#cameyes

Sam seemed slightly uneasy about Helen climbing up on her own, but supported her anyways. “We’ll have lots of treasures when you come back and you don’t even have to slay dragons.” He offered her a hesitant smile.

“Hey, if she finds the treasure, it’s ours! Bennet Property, Sammie Wise! That’s how it works.” Arthur told him with smugness. “Go on, Helen!” He ushered her with bright eyes.

And with that encouragement, Helen began her ascent upwards. She didn’t ever stop to look down, just kept climbing up, but she could hear the cheers of the children below, excited one of their own was doing it. Helen paused for a moment, catching her breath as she stood on one of the branches and hugged the tree.

“You’re almost there! Keep going!” She could hear her brother shout up.

She looked up to see that she was three branches away from where the record highest had given up. Helen gripped upwards and continued her journey. There was a loud exclamation when she reached the branch, but Helen didn’t stop, only continued upward. 

Up. Up. Up. The thick branches were thinning, slightly, but Helen was small. She barely weighed a thing. She began looking around, wondering if she could spot anything shiny. Not yet. She kept climbing. Up, up, up. Until something caught her eye. It was a large nest, filled with bits of shine coming from it. Helen climbed to that branch before holding on to it and moving forward. 

A group of magpies chirped at her and suddenly, it seemed, that Helen had come too close and the birds frantically flapped their wings. Startled and afraid, Helen quickly moved back but all at once, in the haze of fear, lost her grip and then, she was falling.

He should have been home, reasonably, at 3:27PM on a Thursday, but eight-year old, Cameron Elliot, had gotten an unwarranted detention. 

Was he just suppose to let kids run around with the wrong information? He’d merely corrected Sandy-- Several times, if he had to admit, but that was her fault for being so daft. Honestly, he hadn’t meant to make her cry.

And so Cam sat, leisurely, just waiting for his detention to end. He was particularly taken with balancing his pencil on his nose and the palm of his hands, nearly beating a record of length, when a flash of green had taken over his sight. The pencil fell with a clack, and the supervising teacher gave him a pointed look over her glasses. “No fooling around, Mr. Elliot.”

“None at all, Miss.” Cam offered her a quick innocent smile, to which she shook her head and returned to her reading.

Frowning, he bent down to pick up the fallen pencil, when he saw the green again, but this time, more clearly. Leaves? Cam shook his head, grabbing his pencil and sitting back up as he tried to blink the image away.

But it didn’t go away. It came back in flashes of vision until it was all he saw. He was climbing. He was in a tree. There was a muffled sound. Like people cheering. Cam gripped the pencil tightly. He was feeling uneasy about this. Then he saw the birds.

Suddenly, his heart stopped as fear pulsed through him. The pencil snapped. Then Cam was falling. 

He was shaking, profusely, jerking left and right as he fell from the tree, hitting branches and leaves on the way.  The noise of his trembling desk caught the attention of his teacher. 

“Mr. Elliot, please.” She called out with slight irritation inflecting her voice. The few students in detention turned to look at seizing boy. When he hadn’t responded, only lurching with agitation and pain on his face, she stood, more worriedly. “Cameron?”

He was nearing the bottom, but not before slamming painfully into a thick branch that heaved him straight out of his desk and onto the ground, knocking him out cold.

Ten Years Later

If there was anything Cam wasn’t good at, it was getting involved in any affairs at all. And giving him the position of Prefect only made it worse because now he was obligated to.  Of course, when it came to getting Marcus Iona in trouble, he supposed Prefect did have its perks.

“Iona, put your hands where I can see them.” Cam pointed casually at his most hated of enemies.

Marcus smiled with a laugh as he held his hands up. “Relax Cameron. I’m not doing anything.”

He ignored the irritating familiarity Iona spoke to him with. “So I didn’t just see your hands inside someone’s bag or were you just warming them up?” Cam stated, raising his eyes slightly.

“No, Hoaloha.” Marcus shook his head before lightly hitting the bag with the back of his hand to gesture. “You misunderstand. I owed Quinn some money, so I’m paying him back. He wouldn’t take it before, but it’s customary where I’m from to repay people, even slyly, to make sure debt is paid. I’ve been to a lot of places and honestly, it’s simply etiquette. But I guess it isn’t really common knowledge and  I doubt you’ve traveled and experienced as much as I have. Don’t worry about it though.” He offered Cam another smile before tossing the bag to him.

Cam caught it deftly. “Go on, Cam. Check the pocket. I’ve placed a galleon and ten sickles in it.”

In all honesty, he didn’t need to. If Marcus was really pushing it like this, he obviously had his proof in the bag. But rather than let Iona win, he could simplify it to just Prefect business and walk away from it after, so he lifted the pocket cover and looked in, pulling out the coins to see-- A galleon and ten sickles.

Before Cam could place the coins back, a rough voice was heard. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Ah, Garcia. Always a delight.” Cam said breezily, despite the fact that Quinn looked ready to murder him. A bad day probably.

Quinn didn’t waste time. “Flipendo!” And the things fell from Cam’s hands with a clatter as he was knocked back into the stone wall of the dungeons with a harsh thud.

Cam slowly got to his feet, looking up as Marcus explained the situation to Quinn as he helped pick up the money.

Realizing his mistake, Quinn offered Cam a rather reluctant and gruff apology.

Marcus was quick to interrupt with a grin on his face. “No need for apologies. It was all just a funny misunderstanding and Cam would have to be a miserly guy if he didn’t forgive you and, of course, he’s not.”

Cam squinted at the fucker before he slunk away. Anywhere Iona wasn’t. Maybe the library. There was a meow at his feet and without thought, he picked up his fluff of a cat. Garcia had a hell of a hex, he thought rubbing his incredibly sore shoulder as he and Snowball walked on.

In her seventh year at Durmstrang, Helen thought by now she’d be used to the polar days and polar nights, but as she sat out in the snow, reading one of her favorite romance novels, she was once again distracted by the beauty. The February sun began to fade out and, at only two in the afternoon, the residual light reflected the blue lake and white snow, leaving a glassy blue sheen over the whole landscape. 

“Hel-en!” Arthur called again, trying to get her attention.

“Oh, shush. What do you want?” She asked , resting her book in her lap.

He rolled over onto his stomach to look at her. “All you’ve done this afternoon is read your dumb smut and look at the sky. I’ve been sitting here and you’ve been boring.”

Helen blushed. “It’s not smut. It’s romance.” She insisted. “Something you know nothing about.”

He snorted. “Neither do you.”

Helen looked at him, deadpanned. “Really, Arthur? Me. Helen. I don’t know anything about romance?”

