The last chapter, enjoy.

Beta'd by the wonderful pattyp723 who made sure the story is much cleaner and nicer to read. Thank you pattyp723.

Part 6 The End

Mary had a little lamb,

whose fleece was white as snow

and everywhere that Mary went,

the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
which was against the rules.

it made the children laugh and play
to see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
but still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about
till Mary did appear.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so,"
the eager children cry.

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
the teacher did reply.

The big day for Harry and Jacob's ceremonial bonding started off with somewhat of a downside as Bella chose that day to visit them after she had left the house crying a week ago. She shifted around uncomfortable as she eyed the decorations. And really it was a sight to behold.

Alice, Rosalie and Esme had gone all out and turned the place into a fairytale looking theme. Tiny twinkling lights were hidden carefully within flowers and ribbons that ran around the house. It made the light almost look like real fairies in Harry opinion.

Bella however felt upset by it and left the house to join the rest of the family outside where Esme had a huge garden portal constructed of flat stones and wildflowers. The thing was massive and utterly beautiful, Harry and Jacob would be standing under the arch as they took the bond.

That was when Harry noticed her as she hovered just neat the back door her eyes taking in the garden. From the look on her face he guessed she was thinking about what reason there could be for the portal to be there. Feeling a bit sorry Harry approached her, calling out her name so as to draw the attention of the rest of his family to her.

Esme was the first to react greeting Bella warmly and softly guiding her farther away from the door. Bella said something to her but Harry couldn't hear. Before he could try and listen in Jacob turned up at his side and dragged him away for a few kisses. The shifter had been high on energy since five this morning and Harry wondered which of them was suffering from nerves the most.

One would thing with already having the mate bond complete would in theory mean having a second more formal bonding wouldn't faze you so. It seemed he had been wrong however and wished he had his friends here. That had been impossible however but he did receive presents and cards from them when he told them the news in a letter.

He guessed they could have a proper celebration when Christmas holidays came around. Jacob and he could visit the burrow. A few shouts from the back drew Harry and Jacob back into the main part of the garden and were surprised to find Bella looking distressed, her eyes tearing up and Alice hovering beside her looking uncomfortable.

"He's gone?" Bella spoke. It seemed they had finally told her Edward had left the house and had not been heard of since. They only had to odd vision here and there from Alice but even she could not tell more than that Edward was fine, just struggling with himself and his emotions.

"But why would he do that to me. It was only an argument I didn't think he would leave me completely." Bella went on tears pouring down her cheeks. Jacob shifted beside Harry uncomfortable, he had at one point fancied himself in love with her after all and still had a soft spot for her.

"Oh Bella dear." Esme spoke up embracing the girl. "Edward loves you but there are things, reasons you don't know about and you wanting to change upsets him. He believes you can be happy together just as you are."

Bella wrung away from her grasp. "But I don't want to grow old and die. I want to be healthy and young and stay with Edward always."

Harry winced. Here were those things he didn't like about Bella. What he disliked most however was her blatant ignorance of the world. She was still so naïve and most of the people here had gone through more things than she could even dream of. Well except maybe Jacob who hadn't gone through a lot himself but then Jacob didn't have that teenage feel and acting.

From the back Rosalie spoke up. "Could we do this on another day. We are going to have a marriage ceremony in a few hours and all this wailing brings down the pleasant and happy atmosphere that usually go with such feasts."

"Rose." Esme called out looking hurt. Rosalie sniffed and stalked of obviously having enough of the whole ordeal. Bella looked like someone had slapped her and Jacob took a few steps in her direction before stopping and looking at Harry as if to ask permission.

"Go on your still her friend just be back in time for our ceremony." Harry smiled at Jacob who looked grateful. The shifter went to Bella and guided her away back into the house and from there probably in his own car.

Bella kept quiet the whole time as if she could quite grasp what had been said to her and Esme wrung her hands followed the pair inside probably to check if she could do something for Bella.

For a few moments everyone else was silent then Emmett made some insane remark and everything righted itself. Everyone went to work on the check list Alice had hung up to make sure everything was perfect and by the time lunch was served for Harry everyone was pretty much okay again.

After lunch Billy arrived with Jacob's sisters. It became much more lively and soon everyone forgot about the rocky start that morning. Around two Jacob came back bearing tales of Bella's break down at home and how he had felt uncomfortable just leaving her so he had stayed with her for a little while.

Harry assured him he was fine with it and that he was here now was the important part. As the hour grew closer to four Harry found that his nerves were working overtime and he kept wondering around the portal touching the wildflowers and stones. Jasper followed him closely and Harry noticed how his cousin would step in when his nerves got too much.

Then it was finally time for the ceremony and Harry just knew that he and the family missed Edward who would have played some beautiful melodies for this occasion, instead Esme had hired a small group of magical musicians who played nice music hut it just wasn't the same.

