Writing date: January 2020

Genre: Fluff? I mean war, the typical last year on the run.

Warnings: As I said, war

Word count: 6.4k 

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Summer

"How do I look?"

She was swirling around the room, the skirt of her bright yellow dress flaring out, and he knew it was her subtle way of teasing him about what was underneath that skirt. In any other circumstance, it probably would've worked, his girlfriend was gorgeous after all, but today, his brain was clouded with worries that were most definitely too heavy for a 17-year-old boy.

"Breathtaking, as always. Kaycee, don't go."

She promptly stopped swirling, her smile vanishing as snow does under the sun.

"Sean, no, we've talked about this already. We're not going to fight about this again, are we? I don't....I don't want a fight to be the last verbal exchange we have and right now, every word could be the last one. You know I can sense it."

He closed his eyes, as if to protect himself against the truthfulness of her words. He didn't wish for a repeat of last Thursday. No, it was just that since that night, nightmares had been plaguing him, forcing him to tiptoe to Ginny's room, in the middle of the night, hoping no one would catch him creeping around the house. The only thing he wanted to do was check on Kaycee and her sister anyway, but he doubted Mrs. Weasley would believe that, coming from a teenage boy with a girlfriend who, coincidentally, lived under the same roof.

Last Thursday was the night Hermione, Ron and Harry had agreed to take Kaycee with them on the horcrux hunt -as she requested- because the extra, now trained capacity of her mind could be handy, and therefore, it was the night of their first ever fight as a couple. He had ignored her at first, not knowing how to deal with the thought of losing her for an unknown amount of time. He hadn't been ready to let her go. After the ignoring, he'd gone to yelling, throwing all his fears like daggers in her face, not even stopping when tears were streaming down her face and her upper lip was trembling. When he had finally stopped yelling, he'd crumpled down, and she had, too, there in that small, stuffy room on the second floor of the Burrow. He'd been stupid enough to assume she wouldn't go, since she had broken down then as well, but when he had voiced that thought, she'd suddenly stood up, raging, making heated hand gestures and screaming in such a pitchy tone that he was convinced someone would come and check on them within 10 seconds. Kaycee had stormed out of the room and hadn't said anything to him at first. Gradually though, she'd started acting normal again, and so they didn't speak about it anymore. But now, barely 4 days later, he still hadn't been able to let go of all his fright. An icy blanket had seemingly wrapped itself around his chest since that evening. He remembered Kaycee once comparing her actual blanket to a prison, and thought bitterly that she couldn't have been more accurate.

"Sean? You okay?"

It was Kaycee, and Sean suddenly came back to the present time, to Kaycee's yellow dress, to the excited chatter from outside that slipped through the creaks of the windows, to the bed he was currently sitting on, to his tie still laying on his lap.

"Yeah, yeah I am. Considering the circumstances."

His voice sounded hoarse, but he didn't really care. He wouldn't have to talk during the ceremony anyway. Kaycee smiled again, and even though it was a somewhat sad smile, it was genuine, and Sean was grateful for that.

"Let me help you with that tie."

She walked towards him, grabbing the tie and sitting down on his lap in its place. Soon, he felt the fabric being tied around his neck, not too tight, just right. Kaycee's hands glided to his chest, and they sat in silence for a few seconds, both trying to close themselves up in this moment where everything was still relatively well.

"Let's make tonight a good night, okay? Give me one more good memory to remember you by, please."

It was all such a contradiction, his dark mood, starkly contrasting with Fleur's excited chatter with her sister in the room next to him. Sean knew she was determined to make her wedding day a happy day, and he admired her for it, but in the meantime, all he wanted to do was crawl in bed with his own love, and never come out again.

"O-okay...I'll stop being annoying now. I just want you to know that it makes me sick knowing you'll be in danger while I'm not with you. And I've come to realise that you're not going to change your mind and that I'll have to be okay with that. I'm not asking you to agree with me, but I would like you to understand."

Kaycee nodded, connecting their foreheads and rubbing his jaw with her thumb.

"I do, Sean. I consider myself lucky, you know. I won't have to worry about where you are or who's chasing you, if you're hungry, or wounded. I know you're going to be as safe as possible, and I'm very grateful for that. Thank you for letting me go. I love you."

He kissed her swiftly, knowing their little bubble would soon be broken by someone walking in or coming to get them for the ceremony, and afraid he wouldn't be able to distant himself from her physically if he continued now.

"I love you too darling. Now, let's go, I'm pretty sure the ceremony is going to start soon, and I want to be able to show everyone how gorgeous my girlfriend is before everyone looks at Fleur."

Her sweet laugh sounded like music to him, and he realised that this would be one of the memories that would keep him going until she would come back to him.

"Fleur's the bride, it's only natural everyone will look at her, it's not supposed to be any different Sean! Besides, if it's up to me, we don't have to wait that long after this is all over. Then you can show me off on your own wedding."

She clambered off of his lap, skipping to the door and giving him one last wink before making her way downstairs.

As he heard the old staircase creak under her weight, he vowed to himself that he would make a good day of today. It was going to be hard, but he would damned if he didn't at least try to make the best of every second he got with her.

And so he kept his promise. They danced all night, under the stars, only eyes for each other, until the chaos started, and the only thing that was left for him was the haunting memory of his arms wrapped around her tiny frame.

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It had all happened too fast.

The death eaters, the chaos, the screaming, the light flashes. She'd expected it, of course she had, but not that soon. She had actually felt like they would come in about 48 hours from then, but she could kick herself now for not thinking logically.

Of course her sister had. She was the clever one, after all. Thank God for her precautions. She shuddered upon thinking about what would've happened otherwise.

Candles floating all around them were illuminating Sean's face, his eyes sparkling with not only love, but hope as well. They were dancing, swirling around the dance floor, and for just a second, Kaycee couldn't help but allow herself to imagine that this was their own wedding.

A shiver ran down her spine, both from horror and just plain cold. She wasn't having second thoughts about coming with her sister, Ron and Harry at all, but right now, after the last 48 hours in which she'd escaped death eaters in a diner, found a locket that caused her severe anxiety, and broken into the freaking ministry, she'd give all her possessions for a warm couch with Sean sitting in it. The worst thing, however, was that she was well aware that this was only the very beginning.

"Kaycee, are you okay?"

It was Ron, worries visible by the wrinkles on his forehead. She smiled, only slightly and definitely not happy, but grateful for a friend like him. And then, when another term for him flashed through her head, she decided to brighten the situation a little. They could all use it.

"Yes, probably future brother-in-law. Thank you for asking."

And, after checking that Harry and Hermione were still busy setting up their tent, she added:

"Don't you want to go warm your lady up a bit, instead of having to babysit her little sister?"

Ron blushed at that, looking at the ground, but shaking his head slightly.

"I'm not babysitting you Kaycee. You're every bit as mature as Harry and I are. Mione...well, she's just on another level. Besides, talking to you is much easier than talking to her, unfortunately."

Kaycee grinned at that, knowing how much of a hard time he really had talking to her sister. She wished it was different, that they could just admit what they felt. It would make the whole horcrux hunt a lot more comfortable for both of them. Not being able to be with Sean hadn't made her bitter, she still wanted Ron and Hermione to find the love they both craved so badly in each other.

Love.

Sean had said he'd help her with her shoe. She was wearing ballerina-ish ones, with a ribbon tying the shoe around her leg. One of the bows had gotten untied and before she could really react, he'd put himself on one knee in front of her. She didn't even think about what other people would think when they saw them, didn't even notice how much this looked like a completely different event. He tied the ribbon carefully, tight enough so it would keep in place, but not so tight that it would hurt her.

"Sean! This is not a good moment to propose to your girlfriend!"

They both looked up quickly, in the direction of Bill, butterbeer in one hand, roaring with laughter.

"You wouldn't want to have to share the attention with me, now would you?"

Sean had stood up now, laughing as well. Quickly, he walked forward, giving a friendly hug to the oldest Weasley child.

"I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet! You have way too many aunts swarming around you, Bill. Anyway, congratulations. I hope you'll be really happy together."

"Hey Ron, seeing as talking to me is apparently easier than talking to Hermione, fancy telling me why all your aunts found it necessary to swarm around Bill all the time? Sean and I weren't able to reach him! He had to come to us, and then Sean talked about it with Bill after the...well...incident, but I still don't really get it. I mean, is it only because he's the oldest?"

Ron laughed at that, while giving one of the bags to Kaycee and carrying another one with his uninjured arm to what was now a fully standing tent.

"Well, that's a long story. You sure you don't want to talk about Sean's little stunt? That conversation would be a lot more sensational."

They reached the tent, giving the bags to Harry and Hermione, who were going to unpack them while Ron and Kaycee went for another one.

"No, my day was sensational enough. I'd like to hear some stories about your family. By the time my sister marries, I'd like to know at least all the names of the guests."

This time, Ron didn't comment on her teasing. He just smiled.

"Alright then."

And so they talked all evening, about the normal things in life. And it was well that way, just sitting in their tent with a warm tea cup in their cold hands, telling each other stories. It could be the tea, but Kaycee doubted it. It was probably because of her family, which definitely included Ron and Harry as well by now, that once again, a little seed of hope was planted in her heart.

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Autumn

The by now familiar red hue woke her up.

Kaycee opened her eyes, looking around the tent to see what the matter was. She'd soon found the source of the problem: Harry was tossing and turning in his cot, a few feet away from her. She'd learned throughout her sessions with Professor Dumbledore that her extra mind ability always chose to let her know a specific part of the situation. If she was unlucky, it would only tell her that there was something wrong. Those were the worst ones, since she had no clue how to fix whatever was wrong. Sometimes her mind told her what was wrong in particular, but didn't help her with how to fix it. The best thing her mind could do, however, was telling her what she had to do in order to fix whatever was wrong.

Fortunately for her, it was the latter this time.

Quickly, she got up, tiptoeing to Harry's bed, careful not to wake the others. When she reached him, she gently put her hands on his shoulder, slightly shaking him.

"Harry....Harry, wake up. You're having a nightmare. Harry!"

His bloodshot eyes shot open, his breath ragged, and at first, he didn't know where to look, His eyes randomly and desperately darting around the room. In that moment, he reminded Kaycee of the poster of Sirius in Azkaban, and she knew in that moment the sight would haunt her for a long time to come. It took a while until his eyes locked with Kaycee's, but when they did, Harry calmed down a bit.

"It was....it was about G-ginny. Death eaters were hurting her and I wasn't....I wasn't there for her."

He kept silent after that, breaking their eye contact and touching his chest with his left hand. It was only then that Kaycee noticed the locket hanging around his neck.

"Take off the locket and give it to me."

"Kaycee...if something happens, you're the only-"

But she cut him off, having already expected this objection.

"Don't give me that nonsense, Harry. We both know the hue tells me every danger that's about to come in the next 24 hours, I didn't eat chocolate frogs when I visited Professor Dumbledore. Well, that's not the only thing we did, anyway. The point is that I've trained to know a lot by just a few seconds of red hue, and since I've already had the hue now, I know what's important. You can give me the locket."