“Falling in love with nearly anyone who’s remotely nice to you and getting attached to people for no other reason besides that fact does not constitute romance.” He replied listlessly.

Their conversation was interrupted by another body sitting on Helen’s sheet. “I like to think Helen knows a thing or two about romance, kid.” He stated, before pressing his lips onto hers as a greeting.

Arthur groaned, rolling back as Helen smiled when he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Practice over, August?”

“Yeah. I got a bludger to the shoulder, but not before returning the quaffle into Eide’s side. Shoulda came to watch.”

Helen lifted her shoulders. “The view isn’t as nice on the bleachers as it is here.”

August lifted his brows before turning to Arthur. “You’re right. She doesn’t know a thing about romance. Would rather look at the sky than at her boyfriend.”

“The sky doesn’t rain blood like your practices.”

August let out a low laugh before lowering his head into the side of Helen’s neck, placing a soft kiss. “Oh, but Elskling, that’s the best part.”

Arthur again groaned loudly and continuously. “C’mon, Erichson, we’ve got half an hour of light left and Helen’s going to be boring. Please toss the quaffle back and forth with me a little bit. I swear I’m getting better at throwing.”

Helen pushed August back, patting him lightly. “Oh, go on. I didn’t even realize I had to compete with my brother for your attention.”

August laughed again. “I should be grateful he likes me so much.”

Arthur stood up, excited August was going to hang out with him. “August, I don’t even know why you’re dating my sister-- You’re way too cool for her.”

August shrugged, before turning to Helen. “Promise to stay boring while I’m gone?”

“Of c--” Before Helen could finish, her eyes widened and she bent over forward. There was a shock of pain in her torso.

“Helen!” August wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hold her, bringing Arthur’s face to turn a pale white.

At once, she jerked out of August’s grip and fell backwards into the snow, her body beating with pain. Helen let out a whimper as Arthur helped her back up and towards the blanket they were sitting on.

“Helen, you said these seizures stopped.” He said quietly. “I don’t want to have to tell Mum and Dad about them again.”

“What the hell was that?” August demanded, his brows knitted together.

Helen was still catching her breath. “I’m fine. I’m fine. It’s nothing. I just get really weird spasms sometimes. Honestly, it’s nothing. I’m fine.” She insisted, placing her hands over her heart to calm it.

“Arthur, I think we’re going to have to reschedule. I should stay with Helen.”

She shook her head. “No, no. You two go. I’m fine. Let me read my smut in peace, alright?”

“Helen.” August stated, voice hard.

“Smut.” Helen repeated in the same tone.

“Helen.”

“Smut.”

He conceded, letting out a long sigh, before kissing her hairline and standing up. “Don’t stay out too long. You get sick easily.” August pulled his sweater from his bag and placed it over her shoulders.

“C’mon kid.” He jerked his head over, indicating Arthur to follow him. 

Arthur gave Helen a reluctant look, but she shook her head and waved him off, pulling the jacket on.

Finally alone, Helen placed her head into her hands. She felt dizzy. This hadn’t happened for a long time. The last time she remembered was two years ago. For months, she felt like she was in agonizing pain-- Not physically, just emotionally. Although there was one instant in that period that Helen did feel physical pain. She cried during an exam as if she’d broken her nose.

But still, whatever this was, it had stopped. It was always on and off, but this two year period was the longest and she thought it was finally over. That the exorcism had worked and she could certify to her parents that the Devil was no longer inside her.

Helen pulled back, wiping her eyes. Her body still ached. She reached for her book, trying to forget it. But her vision still felt blurred. Her hand missed the book and landed on the snow. Except it wasn’t cold. It was soft and warm. She blinked and she was touching the blanket.

Helen shook her head, trying to shake it off, but as she stuck her hand out again to reach for her book, her hand morphed in between her own and one that was obviously not hers-- A hang bigger and more masculine. Reaching to pet a cat. She inhaled a breath of air in disbelief.

As Cam sat in the library, Snowball perched on top the table, he found that petting the animal was a good distraction from thinking about the day he could tell everyone ‘I told you so’ about Iona’s completely obvious malicious intentions.

Suddenly, a strange feeling took over him, that completely erased any thoughts he was currently having and his hand froze over Snowball. Or was it his hand? It became something distinctly feminine. He pulled back, examining his hand, hardly noticing as Snowball looked to him with confusion. 

Cam was entirely too distracted to even notice as nearby, just behind the bookshelf, a small second year was climbing up to try and reach a book. 

A loud creak emitted before the boy let out a scream, the shelf tipped, just about to crash onto Cam.

Helen’s heart was slow, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as she danced her hand along to follow the other hand. She heard it before she saw it. The sound was loud enough to catch her attention and she screamed, glancing up at it, “Look out!” 

At the voice, Cam grabbed Snowball and jumped out of the way, narrowly missing the bookshelf. His heart was beating with adrenaline and the librarian among some other students ran to the scene to care for the boy. Cam stepped back before leaving entirely. He dropped Snowball-- the cat would be fine on its own. He was another story. He needed air.

The Sundial Garden wasn’t too far off, but it was completely solitary and that’s what he needed right now. Cam paced for a moment before sitting down against the rock.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

She closed her eyes and covered her ears. Helen didn’t know what was going on or what she was seeing. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want this. She just wanted it all to go away and to be normal. 

Not sure how long she sat like that, in the silence, Helen pulled her hands off her ears and looked around. It seemed fine. Until she heard the voice.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

She turned around, frantically, looking around for someone. Anyone. “What?” She exclaimed desperately.

Cam hadn’t expected a response, not as he sat alone. But he heard one. “What?” She said.

Alarmed, he sat straight, looking around, as if a girl were hiding around the stones, snooping on him. “Who’s there?”

The voice came again and Helen still couldn’t see anyone. She was near hysterics. “Stop it. Stop, stop, stop. Go away!” Helen urged the voice in her head. The Devil was getting worse. “Get out, get out, get out!” She held on tightly to the cross around her neck. Quietly but urgently, Helen quickly recited the bible verses she was taught to remember.

All of a sudden, Cam was hearing some bible bullshit and he just wanted it to end. “Hey, would you quit?” He said loudly. “I can’t hear myself think.”

A bubble of laugh escaped Helen’s mouth as she buried her face in her hands once more. She couldn’t believe it. “I’m losing my mind.”

Cam was still confused as he looked at his surroundings, coming to the conclusion that he really was alone. “Are you always so inconsiderate? I mean, you’re not the only one losing your mind.”

Helen pressed her palms against her eyes. “Why are you here?”

“Where’s here?”

“In my head.” She sounded distraught.

Cam scratched his own as he leaned back against the stone. “I don’t imagine I’m in your head anymore than you’re in mine.”