The wizard conducting the ceremony was stately in his black and white robes. He was also very tall easily able to look over Jacobs head. Brown eyes were turned downwards on the ribbons he was working around Harry and Jacob's hands while he spoke the words of the bonding.

With each crossing of the ribbons they glowed showing they had connected and when they were bound to seal the promised the whole thing lit up before it sank into Harry and Jacobs joined hands leaving behind something that looked like a faded away tattoo.

Harry and Jacob turned around showing their hands to the public who cheered out congratulations and whished them well as they applauded. Then the ceremonial wizard officially opened the buffet, which had all been prepared by Esme and Rosalie.

Alice had created a small plaza more to the back of the garden and had placed small tables and chairs everywhere and on the side two huge tables held the assortment of food. There was so much to choose from that Harry took his time going over everything before choosing grilled meat, baked potatoes and salad. For desert he was going to get the ice with strawberries and whipped cream. It looked positively delightful.

While they ate Rachel was shooting a ton of pictures having taken over the duty from Rebecca who had taken pictures during the ceremony. The entire party was nicely done, Jacob's sisters marvelling at the musicians and Rachel asked Harry questions about magic.

Harry answered her in full. With the shifters coming back the tribe had gotten their status back in the magical world, which meant that Jacobs sisters could know about it without breaching the secrecy statue. At one of the tables Lady Heather was talking to Billy Black it seemed that it was an interesting conversation as neither of them paid attention to the rest of them.

They broke up when darkness had fully set in and Harry apologized and explained that he and Jacob would be taking their plane to Ireland tomorrow. Billy was very nice and he wished the pair the best of luck and a safe trip.

That night on the zero hour Jacob and Harry could be found standing naked under the moon. Their hands joined and the marks glowing. The ribbons they had used had been specially chosen as each color represented something they wanted to cherish in their bonding.

Taking deep breaths Harry watched as locale fairies came to them and flew around playfully in the light of the moon and their mark. It was magical to see and Harry felt sorry they couldn't take pictures of this part of the ceremony. Then again he only ever wanted to share this memory with Jacob and not anyone else.

His mate and lover bowed down then and kissed him deeply and the world seemed to vanish as feelings took hold of his mind. They sunk to the floor and completed the ceremony by joining their bodies and offering the magic created from it back to the earth. Above them the fairies went crazy as even the air became charged with tendrils of magic. It was a strong bonding and it would leave this place more magical than the rest of Quileute land.

-oOo-

If Harry had thought yesterday and the days leading up to his ceremony had been chaos he found himself corrected. For one he and Jacob overslept and then they found they had completely forgotten to pack. Harry was mortified that he could have forgotten this and so for the next two hours chaos reigned in Cullen home as everyone was trying to help.

Of course that caused more problems as people blocked each other or accusations were spouted as one person brought something downstairs placed it somewhere were someone else would pick it up and pack it so that the first person would not find it when they got back. If they hadn't been on such a tight schedule Harry might have found it funny that even vampires could have trouble with some of the mundane things in life.

The trip to the airport was much more mundane and when they got there Harry was slightly surprised to find that they could board right away and that no delays had been given for their flight. Another round of goodbyes and kisses and Harry and Jacob were off to their checkpoint. It wasn't until they sat down that Harry let out a relieved sigh.

The flight attended a bleached blond with bigger than average lips with crimson red lipstick applied. She was being overly sweet and it gave Harry the creeps, what offended him however was her obvious flirting with Jacob who did his best to be polite.

When she went on to the next good looking guy Harry couldn't help but glare at her and hope she wouldn't be coming back to them. Jacob rubbed his knee and kissed him on the head as he whispered a sorry which annoyed Harry since Jacob had nothing to apologize over.

Throughout the flight the attendant came back several times. She behaved well and never did something truly improper but she kept getting too close to the edge. It left Harry uncomfortable and from the way Jacob kept leaning into him when she neared he thought his mate probably felt the same.

When they landed Harry felt grateful that they would fly to Ireland with another company since it would get them away from the woman. As they left she even handed Jacob a small white card with two numbers on it. His mate looked at it then back at the attendant before he let it fall to the ground. He watched her as she followed the piece of paper fluttering down her face drawn.

Feeling a bit better Harry left the plane and headed for the exit. They had a short wait for their next flight and he wanted to get something cold to drink. To his relief the rest of the flight wasn't remarkable and they found themselves landing in Ireland sooner than they expected. As they left the captain informed them but Harry really didn't pay any attention to it.

He and Jacob would stay in a hotel tonight and had over to Rain first thing tomorrow. If all went well they only had travel to the local witches lane in Dublin. Much like Diagon alley Dublin possessed an alley or in the older tongue witches lane. From there they would floo to the academy and get settled into their apartment.

A good thing about Rain was that it gave it students one week to adjust coming back to school. The week was filled with introductions and seminars and Harry was quite excited to meet his new classmates. It also gave Jacob some time to get used to the trip he would have to take to his new school as the academy started earlier than the muggle schools in Ireland.