Harry gave in, putting the chain over his head and giving it to his friend. She immediately put it on, the cold metal instantly numbed the extra part of her mind.

It was something they had discovered a few days after they visited Godric's Hollow, or more specifically, when they were attacked by Nagini. Kaycee hadn't seen it coming at all, hadn't had a red hue in a week. She'd felt so so guilty, until Hermione had demanded her to take off the locket, since it was her turn after Kaycee. As soon as the locket hadn't hung around her neck anymore, the red hue started, way more intense than normal, but also over much sooner. She had seen images, flashes, almost, of everything that had happened in Godric's Hollow.

The red hue had tried to catch up to its normal pace after the locket wasn't able to suffocate her mind anymore.

It was a revelation that had her sister shouting, already making schedules to make sure Kaycee would never be able to wear that locket again, but Kaycee had objected, for the first time in her life standing up against her sister. In the end, she could convince all of them that she would keep wearing the locket, if she promised to give the red hue enough time to come through on a regular basis.

When she looked back at Harry, he smiled, relieved.

"Thank you. That was definitely a misleading dream."

She nodded her head, indicating it was no problem. And then:

"I do it for Ron as well."

Harry cocked his head to the left side, eyebrow raised. Quickly, she checked if Hermione was still asleep, scared she'd start a fit if she discovered her and Ron's secret. Then, she continued.

"Okay, first of all, I want you to stay silent about this to Hermione. She can't know, it's not an option, okay?"

Harry quickly nodded, urging her on.

"About a month ago, Ron and Hermione had an argument. Ron was wearing the locket. You and Hermione stayed inside, not wanting to upset him any more, but I felt a hue coming up again, and so I followed him. The locket had convinced him it was better for him to leave us, Harry."

She could see his eyes expand, her words shocking him to the core.

"Ron does still wear the locket sometimes, one of you would undoubtedly have noticed otherwise, but not as much anymore. And I still take care of giving the hue enough time to come through, it's just way better for all of us this way. Ron...I've learned that he is very insecure. And for me, the locket doesn't feel like a threat at all, it just numbs the extra capacity of my mind, but just because it put its energy in that activity, it can't hurt me anymore."

Harry had an amazed smile on his face, slowly shaking his head as if in disbelief. Kaycee didn't really know what to make of that reaction. Then Harry spoke, whispering in a breathy tone.

"You are one wonderful human being, Kaycee Granger."

She hugged him then, her famous but incredibly genuine friend, and for the first time ever, she really believed the compliment she had received.

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"Don't listen to it Ron!! It's not true!!"

Kaycee didn't think she'd ever heard Hermione scream this hard. As if on instinct, she took her sister's hand, trying to mitigate some of the pain Hermione was experiencing, seeing Ron there, fighting not only against the locket, but his own insecurities as well.

She knew all about the pain of knowing your love is in danger.

"Kill it, Ron! Now's the time! Do it!"

This time, it was Kaycee who was screaming, letting herself get filled with the last remnants of the hue to tell her friend what he had to do. The real hue had made itself present about half an hour ago. They had been eating dinner when it came up suddenly, urging her on to tell everyone Ron had to go to the lake nearby, with the locket. They had all left their camping place with him, of course, anxiety swirling in the pit of all their stomachs. And now they were at the lake, Kaycee, Harry and Hermione on a safe distance, while Ron was directly in front of that hideous form made of air, feeding him lies.

Ron did nothing.

"RON!!! DESTROY IT!! IT'S NOT REAL!!!"

And then, he finally did.

Kaycee saw him lunge forward, the newfound sword of Gryffindor above his head, a soul wrenching sound coming out of his throat. He lifted the sword, slowly, as if to calculate his next move. Time didn't stop, but it definitely slowed down in that moment. Kaycee could only concentrate on the sword in Ron's hand, floating above his head.

Suddenly, time caught up again, everything happening at once. Ron fell to his knees, bringing the sword with him and successfully slicing the locket in half. The vision of Harry and Hermione that previously floated in the air, the fragments exploding, shattering in a million broken pieces, leaving only the truth behind.

The truth, in this case, was Ron, sitting on his knees on the frozen ground, his shoulders heaving, the sound multiplied a hundred times by the eerie silence of the wood.

"Come here."

Ron's voice sounded hoarse, undoubtedly damaged by the animalistic scream of just a few seconds ago.

They complied, of course they did.

Hermione, however, was a little faster than Kaycee and Harry were. She actually ran to him, turning on her heels as soon as she reached him and facing Ron. Before anyone could really register what she was doing, she fell on her knees, half on top of Ron, half of her jeans already getting covered in the mud. And then, she kissed him.

It was something Kaycee really should've seen coming, but somehow hadn't thought of amidst all the chaos. Now, all she could do was stand still, enjoying this rare moment of happiness, not caring that it was surrounded by a scene of danger and mystery.

Ron had taken Hermione's waist by now, making sure she wouldn't slip off of his lap. The kiss itself had looked pretty passionate, which made Kaycee grin. Hermione never did anything without giving her all. Apparently, that included making out as well.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Harry gesture to her that it'd be better if she just went with him, back to the tent, to give Ron and Hermione some privacy as well. She silently agreed, her smile only broadening as she saw Harry's. Finally, there would be no more beating around the bush from those two.

Just as they were about to walk away, Ron's voice made them come to a halt.

"Stop. Stay, please. Kaycee..."

She turned around again, curious as to why Ron, a guy with 6 siblings, wouldn't appreciate the little alone time she and Harry were giving them. She met his gaze, and was shocked by the amount of happiness radiating off of him, like he was on fire, but in a good way, his positive energy lighting up the forest, and her soul. She wanted him to feel this good all the time.

"Thank you."

And while Harry and Hermione probably thought he was thanking her for sending them here and therefore finally getting rid of the locket, Kaycee knew better. It wasn't only a thank you for transmitting the message of her hue. It was a thank you for lifting his self confidence when he was sure Hermione hated him, it was a thank you for convincing him to stay with them, to convince him that he wasn't too much, but in fact very necessary for this mission. It was a thank you for wearing the locket in his place.

It was a thank you for wanting to be his sister.

"I love you. All of you, so much."

And while they all told her they loved her too, she knew that she would do everything in her power to give these people the long, happy and loving life they deserved.

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Spring

Mudblood.

Kaycee traced the letters on her sister's arm with her thumb, gently rubbing in the ointment Fleur had given her. She'd insisted on being the one to take care of her sister as soon as she heard about Hermione's injuries, ignoring her own ones. She felt guilty, so guilty, for not being able to help her sister. For the past few days, everyone had been saying that she'd been incredible, there in that cellar, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it hadn't been enough.

The darkness was shocking after the brightly lit room they came from, and if Hermione hadn't just been taken away from them, Kaycee would've thought the darkness was comforting.

"Kaycee Granger, I missed you."

She looked around abruptly despite not being able to see anything. It didn't really matter. The voice was enough to give her hope, and let her see a bit more clearly amidst all this chaos.

"Luna. Oh dear God, Luna."

And she'd opened her arms then, not knowing where Luna was but trusting her to hug her, and Luna did, wrapping her arms around Kaycee's body.

She had to stop herself from flinching when she felt how unhealthily skinny Luna had become.

And then, she'd heard the sound that would resurface in her worst nightmares for the rest of her life. Hermione's scream filled the cellar, heck, the whole house had probably heard the echoes of her pain by now. Behind her, Ron stormed to the bars that contained all of them, tugging on it, screaming almost as hard as Hermione just had, over and over again, even when his voice was rough and his throat was undoubtedly sore.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. She looked up, ready to snap at anyone who dared to intervene, but when the door opened and Luna's head appeared out of the creak, Kaycee relaxed. Luna wouldn't tell her what or what not to do.

"Come on in, Luna."

Luna smiled lightly and opened the door completely with her elbow, a plate of food balanced on one hand, Fleur's medical kit in the other. It was the first day after they had all been rescued from Malfoy Manor that she saw her friend again, because Fleur had insisted that Luna needed enough time to sleep and eat. She still looked very skinny, but Kaycee took comfort in the fact that her eyes had that same sparkle in them that they had always had before, and that the gloss on her cheeks had somewhat returned.

"I brought our food up here, because I thought you could use some company and I was craving a conversation with someone who doesn't see me as a sweet but crazy girl."

Straightforward Luna. Kaycee loved it.

"What's on the menu today?"

As an answer, Luna put down the plate, showing her 2 apples, 2 piping hot bowls of oatmeal, 2 bars of dark chocolate and a large jar with water in it.

They started eating, both slowly, Kaycee because she wasn't really hungry and Luna because her stomach wasn't used to much food anymore. For a while, the high pitched sound of their spoons scraping against their bowls was the only one filling the room, until Luna decided to speak.

"I knew about your hue, of course I did, and I trusted it way before Malfoy Manor, but I'd never realised it was this strong, Kaycee Granger. So thank you, for being a part of the reason why we're all here. I really appreciate not being in that cellar."

Kaycee looked down, suddenly shy. She really didn't know how to deal with the praise. For some reason, it felt weird to see what she did as anything different than a normal reaction, but that was probably because the hue did feel like something normal to her. She supposed it was different when you had been in that dark cellar for more than a few hours indeed.

"How long had you been in that cellar before we came?"

Luna's answer was light, without tears or much fuss, but it made Kaycee feel as cold as she had in that cellar all over again.

"3 months, one week and 4 days, 5 if you count rescue day."

She hugged her best friend, the tears rolling over her cheeks instead of over Luna's, who was, as always, much stronger than people thought she was. She was, after all, the person who made it possible for her to do the things she had done, there in Malfoy Manor.

Ron's screaming was unbearable to listen to, but Kaycee knew she was never going to be able to shut him up. Not while his Mione was upstairs, receiving God knows which treatment. She was pacing, going from one end of the cellar to the other, desperately trying to block out the noise in order to come up with a solution. She had asked herself a million times why the hue hadn't come up to prevent all of this from happening. She thought it had something to do with the fact that Harry had said Voldemort's name so suddenly, it didn't even count as an event for the hue, but the consequences were so grave that Kaycee still felt guilty.

"Everyone shut up right now!"

And surprisingly, everyone did. Kaycee looked around in astonishment, locking eyes with Luna, who appeared to be just as calm and collected as always, nothing revealing the fact that she had yelled that sentence throughout the cellar at a volume no one had heard her use before.

"Kaycee is about to experience a hue. If we want to get out of here, it's wise to let her think for the next few minutes."

All eyes were on Kaycee, but Kaycee could only look at Luna in surprise, and slight fear, because she hadn't even thought of getting a hue here. Now that the possibility crossed her mind, she realised that it had been at least 24 hours since she had experienced her last hue, which had been about the fact that they shouldn't eat pasta that day because Hermione would get sick. Nothing important, which surprised Kaycee, because the hue always chose to tell her the single most important thing within the next few hours.

Around 30 seconds after Luna had all promised them Kaycee would get a hue, she started feeling it herself, and the only thing she was able to register before she succumbed to the red light, was that Luna knew her so well that had been able to predict Kaycee's hue.

Then, it came crashing down on her, intense like never before.

The hue had definitely saved some of its intensity these last few days.