Helen dropped her hands, raising her eyes. She was in two places at once. The second place seemed more distant. A transparent vision, but clear enough, she could see it all. There were rocks arranged in a certain way and snow. Less snow than she had here though. And the sky was bright. Not like the fading blue here. “Are you real?”

“Is anything?” Cam replied without missing a beat. Though, his eyes followed his surroundings. He was sitting on a thick blanket, everything was covered in snow. The most he’d ever seen. And he’d never even seen a sky like the one he was looking at now. “Where am I?” He asked her, testing if she saw as he did.

It seemed impossible to say, but Helen swallowed and complied. “You’re-- You’re sitting around some rocks.” She let out a whimper. “I don’t know what it means.”

Cam glanced around. “Well, I guess it means I’m sitting around some rocks.”

Again, Helen let out a laugh.

“Where are you? It’s colder there. I can feel it.” He noted, glancing down at the goosebumps on his arm.

“Scandinavia. Northern Norway.” Helen answered, tentatively glancing around. “I’m at Durmstrang Institute.”

And that’s when Cam let his head fall back against the stone, running a hand through his hair. “Scandinavia.” He repeated.

“Where are you?” Helen urged him to answer. “If you’re not in my head after all.”

“Scotland.” Cam answered promptly. “Hogwarts.”

“Oh my God.” Helen breathed, suddenly kind of excited, as she drunk up the vision of what he was looking at. “That’s where I wanted to go, but my parents wouldn’t let me. How is it? Is it nice?”

Cam snorted. “We’ve just discovered some metaphysical connection and you want to know about my school.”

He could feel the heat creeping up on her face. “I do as a matter of fact.” She answered.

“You don’t even want to know my name? Very inconsiderate.”

“I think we were both too distracted by this ‘metaphysical connection’ to ask for names.”

“Fair enough.”

“Well?”

“Well what?” He was smiling, she could feel it on her own face.

“What’s your name?”

“You didn’t say please.”

Helen laughed again. “Never mind, Satan.”

“It’s Cam, thank you.” He stated rather indignantly.

“Okay, Cam No Last Name. I’m Helen Bennet.”

Cam nodded. “Ever so formal, Helen Bennet. Cameron Elliot.” He added to clarify.

“Cameron Elliot.” She repeated, taking in the fact that she was finally given a name for this oddity.

“That’s my name-- Don’t wear it out.”

Helen had to laugh. How could someone be so cavalier about this? The entire time, Cam had hardly freaked out at all. At least, it made it easier on her. Like he was stabilizing her fears. “Are you always so casual?”

“That’s what they call me here. You know, Casual Cam.”

“Alright.” She stated before glancing down at her watch. “Hey Cam, what time is it there?”

“Ah.” He glanced around at the sundial he was sitting in. Examining the shadows he answered, “Like one pm.”

“Oh, you’re an hour behind me.”

“Thank you, Mother Time.”

Helen sat up. “If you were here, I’d hit you.” The threat wasn’t anything, but did he ever stop with the jokes?

Cam let out a quiet laugh before rubbing his shoulder again and stretching. “You wouldn’t be the first today.”

That made Helen pause and he stopped, focusing on why she’d all of a sudden felt so tense. “Alright there, Bennet?”

Helen swallowed. “Twenty minutes ago...Were you hit twenty minutes ago?”

“Yeah.” Cam replied slowly.

She bent over, covering her mouth with incredulity. Her words were muffled, but Cam could hear her. Could hear her like she was right there. “I felt it. I felt it.” She sat back up, eyes wide. “It hurt, Cam. Are you alright?”

They felt what the other did. A lot in his life was beginning to make sense. “Sorry. I’m fine-- It happens. It was some dicks. A guy thought--”

“That you were stealing from him! I know! I was there!” She laughed. It was strangely exciting. “You weren’t though, were you?” Her tone was playfully admonishing.

“Of course. As Prefect, it’s my job to take advantage of the power bestowed on me.”

Helen slapped herself.

“Hey!” Cam stated, rubbing his cheek, to which Helen laughed.

“It happens.”

“Don’t be a dick, Helen.” Cam told her in a very serious manner.

“Helen!” At the voice, Helen looked up to see August and Arthur waving her over. It was then she realized that the glowing sky had faded into a rich midnight blue color already. 

“I have to go.” She told Cam, rushed as she began to pack her things up. “Can we talk again? Later? If it... If it works?”

That sounded good to him. Truthfully, he wanted to figured out more about this, but was grateful she was going, so that he could look into it on his own for a little. “Sure. What time’s good for you?”

Helen glanced up at August, waving him back. “I’ll be there in a second!”

Cam observed the boys. One was obviously a bit younger, more jovial looking, and the other looked around his age and appeared to be more stern, by the way his face seemed to be in a constant perpetual frown. He made Cam frown.

“Um, I can get away around eight my time? So seven yours?”

“It’s a date, Helen Bennet.” He stated lightly.

“It was nice...Nice meeting you, Cameron Elliot.” She’d said softly, before suddenly something shut off and the view was gone and he was, really truly alone, staring at the sundial.

Despite that August was on the Quidditch team and many people thought of him as a friend, he never really spoke much. So as Helen sat perched on his lap, the two of them talking quietly to each other, surrounded by his friends, he seemed put out when the clock struck 7:55PM.

“Where are you going?” He asked, rubbing his thumb across their conjoined hands. “You’re gonna leave me with these assholes?”

“Oi!” The boys made sounds of protests, to which August flipped them the bird.

“Just a walk. I’m sure you’ll live without me.”

“Wouldn’t want to.” He stated, leaning in to meet her lips.

She smiled as she pulled away and slid off him. “I love you too.” Helen pecked him softly once more before waving him and his friends goodbye.

Checking her watch, it was 7:58PM, and Helen wasn’t exactly sprinting, but she was trying to get the one unused spare rooms as soon as possible.

Cam hadn’t figured anything out in the spare time that Helen was gone. In fact, all he did was go to the rest of his classes and have dinner. There wasn’t one thing he could find out about this. It was odd. Maybe Helen had found out more, but in truth, he was positive she knew just as much as he did. Which was nothing.

He waited in the Trophy Room. No one ever went there. Cam paced the steps around the room, waiting until she somehow appeared.

“Hello?” Helen’s familiar voice swam into his head and he near tripped in surprise.

“Give a guy a warning, Bennet.”

“I did tell you what time to expect me...” She paused. “I just can’t believe it worked again.”

“And yet, here we are.” He lifted his shoulders with a smile. “Hey, so who were those people earlier?”

“Oh, um,” Helen scratched her head. “That was my brother, Arthur. And um, August. My boyfriend.”