-oOo-

Dublin's witches' alley was pleasantly filled with witches and wizards. The shops called out to Harry but he ignored them and made his way to the nearest pub. The pub called Greenie was filled with a handful of students and it seemed more people than Harry used the pub to get to their school. Smiling Harry made his way to the end of the line and patiently waited for his turn.

As always he stumbled out of the hearth and only just caught himself by grabbing a nearby chair. The room to his relief was empty and seemed to be especially designed just for floo transport. He stepped away in time as Jacob came rushing out coughing. His mate had his eyes closed as he stepped out and had Harry not moved he would have bumped into him.

Laughing Harry watched as Jacob went from coughing to sneezing, his eyes watering. His mate fixed him a watery glare, which made Harry laugh even harder. The sound seemed to have drawn attention as a witch dressed in clean pure robes of a deep maroon color peeked around the open entryway then came into the room.

"Good morning, welcome to Rain my name is Miranda Gulden I'm a professor here. Would you please give me your name so that I can check you in and give you your information packet and key."

"Of course, I'm Harry Potter and this is my mate Jacob Black."

The witch nodded and left the room Harry and Jacob followed her and found that just around the corner something like a information desk was set up. Professor Gulden sat back behind her desk and leaved through the cabinets' drawers, which were labelled with numbers instead of letters.

Harry watch in amazement as her chair rose to reach the higher drawers just like an old-fashioned barber chair. Than did a double take as he saw that it was an old-fashioned barber chair. Complete with steel footrest and tacky colored fake leather upholstery.

She finally located his file and at once the chair fwooped back down. Professor Gulden placed his papers on the desk and took out two keys, several papers and a small book.

"Now I hope I don't have to explain what the keys are for so I will go on to more urgent matters. This book is a small dictionary our school provides, it not only gives information on the school but also on all its professors, classes and anything related to those things. We find that students appreciate it and regular consult in their first few weeks here at the academy."

She handed Harry the book and his keys then picked up the papers.

"Well than this is your map and this one has your apartment number and floor on it, then this one is the program for the welcome back week. If you want to join any of the introduction programs or seminars just fill in your name beside it and you can check on the paper if you're placed there and receive a location, date and time. This last piece of paper you'll need to get signed by your dorm head that will also be the person you go to if you have problems. Was there anything you wanted to ask?"

Handing the book and keys to Jacob, Harry took the papers and shook his head. He couldn't think about anything he wanted to ask.

"No not really, thank you Professor Gulden."

"Sure, sure. Have a nice time here at Rain."

As they went Harry looked over the map to locate the apartment building. Like the Headmaster had said it was on the academies terrain but stood far away enough from the school that you got a sense of being away from school. The route wasn't all that difficult and Harry found he enjoyed the trip through the dense forest that gave way to a beautiful building of rose stone.

The style was a gorgeous 12th century gothic. Going up three stories but Harry was sure the inside was expended to suit student numbers. He saw several other people, probably students, walking towards the building and Harry felt himself in love with it. For the coming years this would be his and Jacobs home.

The entrance was high and arched, the doors of a light colored wood but richly engraved with magical creatures. Harry soon found that this was the theme throughout the rest of the building as all it wood was engraved the same.

The entrance hall was high and light, portraits decorated the walls and a grand sweeping staircase at the end spiralled up. To his left he found a library that seemed to double as lounge area. It was certainly something to look at later. First he wanted to get to their apartment and start unpacking.

If everything was right his and Jacob's luggage had already been brought to their room. A useful little service the pub had proved for them and Harry had gladly parted with some sickles to have his luggage brought here for him. It spared them the trouble of dragging it with them.

Looking down at his paper to see which floor they were on and what their apartment number is Harry kept on going to the staircase. It seemed that they would be staying on the second floor number 16. That sounded like they wouldn't have to walk a lot.

"It's really huge." Jacob commented when they reached the second floor. Harry agreed with him. It seemed that each floor was as high as the ground floor, which meant getting to the second floor was quite a trip. Then the apartments seemed to by a nice size so they had to travel halfway through the hall before they reached number sixteen.

Jacob opened the door and gasped as he stepped inside. "They really know how to go about making apartments."

Harry just nodded and looked around eyes wide. It really was more like a penthouse really. There wasn't an entrance hall instead you stepped into the living room which was spacious and held two sofas in a soft green colour. The floor was a soft grey stone that had vines of lighter and darker grey colors in it. The wood in their apartment was light colored like the rest of the building and carved.

To the left was open arched doorways into the kitchen where a breakfast table took the space to the right near the window. Wandering around Harry took in the counter and stove and they even had a fridge. Smiling he left and went to their bedroom which held a king seize bed and an en suite with tub and shower. They even had two toilets, one just near the entrance and one in the bathroom. It was perfect.

Form outside the bedroom Harry could here Jacob shout. "Hey come look at this. We even have our own balcony, the view is amazing."