She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of all the things penetrating her head. One of the only things that came back repeatedly was Dobby's form, his voice, the Hogwarts kitchen in which he was washing vegetables right now. Strangely enough, there was a statue of a house elf in knight equipment in the middle of the room. And then an off-hand mention of Luna, a few years ago, telling her house elves had special powers normal witches and wizards would never be able to possess, unless there was something extremely peculiar going on in their mind.

When the hue stopped, she knew what she had to do.

As quickly as possible, she sat down on the cold floor, trying to ignore the intense cold creeping up her legs. She closed her eyes, balled her fists, drowned out Hermione's screams from upstairs. She called for Dobby, not out loud but in her mind, feeling silly for doing so, but hopeful because she had come to trust her hue, and what it told her. For a second, nothing happened, and her faith rapidly turned into despair. When she heard something, she opened her eyes, only to see everyone she knew in that cellar sitting around her, their faces encouraging, their fingers crossed.

It was all she needed to try again.

She called for Dobby, once, twice, over and over again, forgetting everything and anything else. Dobby. Like a mantra in her head, sounding louder and louder, until she suddenly had a vision in her mind. It was the same image she'd seen in her hue, Dobby washing vegetables while humming to himself.

'Dobby!'

And this time, the version of him in her mind looked up, surprised. The elf turned around, watching his friends all do their task. No one in that kitchen had called for him. Kaycee knew she needed to say more.

It's Kaycee, Dobby. Harry and the rest are in Malfoy Manor. I had a hue and therefore knew that we need-

Suddenly, the connection was broken. Kaycee could feel it, there was a void in her, like a meaningful phone call you had accidentally ended. The image of Dobby wasn't in her mind anymore either, no matter how hard she tried to get it back.

She had let her friends down.

Hermione's scream pierced through her, like she had only been listening through a wall, but was now standing right next to her. Kaycee wished she was, then at least she would've been able to help her sister, maybe even take her place. Anything was better than this suffocating feeling of failure.

"Dobby has come to help you."

It was faint and high pitched, coming from the other side of the massive cellar, but everyone turned their head in synchrony, and in disbelief. There stood Dobby, the free elf, the shiny metal of the exact same knight gear she'd seen in her vision covering his entire body. He looked ready to save them all. And while everyone ran to Dobby, helping and praising him, Kaycee felt a hand take her own. She knew, without looking, that it was Luna's. She felt her best friend squeeze her hand, and she knew what it meant.

She hadn't failed.

She had succeeded.

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The cold breeze that raged through Sean's hair felt refreshing, like it was blowing away his worries, and replacing them with new ideas, possibilities. A future.

He looked out over the landscape surrounding Hogwarts, the Great Lake, Hagrid's hut, the Forbidden Forest. It had been his home for the last seven years, and while his first few years here at Hogwarts had been quite the adventure, the castle had still felt like a good place. The last year, however, had been hell, worse, it had drained him, sucking all colour from his life, reducing all his positive energy to exhaustion. Now though, it all felt different. He felt the wind again, saw how the green leaves gently swayed to different sides, noticed the ripples on the surface of the water beneath him. He felt alive again.

"You okay, mate?"

The sound came from Ron, standing beside him. Sean closed his eyes, smiling at Ron's familiar words. It was crazy how aware he was of everything right now, how little he took for granted. Even Ron asking him how he was doing brought a smile to his face. It was different, he guessed, when that same friend had been away from him for 10 months.

Somewhere above him, a lark sang, and Sean nodded to his friend. He didn't return Ron's question, though. He knew Ron wasn't okay, and that thought made his stomach clench. There wasn't anything he could do, however, so he just squeezed his shoulder, and he knew Ron understood.

"When Harry and Ginny get married, Hermione and I will train any Hogwarts house elf who wants to participate in dancing, and they'll bring a beautiful show on their wedding."

Sean's head turned around as quickly as possible, his eyes locking on her form. He'd seen her right before and during the battle, but that was only briefly, and his mind had focused on finding horcruxes and making sure as little people as possible died. Only now that the war was over, he could look properly at her again. She'd lost weight, her hair had never been this dirty and the bags under her eyes had never been this prominent, but the brightness of her eyes hadn't either. She was breathtaking, and he was at a loss for words.

"Wait...is that the hue telling us this? Because I actually like that idea!"

It was Hermione who spoke this time, she was standing beside her sister, hair just as messy, dirty smears covering her cheeks. He saw Ron move, crossing the width of the bridge and engulfing the brightest witch of their age in his arms. It was in that moment that Sean knew Ron would be okay. It'd take a lot of time, but from now on, it'd go only better. He was already healing.

Kaycee spoke up again, and Sean revelled in the sweet sound of her voice.

"No, it's not the hue. I'm creating this with my fantasy, because I hope it'll happen one day. Hermione...we're allowed to dream again."

A single tear fell on Hermione's chest. Sean knew it wasn't from sadness. It was because of what Kaycee had just said. He decided right then and there that that was the most beautiful sentence he'd ever heard in his entire life.

They were allowed to dream again.

"When Kaycee and I get married, we will argue a lot about whether Hermione can be my witness or hers. In the end, I get Hermione as my witness, and she asks Sarah to be hers."

He hadn't even meant to said, it was just an image that had come to his mind. The effect, however, was immediate, Hermione carefully unwrapping herself from Ron's arms and giving him a hug. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ron smile, and his heart warmed.

They stayed on that half broken bridge for the rest of the day, even when it had become dark and the stars had appeared. At one point, Luna and Harry had come to them, bringing blankets, and they joined them in 'creating their future'. Ginny found them too, eventually, as well as Neville, and the 8 of them sat there, the stones cold but their love for one another warm.

Just when Luna was describing how she'd take all their kids on a road trip with Auntie Luna to teach them more about all kinds of mysterious animals, Sean looked up at the stars. Just like that night when he confessed to his love, a star seemed to flutter without falling down, almost like it was winking at him, and Sean was overcome with one thought, crashing over him like a wave of crystal-clear water.

Writing date: January 2020

Genre: fluff. And an approaching war

Warnings: maybe some harassment? It all ends up being okay and nothing terrible happens

Word count: 6.3k

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Summer

"Have you ever heard about horcruxes?"

Kaycee was sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office, her stomach slightly squeasy because of the nerves she felt all throughout her body. She shook her head, unsure of herself, before looking to her side to see if her sister knew anything about it. Hermione's brows were furrowed, but her head was slightly tilted, two signs Kaycee had learned to recognise through years of being with her sister.  It indicated Hermione didn't know something yet, but was inquisitive to learn more about it.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, looking at them with a kind smile, but a serious expression in his eyes.

"Horcruxes are very, very rare objects. They're also a very dark form of magic, which is why most people have never heard of it before. A horcrux is an object in which a piece of someone's soul is placed. The process is not something I'd recommend, though. In order to make a horcrux, one has to splinch their own soul. I've obviously never experienced it myself, but it's said to be one of the worst kinds of pain to exist."

The heavy silence Kaycee thought would follow was immediately killed by Hermione's voice full of disbelief.

"But why would someone do that? That sounds gruesome!"

The headmaster nodded understandingly at her.

"That's the clue, Miss Granger. You can't kill someone who has put a part of his soul in another object. Horcruxes always make it possible to return from death."

Kaycee heard Hermione gasp, and she knew her sister had connected the dots. She, however, still had difficulty comprehending where this conversation was heading, until her sister started whispering the answer to the questions that were swirling inside of her head.

"Voldemort has put a part of his soul in a horcrux."

"I'm afraid it's not just one horcrux, Miss Granger. Voldemort has indeed used this technique to be able to reclaim his life, but he has splinched his soul not once, but at least 3 times."

This time, it was Kaycee who gasped. She just couldn't imagine wanting to splinch your own soul. She promptly started shivering at the idea, for once hating how much empathy she possessed. Her shock didn't make her forget her confusion, however, so she asked her headmaster the question that had been burning on her tongue throughout the entire visit.

"But, Professor, what does that have to do with me, and my strange feeling?"

The old man's eyes went from serious to grave, as if he were about to convey some very bad news, and Kaycee suddenly went from sweating to being very, very cold. She wanted this to be over with, so she could crawl in her blankets, the familiar prison for once protecting her from the outside world, instead of the other way around.

"Miss Granger, that's where it gets very interesting. First of all, I want you to know that nothing like this has ever happened in the entire history of Magic, or at least as far as we can read back. That being said, I do have a suspicion I am pretty confident about. You undoubtedly remember your first year, and the diary you wrote in."

Dumbledore's voice got lower, his guilt about not being able to prevent all of that from happening evident in the way he spoke, and Kaycee nodded, half to indicate that she was still following, half to let him know that she was well now, and didn't hold any grudge.

"The diary was a horcrux. When Mr. Potter destroyed it with the basilisk fang, a piece of Voldemort got destroyed along with the object. Since you had been taking the diary with you for such a long time by then, the influence of the horcrux had kind of put itself inside of you, Miss Granger. I know that sounds very concerning, but I want you to know that you were not a horcrux, the influence of the horcrux had merely started residing inside of you, if I can put it like that. Of course that influence got destroyed at the same time that the source of it, the horcrux, got dismantled, but the place it had stayed at, didn't immediately get occupied again. Not that your mind misses anything, it's quite the opposite, really. If anything, your mind got stretched with that influence, and since that space didn't exist before your first year, it was empty after Mr Potter's battle with the basilisk."

"So, my mind is basically larger than average?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"It is, Miss Granger, but that's not all there is to it. After doing some research, I found out that such 'mindgaps' have existed before yours, although they were made in other circumstances. Losing a mind twin, for example, is an unfortunate event in which the mind twin experiences a void in their mind, but fortunately, that's not the case for you, Miss Granger. In fact, your mind has magically filled itself again, with what I expect to be exactly the feeling you have described. See it as an extra gut feeling, an extra internal compass, if you would. Miss Granger, I know that this must come as a surprise, and if it was possible, I wouldn't let you dwell on it any further, instead opting to let you enjoy your teenage years to their full extent, but I'm afraid that in times of war, we must use everything we can, and that includes the extra capacity of your mind."

Kaycee was fast to nod, agreeing completely with what her headmaster was saying. Unlike what Professor Dumbledore had expected, Kaycee didn't feel all that shocked or overwhelmed anymore. True, this was not what she expected, but she finally had an answer now, finally knew for sure that the feeling was not something she made up, or exaggerated. It was useful, she was finally useful in this journey to the light - as she liked to call the war going on around them.

"What's the plan, professor? I'm up to whatever you see fit."

The headmaster smiled at that, his eyes twinkling with pride.

"I would like you to come to my office every 2 weeks, for an extra class outside of your normal classes. I will teach you how to understand your power, how to use it, and, if necessary, how to suppress it. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes, Professor. I look forward to it."

And she did. For so many years, she had been struggling with the memories of her first year, the nightmares, the guilt of holding onto that diary for so long.

It was time for her to step up, do her part, help her loved ones.

She was ready.