“Ah.” He nodded, understandingly. Of course she’d have a boyfriend. She had a life. That was possible. “He’s a handsome fellow. Funny name though. Did you tell him-- Anyone about this?”

Helen shook her head. “No. I think it’s best to just. Keep it to ourselves for now. I don’t even know what’s going on myself or how to explain it.”

“Fair enough.” Cam sighed. “I’ll be your dirty little secret.”

She felt her mouth curve up as his did before she moved to sit on the couch. “Hey Cam, can I ask you something?”

The question surprised him slightly. Though he was curious as to what kind of question she formulated in his absence. “If you want.”

“Do you get hit a lot?”

He snorted, eyes passing over the trophies, but instead, seeing the mahogany walls Helen was staring at. “Only when I deserve it.”

“I don’t think you deserved it today.”

Cam shrugged. “I will admit I have probably been punched in the face more than the average person has been.”

It was going to be a leap, but she tried. “When... When you were twelve? And fifteen?”

He rubbed his jaw. “You felt that too, huh?”

Helen nodded, remembering exactly what had happened to her when that happened. “Yeah. I really hope you’re not planning on getting hit again.”

“It’s always a bit of a surprise, to be honest. But I duly apologize for any future face punches you’re bound to feel.”

She scoffed. “Please stop getting hurt. For me, at least.”

He shook his head, laughing as he walked up and down the steps of the Trophy Room again. “Who knows. Honestly, they haven’t been that bad. The worst might’ve been when I was...” Cam paused mid-sentence. “Eight-years old. You climbed a tree. And there were birds. Magpies.”

Helen began to nod. “Yeah-- Yeah! I fell. I got a concussion. It was awful. I wasn’t allowed to play outside for weeks.”

“Helen, I got knocked out cold in my class.”

“What?” She asked, standing suddenly. “That was...That was ten years ago.”

“I guess it was.”

“I think...I think I should go.” Helen told him.

It was understandable.

“Yeah, sure.” Cam paused. “Same time tomorrow?”

Helen pursed her mouth into a small smile. “Same time.”

The next day, Helen was distracted. She couldn’t focus on her classes because she kept thinking about Cam. So much so, that in Potions, she ended up dropping a handful of lavender sprigs in her cauldron when she’d accidentally opened her mind and heard him.

“Excellent handy work, Helen.”

The bubbling potion turned flat and Helen immediately shut her mind again, embarrassed about the whole thing.

7:55PM struck and Helen pulled away from August, placing another kiss on his lips before parting. This time, he pulled her hand back.

“Yeah, you alright, August?” She asked, as he wrapped his hands around her waist, trying to lower her into him.

“Yeah, I just mean. It’s Friday. We don’t have classes tomorrow. We can stay up tonight.”

Helen smiled, gently removing and dropping his hands. “Is your libido all I’m good for?”

“Of course not. Sometimes you’re interesting.”

“Tonight, Cam.” Her tongue slipped and August caught it.

“Sorry?”

“I said ‘tonight, damn.’” Helen corrected quickly and slapped his chest lightly. “So impatient. You’re absolutely insatiable.”

“Can I really be blamed?”

“Meet you in yours at eleven, August. Wait up.”

As Helen left to return to the empty room again, Joan had caught her walking speedily. She had to act natural. Arthur wouldn’t say anything to their parents if Helen insisted she was fine, but Joan was another story.

“Where you off to, Helen?”

“Shouldn’t matter to you. Go do whatever it is you do.” Helen brushed her off as she often did.

“I’m going to hang out with Melissa.” Joan replied matter-of-factly.

“Great. Goodbye.” Helen said dully.

“Whatever.” Joan walked past her to Helen’s delight. She knew exactly how to press people’s buttons to evade them.

Finally reaching her destination, Helen locked the door and cast the proper spells before trying to reach Cam.

“Hello?”

Cam waited again, sitting on the steps of the Trophy Room. He’d been thinking about her, and whatever this was, just as much as she was. But he was far better at controlling it than Helen. It was a pleasant surprise when he’d been in Advanced Arithmancy and he saw her familiar hands, working silently on her Potion.

Of course, he had to comment-- ‘Excellent handy work, Helen.’ He felt her heart race as he spoke, having a terrible time feeling guilty about her ruined potion when it seemed so funny.

Helen all but pushed him out and Cam let out a quiet chuckle, granting him an odd stare from his seatmate.

“Your penmanship is really good, Helen.” He told them.

“My name’s Bill.”

Cam had lifted his shoulders. “All the same-- Bill, Helen.”

He was interrupted from his reminiscing by the sound of Helen’s voice. Cam placed his elbow on his knee, holding his head up. “You’re late, Helen Bennet.”

“I know, I know.” Helen apologized. “August was trying to keep me around longer and then I ran into my sister.”

“How many siblings do you have?” Cam asked.

“Two. I have a younger sister called Joan and a brother two years younger than me called Arthur. What about you? I just realized that we know each other, but we don’t really...Know each other.”

He nodded. “None. And I suppose not. Does the past really matter though?”

“Well, yeah.” Helen laughed. “It shapes you. Your nose, more importantly.”

Cam touched his nose. “Now why is it so important for you to bring up how often I get hit every time?”

She laughed, feeling the curve and bump of his nose as he felt it. “It’s interesting is all. Although, the second time. Can I ask what happened there?”

He stilled before stretching his legs out against the steps. “Whaddya mean?”

Moving slightly, Helen lied across the couch, looking up at the ceiling. “I just remember being in fifth year and there was a long time I felt really. Really bad. It lasted for awhile. I cried a lot and hardly spoke to anyone. Then one day, it was during an exam, I felt like someone broke my nose. And I’m assuming they broke yours.”

“Well.” He didn’t say anything for while.

“Cam?”

“I’m here.” It wasn’t something he so often shared. In fact, he was sure that he hadn’t told anyone at all. But maybe he owed it to Helen. After all, she’d felt his grief nearly the same as he had. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

She was safe, he’d decided. “My mother was sick for a long time.”

It was quite helpful, the fact that they were on the same page. Helen immediately sat up and swallowed. He felt the lump in her throat. “Oh.”

Suddenly, he felt something soft in his hand. Helen was holding hers-- Essentially his. It was odd, but a little reassuring. He moved his hands to squeeze hers. 

“Hey.” Cam said suddenly, standing up. “Helen.”

Slightly alarmed, Helen stood up. “What? What’s going on?”

“Stand in front of a mirror.”

She followed his train of thinking and brought her hands to the side of her face. “No! I’m in my uniform-- I’m not put together at all. I haven’t even done my hair.”