Harry glanced around when leaving to join Jacob and saw their luggage beside the entrance. Relieved that nothing had gone wrong he walked out onto the balcony. Jacob had been right it was really nice not to mention that he knew that the other room had balconies but he couldn't see them, which meant they had built in privacy wards.

They looked out over a part of the forests and in the distance they could see the towers of the castle that was to be Harry's school. Things were looking good for them and when they went back inside to unpack Harry found himself brimming with energy to get started in his next adventure.

The headmaster favourite phrase made him think of Hermione and Ron who would have started with their last year. Hermione's last letter told him she was now Head girl and that Ron was still a prefect but had not been chosen for head boy.

It seemed Ron had been really counting on it but to Hermione's relief wasn't too fazed when he didn't get it. He did however get Quidditch captaincy and spend the last days of vacation gushing over his badge. The letter ended with Hermione's regular lists of questions, had he done any reading for school, did he know to start planning early and to ask if would let her know he had arrived at his new apartment.

She seemed to want him to find out when he had his free weekends so that she may check if any of the Hogsmeade weekends corresponded. It seemed that seventh year students could leave on those weekends and she thought it might be nice to see each other before Christmas.

He liked the plan but had no idea if how the school thought about students leaving campus on weekends. They could head into town of course but leaving an entire weekend was something different. And he also would have to check if he could have friends visit him in his apartment, there might be rules about other people staying over.

All the while he unpacked his luggage. Placing his clothes in the wardrobe, placing his books in the bookcase near a small study area that was set up for him and last hanging up the family pictures. Feeling really satisfied at being done Harry settled down on the couch to read over the welcome back program. The name wouldn't apply to all students since it was Harry first year here but he guessed they could hardly put two names on it.

Likewise the seminars would be much use for him since they were specifically for students coming back but the introduction events could be fun. While he read his enthusiasm grew as he found some introduction events he and Jacob could do together. It would be a great chance for Jacob to meet other people so that when Harry wasn't there he could arrange to do something with them.

They planned together what to do for the rest of the week and Harry didn't leave the room until nightfall when he decided to find his dorm head and have his paper signed. It was going to be a long way before he was a official mind healer but with each thing he did he got a bit closer.

Happily humming he went down the hall to the last room, which was designated for the dorm head according to the school dictionary.

-oOo-

The welcome back week was even more fun than Harry imagined it to be. They met loads of other students but also their partners and in some cases even children. It was a real eye opener to see couples walking about with their baby or toddler.

Jacob was having the time of his life having met several shifters of different breeds and the guys had made some sort of group together that Harry was sure would last for the rest of their lives. Harry himself found some people he thought he could become friends with too.

A young Irish wizard by the name of Daniel would be in the same class of him and the other two, a wizard and a witch, would be in a different class. They compared electives and had great fun filling each other in on their lives. The thing that really convinced Harry that they might become good friends was that they didn't care who he was. It felt good to meet new people that didn't judge him on newspapers and history books.

The strangest thing to happen that week was also the most disturbing thing to happen. As the week neared its end there was a meet and greet night in which new students could meet up with classmates and teachers. The small ballroom at school was packed with people but the moment he saw her Harry just knew he wasn't seeing things.

There sitting at the slightly raised platform with a card before her saying which class she taught was Professor Reilly. Cold shivers ran down his spine and Harry wrote a letter to Hermione that night before he went to bed. He had a bad feeling he just couldn't shake but at the same time he felt so stupid being suspicious of her being here. There could be millions of reasons she was a professor here now. Not to mention that she couldn't know he was here.

Still when Saturday came around Harry couldn't stand it anymore. Hermione had yet to answer and his curiosity together with his paranoid gene were jumping to be heard so Harry left his apartment to make his way up to the school. If anyone saw him wondering about he could just say he was walking to his classrooms.

He had received his timetable yesterday so it was a good excuse. Jacob was out with the pack, as the shifters jokingly called each other, and wouldn't be back for several hours as they were probably burning energy in the forest. As he walked to school he amused himself thinking about the mishmash of animal shifters Jacob surrogate pack was made out of. A wolf, two panthers, a reindeer, a fox and three horses. A combination the muggle world would never see but seemed nothing strange here at Rain academy.

Rain was vastly different than even Hogwarts in that it had students of all kinds of races and countries. In fact there were twins in his class that came from India and had permission to wear their traditional robes instead of the uniform because they had some relation to the royal line. There really were all kinds of people here and it made it more fun in Harry eyes. He had even been introduced to a werewolf professor which had hurt a little as it brought up memories of Remus and how he had to go quit his job because he was a werewolf.

By now he was at school and had wondered inside. The place was nothing like Hogwarts, sure it was a big castle but there were no moving stairs or ghosts here. Rain academy had its own kind of appeal though in that it was a bright castle without any of the dreary cold drafts Hogwarts suffered. It would be different but he would get used to it.