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Autumn

Sean breathed out a sigh of relief when he finally found her. The sight of her sitting there with crossed legs, looking up at the sky through the massive window, her hair cascading down her back, made him feel so many things at once. It was breathtaking, really, and he could've stood there all night, up there in the astronomy tower, without moving an inch. He knew that wasn't an option though.

"So there you are."

She didn't move, didn't say anything at first, but Sean knew he was allowed to come closer. He vaguely registered how the wooden floor creaked as he moved, but his focus was on Kaycee. He was still hesitant to do anything. She was the one who ran away so suddenly, after all.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like that. It was not your fault, I promise."

She said it with a quiet, hoarse voice, and he knew right then and there that she had been able to think while looking at all those constellations above them. It had made her calm. Another wave of relief crashed over him.

She wasn't going to run from him.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She finally looked at him, a million stars seemingly reflected in her eyes at that moment. She nodded, stretching out her arm to him, beckoning him to sit down, but - to Sean's disappointment - letting go of that arm as soon as he was sitting beside her. For a few seconds, she said nothing, and he didn't push her. He knew that she would start when she had found the right words.

"Look, we both know that I like you as more than a friend, right?"

Sean tried his best to hide his surprise that she didn't beat around the bush. For some reason, the dark blue colour of the sky combined with the bright spots scattered across it had made him think their conversation would be a meaningful one, one to start gradually but last forever in his memory.

"Did I say too much...?..."

Her voice, a lot softer than normal, brought him out of his thoughts, and he started to speak immediately, not wanting her to be insecure because she decided to be brave enough to finally address their dynamic.

"No, no you definitely didn't Kayc! I just....didn't expect you to be so open about it so suddenly."

She smiled at that, still a bit shy, but at least more comfortable now.

"Sean, when Ron asked me to come smell his Amortentia, I just, I don't know....for some reason I really didn't think it would be that much of a big deal, but then I smelled it and I just...panicked, I guess."

Those last few words made Sean panic in her place. Had he actually been mistaken about her signs and did she not feel anything for him? Had he really been that arrogant? A cold spot formed itself in his chest, and the longer Kaycee waited with continuing her story, the more it spread out towards the rest of his body.

"So....what did you smell then?"

He tried to be casual about it, he really did, but the cold spot had reached his throat and made it hard to speak. Kaycee finally turned her head, now looking at him instead of at the constellations, a small smile on her face.

"Come on Shamu, like it's not embarrassingly obvious already. I smelled...well, this is probably pretty unique for Amortentia, but I smelled sweaty dance rooms, and parchment, and freshly cooked meals. Sean, I already knew I liked you. I mean, I guess I made it pretty obvious. Smelling you in Amortentia though...it brings everything on a much higher level. And I...I guess I underestimated how serious my feelings for you were, but we both know Amortentia never lies, now does it?"

And he knew as well that Amortentia never masked anything. Whatever you smelled while hanging above a cauldron of the lovely liquid was what your deepest desire was in terms of love, and that wouldn't go away after your crush stayed uninterested or your teenage years passed.

No, what you smelled in Amortentia, counted for the rest of your life.

"Sunflowers, hairspray and just a hint of sweat, but the good, 'I gave my all and created something magical' kind, not the disgusting one."

"What?"

He almost laughed at the clueless expression on her face, but then he didn't, suddenly realising that this could very well become the moment he could officially ask her to be his girlfriend.

"It's what I smelled in my Amortentia, Kaycee. I think we both know who smells like that, don't we?"

"Well, I hope I don't smell like sweat all the time."

She said it while laughing, but Sean could hear the relief she was trying to cover up. Had she been so insecure about his feelings for her? He thought he'd always made it pretty obvious she was it for him.

"No, you don't. You smell like sunflowers most of the time, but if I talk or think about you, I always picture you dancing, so I guess that's where the smell of hairspray and sweat comes from."

And then, when he saw the doubt on her face:

"Kaycee, it's you. And I don't know what that does to you, I hope it makes you happy, although it can also cost me my friendship with you if it makes you panic, but it has to be said. I am completely in love with you, and I've known it for far longer than my Amortentia class, or than going to the Yule Ball with you, even. And there's nothing I can do about it. I can only hope you feel the same, really, because there is no way to get over what I feel for you."

He didn't know why he said all of that. It was true, in fact there was nothing more honest he had ever said, but even he realised that this was probably a bit much to take in all at once. He should've said those things all separately, at the right time, but then again, he had been walking around for almost 3 years now, his head repeating these words like a mantra, over and over again.

All the while, Kaycee's face stayed unreadable.

"Sean....wow. I wish I could say something as meaningful, but you're the one with the right words, aren't you?"

Her tone was so controlled, almost restrained, that his first thought was that she was angry with him. He should've known better.

"It's one of the many reasons I'm in love with you as well. You want to hear some other ones?"

Sean could only nod, overcome with a second, huge wave of relief, gratitude, and slight disbelief. When talking about this moment to others later on, he would always contemplate telling them about how Kaycee's skin seemed to bask in the light those millions of stars emitted. He never did. It was something only he would ever know, and he knew he would always remember it.

"Your friendship with Hermione is something that makes my heart warm. Or the way you don't try to overpower me when we dance, but rather dance with me, next to me. I love how you can engulf me in your arms, how you offer me comfort, but also see me as my own person. And then we haven't talked about all the sweet gestures. Like, I love it when you take my hand, or lay yours on the small of my back. Or when we duelled in the DA last year, you never held back, you duelled against me to win, which made me feel that much more accomplished when I managed to win. You saw me as your equal opponent, not as a little, fragile sister or a too-naïve Hufflepuff. You saw and continue to see me as the deepest, rawest, most true version of myself. And that, Sean, is something I'll always be grateful for.

He couldn't help himself anymore, needed to diminish the distance between them, so he opened his arms, ready to wrap them around her.

"Come here, Kayc."

And she did, with a surprising amount of eagerness. She shuffled closer, and then, when Sean expected her to come to a halt propped next to him, she moved again, this time lifting herself up and sitting down again on his lap, leaning backwards and laying her head on his shoulder, looking at the stars again.

They were silent once again, but Sean wasn't one to stop talking because a moment was beautiful. He believed words had a great power, and if used in the right way, they could make that beautiful moment even better.

"Kaycee, does this mean..."

He still couldn't outright say it. Was it because of all the years he had stayed silent before this, or because of the intoxicating smell of her hair currently tickling the right side of his neck, he didn't know. He wanted to kick himself for ruining this moment with his words, when Kaycee's next ones made him smile again.

"Do you want it to?"

Something in her tone was open enough to finally give him the courage to go through with it. He took her hand, interlacing her fingers with his, letting them rest on her lap.

"Kaycee Caitlin Rice, do you, at last, after everything we've been through, want to be my girlfriend?"

She said nothing at first, only raising the hand that was holding hers and kissing the back of it. Sean could feel the outline of her smile on his skin. His heart was soaring, burning, even, and he loved every second of it.

"I would love to be your girlfriend, Sean Charles Lew. Very much so."

And that was it. He gave her a kiss on her hair, and put his arm around her middle, pulling her just a smidge closer to his chest. He needed to feel her, to assure himself that this had actually just happened. For some reason, he'd always thought getting together with Kaycee would be something grand, something with music, flowers, lengthy speeches, tears. It hadn't been anything like that, this was probably the most silent get together in the history of Hogwarts.

Still, he looked up at the stars again, wanting to cherish this moment, no matter how silent it had been. What followed could be his imagination, but he swore he saw one of the stars wink. It was all that was needed to tell him that the roaring of his heart was loud enough, and, judging by the way Kaycee's thumb kept rubbing over his arm, he knew it sounded like music to her, too.

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Winter

"Mione! Look, quickly!"

She couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice, already having to remind herself that she had to stay silent. This was a library, after all.

Her sister shuffled closer to her after putting away her wand, trying to watch their friends sitting at an old wooden table through the same small gap in between 2 seemingly endless rows of books.

"Oh, there's mistletoe above us, Neville!"

Neville promptly looked up at Luna's wondering tone of voice, and Kaycee squeezed Sean's hand, smiling when he immediately squeezed back, as well as putting his chin on top of her head.

"I wonder how it started blooming here so suddenly...the living conditions in a library aren't exactly ideal for a plant like misletoe..."

Kaycee could almost feel the identical grins that were on both Hermione's and Sean's face now. She herself, couldn't help but grin as well. They should have known Neville would start thinking about the misletoe's traits, rather than its meaning.

"Well Neville, in a place like Hogwarts, I believe everything is possible. You do know what this means, right? I've already checked, there aren't any nargles in it, which means it's real mistletoe, and not giving me a kiss would mean lots of things, starting with being bothered by hinkypunks for the rest of your life. Now of course I understand if you do not wish to kiss me, but -"

"I do!"

Neville had cut Luna off, and everyone, including Neville himself, only realised a few seconds later what he had actually said. Kaycee smiled, hidden from Neville and Luna by that massive wall of books. She hadn't expected their plan to go so easily.

"I mean, I do want to kiss you, Luna. Especially under a misletoe. It's tradition, after all."

Neville's voice was a lot softer now, and Kaycee silently thanked him for it, afraid for a second that Madam Pinch would check on the pair and their moment would be completely ruined.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

Luna sounded even brighter than usual, although Kaycee's fangirl heart could also be playing tricks on her. Either way, she was excited beyond words for what was about to unfold right in front of her.

And then, it happened.

After Neville had taken one last deep breath, he lowered his head, hesitating for only a second before finally letting his lips touch Luna's. For just a second, nothing happened, they just stayed like that, quiet, in peace, and Kaycee was about to swallow her 'awwww' when something changed.

Luna had shuffled closer to Neville, wrapping her arms around his neck. His reaction was a bright smile, not even hidden behind Luna's lips. His arm was next, Neville wrapping it around Luna's waist, squeezing her side when his hand ended up laying there. Kaycee thought her jaw would actually drop, the whole thing looked so fluent. It took her brain a second to realise just how right this had to feel for both of them in that moment, and her heart melted a little more. They deserved it so much.

By now, Luna had moved her arms, one laying on Neville's chest, the other on his left sideburn, tilting his head so she could reach it. Then, they separated, but as soon as they looked into each other's eyes, they diminished the distance between them again, Neville taking the lead now, following her example of laying a hand on his cheek, moving his thumb across her jawline.

They pulled away slowly, both of them seemingly not wanting this to end. It was only now that Neville started to blush. He pulled her even closer, Luna responding to that by putting her legs over his lap and once again wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you think he's going to confess?"

Kaycee whispered her words in Sean's ear, afraid the faintest sound would ruin the cozy bubble Neville and Luna were in right now. He made a face, telling his girlfriend wordlessly that he didn't know, but hoped it would finally happen. Kaycee could feel his arm coming to hold her waist, and in this moment she could only think about how much she wanted Luna to be able to feel the same thing, not just now, but always.

On the other side of the wall of books, Luna placed her forehead against Neville's, her eyes closed.

"Did you know that when you're in love, there are little elves in your belly? Everyone always thinks those are butterflies, but that's not true."

"Is that so? Well...it's good to know what's going on in my stomach, then."

Okay, Kaycee had to admit that one was smooth.