“I’m not asking, Hel-en.” He called lightly, looking around the Trophy Room for a mirror of his own. There was an empty trophy case that had a mirror for a background and he paused just in front of it. “You’re not ugly, are you? Because if we are, I have to cut this whole thing off.”

Helen laughed loudly as she scrambled towards the large framed mirror, high on the wall, set as decor. “I am not ugly!”

“Prove it.”

“Oh, right,” Helen scoffed, smiling. “And how are you suppose to fair when you’ve got two broken noses under your belt?”

“Helen Bennet, you are an utterly mean girl.” Cam stated before he entered the front of the mirror. His head was lowered, but he slowly looked up to see himself.

Helen’s smile froze in place, before lowering. She took a step forward as if that would bring him closer. “Cam.” She wanted to touch him.

“See?” He, self-consciously this time, touched his nose, trying to make light of this. “It’s not that bad. Anyways, I can still smell and shit. It’s 2017, Bennet. Non-straight noses should be just as accepted as straight noses.” Cam glanced down and away from himself.

Helen stepped forward again. “Hey! I wasn’t done!”

“Your turn, Bennet.”

He could feel as Helen bit her lip. “That’s a bad habit to pick up.”

“So’s drinking.” She shot back to which Cam raised his brows a little impressed.

And then, he watched as Helen gathered her courage and moved in front of the mirror. He almost caught a glimpse of her, but she turned away, looking around. Drat.

“Hey, that doesn’t count.”

“No,” Helen began, eyes still searching. “I’m, uh. I don’t reach the mirror.”

Cam began to utterly wheeze and in that time frame, Helen managed to drag a small couch to step on. Her head was down as she patiently waited for him to finish, but she was smiling. She liked his laugh. And she could even see the smile on his face this time.

“How tall are you anyways?”

“5′2.” She answered simply, willing to stall. “What about you?”

“A good six feet.” Cam hummed. “I had no idea you were a hobbit.”

“A what?” Helen repeated, ready to be offended.

“Hel-en, you’re stalling.”

She scoffed, before biting her lip again. He didn’t say anything this time, waiting to see. And then she lifted her head.

Helen watched herself, afraid to move, really. He hadn’t said anything. “Cam?”

“You’re not what I expected to see.” His voice was quiet, but she could feel his eyes on her. She let out a breathy laugh, out of nerves, more than anything.

“So not ugly?”

“Very ugly.”

Helen slapped herself, glaring at her reflection. 

Cam laughed before turning around to step back in front of the mirror. “I deserved that.”

“I find you often do.” Then Helen swallowed again. Because for the first time, they were looking at each other.

“...Hi.” Helen, struggling not to make her smile as wide as it wanted to go.

Cam was smiling too. “Hello, Helen.”

Since then, Helen and Cam began to speak more than just an hour a day. It began slow-- Here and there, throughout. Spread sparsely. Even in class sometimes, if they could get away with it. Despite her protests about cheating, she even helped Cam with anything Herbology related.

“Mr. Elliot,” Professor Desmond called from the front of the class, “You seem to be in a bit of a daze. Can you tell us why it’s necessary for the Alihotsy’s tree roots to be placed in whole for the Laughing Potion?”

Cam was caught off guard, but it didn’t show. “Certainly Professor. I would love nothing more than to share my knowledge with the class.”

“Well then?”

“Trick question.” Helen was on lunch as she spoke quietly into her forkful of salad. “It’s not the roots that go in the potion-- It’s the leaves. And they don’t go in whole. They have to be finely chopped. Too much is death by laughter and the only cure is the treacle produced by the Glumbumble of Northern Europe.”

In his own words, Cam answered the question, looking rather matter-of-fact about it.

Desmond looked him over, even taking a sly glance at his desk, but saw nothing. “Ten points to Slytherin. Well done, Mr. Elliot.”

“Excellent.” Cam stated before referring back to Helen. “My own garden gnome.”

August gave Helen an odd look. “Are you talking to yourself?”

“Certainly she is.” Cam answered into his hand. It went unheard by anyone except for Helen.

She glanced at him with wide eyes, “Oh, no. I’m just studying. You know, it’s good to say things out loud. Helps me remember.”

“These past few weeks, you’ve been acting strange.” He knit his brows at her. “I’m not the only one-- People have been seeing you talking to yourself. Are you hearing voices, Helen?”

“A very pleasant one.”

“No,” Helen stated firmly. “Except one grating one that never really shuts up--”

“Hurtful.”

“--I’ve just been stressed out. Our exams are coming up and I’m near losing my mind.”

“Sure,” August muttered, before leaning down into her ear. “You know, we haven’t had sex in weeks.”

“Yikes.” And then Helen shoved him out.

“I just. I’ve had a lot on my plate. And I know I haven’t been giving you much attention... It’s just. I’m figuring things out. Figuring myself out.” Even to her ears, it sounded very clearly like an excuse. It didn’t go unnoticed.

August unwrapped his arm from Helen’s side and nodded, pushing his plate back. “No, alright. I get it. I’m not a priority anymore. I’m not even important.” He grabbed his bag, swinging his leg over the bench to leave. “Don’t bother looking for me if you’re not interested, Bennet.”

Helen turned her head, following August’s movements. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“I think you broke up with me.” He responded gruffly. “Good luck with your plate.”

Helen was suppose to chase him out and make-up. But instead, Helen left to her own dorm. She reasoned August was always hard to talk to when he was upset. In arguments, he always felt cornered by his emotions and lashed out. For now, Helen would cry. Cry for August. Cry for her possible break-up. And cry for the guilt she felt for the completely unacceptable small shred of relief made by it.

The game had just ended and August sat on the bench, waiting for the crowd to disperse. By nature, he’d never been much of a people person. He could ignore when he heard footsteps coming his way, but when paired with the peripheral vision of them sitting beside him, he was immediately disgruntled.

“I heard about you and Helen.” Joan said, fiddling with her fingers.

“Not a secret.” He stated plainly. Despite that she was Helen’s sister, he’d never been close to her-- Helen hadn’t. And now that he was not dating Helen, he found no reason in acting like he was.

“She’s too good for you, you know.” Joan said quickly and sat up straight.

August turned to glare at her hatefully. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.” He already knew.

“Why’d you break up with her then?” She inquired.

“Why do you care? Helen doesn’t even like you.”

The words struck Joan as they had every time. She and Helen were never particularly close and fought whenever they spoke more than a few sentences, but there were moments she knew Helen had to like her. And she liked Helen. Very much so. They were just prideful sisters who weren’t close. But no one understood that.

“Yes she does.” Joan stated, but pressed on. “I just have to know why you did that.” Because if Helen didn’t have hope in love, how could she ever dream of it?