His trip was paying off in that he found his classes and managed to memorise them but he had yet to find a trace of Professor Reilly. Surely she should be somewhere inside the building. He had already wondered past her classroom but it had been empty. The section of the castle that was meant for teachers was forbidden so he couldn't go there and right now he concluded she was likely there, as he had pretty much looked at all the obvious places she could be.

Still it was a big castle and you could miss meeting someone for days on end. Deciding to give up for the day Harry turned and walked down the hall to the nearest staircase. He would take the route through the rose garden to get back to his apartment. Maybe the professor was a rose lover who liked to spend her time sitting outside.

In hindsight it was the most cliché meeting ever. He hadn't been paying any attention to his surroundings any longer, instead thinking about what he and Jacob could be eating tonight. Then out of nowhere her voice rang out.

"Well hello again Mr. Potter. Fancy meeting you here."

From shock Harry did a strange sideways backwards movement that made him hit the wall. Turning his head he came face to face with Professor Reilly who was looking smug and had a strange expression in her eyes that made Harry's hair stand on end.

"Good afternoon professor."

"Still living the good life I see." She said looking at his hands clearly indicating the marks from his bonding.

"I wonder though if you could tell me how you can live like you do, how you can just walk away from such a devastating thing as the train attack."

Not liking where the conversation was going Harry resolved to get away. Sure he had wanted to find out more about professor Reilly being here but now it seemed like a stupid thing to do. Double stupid that he had gone off alone and having not told anyone what he was doing or where he was going.

"Answers please Mr. Potter. As you professor I demand respect of my station and when I ask something it means you have to answer me!" she was almost hissing the words and the look in her eyes was so cold and flat Harry wondered if somewhere in her background her ancestors had breed some kind of snake into their linage.

"I'm sorry professor, it was an awful day for everyone and I certainly didn't leave it behind me. I live with the images each day but with the help of Lady Heather things have become better. Now if you could please excuse me I have to get back home, my mate is waiting for me with dinner."

He only managed to get a few steps before Reilly grabbed his arm and forcefully twisted him around.

"No you will not. You will not do this. You were supposed to be our savour, our hero but that turned out to be a hoax. Then when you could at least be a little bit useful you fail. Did you know that my younger twin sisters were on that train? In fact they were in that very same group you were in and you failed to keep them alive."

For a moment he allowed her accusations to enter his mind to play on his guilt. Then he forcefully stopped it, he had spend many times talking to Lady Heather about this. He couldn't keep carrying all his burdens and especially not other peoples burdens. Many people died that day and he was only one person. One boy who had been half broken, no one could expect him to save everyone it was impossible.

"I'm really sorry for your loss but I'm just a person. I can't save everyone, I'm not all powerful." He whispered but she heard and it only made her angrier.

"You not sorry enough! But you will be." And then he felt the familiar tuck of a portkey. Blind panic set in as his mind flashed back to the tournament and his panic grew when he remembered that no one knew where he had gone and now they wouldn't even have a chance to find him.

His landings always on the unstable kind were a complete disaster now. He stumbled and fell on the ground hurting his arm. The landing also knocked him breathless and before he could gather himself someone had him tied up. He didn't know whom until she started to talk though.

"Look at that, little widdly baby Potter down at my feet at least. Oh you look so good in this position little Potter, but you don't look quite right just yet." The sing song voice made his skin crawl and when he managed to twist his head just a little bit to look he was met by the sight of Bellatrix.

She looked just as crazy as ever, her hair wild and unkempt and her robes stiff with dirt and probably blood. Beside her stood Professor Reilly, a look of deep satisfaction on her face.

"I told you, you would be sorry." She said smugly.

"With what will I start? Oh I know. Crucio." Bellatrix said at the same time and Harry entire body lit up in pain. It felt like hours before she finally cancelled the spell and all he could do was sob and whimper. Any kind of thought was beyond him as he lay there, praying that she wouldn't do it again so soon.

His prayers were not heard as Bellatrix cast Crucio two more times before she dragged him to his new home. Her form of speech going from the taunting baby talk to insane discussions with figments of her own imagination. It disturbed him greatly she was sanest when she was taunting him. And all the time Reilly followed them, never speaking up or showing remorse.

When he was finally left alone Harry cried out of sheer desperation. With each sob his body throbbed painfully and breathing was torture. The floor was damp and cold and at one point he dragged himself to the wooden cot that he supposed was his bed. It didn't help much with the cold but at least it was dry.

When he felt somewhat calmer he looked around and found that his cell was a small stone room, the walls dripping and patches of it covered in green muck. The one window was high up with bars. Frowning Harry reached for it biting his lip as he pulled himself up causing his muscles to scream in pain.

Looking outside told him nothing of where he might be but he was pretty sure he might be able to pull out the bars. Already rust and time had created a fragility in the stone they were set in. He would be able to work them out but he had no idea how long Bellatrix would stay away. If she came back and discovered what he had done the punishment would not only be brutal but he would likely be relocated to another room.