"Yeah, when I first felt them, I wanted to know what caused the feeling, so I started searching for an explanation and eventually, I found an article about it in an old edition of the Quibbler."

Kaycee noticed that while Luna's eyes were still closed, Neville's were wide open, looking at the girl in front of him. Kaycee didn't think she'd ever seen so much adoration in someone gaze.

"When do you feel them, Luna?"

Luna's smile got even broader, her whole body actually emitting a warm glow.

"They always crawl around when we sit in the greenhouses. Or when I help you with your homework. Or when you accidentally touch me and apologise while you really don't need to. Also when you just smile at me."

Neville answered with a kiss on Luna's forehead, and Kaycee knew that this was the start of something extraordinarily beautiful.

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"Hey, babe!"

As soon as Kaycee heard those words, she turned around warily. This was definitely not Sean. He had nicknames for her, yes, like darling, or love, or baby, when he was in a particularly clingy mood, but never babe.

Upon seeing the guy who had clearly called out on her as there were no other people in the corridor she was currently standing, she put on an unimpressed face, trying to seem unaffected, but wrapping her thin coat tighter around her body. The past week had been remarkably warm for this time of the year, and Kaycee had secretly started hoping Spring would come early this year, but apparently, thin coats didn't protect you against creepy dudes. Not that thick coats did, really.

"Hey, I was talking to you there!"

This time, Kaycee couldn't ignore him anymore. She took a closer look at the guy. He was striding forward urgently, black hair sleeked back, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. She didn't trust him one bit.

"What do you want?"

She was snapping at him, Kaycee could hear it herself. She could only hope he didn't hear the panic sleeping through her tone. She just couldn't help it, the guy was so much taller than her, actually towering over her small form. There was a threatening glow around him that automatically made her want to get as far away from him as possible.

"Oh, well, you see, Kaycee Granger, I've heard some things about you. All good things, don't worry. You're a dancer, aren't you?"

Kaycee nodded, still unsure of where the creepy guy was going. She just wanted Luna to show up so they could go feed the thestrals, which was the reason she was standing here in the first place. Suddenly, his face came closer to hers, and Kaycee had to suppress the urge to lean backwards. She didn't though, because she had finally recognised that dangerous gleam in the boy's eyes. It was a look of pure hunger.

"Do you also like to dance in more...suggestive ways? What do you think about dancing for me? I'd quite like you to give me a lap dance...would you like that, Kaycee?"

This was actually disgusting. She didn't know where this guy got his information from, but it made her sick to her stomach to realise that people immediately linked dancing with sexual things. Even then, she really had nothing against more suggestive dances, but the fact that this guy thought every dancer would automatically want to dance for everyone in that way just went beyond what she thought possible.

"I...stay..away from me."

But even she heard how soft it sounded, vulnerable even, and she could kick herself for being scared of this guy. He didn't deserve that satisfaction.

"Are you sure, sweetheart? I'll surely reward you well..."

And then, there was another voice, not hard at all, but icy, his words echoing through the corridor.

"Do as she says. Stay away from her. For your information, she keeps those kind of dances exclusively for her boyfriend, who is, in this case, only a few feet away from you. If I were you, I'd listen to her."

Both Kaycee and the scary guy looked at the owner of the voice, and if Kaycee had had any way to run to the guy by escaping her threatener, she would have, but he was standing too close, leaving her little more than a few inches of free space on both her sides, her back already against the stone wall.

"Sean Lew."

It was a statement, the teasing undertone completely wiped from his voice, now sounding hollow, empty.

"Geoffrey Zagan."

She had never heard of the guy before, never even seen him. It was only when her eyes fell on his scarf that she realised how the two knew each other. Geoffrey was a Ravenclaw as well.

Sean started walking closer now, his face still void of any emotion. Kaycee could see it though, the cold, threatening glare in his eyes. For the first time in her life, she wasn't completely sure Sean wouldn't physically fight with someone. His steps were deliberate, almost demonstrative, but Kaycee knew he was not playing games. This was a serious matter for her boyfriend.

When the distance between the guys had diminished to 2 feet, Sean came to a halt, right across from Zagan, who had now turned to the other Ravenclaw. That's where the 2 boys stayed for a while, just looking each other in the eye, the silence around them somehow sounding even louder than the words they had spoken a few moments ago.

"Right. I'll go then. Enjoy your girlfriend, Lew."

And with that, he was gone, his steps brisk, with each one he took loosening the iron hold on Kaycee's lungs a little more.

As soon as Geoffrey Zagan had turned around the corner, Sean started talking, his voice harsher than Kaycee had expected it to be.

"I cannot believe this just happened. Honestly Kaycee, how long has this been going on?"

"Sean, stop overreacting. This was the first time this happened, and he didn't have any time to do something to me, now did he? You were fast enough to show him I'm all yours"

She didn't know whether reminding him was a good choice or not, but it was the only thing the could think of.

She saw that her boyfriend finally relaxed at her words, smiling now, and then she smiled too, relieved he wasn't angry anymore. He wrapped an arm around her and rested his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him, a grin spreading over his face while looking into her eyes.

"That, you absolutely are, my darling. All mine to love."

Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck automatically, as if it was second nature. She stood on her tiptoes, her balance perfect because of all the technique classes she had taken throughout the holiday, and angled her face to kiss him. As a thank you, or as an I love you, or maybe both. Sean immediately kissed back, smiling in the kiss, the arm that was still wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to him, his other hand weaving through her curly hair, angling her face so he could reach her better.

Kaycee pulled back from his lips now, but only slightly.

"I love you Shamu. I truly couldn't help it, what he did...but I'm sorry you had to rescue me."

They were whispering against each other's lips now, the moment feeling delicate, vulnerable, and in Kaycee's eyes, easy to escalate in the wrong way. Sean's angry tone had scared her, even though she wouldn't admit it. That wasn't necessary, however, because Sean could see it in her eyes, she knew she couldn't hide it, and his face was immediately filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry love, I just....I got so enraged seeing him so close to you. Not even because I was jealous, I wasn't, but because of the look on your face. I promise I won't put my frustration on you anymore Kayc."

She nodded, caressing his cheek, and he smiled again, his dimples showing. She couldn't help but poke them, they were so adorable, resulting in the 2 of them falling into a fit of laughter, desperately clinging to each other while trying to get at least a little bit of oxygen.

Their laughter eventually calmed down, however, and a thought suddenly struck Kaycee, promptly removing all happiness from her mind.

"Sean...you lied to him."

Sean looked confused, and didn't know what to say to that, unsure of what she actually meant. She could see it in his eyes, he was already going over all the previous events, trying to pinpoint what he had done wrong. Quickly, she put her hands on his chest, putting her weight forward instead of backwards, showing him she wasn't, and would never be, afraid of him.

"You didn't do anything wrong, in fact I'm incredibly grateful you did this for me in the way you did. Saving me-"

"I didn't save you, I helped you. You would've been able to fight him on your own, I'm not your knight in shining armor, even though I'd like to be sometimes."

Kaycee just continued what she was going to say, but couldn't fight the small grin that was returning on her face.

"Be that as it may, my point is that you made me feel taken care of, but you did so by lying, and I didn't even realise it. You said I dance for you in that way Sean. And we both know I don't. We only do cute and sweet things, never the more...spicy ones. And...I just...I guess I only realise now that you maybe want that and I've been so insensitive about your wants and needs, never even asking if you wanted me to do something like that while you've given me everything I want and more and I-"

"Hey hey, calm down darling, breathe. Please tell me this is just the shock from meeting Zagan, and you don't really think this."

The silence following his words answered him, and she could see that it wasn't the answer he had been hoping for.

"Sean...I just, he made me think, okay? I would understand if you wanted me to do certain things. Why hasn't that happened yet? I mean, we've been together for almost 5 months now, and you're a healthy teenage boy, I would truly understand Sean."

He was shaking his head, and she was afraid he hadn't even heard her, hadn't even wanted to know what she was saying, but to her, this wasn't something unreasonable. She would really understand, she wasn't just saying it to make him happy.

"Kaycee, you're so wrong this time. This doesn't have anything to do with my needs or wants in terms of sexy things, at least not only mine. I know this is going to sound so cliché but I swear I'm telling you the truth. Your wellbeing will always be my number 1 priority. I really don't care whether we do those things now, or in a few weeks, months, years. The thing is, Kaycee, that it'll only be fun for me of I'm 100% convinced you are enjoying yourself too, and until then, I'm happy to wait. Really, I am. Darling, say something please, I want you to understand."

And she finally did. What Sean had said was true for her too, things were only fun or nice whenever the person you were doing it with was happy as well. Kaycee realised then, that the beauty of everything, but most of all these romantic steps, was the knowledge that you were sharing that beauty, sharing the memories, the feelings, not just the activity itself. It all made sense now. And she could only hug Sean, this wonderful young man in front of her, not only for reassuring her he wanted to wait with things, but for convincing her that he was 100% okay with it.

In time, they would make their own, unique, precious, and beautiful memories in that department, but until then, she was going to show this extraordinary human in front of her all the other ways in which her heart longed for him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spring

This could very well be the worst day of Sean Lew's life.

Not even when he had had to save Kaycee in his second year did he feel as sad as he did now. Back then, he had been able to do something. Right now, it was all out of his hands, irreversible.

Albus Dumbledore was dead, and he would be gone forever.

It was the only thought that was able to sink through the thick fog pervading his brain, the only thing he could hear, over and over again, his inner voice echoeing within his head. He could only sit there, outside, alone on one of the wooden benches after the Headmaster's funeral. Of course Kaycee and his friends had been there during the service, but afterwards, they had all known Sean needed some time alone, and he was grateful that they let him gather his thoughts in solitude.

Until now.

"Hey there Sean Lew. Do you mind if I sit here with you? You look like you could use another perspective on all this."

Sean turned his head, smiling slightly when he heard Luna's voice. His fellow Ravenclaw had a way with words, with saying them, and he realised that it would probably be wise to listen to what she wanted to tell him. He was no fool, having someone like Luna in your life was a true blessing, like a breath of fresh air, time and time again, and he had figured out a long time ago that he should never take her presence for granted.

"You know Sean, when my mother died, my father and I didn't do anything extremely special. We didn't remove her pictures inside the house, but we also didn't put any more on the walls. Her grave was very simple as well, no special bouquets or incredibly long letters. No intricate service, not at all. We said goodbye to her and that was about it."

Her tone was so light when she told about her mum, Sean noted, and he could only be impressed. She didn't sound sad at all, and he wanted to know how that was possible.

"Luna....why are you telling me this now?"

She smiled at that, not looking him in the eye, but rather at the field of grass in front of her.

"Because, Sean, you look too much at the earthly things, the tangible things, the facts. Services, flowers, gravestones....they're not important, or at least not in my opinion. If we follow biological rules, there's no denying that dead people are, and will always be, dead. They won't come back. But what people often tend to forget is that there is one way to keep those loved ones alive, regardless of your religious or scientific beliefs."

A brief silence fell over them, and for the first time since she approached him, Luna turned her head, making eye contact with him.

"You keep them alive in your heart."

And there was something about the way she said it that made him believe her. The fog in his head disappeared, and the sun that had been shining all along, reached Sean now as well.