“Your sister’s insane.” August said finally. “Would rather talk to her imaginary friends than me. She’s the one who stopped being interested. Is that fucking good enough?”

Joan froze, her chin lowered but still stared up at August. “She’s talking to herself?”

“S’what I said, isn’t it?”

This was bad. Their parents had warned Joan to watch out for signs of the Devil in Helen. The seizures had stopped following the exorcism, but apparently, that didn’t keep Him away for long.

Cam was walking along doing his regular patrols when he felt Helen swim in his mind. The past few days had been quiet with her. He knew something was wrong, but could tell it wasn’t something to press. Just wait for her to come around. So he was finally grateful at her appearance.

“Took you long enough, Bennet.”

Helen smiled at his voice. “Yeah. Sorry. I was just having a rough time, Cam.”

He stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. If she was ready to. 

“August broke up with me.”

“The fucker.” He stated immediately.

Helen laughed. “Yeah. I don’t blame him. I haven’t-- We haven’t been the same. I’m okay, honestly.”

In truth, there was a strange feeling of joy from Helen’s news, which he wouldn’t have felt so embarrassed about if he knew that Helen couldn’t feel it too. “I’m not happy about your Incredibly Unfortunate News-- Just the fact that you’re alright.”

“I know, Cam.” She laughed again. They were both sharing the same emotion. “So what are you doing now?” Helen asked, glancing around at the corridors of Hogwarts.

“Patrols-- I’m very responsible, you know.” There was a sound around the corner and given that it was past curfew, it had to be Cam’s business. He let out a sigh. “Drat.”

Helen made a sound of excitement. “Oooh, does this mean I get to see you in action? Go on, Cam.”

Everything truly sucked. Because when he turned the corner, he was met with Iona. And a girl. Kissing. He winced at the burst of laugh Helen made that sounded throughout his head.

“You don’t have the decency to even find a room? Or broom closet? Or anything?” Cam asked dully.

The girl pulled apart from Marcus the moment Cam made his presence known-- A fifth year Hufflepuff known as Rachel Bury. He had to add ‘terrible judgement’ to her name in his notes of the student body.

Marcus only grinned at his roommate. “Ah, Cam! I apologize you had to find us in such a compromising position. I mean, I know you don’t know the feeling, but when a pretty girl wants you, you give yourself to her.” He pulled Rachel close and kissed her on the jaw, making her giggle.

“Tell him to go fuck himself.” Helen snickered as she watched on.

Cam let out a snort and turned his head away from Marcus and Rachel, who were much too distracted with each other to hear him. “Do you like it when we get hit?”

“What was that, Cam?” Marcus raised his head.

“Fuck you. Go fuck yourself, mate.” Helen said laughing as she repeated to Marcus.

“Nope. Nope.” Cam shook his head. “Nothing. Just. Quit with this and go to your dorms. Separate dorms.” He clarified.

Marcus winked at him as they passed by him. “Right, separate. Gotcha, Cam. See you tomorrow.”

Cam couldn’t be bothered to enforce the rules there. Not when Helen was bent on getting them hit. He was still smiling though. He was glad she was back.

The next few weeks, it seemed, that Cam and Helen stopped having designated times for each other. If they could be, they were connected. Helen couldn’t even remember the time or her life before Cam. She woke up to a ‘Good morning and it’s about time, Helen.’ She went to bed with a sleepy ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Helen.’ She listened to him make comments during classes. Spoke to him during breaks. Sat with him in her free time. They played scrabble. Played cards. Just spent time together.

There were times they weren’t connected too though. But in the midst of that time, Helen found herself thinking about him anyways. It was completely utterly insane. There was absolutely no reason she should. Helen should have been thinking about August. That’s what she used to do. It was impossible anyways. He was at Hogwarts. She was here. Of course, they probably could have met up in the future, but... Helen had a life here-- One she was terrified of ruining. One she already was. And Cam, he made it so hard not to want to ruin it.

“Knock knock.” Cam’s voice was clear.

“Who’s there?” Helen answered, having been alone, studying, in the unused room, that by now, was practically hers. In fact, she’d even managed to lower the mirror so she didn’t have to stand on a couch all the time to see it.

“Your friendly metaphysical neighbor.”

“So nice of you to drop by.” Helen smiled, before sitting back and glancing around at Cam’s surroundings. Just a regular room. Though... “Are you listening to music?” She asked.

“Good ear,” He complimented, eyes flickered to the record player and vinyls he’d requested of the Room of Requirements. “It's Gooey by Glass Animals, for your information.”

Helen nodded her head. She’d never really listened to music like this-- Muggle music. “I didn’t know you were into music.”

Cam scoffed. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to jam, Helen.”

“Hey, can you play something for me?” She asked suddenly.

“Uh..” Cam looked at the records. “What d’you want?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know much music. Do you have anything I’d like?” Helen asked, following his eyes, skimming around the stack.

“Ah-ha!” Cam didn’t look at it, but managed to switch out the records. “I’m always a slut for Lana Del Rey.”

The music started slow before the woman began to sing, enchantingly, and Helen instantly loved it, quietly humming to herself.

Cam stood in front of the wall of a mirror he’d also conjured up, holding a hand out to his reflection. “Will the lady join me for a dance?”

Helen stood up, looking up at Cam. “You want to dance?”

“Why, Helen,” He gave an appreciative nod as he placed his hands on his hips. “How incredibly forward. I would love to.” 

She moved in front of the mirror to talk to him. Shaking her head, she bit her lip. “I don’t really dance, Cam.”

“Helen, you either dance to Lana or you cry-- Don’t make me cry.” Watching him in front of her, she couldn’t deny him.

Tentatively, Helen wrapped arms around herself, her eyes down, self-conscious, before slowly raising it to meet Cam’s.

He felt her arms on him and he followed her lead, holding himself so she could feel him. His mouth rose slightly as he watched the vision of Helen in front of him.

The two swayed together, slowly, in front of the mirror, quietly enjoying the encompassing bewitching music and the other’s presence.

Cam felt a soft pressure on his chest and knew Helen was resting her head there. She smelled of roses.

“Your footwork could use some improvement.” He told her quietly with a smile.

Helen felt the smile on her face and casually stepped on her own foot, not hard, just enough for Cam to feel.

Despite this, Cam didn’t stop swaying and his smile had turned into a full-grin. “Upon first meeting, I don’t think anyone would know that you’re positively abusive.”

“I hit you because I love you.” The words left her before she realized and when she did, it was an odd feeling-- the feeling of her heart suddenly racing and Cam’s stopping. They felt it both.