Still the sooner he started the faster he could escape. With the way she tortured he didn't have the luxury to hope he would survive the next time. His body could hardly cope with what had been done to it just now. Trying not to feel sorry for himself, Harry lowered himself down on his feet and started to wriggle the bar in the middle, his mind mostly focussed on listening to voices or footsteps.

He actually managed to get two bars lose before he heard footsteps coming his way. Scared Harry placed the bars back, giving them the extra push to make sure they wouldn't tumble out and sat down on the cot. Hugging himself he rested his head on his knees and looked at the door.

Not a moment too soon as just at that moment the door opened and Reilly stepped in. Her smile was all wrong and Harry shivered.

"Look at boy wonder now, all beaten up and useless like the day of the attack. You know that my sisters and me grew up hearing stories about you, how you were supposed to be some saviour. Well, some saviour you turned out to be. You didn't even kill You Know Who and are a complete flop when it comes to saving your fellow students." She snorted out.

Harry flinched and tried not to look her in the eye. As if she was some predator that he might set off or challenge if he did so. He also refrained from talking back or telling her his friends and mate would come for him. He was pretty sure any kind of back talk would only make his situation harder. It was better to stay silent and take what came to him as best as he could. Merlin he hoped he would survive.

"Got nothing to say for yourself. How typical. Well let's see how you do when you won't get food or water for a few days." The brilliant smile he could see from the corner of his eyes frightened him and he hoped that he would get away. He also hoped that he would find his wand once he got back. He felt pretty stupid having not realized before that he had lost it, he was a wizard for heaven's sake and he only just realized it.

Then again maybe that was also a good thing, since he was sure that his wand would have been taken from him had he had it. They probably would have broken it just to spite him. To his relieve Reilly left making a show of closing the door and locking it. He waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore before he went back to working on the bars.

He really was lucky to have this chance. He wondered of course why neither of the women had noticed the state of the bars before they threw him in here but he didn't dare think about it for any length of time. It was better to not question his luck and just work on what he had.

This time he was left alone for so long that he had managed to create a gap large enough. For a moment he stood still and listened trying to detect the woman but heard nothing but the slow drip, drip of water. Scared Harry turned his back to the wall and pulled his pained body up for the second time.

It was dark out by now but enough moonlight to see by it would help him when he ran for the forest he had seen from the window earlier that day and now was nothing more than a pitch black blob in the distance. After slipping a few times he finally managed to work his upper body through the window and using his weight and gravity let himself fall to the ground.

All the while his mind kept screaming that it was a trap that there was no way he would be so lucky as to escape so soon. Cursing under his breath Harry just lay on the ground until his muscles didn't throb quite so painful anymore. His mind was conjuring image after image of what might happen in the coming few minutes.

And somewhere he was sure he would be caught again but he pushed the thought away mercilessly. Finally he felt confident enough to try and stand up most of his senses straining to hear if his captors had discovered his escape. He kept it up all the way to the forest creeping from one patch of shadow to the next slowly.

Once there he allowed himself a short rest. Looking back around constantly listening was taking its toll, he found that his thought process was slower and he found it harder to think logically. He was sure that the torture and condition of his body played a huge part in it but for now he kept dragging his mind back to one thought. Getting away.

If only he could apparate. Such a thing would have been wonderful, one little pop and he would have been safe. Then again he didn't know his location and apparating far distances could kill a wizard by sheer magical drainage. Feeling depression clawing at him he moved on again. It was better to just keep going and put as much distance between him and his tormentors. It also kept him from thinking too much as he needed to pay attention to his surroundings.

After a while he lost all sense of direction and stopped again. It would be foolish to go on because he might end up at the same place he tried to get away from. Still sitting out in the open wasn't really an option either, he didn't have his wand and Bellatrix and Reilly did. So the next logical thing would be to at least hide.

Looking around he sighed. He couldn't see much in the forest trees blocking out most of the moonlight. The ground was leafy though so he sat down on the ground and tried to cover himself with them. He wasn't sure if he succeeded but by now he was just too tired.

-oOo-

Morning brought with it a renewed hopelessness. Harry still believed that this was all too good to be true. Surely he shouldn't be able to get away so easy and even with his body all stiff and painful he wondered if this was some kind of illusion created by Reilly or Bellatrix. That it was all just in his mind and that it was another form of torture.

Still he kept going, with more light to navigate he could at least see the forest ground and avoid roots and potholes. He travelled even slower than yesterday but the pace was steady and at one point the sun managed to penetrate the trees bathing him in warm light. He made sure too rest regularly even if his mind was telling him to keep going on, it wouldn't do his body any good and would only tire him out faster.

It was when he was resting that he heard it. Shouting of his name in the distance. Instantly he froze up and listened with all his might. There again his name was called out and he recognized it as Bellatrix, her mocking litany of insults coming closer and closer.