Writing date: August 2019

Genre: still fluff, actually the entirety of Hogwarts Highlights is fluff tbh.

Warnings: none, except some kissing but I don’t think a warning is necessary :) OH AND BETA-ED CONTENT! Thanks Annie, ily 

Word count: 7.4k

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer

Dear Sean

I have so much to tell you that I don't even know where to start! As you know, we're in France at the moment, and I'm honestly having a blast. I even made some new French friends a few days ago! Can you believe that I, small and shy Kaycee Granger, socialised?

Yesterday, mum, dad, Hermione and I explored a small village nearby a little bit. Kylie and Devon claimed that a vacation is supposed to be a period of time where you just lay down and relax, but honestly, that's nothing for me. Anyway, we went and explored a little bit, and suddenly, we came across a boy around our age, with Asian roots, and he was tap dancing on a little platform he'd layed down on the corner of the street. He was really good, so a lot of people put some money into the hat he had put on the ground, but he still seemed to be a bit timid, humble, when he wasn't dancing. He reminded me of you, Sean. Honestly, I miss you. So much. I know that I'm supposed to enjoy my vacation, and I really do, but it's just not the same, away from you. Does that make sense? I really hope so..

"You really care about him, don't you?"

Kaycee turned around, startled by the voice that sounded so close to her. It was Hermione, peeking over her shoulder to read the letter she was currently writing to Sean. Kaycee had thought that it was safe to write him now, because everyone had gone to bed, but apparently, Hermione hadn't been asleep.

"Of course I care about him. Isn't that normal? You care about him as well, don't you?"

A small, knowing smile made its way to her sister's face.

"I care for him, yes, he's my best friend, but something inside of me tells me that you care about him more than I do."

Kaycee didn't like where this conversation was heading, even if she didn't really know why she felt so uncomfortable suddenly. Carefully, she began folding her arms over her letter, so Hermione couldn't read it anymore. She loved her sister dearly, but sometimes she just didn't want an analysis of everything she did. This was personal.

"What do you mean, I care more for him than you do? You're his best friend, Hermione, I think you're supposed to care for him more than I do!"

She was getting irritated, but her sister's little smile stayed etched on her face.

"Nevermind. You'll understand eventually, I'm sure of that. I'm going to go to sleep now, don't stay up too late, alright? We have a busy day tomorrow. Sleep well Kayc..."

And with that, Hermione turned around and went upstairs, leaving Kaycee with a lot of questions and an unfinished letter.

Might as well finish it, then there's at least one thing I don't have to worry about anymore..

Kaycee grabbed her pen again, since she was writing to him the muggle way, and continued where she left of:

It's pretty late right now, so I'm going to make this last bit a little shorter. I just wanted to tell you that I miss you lots, and that I really look forward to seeing you again on the hogwarts express! We're sitting in the same cabin, right? I really want to catch up with you, it's been such a long time since I last saw you...I hope you're okay too. I hope that you're having just as much fun as I have, because you deserve it. You deserve so much Sean. I really can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me in the past, and everything I'm sure you will do for me in the future, because you're such a generous soul.  I'm so happy that you came into my life, Shamu..thank you. Really.

I'm thinking about you.

Kaycee

Satisfied with her letter, she put her pen down and folded the piece of paper, putting it in the envelope she'd made earlier. Then, she stood up and went upstairs, to go to sleep. Hermione was right, it was going to be a busy day tomorrow, but she was determined to enjoy every single second of her vacation with her family. Still, a small part of her just wanted to be with Sean. That boy was going to get one hell of a hug when she saw him again..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Sean!"

Sean smiled at the chorus of 'hi's' that echoed Hermione's. They were in the Great Hall, everyone had just finished eating their first dinner of the new school year. Right before the feast, Dumbledore had announced that people were allowed to go sit at other houses' tables after their dinner, and Sean decided to make good use of that offer.

"Ronald, honestly, this is the 5th plate you're eating. Isn't it a bit much? I get nauseous just seeing you stuff your mouth!"

Sean turned towards Hermione, who was now beside him, and laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. He actually found it hilarious, the way Ron and Hermione always had to bicker so much. They cared about each other, and anyone could see it, except for them, it seemed.

The ravenclaw's smile decreased though, when Ron began growling something at Hermione, clearly not amused with her opinion on his apetite. They all watched him as he forcefully put his fork down, shoved his -still unfinished- plate towards Hermione, who sat opposite of him, and stomped off, leaving Harry, Hermione and Sean behind in the great hall, all shocked by the sudden outburst.

Sean hadn't missed the way Ron had glared at him upon leaving the table, but he had no idea what the glare meant.

"What's going on here? You all look like you've seen a ghost! Although, that's actually not that impossible here. I just keep messing up muggle expressions with magical ones!"

The cheerful, giggling tone of Kaycee brought them all out of their reverie, and Sean couldn't contain a sudden smile from coming up, as much as it confused him. He was about to answer her, but Harry beat him to it.

"Ron stomped off. He became annoyed after Hermione said that he was eating a lot. But he'll get over it, come on, have a seat!"

Kaycee happily took Ron's previous place next to Harry, just as Sean decided to follow Harry's advice to shrug Ron's behaviour off. He sat opposite of Kaycee, and while she engaged in a conversation with her sister, he had all the time to look at her. He didn't even realise he was staring, entirely too occupied, too engrossed in her features to notice what the conversation was going about, or the look of understanding that dawned on Harry's face after looking at his friend for a while. He didn't notice anything, except for Kaycee's curls, gently bouncing when she excitedly nodded at Hermione, or the way her eyes shone, happy to be here again.

And Sean was happy to be here again as well, and it wasn't only because Kaycee was here. Of course it was amazing to have her by his side again, he really had missed her and for some reason, he felt his best when he was with her, but he was also happy to be really here again, in Hogwarts, surrounded by the magic that naturally flowed through his blood. Hogwarts, with its moving staircases and talking portraits, with its floating candles and translucent ghosts.

Hogwarts, where he felt home.

He closed his eyes, smile still evident on his face, and took a moment to take in the atmosphere. He felt the excitement he shared with the other students, to be finally in the castle again. Heart full of emotions, he let the sleepiness caused by his first magical meal wash over him. He'd go to his bed soon, but he wanted to enjoy the warm feeling he had now, sitting with his friends, for a little longer.

His smile increased for the umpteenth time that night.

This was home.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Autumn

"Come on Sean, there are Hermione and Ron!"

Sean tried his best to ignore the tingling feeling of his hand, which Kaycee had taken in her own to drag him towards Hermione and Ron, who were already sitting on the bleachers. The first quidditch match was about to begin in less than ten minutes, and it could easily be felt in the atmosphere. The sun was shining its last warm sunrays of the year, and the exciting buzzing of people all around him made him feel really happy. It was a nice day, and even Ron, who had been grumpy for a few days after the confusing incident during their first meal in Hogwarts, was in a great mood because of the quidditch match, judging by the goofy smile on his face.

They barely had time to talk with Ron and Hermione before the quidditch match begun, and soon, the bleachers were filled with the deafening noise of applause and cheering.

Kaycee didn't share the crowd's enthusiasm for long though. The game had only begun about 15 minutes ago, but a few boys suddenly came running into the bleachers. They came to a halt in front of Kaycee, effectively blocking her view.

Now, she wasn't really mad at them, they probably hadn't even noticed her problem since she was really small, but she was still bothered by the lack of view, so she decided to be brave.

"U-uhm, excuse me, could you please move a little? I-I can't see right n-"

"Shove off you baby. We're watching a game."

The boys had rudely interrupted her question, towering over her tiny form and immediately squashing her bravery.

Kaycee sighed, convinced she wasn't going to enjoy this game and might as well go back to her common room to study a bit, but apparently, Sean had other thoughts about that.

"Hey! Shut it! You don't have the right to talk to her like that!"

Kaycee looked up then, taken aback by Sean's sudden anger, but grateful nonetheless. She felt a peculiar warmth spread through her chest, not really knowing what it was, but having a good feeling about that warmth. She smiled at him, trying to convey her gratefulness, and he beamed back at her, dimples showing.

The boys in front of her, however, weren't as impressed with Sean's words. They simply laughed at him, too arrogant to even answer the Ravenclaw.

"Come with me, Kayc. I don't really mind coming to the common room with you. We can study a bit more together for your transfiguration test in two days."

Hermione had barely spoken, when Kaycee's entire form got even smaller, shoulders down, looking defeated.

He didn't want that for her.

He wanted to see her smile, cheering at the quidditch players, having a good time. He wanted her to be happy.

So he did the first thing that came to his mind, afraid that the sisters would be gone by the time he came up with another, probably more sensible idea.

He crouched down.

"Come here Kayc, put your legs on my shoulders, you'll be able to see when I stand up"

Kaycee merely stood there, confused. She hadn't expected Sean to care this much.

"A-are you sure Sean? If I sit on your shoulders, your neck is seriously going to hurt tomorrow.."

But Sean really was sure. He wanted her to be able to enjoy the game, at all costs. If that meant he was going to have a sore neck for the rest of the week, then so be it.

"Don't be silly, I can easily hold you. Now come here"

And so Kaycee did. Somewhat clumsily, she put her legs on both sides of Sean's neck, only feeling safe when Sean wrapped his arms securely around her shins.

She'd expected to feel scared when he'd get up from his crouching position, automatically distancing herself from the ground, but when it came to it, she didn't feel scared at all. She felt surprisingly safe, up there, Sean's hands on her shins, looking over the rude boys in front of them, clearly seeing all the details of the quidditch game.

She didn't know right now, but for the rest of her life, she would get a big smile on her face every time she thought back to this moment...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winter

Sean's steps were echoing through the corridor. It was quite late already, the time almost reaching curfew, but Sean was distancing himself from his common room with every step he took.

A few weeks ago, the Ravenclaw had discovered the way to the kitchens, and, inquisitive as he was, wanted to go inside to actually understand how the house elves made all the delicious Hogwarts food.

Even though students weren't actually allowed inside the kitchens, the house elves quickly grew fond of the boy and gave him permission to enter whenever he wanted. Some of the house elves even became his friends.

Sean knew Filch would eat him alive if he caught him now, but his current craving for a cup of steaming hot milk overpowered his fear.

He'd been to the kitchens so many times already, that he could probably walk to it with his eyes closed. He was just about to turn the last corner before his destination when something made him halt.

A short sniff, barely audible.

He recognised that kind of crying. When he'd been over to the Granger's for a few days before they went to France, Kylie had teasingly asked them if they still knew what a movie was. They'd all watched 'the odd life of Timothy Green' then, Kylie jokingly claiming that a movie with a little bit of magic would be easier for them to understand, and it had resulted in him and Hermione trying to hold back their tears, and Kaycee bawling on his shoulder. He'd tried to make her stop crying then, secretly quite irritated with Kylie for making her sister cry, and after a while of him soothingly rubbing her back, her bawling indeed subsided to some irregular sniffing.

He would always be able to distinguish her specific kind of sniffling from everyone else's.

He hadn't thought about how he would approach her, what he'd ask her, didn't even question if she wanted him to be near her now. He had to see her and make sure that she was okay again.