“Out of context, Helen,” Cam kept his voice incredibly leveled. “That is exactly what an abuser would say to their victim.”

“Don’t ruin the song.” Helen replied in a small voice, burying her head deeper in him.

“I could never.” He answered, holding her closer.

“Arthur, I told them.”

Arthur leapt in front of Joan. “What the fuck, Joan? I told you not to! Helen can’t go through that again.”

“I’ve been keeping it a secret for weeks because of you, but have you seen her? She’s constantly talking to herself and laughing-- She looks insane. She doesn’t hang out with any of her friends! It’s isolating her. That’s what He does. Who knows what’ll happen next?”

He didn’t have a valid argument. Their parents always knew what to do. He just didn’t want Helen to get hurt. “...Fine.” Arthur conceded, taking a step back.

“You can’t tell her. She’ll run away.”

Arthur didn’t say anything, just walked away from it. He had to process.

Helen slept soundly that night, unaware that a Healer injected her with a Sleeping Draught while she was unconscious. And when she woke, her surroundings were unfamiliar-- she wasn’t even wearing her pajamas, and yet, Helen could not figure out where she was because she was strapped down.

“Help! Help!” Helen let out loud screams.

The door opened, revealing two women. They smiled kindly at her.

“Hello Ms. Bennet. I will explain to you why you are here.” One sat beside her and the other began fiddling with something behind her. “I am Healer Haugen and this is my assistant, Medi-Witch Solheim. Your parents have placed you under our administration. You are in the Psychiatric Ward of St. Ødegård."

Helen swallowed. Her parents had found out about this. But they didn’t understand. It wasn’t the Devil. She tried to explain. “This is all a mistake. I’m not crazy. I’m not going to hurt anyone. This-- This can’t be ethical. Taking me against my will.”

Healer Haugen shook her head. “I am dear friends of your family, Ms. Bennet. Your parents have put you under my jurisdiction so long as I expel whatever is wrong with you. Now, your parents seem to believe it is the Devil, however, I am a woman of science and rationality. It is clear you suffer from severe schizophrenia. I have been developing a spell based on what I have learned from Muggle research.”

Helen looked at her with fear. “What do you mean ‘developing’?”

“Well, Ms. Bennet, it has not yet been patented, but with your help, it will be well on its way.” The Medi-Witch came into view again and placed a mouth guard in Helen, making her unable to speak.

“You see, the Muggles had designed a rather interesting form of therapy-- Electroconvulsive. They were crude in their methods as the machine was not at all truly effective. But they were onto something. It was a cure for severe depression, but it also worked for people with your same disease.”

A gel was applied to the middle of Helen’s forehead by Solheim, who hardly blinked at Helen.

Healer Haugen neared Helen, pulling her wand out. Tears fell from Helen’s eyes, her begging was muffled by the mouth guard. 

“It will not hurt, Ms. Bennet. You will not even be awake. It is a simple, pain-free procedure, I promise you. When you wake, we will monitor your blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate until it is normal and the voices should soon be gone.”

Helen didn’t know what scared her more-- the procedure or never hearing Cam again.

Solheim put Helen to sleep once more.

Cam jolted up from his sleep, screaming in pain. Isaiah was the first to get to him and tried to calm Cam, but the pain didn’t go away.

The rest of his roommates watched on at the commotion until Isaiah dragged him out of the Hospital Wing. Cam could hardly put up a fight.

Madam Snyder placed him on a cot and could only wait for Cam to finish. It lasted near fifteen minutes and after it was over, he was knocked out cold once more.

When Helen woke up, she felt calm. It hadn’t hurt. Nothing had hurt. She felt calm. It was quiet. Quiet everywhere. She felt like she was floating. There was cotton in her ears. In her head. Everything was just muffled and nothing really mattered at all. Helen was content.

She wasn’t sure how long she spent in the Psychiatric Ward or how many treatments she got, but Helen felt better. Just on a cloud, listless. Aimless.

It was a success.

With her parent’s approval, Helen was able to return to classes. It was the same as before, really. She would just go to classes and clubs and watch the sky. Nothing that mattered really changed. Of course, she would still have to leave for treatments, but they would grow less frequent. 

When the days died down to one treatment per week, a soft buzzing rang in her mind. Nothing she paid much attention to. Not until it formed words.

“Helen!” The emotion and alarm in the voice could have startled her. It was much too loud for her liking though.

She hugged her knees, burying her mouth behind it. No one would see her talking. “I shouldn’t be talking to you.”

“Bullshit! What the fuck happened?”

“My parents thought the Devil was in me again. The Healers thought I had schizophrenia. I’ve been getting treatments.”

Cam placed his hands over his face, rubbing the side of his nose. “They’re giving you Electroshock therapy.” He was in disbelief. The first time, it’d nearly burned his skin off. But with every treatment, it grew duller. It dulled his connection to Helen. Though he was speaking to her now and could still see the faded world she was in, she was most far away she had ever been. Not including when she wasn’t there at all.

“That’s what they said.” Helen replied.

“Helen, you can’t stay there. You have to leave.” The thought brought a frown to Helen.

“Why?”

“It’s not legal, Helen. You’re not possessed and you’re not schizophrenic. What they’re doing to you isn’t right.” He tried to get it through her head. “I’ve seen your life. I know your parents. I know everything about you. Helen, you have to leave.”

Her already quiet words had become almost incoherent. “Where will I go?”

“Here. Come here. With me. I’ll take care of you.” Cam was firm. He didn’t know exactly how any of this would work out, but so long as Helen was with him, safe, he could figure it out.

“Okay.”

Cam wanted to sigh in relief at how quick she was to agree. “Alright. When’s your next treatment?”

“Four days. 6PM.”

“Then, I’ll see you before that, Helen.”

Before Cam cut off to work with the limited time they had, Helen stopped him.

“Wait.”

“Yeah?” He asked tiredly.

“Look.” And then Cam opened his eyes to what Helen was showing him. She was sitting alone outside by the lake, in the place he recognized her when they first spoke. It was night. The ever changing Norwegian sky was filled with stars. And there was a green glow shadowing it all. Helen was sitting under the Aurora Borealis.

“It’s beautiful.” He said of it. He’d never seen it before.

“So are you.” Helen replied rather lightly, almost sounding dreamy. He would have laughed at how cliche it was, if not for the fact that Helen’s state of being wasn’t entirely her own. “I never said it before-- When I first saw you. I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life. Broken nose and all.”

“Helen.” Cam swallowed. “I’m coming for you. I promise.”

Helen didn’t really know what to expect of Cam, or what was happening. She was just certain that she was leaving. He had promised. So, discreetly, she began to pack her things. Not a lot. Just one bag of anything important to her. She even manage to duplicate her transcripts just in case.

