral. I just couldn't stand it. I felt and still feel too guilty.

Please forgive me.

Harry

Light Arrow rubbed Harry's back while he went over the letter again. Then Harry folded it and gave it to Light Arrow. "Can you send it to them for me?"

"Sure."

-II-

Melissa sat nervously beside Harry on the couch and only stopped fidgeting when Harry took her hand. She looked at him, surprised, and then at the adults in the room. Only Rose was still missing. White Cloud, Black Hawk, Light Arrow were already sitting around them.

Finally Rose came in and sat down on the couch with White Cloud. Severus wasn't there, maybe to make Melissa feel more comfortable.

"We are here to speak about the relationship that has developed between you two," Light Arrow stated.

Harry squeezed Melissa's hand reassuringly. He had the feeling he could feel her heart beat in her hand.

"Stay calm, Melissa. We are not here to scold you or punish you two for your feelings," Rose assured the frightened girl.

Fearfully Melissa nodded in Rose's direction, but her eyes were still big like saucers out of fear.

"We are here to decide if the two of you need to wait for your relationship to go on until you are out of the camp or if we will allow it to a certain limit," Light Arrow explained closer.

Melissa nodded a bit calmer in his direction.

"Can you tell us a bit about how you feel and how you think this will go on when we let it happen?"

Melissa gnawed shyly at her bottom lip and looked at Harry.

Harry reached with his free hand to cup one of her cheeks and said, "Everything is okay, Mel."

She almost melted in his touch. She leaned in and closed her eyes. Unfortunately she couldn't stop a tear to escape her eyes.

Worried, Harry asked, "What's wrong, Mel?" Now fear crept up in him as well. Why was she crying? "Don't you want this to go on? You can tell me."

Frantically she shook her head. Panic overcame her.

"Why don't we switch places, Harry?" Rose asked, but it wasn't a question.

It pained Harry to let go of Melissa's hand, but Black Hawk gently drew him over to his armchair and on his lap. "She is just confused and frightened, Harry. I told you it wouldn't be easy," Black Hawk whispered in his ear when he pulled Harry closer to his chest.

"Mel, everything is okay," Rose said soothingly while she sat down at Melissa's side so that Melissa still could look at Harry. "Calm down." She let calming magic flow into the frightened girl.

"He... he..."

"Melissa, shh... Wait until you are ready to talk again."

After around two minutes, Melissa tried again. "He... he misunderstood me."

"You two don't know each other for a long time, but you two have the ability to speak and you should do that a lot so no misunderstandings can stand between you two," Rose said gently and looked from Melissa to Harry and back.

Melissa nodded and finally looked at Light Arrow again.

"Ready to go on?" Light Arrow asked patiently.

Melissa nodded and smiled shyly at him. That was rewarded with a smile from the old man, which made her feel much better.

"You know you are still very ill and need a lot of time to heal. That requires a lot of hard work from your side. We are a bit worried that a relationship with Harry could worsen your condition or distract you from working hard on your problems. What do you think about it?"

Melissa shook her head. "He is good for me. Very good, really, Light Arrow. I've never felt better. He is so cute... ehm I mean nice, and he always listens, but he also scolds me when I don't eat enough." She looked shyly over to Harry and smiled at him.

Harry heart made a flip-flop, and he smiled back.

"Oh my, teenagers in love," Black Hawk said and rolled his eyes.

Harry gave him a playful buff on his chest, but grinned.

"Oh so mature again, Black Hawk," Rose scolded.

Black Hawk ignores his sister and knew better than to look at his mother that moment. He could imagine very well how disapprovingly she would look at him. She never understood men humor. Black Hawk was happy that Harry took it as playful as it was meant.

"We noticed that you changed your eating habits for the good, Melissa. And we also notice the small interaction between you two at the table, so we put two and two together and came to the result that it is Harry who makes you eat more. Is that right?"

Melissa nodded proudly.

"Melissa, what will happen if the two of you break up?" Light Arrow asked and immediately was at the end of two furious women's glares.

"Really, Joseph, you can't ask a teenager girl in love what will happen if they break up. First we don't know if they will break up and second that is hardly what she is thinking about right now. They hadn't even time to settle out what this relationship means for them, and you ask them about a break up." She shook her head and glared at her husband as if he was a very stupid little child.