He hated it if she cried. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about it, since he wasn't as upset when Hermione cried. Of course he was also worried about his best friend, but there was just something about Kaycee that made him jump in protective mode the second there was something wrong with her.

His feet had automatically brought him closer to the sound. He was in front of a deserted classroom now. Slowly, so as to not immediately alarm her of his presence, he pushed open the door, giving himself a clear sight of her slumped form, still shocking with her sniffling. As always, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her, but this time it wasn't in a good way.

"K-kayc, what's- do you- can I come in?"

He saw her head turn around quickly, not expecting any visitors so late at night. Her wide eyes were red, and her cheeks were blotched, the patterns of her previous tears glistening in the light the candlelights emitted.

"Y-yeah, sure"

Sean couldn't help but get a sort of warm feeling in his heart when he saw that Kaycee did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that she was feeling miserable. She didn't put up a fake smile, nor did she dry her tears.

She trusted him.

Soon, he was by her side, sitting on the ground next to her. He wrapped one of his arms around her, pulling her closer by her shoulder, while the fingers of his other hand wove themselves through her hair. There they sat, Sean slightly rocking both of them back and forth, remaining silent. He knew better than to speak now, knew she needed her time. She would talk when she wanted to, if she wanted to, and he was not going to force anything out of her.

After a while though, she felt the need to talk.

"It's so stupid Sean, that's the reason I didn't come to you or Hermione in the first place. I-"

She sighed, hesitating, and Sean knew she was contemplating whether she should continue or not. He decided it was time to speak up now.

"Go on then, I won't judge, you know that."

He felt her comforted smile against his neck, but it didn't last as long as he'd hoped it would.

"I just miss my family. And the fact that I do makes me feel so silly. I mean, sometimes, when I'm in my class without you or Hermione, I feel so out of place. All those girls are talking about make up and boys, saying who they're dating and who their crush is while I'm sure they don't know anything about love. I mean, how could they, they're only 12 or 13! I only just turned 13! But I- I don't know. Please don't make me feel silly with your answer on this, but sometimes I just feel...older than all the others in my year. It's like I want to have a serious conversation with someone, but no-one actually cares about serious or meaningful things. They only want to spread rumors or talk about silly things and I'm just not- not into those things. At first I thought that I was behind on my age, but when I talk to you I don't feel like that, so now I just feel old and unappreciated whenever I'm with the girls of my year. But then there are the moments when I'm homesick and I just feel like such a baby, so now I don't really know what to think of myself. I-I'm sorry I'm dumping this all on you, Sean."

He could not believe she just said all that.

He could not believe someone as bubbly and happy as Kaycee had to fight all those thoughts, those demons.

"Kayc...oh dear Lord Kaycee, I wish you'd come to me sooner with this...I had no idea you felt like that. Honestly though, do you really feel like a baby when you miss your family?"

Kaycee only meekly nodded her head, rubbing her face on his shoulder.

"Kaycee, honestly, do you think I'm a baby? Because I miss my family as well. Seriously, everyone here misses their family sometimes. You really shouldn't feel guilty about that! And as for the whole feeling older thing...well, I do as well."

Kaycee promptly lifted her head up from the crook of his neck, looking at him with a surprised expression on her face. Sean, funny, social, talented Sean, had the same problems going on in his head as her? For some reason, that just made her feel a whole lot better. She wasn't the only one dealing with stuff. Problems didn't make her a baby. She felt her usual smile take over, gazing into Sean's brown eyes.

"Please don't ever feel bad about missing your family, or about being more sensible than those other girls. You are unique, Kayc, and that's something to be proud of, not ashamed."

He didn't know why he was whispering, it just felt right. He didn't need a loud voice, Kaycee only being inches away from him, her head slightly tilted upwards to look him in the eyes. He felt it, this moment was special to both of them.

His hand went from her back to her face, slowly wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Thank you."

She was whispering now as well, as if the delicate moment would be broken by speaking too loud.

He'd kissed her forehead  in the hospital wing at the end of last year, swiftly, afraid she would wake up or someone would walk in on that. He'd been scared to show her his affection then, afraid that she wouldn't want him this close to her.

He wasn't afraid anymore.

He lowered his head, slowly, for the same reason they were whispering, and kissed her forehead softly, holding her close to him.

And when she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck afterwards, her lips that were curved in a smile a warm line against his skin, he knew that this time, with her full knowledge of what had happened, it felt even better.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spring

Kaycee would never have guessed she would sleep so well in the Great hall with all her fellow students cramped together and thoughts of Sirius Black creeping through her mind, but she had. Her sleep had been blissfully dreamless and uninterrupted.

That is, until her friend felt the need to wake her up even though the first sunrays of the day had barely had a chance to seep through the stained glass windows.

"Kaycee Granger, goodmorning!"

The fact that Luna had the decency to whisper did nothing to soften the blow of suddenly waking up from her deep sleep.

"Luna...wha-what's going on?"

Kaycee could just make out the excited expression on the Ravenclaw's face.

"Well, there's nothing really going on, I just wanted to ask you if you want to come with me to feed the thestrals. I've wanted to ask you for a while now, but I keep forgetting to do so when I talk to you during the day and when I wake up and go to the thestrals in the morning, I can't ask you because you're still in your common room. So, what do you think?"

"I think that we're not allowed to go outside yet. Do you remember the reason we were forced to sleep like a bunch of sardines in the first place?"

But Luna merely smiled at her friend's concern.

"No, I've been up for quite a while. I heard professor Snape ask professor Dumbledore if he could allow pupils to go outside, and Dumbledore answered that it was safe again now that it isn't completely dark outside anymore.

Kaycee thought about that for a bit. She had liked to sleep a little bit longer, but she was awake now anyway, she might as well use her time to talk with Luna. She didn't make nearly enough time for that, Kaycee realised.

"Alright then, but keep quiet please, other people won't be as forgiving as I if you wake them up."

Luna nodded her head enthusiastically, and helped her up, so they could go outside.

"Why do you even go to the thestrals so early? It's the weekend, you have all the time in the world, Luna."

"Well, the thestrals woke up just like us, they need breakfast too, it wouldn't be nice of me to only give them food in the afternoon, now would it?

Kaycee wondered if Luna realised they hadn't eaten either, but chose to keep that thought to herself. This was Luna, she probably had a good reason for giving the thestrals their breakfast first.

"Also, I pass greenhouse 4 on my way to Hagrid's hut where I pick up the meat for the thestrals. Neville Longbottom is always watering the plants in greenhouse 4 around this time, so I can see him as well if I go this early.

Kaycee lifted an eyebrow and looked at her Ravenclaw friend.

"Neville Longbottom? Isn't he in Gryffindor, in his third year? How did you start talking to him if you aren't in the same year or house?"

"Oh, but I have never talked to him. Not yet anyway. He seems like a really nice guy though, so maybe I should start making my presence known when I watch him working in the greenhouses. Do you think that'd be a good idea?"

Kaycee shouldn't feel surprised that Luna watched a guy in the greenhouses while never talking to him, she knew she shouldn't, it was Luna after all, but she couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

"What, why are you laughing? Are the wrackspurts making your brain fuzzy? I should've known that would happen, your brain isn't used to being outside so early in the morning so it's extra vulnerable to wrackspurts. Are you okay, Kaycee?"

Kaycee's laughter had subsided by now, but the smile that seemed to be permanently glued on her face whenever Luna was around, stayed.

"No Luna, no wrackspurts are making my brain fuzzy, it's just the fact that you are so positive about a boy you've never talked to is quite funny. I would go talk to him though, Hermione says he's a nice guy, so I guess talking to him wouldn't hurt you."

And Luna's face lit up even more. It was a beautiful sight to see, really.

"Okay, it's decided then. Tomorrow, I'll say hi to him before I go to the thestrals. Oh, this is going to be so wonderful, Kaycee! I've always had a feeling he'd have a role in my life! I can't wait!"

And while Luna accelerated her steps into skipping, Kaycee concluded that that would definitely not be the end of Luna and Neville's quirky story.

Being normal was overrated anyway.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We can't just do nothing, Hermione!! There has to be a way, and I know for a fact that you have exactly what we need to fix everything! You just don't want to give it to us because there's 'too much risk' but you know what? That's freaking selfish! Maybe we have to take a risk, but if we don't, people will literally die. Do you want to be responsible for that Hermione? Because I certainly don't!!"

Sean sat in the hospital wing, watching how Kaycee got furious with Hermione. He didn't like the direction this was going, Kaycee's red cheeks and dilated pupils reminded him too much of last year, when he'd been at the receiving end of her wrath. He never wanted to have to go through that again.

Hermione stood up from the hospital bed Ron laid in, and Sean held his breath. An angry Kaycee made him sad because he made her mad, but an angry Hermione was simply terrifying.

"I know Kayc, but be reasonable for just a second! We can save some people, but we also risk a lot! I don't want you in danger Kaycee, you're my little sister! In the process of saving lives we could get killed ourselves! You have no idea what you're starting with if you go through with this! And you know what? You can't. I won't let you!"

"So you're saying that you'd rather let Buckbeak die, than take some risk yourself. I thought gryffindors were supposed to be brave, Hermione."

No-one said anything to stop the sisters from fighting, Sean noticed. It was understandable, this was their argument after all, although it'd probably be wise if someone stopped them from scratching each other's eyes out. He was just about to say something, when the big, wooden door of the hospital wing made a high pitched, creaking sound, signaling that they had a visitor.

"Now now, misses Granger, what's gotten you both so worked up?"

The low, warm sound of professor Dumbledore sounded through the room effortlessly, even though he hadn't raised his voice at all. Something inside of Sean told him the headmaster knew exactly what was going on.

Hermione wanted to speak up, but surprisingly, Kaycee beat her to it.

"Headmaster, I know how we can save buckbeak, but Hermione doesn't want to go through with my plan because it holds some risk. I understand that it has some dangers, but aren't multiple lives worth a risk?"

The headmaster's eyes began to twinkle looking at Kaycee, and Sean wondered if he knew what kind of plan Kaycee was talking about. He probably did. The professor turned to look at Hermione, addressing her.

"Miss Hermione Granger, I understand your concern, and I'm not a fan of my students taking unnecessary risks, but considering you made it through the unfortunate events a few hours ago and know what's going to happen, I understand your sister as well. I have faith in you all. I'm not going to force you to do anything about the situation, but if you decide to agree on your sister's plan, I'd suggest you turn it 3 times. Good luck."

And with that, he turned around and exited the hospital wing, leaving Sean, Harry, Hermione, Kaycee and Ron to themselves. It stayed silent for a while.

"Why don't you want to go, Mione?"

Kaycee's tone was softer now, looking at her sister with big, sad eyes. Sean's stomach dropped, seeing those eyes. They were supposed to shine with happiness.

He turned his head, looking at Hermione instead. It was easier.

His best friend sighed, as if tired, but Sean knew better. Hermione was just trying to find a way to convince Kaycee that it was better to not take any risks.