Closing his eyes Harry wondered what he could do. No wand, no knowledge of apparating, no means of contacting anyone and not able to outrun her. When he opened his eyes he was looking up unseeing then his sight flickered to the branches and an idea came to him.

Years ago Hermione had said once that witches and wizards were not much for logic and Bellatrix being who she was must have almost none of it. Climbing up a tree might be just the thing to save him. Hoisting himself up he prepared himself to jump up and prayed he could grasp the branch above him.

With some trouble he managed to drag his body onto it and once on it he had to stop and rest. His breathing was out of control and his entire body was shaking from the move. His pour muscles would be able to take much more of this.

Still he had no option but to climb higher and was pleased when at last he found a high enough place with enough shelter to hide. Settling down he pushed his body into a fork so that he couldn't accidentally fall down and waited.

Bellatrix was still coming his way but now she was close enough for him to notice that she walked in a sweeping way, going from one side to the other. This time he also caught the sound of Reilly's voice who was searching somewhere farther down right. Harry swallowed painfully and closed his eyes. This was just hopeless at one point they would find him it was surely to only possible ending. Still maybe they wouldn't notice him and he could only hope that at one point they would move on and leave the forest. If only luck would stay with him for a little while longer he wanted to see Jacob again, his family and friends. He didn't want to die.

By now Bellatrix was so close Harry was afraid to even breath, her voice coming from somewhere beneath him. Each second she spends close by was a whole new form of mental torture. Tears formed in his eyes and Harry could feel them slipping down his cheeks pooling around his lips and form there dripping down his chin onto his neck.

Bellatrix took her time it seemed but finally, finally moved further away. Just a sliver of relieve rose in his mind he was still in a very dangerous situation and she was still close enough to hear him or sense him. Then something rustled near his tree and in the next moment Bellatrix shouted of stunners and curses alike.

Eyes wide Harry kept his breath and listened. Bellatrix stomped back and started cursing then left. Slowly Harry let out his breath and briefly wondered if at the end of the search party any animals would be alive in this forest. With the way Bellatrix went at it the numbers would at least be seriously lowered.

As if that wasn't enough Reilly started screaming. Her howl cut of so fast Harry knew she had been attacked. Bellatrix once again came his way but this time she ran and kept going into the direction Reilly had been heard. Harry didn't dare move down, he had no idea how long the disruption would keep Bellatrix busy and with his speed he probably wouldn't get far.

Then another shout, Bellatrix, was met with a vicious howl. Harry heart started to beat faster. The howl had sounded like a wolf. Surely it couldn't be, but just maybe it was. When he hurt Bellatrix screaming and cursing Harry's hope grew and he leaned towards the direction he heard the fight coming from.

This time he could also hear growling and moments later Bellatrix let out a high-pitched scream. Then silence. Unsure Harry opted to stay in his tree and wait to hear what happened next. Sure enough he could hear Bellatrix again closer this time and his heart hurt. Had she killed the wolf, and then he heard the wolf. It was running and it seemed no matter what spell Bellatrix flung at it didn't slow it down.

A crashing sound told him the two had collided and they were close enough for Harry to hear bones snap. Wincing Harry pushed himself closer to the tree but kept his attention on the sounds coming his way.

Bellatrix was still fighting it seemed but by now he knew it was useless. His prediction was realized not moments later when Bellatrix gasped and then let out a low gurgling sound that faded away. Silence took over again this time replaced moments later by Jacob's voice.

"Harry, come out please. It's safe."

Nothing had ever sounded sweeter and Harry immediately started to lower himself. The emotions blocked his throat and he couldn't seem to speak around it but it didn't matter. Jacob heard him move and by the time Harry gotten low enough it was to see his mate waiting for him.

"Jacob." He managed to say before just letting go of the branch and fall the rest of the way down into his mates arms.

"You're safe now my love." Jacob whispered as he caught him. His mate didn't let go and instead shifted Harry until he had a good hold on him before he started walking.

"I'm so glad this academy had protective barriers that prevent people from using those portkey thingies to get beyond the barriers. It meant that you were still somewhere close. It took us a while but then one of the cats found the ruins they had kept you and it was easy to track you from there."

Harry didn't really pay attention to what Jacob said beyond the words of barrier and tracking. He guessed he would be up for it when he had spent some time in the hospital being treated for Crucio effects. Not to mention now that he was safe and warmed by Jacobs body he felt completely drained.

Just before he passed out he could think of nothing else but that he had been extremely lucky. Lucky and loved he thought as he turned his head just a smidge so as to breathe in Jacobs scent.

-oOo-

When Harry woke it was to the sight of white plaster ceiling that seemed to be the trademark of hospitals world round. Next he noticed was Jacobs presence, the shifter was holding his hand looking at Harry with a pained expression. Harry smiled to let him know everything was fine and then with something of a shock found that everything was indeed fine.