"Ehm... actually I thought about it," Melissa said shyly and looked again at Harry, this time worriedly. "I was surprised that he even was interested in me as a friend. I kissed him and expected him to avoid me from then on, but he didn't. Quite the contrary. He talks more often with me and even told me that he didn't regret that I kissed him. So I wondered for a while why he was doing it and why he could be interested in me. I know that I'm nothing to look at, and so I of course always think about a break up." She looked down at her hands after seeing the worried faces around her. "Nothing would change when he doesn't want me any longer. It will just be like it was before I met him, only that I have a few more lovely memories." She looked sadly, but at the same time dreamily at Harry. That was the look, Harry always reminded him so much of Luna.

"So you tell me it would be good to allow this relationship? Good memories are really something you need, but I still am very worried that you will break beyond repair if you two break up," Light Arrow said.

Now Harry saw something he would have never expected form the shy girl. She smiled at the old man as if she needed to comfort him and reach out her hand. Light Arrow took it, and she said, "This won't happen. I promise you. I know I still have your and White Cloud's love. That will assure that I will never break beyond the point of repair." Stunned silence engulfed the room. Harry was sure that not even Light Arrow and White Cloud had expected this from Melissa. It must have been a great progress in her healing. "Of course I will be very, very sad, and I will miss that wonderful feeling I have whenever I see him, but I won't break."

"Hey, and who says we will break up?" Harry protested.

"Yeah, give it to them," Black Hawk cheered, amused.

Instead of scolding Black Hawk, Rose grinned this time. "Yes, chivalry is coming for you, Mel. Your knight is fighting for you, but look what an odd horse he is sitting on."

Melissa giggled, and when Black Hawk made neighing sounds all the younger ones laughed.

White Cloud shook her head disbelievingly. "Sometimes I wonder how old you all are."

"Oh, Mum, cheer up," Rose said. Then she looked at her father, who observed the scene without expression. "So they are allowed to date?"

"Yes, but you will speak about the limits with her," Light Arrow said to Rose.

"Limits?" Melissa asked, confused.

"Why do you think Crying Horse and I have no children?" Rose asked cheekily.

That was too much for Black Hawk. He cracked and laughed himself silly, especially after seeing Harry shocked face, his jaw hanging open and hearing White Cloud's sharp intake of breath. "That was a good one, Rose," he said between laughs and while he stood up, he hauled a still stunned Harry over his shoulder. That way he gave Harry a good look at the other people in the room when he headed for the door. Rose was smiling, not impressed by her mother's glare. Melissa finally got the cue and blushed deeply, looking at Harry with big eyes and Light Arrow was shaking his head.

/

The rest of the day Harry and Black Hawk spend riding. While they had a break at the river, Black Hawk again told Harry that sex was absolutely off limits and emphasized this with reminding Harry that the walls in the house had ears.

"Ehm... do you think Rose was serious?"

It took some time for Black Hawk to get his laughter under control after Harry's questions, but when he did, he replied, "Of course not. They can do whatever they want. They have heavy privacy wards on their bedroom, and not even Light Arrow or White Cloud could go in without Rose's or Crying Horse's permission. Rose was just joking. She sometimes dares to say things I would never. Did you seen the look on White Cloud's face? If that wasn't scary, I don't know what is. She has been pestering Rose for years to give them a grandchild, but Rose refused. But believe me, Harry, it surely isn't caused by lack of baby making acts, just by protection. Why do you think Crying Horse always is so cheerful?"

"Eww, Black Hawk, that is definitely too much information for me."

"Good to hear. That gives me hope that you really won't do something stupid here."

"I won't do, okay? Can you please let it drop?"

"Only if you promise that if you at some point change your opinion about it, you will come to me before you head in it without thinking."

"Yeah, sure, so you can restrain me to my bed and making sure I never see Mel again."