"Kayc, that's not it. I do want to go and help, I just don't want you to go with us. You weren't there, and that's what makes it so much more risky. Please, just understand me. I just don't want you hurt. And before you're going to say anything, I'm not babying you because you are a year younger, this is purely because you weren't there."

And she was right. Kaycee hadn't been there. She'd been with Luna going to the thestrals to visit them. It had become a weekly ritual, Kaycee had once told him, since Luna asked her to go with her a few weeks ago. Because Kaycee had been away, Sean had decided to hang out with Hermione, Ron and Harry that afternoon, resulting in him unintentionally getting involved in the whole affair with scabbers being Peter Pettigrew and professor Lupin being friends with Sirius Black.

It had been quite chaotic, and even though he knew it was for the best, Sean didn't look forward to going there again.

"Okay."

He looked up again, having been so lost in thoughts that he hadn't been following the conversation anymore. The 'okay' was Kaycee's, and Sean had to rack his brain to remember what she was referring to.

"A-are you serious? You're not angry? Last year you were angry for weeks at Sean for not including you...are you sure you're okay with this Kayc?"

But Kaycee only smiled bravely at Hermione.

"I'm sure Mione. If I have to choose between you guys saving lives again or nothing at all, then of course I want those lives to be saved. Just...be careful, please. I love you all so much, I don't want any of you hurt. Come back quickly, okay? I'm going to be worried anyway."

Sean's heart felt like it expanded just a bit, Kaycee's inner Huffelpuff coming through just made him really proud of her. She was so brave for letting almost half of her loved ones go on a dangerous mission. He knew that waiting for people to come back safely was often scarier than doing the dangerous things yourself.

Hermione had stood up completely from Ron's bed now, quickly walking to Kaycee to wrap her in a big hug.

The moment was honestly so beautiful.

"I-uh, I guess it's better this way, with Kaycee staying here with me. I mean, I wouldn't want her hurt."

Sean's eyes promptly shifted from the sisters' embrace to Ron, who was looking quite awkward at what he just said, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Harry shooting his best friend a weird look as well. Normally, Sean didn't care at all when Kaycee's other friends showed affection towards her, she was a very likeable person after all, but something about Ron's tone just made him run cold. He didn't really know why, he only knew that Ron's behaviour towards Kaycee had been really strange this year. He couldn't really put his finger on it, something just didn't feel right about Ron's affection towards Kaycee. He was...too nice?

There wasn't much time to overthink the whole situation though, because Hermione was already taking matters in her hands, and he knew that if she was handling the situation, he should probably pay attention. Her plans were always intricate, she wasn't called the brightest witch of their generation for nothing.

"Okay, here's the plan guys. I have two timeturners. The rules say that you can transport a maximum of two people at once with a timeturner. Ron and Kaycee aren't coming with us, which leaves Harry, Sean and myself. I suggest you guys take a timeturner, and I take the other one. I know how this works so I can do it on my own. If something doesn't work out, at least you'll have eachother. Does everyone agree with this?"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

"Alright. Here's your timeturner. Professor Dumbledore said we had to turn it 3 times to travel to the right hour. You always turn clockwise. Put the chain around both of your necks and close your eyes when you're timetraveling, it'll make you less dizzy when you arrive, okay? Now, good luck. I see you in a minute. Oh and Kaycee, don't worry too much please. It's all going to be alright. I love you"

And before anyone else had the time to react, Hermione had spun her own timeturner and dissolved in thin air.

"Alright, come here Harry. We can't let Hermione fix this on her own, now can we?"

Sean hated the way his fingers were slightly shaking as he put the chain over Harry's head. He wasn't supposed to be nervous for this, he had saved Kaycee out of the Chamber of Secrets while Voldemort was in the same room, for Heaven's sake!

He knew deep down why he was nervous though. When Kaycee had been in danger, his head had focussed solely on getting her out. Now that Kaycee was safely inside of the hospital wing, unharmed, there was time to think the situation through, rather than just paralyzing fear of Kaycee being in danger through his veins.

It seemed that his body had his priorities already sorted out.

"Alright, so we needed to turn counter clockwise, 3 times, wasn't it Sean?"

Harry's voice so close to his ear broke him out of his reverie.

"No, Harry stop! It's supposed to be clockw-"

But his voice slowly faded away, like it stayed in the place the words had been spoken, instead of going with him.

Because he, he was timetraveling.

As soon as his surroundings became steady again, he turned to Harry, who had come down next to him.

"Harry! Are you serious?! It was clockwise! Hermione told us one freaking minute ago!! What did you do now?"

But Harry was eager to get his friend to shut up.

"Not so loud, Sean. I'm sorry, I just...I was still thinking about Ron's strange behaviour and counter clockwise seemed to be logical since we're going back in time rather than forward. Let's go, maybe it all didn't matter that much and we can just go find Mione, okay?"

Sean could only set his worries aside as he tried to keep up with Harry, who had began walking out of the -currently empty- hospital wing.

The familiarity of the corridors they went through made his heart slow down a bit, and he had almost calmed himself down enough to focus on the mission they had to accomplish, when Harry abruptly stopped, right behind a corner.

"Why are we -"

But his voice faded away for the second time in only a few minutes, because another voice boomed through the corridor, a voice which made Sean shake to his core.

"I cannot believe this just happened. Honestly Kaycee, how long has this been going on?"

The voice was low, and obviously very angry. Sean wanted to know who was being so aggressive towards Kaycee. What kind of right did he think he had to treat her like that?

"Sean, stop overreacting. This was the first time this happened, and they didn't have any time to do something to me, now did they? You were fast enough to show them I'm all yours"

Behind the corner, Sean's eyes widened tremendously. Kaycee was talking to him.

And she had said that she was 'all his'. He may be only 14, but that didn't mean he didn't know anything about that kind of stuff: she was clearly insinuating that they were together.

He had to look, couldn't help it. He needee actual, visual proof that it was really him and Kaycee behind that corner. Slowly, he laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, wordlessly alerting him of what he was going to do. After Harry nodded to him, he peaked behind the corner, just enough to see him and Kaycee.

And the sight that greeted him made something inside of him just burst, spreading ice cold streams of shock through his body, followed by a warm, fuzzing glow right after.

There he was, at least a few years older than now, probably around 17, with Kaycee next to him, also around that age. He had grown a lot, Sean noted, he seemed much taller than he was now, since he was towering over Kaycee. His bone structure was more defined, and if he looked very closely, he could just make out a very slight stubble on his chin.

He had grown up.

And then there was Kaycee.

He could honestly say that he had never seen someone as beautiful as the young woman behind the corner. Kaycee had always been beautiful, he realised now, but the person standing next to his grown self was just absolutely breathtaking. Her hair wasn't straightened, falling in rich dark ringlets over her shoulders, highlighting her cheekbones and making her eyes shine just a little more.

So some things didn't change after all.

His older self relaxed at Kaycee's words, smiling now. He wrapped an arm around her and rested his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him, grinning while looking into her eyes.

"That, you absolutely are, my darling. All mine to love."

The older Kaycee looked up to him, eyes still twinkling. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes.

And then, she kissed him.

Kaycee actually kissed him. Full on his lips.

And he didn't seem hesitant to kiss back at all, quite the opposite. He smiled into her kiss, the arm that was still wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to him, his other hand weaving through her curly hair, angling her face so he could reach her better.

He had read some books where writers described moments like these as 'it felt unreal' or 'it didn't register at all'. Not with Sean, no. He was completely, thoroughly aware of what was happening in front of him. He felt it in his body, the little shots of electricity that coursed through him, the clammy hands, the frantic beating of his heart.

This was the future. This was real.

Kaycee pulled back from his lips now, but only slightly.

"I love you Shamu"

It was hard to hear from where he stood, since it was only whispered against his lips, but Sean was sure that's exactly what she said. His older self smiled, dimples showing before Kaycee began poking them, resulting in the two falling into a fit of laughter, clinging to eachother, trying to get at least a little bit of oxygen in between these laugh attacks.

He was so concentrated on the couple in front of him, that he didn't feel the tap on his shoulder the first time. It was only when Harry took a hold of his upper arm that he became aware of his current position again. He looked at his friend, who nodded towards a place behind him. Quickly, Sean turned around, only to be hit with another shock.

There was Hermione, just as grown as the two on the other side of the corner. He actually had to look up, he noted. Hermione had always been at least a head shorter than him, but now he had to tilt his head upwards to look into her eyes. He immediately noticed that her hair wasn't as bushy as it was in his time, but fell down into the same graceful curls Kaycee had, although Hermione's hair had always been a few tints lighter than her sister's. Apart from that, the only thing Sean could register was that she looked stressed.

"Come with me, you two. Hurry!"

She took the fabric of his t-shirt and actually pulled her with him. Trying not to stumble, he quickly followed.

As soon as they reached the first classroom the came accross, Hermione pulled both him and Harry inside and swiftly shut the door behind her.

"First of all: don't ever do that anymore. You have no idea how fragile timing is since you've never used a timeturner before, but I'm telling you now that if it wasn't for me, you would've messed up the timeline tremendously. Am I making myself clear?"

They could only nod solemnly. If possible, Hermione had gotten even scarier when angry through the years.

"Alright. I made sure I would be here on time. You haven't seen anything that'd make such a big difference in time. You both saw Kaycee kiss you, Sean, but we all saw that one coming anyway, now didn't we?"

Her tone was more playful now, her face had softened, and Sean released a breath he didn't know he had held in.

He didn't hear Harry snigger at Hermione's words, too busy paying attention to the older version of his best friend.

"Now, as nice as it was meeting your innocent, young selves again, it's better that you go to your present time as fast as possible, alright?"

She walked closer to them, pulling the chain of the timeturner that was still around Harry around Sean's neck as well. Then, she tapped her wand 4 times on the actual clock of the timeturner, looking very concentrated. She was just about to say a spell -Sean had seen that expression a million times before on her face and would always be able to recognise it- before her head shot up again.

"Oh, Sean, before I forget, one advice for you. Don't worry too much about Ron's behaviour. He seems nuts now, I know he does, but he has no intention whatsoever to hurt you or Kaycee, or your relationship for that matter. He has his reasons to act like he does, truly. Okay, it's really time to go now. I love you both so much. See you in a few minutes."

And before he could answer her or even fully register what she had said, her eyes were focused on the time turner again.

"Tempum quattuor anno verto"

The world was spinning again. Sean closed his eyes quickly, trying to ignore the churning sensation in his abdomen. He wanted to find Harry in this swirling mess, desperately in need of something solid, but his hands could only grasp air, or at least something that felt like air.

And then, as soon as it had come, it was over. His feet hit actual floor and his surroundings became clear again.

For the first few seconds, his mind was solely focussed on making sure that they actually came back to the right time and that Harry had come back to the present with him unharmed. It was only when he sat down on one of the vacant hospital beds and took a deep breath, that everything came rushing back to him, as if his mind had bottled up the discoveries of the last hour and abruptly let these revelations spew out of that bottle now.

His voice. Kaycee's hair. He called her darling. She kissed him.

And suddenly, he understood.

He understood all the jumps his heart made when she was around, the nauseous feeling he felt when she laughed with other boys, the goosebumps that erupted on his skin when she touched him.