It was on the third day that Helen had made her vague goodbyes to her siblings, but the fourth day was when she’d accidentally made her vague goodbye to August.

Helen had been taking her last tour of Durmstrang. She didn’t much care for the luxurious inside, but was more enamored with the landscape of it. She had accidentally passed the Quidditch Pitch just as the players were finishing practice.

She met eyes with August. Some sort of closure was in order. They both knew. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder and walked to her before stopping a few feet away.

“Bennet.”

“I’m sorry, August.”

He pointedly avoided diving into it. “You were gone a while.”

“I had to go to the hospital.”

August immediately looked her over with obvious concern. It nearly broke her heart that he still cared enough.

“I’m fine now. Don’t worry about me. I just. I wanted to apologize to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better girlfriend.”

He swallowed and nodded. “Things just don’t work out sometimes.”

“I’ll miss you, August.” 

He dipped his head before stepping back. “Back at you, Helen.”

A Portkey. That was his answer. They were illegal to make without Ministry approval, but Cam didn’t have the kind of time to do all the paperwork for a ‘maybe’. He spent the next few days and night trying to perfect the spell. By day three, he was scarred from his attempts, but also learned the only Portkey he could make was the one that had a timer on it. It would limit them, but it was the best he could do on short notice.

It was day four and he was quick not to waste time on this day. It was 4:30PM. 5:30PM for Helen. He didn’t mean to wait until their final minutes, but Helen had asked for the time. She was parting and he could understand that. Though, it did damper the casualty he could enact her escape.

Grabbing the empty flask, he stood just outside Hogwarts’ protection zone. Any second now, the timer of the flask would go off. He didn’t wait long. The flask warmed in his hand before the familiar feeling took him in.

As Cam looked around the landscape, he hoped to God that he was in the right place.

“Helen!”

Helen was sitting out by the lake, bag in hand, feeling more than jittery. It’d been a week since her last treatment and her normal nerves were returning. Both leaving and the prospect of seeing Cam face-to-face was utterly terrifying. 

“Helen!” She heard him shout and could see as he did. The sky was the same. He was here.

“Cam! Where are you?”

“Oh, you know,” He was looking around, “Scandinavia. The usual.”

Helen glanced at her own surroundings. There was no one. Slowly, she began to slink out to leave Durmstrang’s zone.

Cam was jogging. He wasn’t even sure if it was in the right direction. “Helen, you’re going to have to hurry up. We’ve got--” He checked his watch. “We’ve got thirteen minutes and twelve seconds.”

“What?” Helen exclaimed, immediately picking up her pace. “I-- I don’t even know where you are!”

“Neither do I.” He glanced up. “That mountain-- Do you know what I’m looking at?”

She was busy trying to evade the thicket of trees that she was now in to pay close attention. “N-No, no. Where are you?”

“Helen, look!”

Helen stopped to focus on whatever Cam was looking at. Suddenly, she brightened, “Yes! I know where that is! I know where you are!”

It breathed relief into Cam until she spoke again. “Cam, you’re an hour away.”

The thought of apparition occurred to him, but there was no way he could apparate to her, when he didn’t know the landscape at all. “You know where I am-- Can you apparate to me?” He asked urgently.

“No-- I, I don’t have my license. I’ve never successfully done it.” 

Cam swallowed. “We better get running then, Helen.”

As they both ran, trying to reach each other in time, Cam had to think that he couldn’t remember the last time he ran this hard. That there was something at the end of the finish line he wanted. That he needed. Visions of what Helen was seeing was meshing with his, making it hard to clarify where he was going. He looked at his watch. 

“Eight minutes.”

Helen was breathing heavily. “I’m...Trying.”

He could tell by what she was seeing, that Helen was not running fast enough. Cam pushed his legs harder for the both of them.

“Cam, I can’t....run...” Helen was slowing. She couldn’t breathe and he could feel that in his own chest.

“Five minutes, H-Helen.” Cam stated.

“I know. I’m trying.” She was heaving, taking a slow jog. There was a cramp in her side, but she wouldn’t stop.

The clock was ticking down and when Cam checked it again, he flipped over on a log. He grunted before brushing the embedded wood chips in his palms.

“Three minutes.”

Helen suddenly stopped, tears in her eyes. “I know where you are, Cam.” Her voice was breaking. “You’re forty minutes away. I can’t do this. We can’t do this. It was stupid idea. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

Cam didn’t stop running. “Helen, I-- I promised.” His legs were burning. “I’m not leaving....Without you.”

She didn’t say anything and all he got from her was the darkness as she closed her eyes, her heavy breathing, and the thumping of her heart in his chest.

“One minute.” For the first time in a long time, Cam’s own voice broke. The sense of hopelessness was strong and his steps slowed as stared at the clearing before him. He bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I’m...I’m so sorry....Hele..n.”

The flask grew warm in his hands again and just as he was about to toss it into the trees, there was a loud crack and a force fell into him.

At once, the Portkey activated and he was taken back to where he’d last left.

Cam tumbled onto the ground, roughly-- his heart was still beating rapidly, and a dead weight settled over him. He smelled roses.

The dead weight, slowly looked up, and he lifted head up to see large green eyes staring up back at him. They both laid there-- her over him, him flat on the ground, both catching their breath and staring at one another.

After all this time, it had felt real, but for the first time, it was real. 

Soon, their breaths quieted to something more shallow and there was nothing left but the silence between them as they watched one another. Helen weakly rose her arm up, reaching to touch his face and Cam managed to slip an arm around her waist.

“I...” He swallowed. “I thought you said you couldn’t apparate.”

She smiled, unbelieving as she watched the words come out of his mouth-- Feel the heat of his breath. “Couldn’t...Apparate successfully.”

Cam finally broke his gaze from her, trying to check her for blood. “Are you hurt?”

Helen laughed again resting her forehead on his heaving chest. “Only that you gave up,” She took a breath, “In the last minute.”

Cam lifted a finger, tiredly. “Technically,” He swallowed saliva, trying to moisten his throat, “I kept my promise, Helen.”

Raising her head once more and resting her chin on his him, Helen narrowed her eyes, playfully. “Cam, are you going to keep talking technicalities with me..” She took another breath, “Or are you going to kiss me?”

Rolling his head slightly, he pretended to give it thought. “Technically, I’m a great multi-tasker.” He grinned before lifting his head up. Cam slowly rose his hands from around her to cup her face.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.” He said, his nose touching hers.

“Just ask me to stay.” Helen’s eyes sloped down to where her mouth hovered over his.

Cam stretched his neck up more, closing the gap between them before pulling his mouth away slightly. “Never leave.”