"No, for making sure you don't do something one of you two don't really want and to prevent that you impregnate her, Harry. I'm a man, okay? I know that sometimes the brain sets out and other parts of our body take over. Don't let that ruin whatever you have with Melissa. You two have time, and the first time should be something special. Even for you, but especially for the girl." Black Hawk looked seriously at Harry. "I will not restrain you to your bed or talk you out when you two, and when I say two, I mean two, have thought about it very deeply and maturely. I'm worried about the both of you! Sex is something wonderful and mind-blowing, but it can't replace love or friendship. Unfortunately it can destroy love and friendship if it is done foolishly and in a rush."

"Wow, you don't sound much like the Black Hawk I see most of the time," Harry said insecure about Black Hawk's seriousness. Black Hawk sometimes was very serious and thoughtful, but most of the time he was the funny and light hearted Black Hawk Harry liked so much.

"I'm not just a clown, Harry. I have loved, and I have lost people. Even women. I don't like to live alone, but I will be very careful about whom I let see my real self and whom not."

"So you lost women because of sex?"

Black Hawk looked at him thoughtfully, obviously inwardly debating if he should tell Harry about it or not. "I lost a very good friend because of sex, unprotected sex, Harry."

"Unprotected? You mean you got her-"

"Pregnant, yes. Because of one foolish drunken night of pleasure I lost one of my best friends and later had to undergo the pain to know that she would never let me be part of her life because she already had a partner. My child is now living with another father, not even knowing that I exist."

Harry was shocked. Why did Black Hawk tell him about such a private and painful part of his life? Did he really saw him as more as just a charge? Was he really seeing him as a brother? Harry's feelings were confused. "Are you sure it is your child?" It was a stupid question, Harry knew it the moment it left his mouth, but then he couldn't take it back.

"Yes, Harry, I know for sure. She was a very loyal and conservative woman. She never slept with someone before she knew him very well. She only had one partner at that time and wanted to wait for the right moment for their first time. We got drunk and lost ourselves in lust, and that was our disaster. Don't be as foolish as I was, Harry. It could destroy anything your cherish so much of Melissa at the moment."

"I won't do, Black Hawk. And I feel sorry for what happened to you." Not knowing what to do, Harry looked shyly at Black Hawk.

"I paid for my mistake, and I deserved what I got. I just want you to be smarter than me."

"I don't want to hurt Mel, and I will be careful. I don't think about having sex with her at the moment or anytime soon. I think nobody of us is ready for something like this. If this should change, I promise to come to you first."

"Good, we should head back, Harry. Your talk with Aiden will be soon!"

"Do you think Light Arrow will cancel the one-to-one?"

Black Hawk chuckled. "Already so annoyed by me?"

"No, not really, but I appreciate a bit of privacy nevertheless."

"Me too, Harry. Believe me!"

/

"Draco, calm down!" Severus said and pulled Draco beside him on the bed.

"She says she will come in three days. Dumbledore will bring her over."

"Professor Dumbledore, Draco."

Draco groaned.

"So your diarrhea will get worse for the next two days?"

"Severus!" Draco looked shocked at his guardian.

"What the way you pace around here and shiver since you read her message is speaking volumes."

"I just don't know what I shall tell her. I mean you have seen all the questions. Can you even imagine how it will be when she is here in person?"

"Believe me, I can. I taught the little know-it-all for five years."

"Don't call her that," Draco said and crinkled his nose.

Severus just chuckled and rubbed Draco's back. "It will all turn out okay, Draco. As much as I know Ms. Granger, she is very mature and will understand your reason to not write to her if you explain it to her."

Draco looked shocked. "I can't tell her about it!"

"Why not, Draco?"

"Why not? Are you crazy? I want her to see me as a man and not a..." Ashamed he looked away.

Severus sighed. "You really should speak with Red Horse. He said he can understand why you think you aren't manly and your problems with Hermione. I think he could help you much better than I can. It seems my word doesn't have any value in this case. Nevertheless I say again that you are manly, Draco. I'm sure Hermione sees it the same way."

"It's not that your word doesn't count for me. It's just... you can't understand it, Severus."

"I know, and I hate that I can't help you with this, but I know that Red Horse would like to help you as well. He just doesn't know how to start a conversation with you about it. He will understand."

Draco leaned against Severus shoulder and just sat there with him for the next half an hour. That's what he loved about his guardian. He always was there for him, even if it was just to hold him in his strong arms and sit silently with him.