His body felt great and he wasn't tired. Sitting up he experimentally moved all his limbs and grinned at Jacob as everything worked just fine. Jacob gave him a tiny smile back obviously still dealing with how Harry had been when he found him.

"Well Mr. Potter, a nice start of your new school you're having." A sweet voice said.

Turning Harry was faced with a medi-witch. Her crisp white and blue uniform a sign of her station. She held a clipboard in her hands with several papers she was now riffling through. Humming as she did so.

"Well it seems you're good to go Mr. Potter but I must insist that you be careful for the coming weeks. Your body will be tender for a while yet."

She scribbled something on one of the papers with her quill before looking up and smiling. "I'll have your robes brought to you. Until then why don't you and your mate have a nice chat over breakfast." She waved her wand at the nightstand and in the next moment a tray with breakfast came flying from somewhere to the left and landed on it.

Satisfied she left Harry and Jacob alone to enjoy each other's company. And boy did they talk. Jacob filled Harry in on his side. Telling him of finding Harry wand laying abandoned in one of the hallways. Taking it to the Headmaster and setting up the search party.

By the time it became clear the Professor Reilly had something to do with it his shifter friends had offered to split up and search the terrain. Again and again Jacob touched him and Harry revelled in it. He was safe and with his mate with Bellatrix gone for good he could finally let go of that part of his past. It had always bugged him that she had been somewhere out there. Just knowing that she was no dead was a huge relief.

Harry kept his side of the story much shorter and less detailed. He knew that Jacob could tell there was more but he just didn't want to talk about it. For now he just wanted to enjoy feeling good, they could always talk about it more later. Much later.

In the end Harry ended up missing a couple of schooldays but none of his teacher made much of a fuss about it. One of them even handed Harry his own notes of the class he missed and told him that he would understand if Harry wasn't able to concentrate completely on his lessons.

In that first week of school he also had a long talk with the headmaster who was greatly concerned for Harry. The man wondered if he might like to go home for a few weeks but Harry politely turned the offer away and instead asked if Lady Heather could come around. That of course wasn't a problem at all and soon not only Lady Heather came to visit him but his family also.

His first real school weekend he found himself with is vampire family all of them concerned for him and asking if he was fine. Jasper would even touch him to make certain he was feeling okay. The real surprise was that Edward was back.

It seemed he had come to a conclusion and he told Harry with a steady and calm voice that even though he loved Bella very much he could not change her. He could offer to stay with her but not at the price of taking her soul. His belief ran to deep and he had found that he could not sacrifice it for her.

Later he heard from Rosalie that Edward and Bella had another fight about it. Apparently Edward had gone to tell her of his decision and the argument had been so loud one of the neighbours had called the police. Chief Swan had been none too happy about it and for now Edward was forbidden to see his daughter. This of course didn't mean that Bella didn't come by their house to continue the argument.

The family had, had front row seats in that fight and even Rosalie admitted that she felt sorry for Edward. She could see that he loved Bella and that her words hurt him but she was proud that he stood by his belief and probably relieved that Bella wouldn't be joining them.

Harry guessed that at one point someone would have to wipe Bella's mind of the knowledge of shifters and vampires if things didn't work out. But for now Edward was still trying to get the relationship to work so he would keep this offer to himself until it was truly needed. Which seemed to be not too far off, poor Edward.

Sunday night his family left for home and Harry and Jacob saw them off by the airport. When they turned to go to their apartment Harry felt calm and happy. His past was behind him and all he had now was a future he could look forward to filled with his mate, family and friends.

Speaking of friends it would probably be a good thing to write his before they found out form someone else what had happened to him.

Fin.

I feel that now the story has a more definite ending to it. All the loose ends I had at chapter three are finished. No roaming death eaters or other parties hunting Harry. Harry's relationship growing close and the bonding. He is free to go on and start the next phase in his life.

Also I hope to have brought a more real feel to Edwards and Bella's relationship. The twilight story really bugs me in that aspect and here I tried to give them the truth and as I showed in this story I do not think the relationship would hold. Well at least it doesn't in my story.

As always I would like to ask of those reading this to let me know what they think about the story especially now that it is finished. Did you enjoy it, was it fun or did it suck.

Little known facts about this story.

It was never meant to be this long. After the first thirty pages though I decided that keeping this as a one shot was a lost cause and it became a multi chapter story instead.

The story kind of hijacked me. I had plans, well I had an outline and this story just chucked it in the bin and wrote itself. At one point I wondered if it would ever come to an end.

This story is officially 81 pages long and consist over 45.000 words

It survived two computer crashes and made me cry in frustration the first time I thought I lost it. It was over 25.000 words at that time.

After the first crash I kept making backups every time I was finished writing for that day.

I had to finish it on my laptop as my desktop is still being fixed from that second crash at this moment.

In the time that I wrote it I also had one black out, one thunder storm and several bad weather days.

Love Kaicee