Summary: For a while it seemed all was well. The war was over. She was alive. But it came to end a lot sooner than to say, after months of struggle,when death visited her she was not surprised. Hence she greeted it, as cliche as it may be, as a friend

And it did come to claim her. Just not in the way she thought it would.

Now she was once again standing on the front-line, fighting for one of the most important things that death represents. Balance. Even if the fight wasn't in her own world.

Chapter 1

Breathe.

Just breathe. Keep going.

In and out, In and out.

Green eyes moved swiftly over the walls of the room. They seemed closer than the last time she looked at them.

Breathe.

But what if she couldn't?

Harley closed her eyes and finally, when darkness started covering the edge of her vision, took in a deep breath. And immediately regretted it. The sharp pain in her chest from holding in her breath was much preferred to the agony of breathing.

Breathe.

She felt tingling all the way up her arms and resolutely ignored it. At least it wasn't burning. Harley put a shaky hand on the floor, and with a grunt pushed herself up. Because that's what she did. After the pain, the hurt, is done shoving her to the ground she gets up again. Even if she didn't want to. Even if it was better staying down.

The room appeared to spin for a second before settling. The lights seemed to hurt her eyes.

She wanted to open her mouth and complain, grumble in frustration but words didn't form. It happened escaped her some days, some moments.
So she played music instead. She supported herself by putting a hand on the table and picked up her-not hers, theirs- wand. Her hands shook, every moment hurt. A wave of her wand and music was flowing around her.

Its happening more often, a soft voice whispered in her mind.

She knew, knew that it was. Because it was getting harder and harder to hide. And hiding it was a must, just because she accepted it didn't mean others did.
Another wave. A jacket came soaring into her hand. She put her arms through it and inhaled the smoky scent that lingered in it even though Sirius had stopped smoking years ago. It made the cold a bit more bearable. But what do you do when the cold is within?

She took another breath, relaxing when the pain was not as consuming. Soon her breathing became normal and she got back to work,even if the trembling made it almost impossible to do so. Her notes were messed up but she went on.

She pulled up her hair and tied it. She had been in the process of tying it when she fell. And when it felt like she could move without stumbling, she started moving around her workstation in a motion akin to dancing.

Cutting, grinding and dicing.

Ingredients covered her gloves as she put them in, praying every time that it didn't cause a blast. Hermione would kill her if she blew up the basement again.
Moments like that were when she felt alive. The blood pumping in her veins warmed up her cold insides and she held on to the warmth with all she had. Slowly but surely color flowed back to her cheeks.

When the final ingredient, Xanthun gum, was added Harley stepped back and casted a stabilizing spell on the potion. Immediately, the potion became clear and two small masses appeared inside.

A small strainer was used to pick out the stones and her lips tilted into something resembling a smile because that was the first time they had held together out of the potion. She then carefully wrapped her fingers around one of them. It crumbled before she could pick it up.

She sighed with disappointment. Another failure.

"God dammit," The comment was softly whispered to herself. She wanted to hit the table. Pain wasn't the answer, she repeated the sentence again and again in her mind until the urge to break stuff went away.

She summoned the ever-filled water bottle, sending a little thanks to Molly in her head,and took a tentative sip. She closed her eyes expecting the familiar sharp needle like feeling in her throat.

Drinking water, even room temperature, could hurt like a bludger when your body feels water,thankfully, went down smoothly. After the first sip she gulped the water down so fast that she thought she might drown.

Feeling the quiet leave her, she forced the thoughts in her mind to form on her lips., "The stabilizer should have worked."

She vanished the potion, "Stupid brittle stones." She suppressed the part of her that didn't want her to talk. Instead she complained," I added the stabilizer but noooo why would it work. Its not like I've spent over an year on this!" Her raspy voice became lost in the music but it was better than the silence. She finally felt like she could talk. She picked up the in her hand and threw it towards the rubbish basket.

"Harley Potter!" The amplified voice rose above the sound of music.

Harley cursed as she missed the basket and the so called 'stone' fell on the ground.

Hermione, Harley thought with a sigh.

The music cut off. Harley took a moment to change her gloves, she climbed the stairs and opened the door.

"Harley Potter, Merlin help me I-"She heard Hermiones voice, worry coating it like it often did nowadays. She took a step forward and the door slammed on her face.

"Son of a Banshee!" Harley cursed loudly and in frustration kicked the door. She rubbed a hand on her nose and came face to face with her worried best friend who had stepped back to dodge the the door.

Hermione released a breath and looked over her black haired friend who was rubbing her rapidly reddening nose.

"I swear I am going to burn down this door to the ground! It keeps slamming in my face! And I am almost sure it does it on purpo-" Harley almost started her rant again but Hermione strode up to her and cupped her face in her warm hands,

"Harley, What were you doing down there all alone? And you warded the door! You should have told me, I would have stayed there with you!"

Harley almost leaned into Hermione's warm hands that felt lovely against her cold cheeks before her words registered in her mind. Harley wanted to scream and shout. I am not a child! Stop treating me like a fragile doll! But the words got stuck in the back of her throat.

Hermione was her best friend, she reminded herself. So she gave her what was meant to be a smile but probably came out more like a grimace, "Calm down 'Mione," she pushed away the hands gently, " I am fine. Promise. You panic too much." She looked away from her best friends eyes, hoping that she'd let it go.

It must be one of those days because Hermione just looked at her with tired eyes. Harley pushed down a feeling of guilt, Hermione had recently joined DMLE and being a muggle born in a pro-pure-blood ministry, even though things had gotten better after the war, couldn't be easy. She probably didn't want to have this conversations as much Harley.

"Harley," and then she repeated the words Harley could probably recite in her sleep by now, " You need to be more careful. It's not just rash, it's dangerous as well. You never know what may happen."

"I think I know about what could happen. Honestly Hermione, you act like I'll drop dead any moment." Harley blew a stray strand of hair away from her face and halfheartedly rolled her eyes.

That, Harley soon realized was a bad idea because Hermione's eyes narrowed and that was a bad sign. Hermione stepped forward and pointed a finger at her, Harley's eyes followed the finger before getting locked on Hermiones reddening face.

"Well you should know better, Harley. Locking the door even though you know the danger! Would it hurt to just mention that you're going to the basement? I don't ask for much, just a note or even a patronus is fine. And maybe I wouldn't worry so much if you were-" Her mouth snapped shut and she closed her eyes in regret.

Harley took a step back, the raw hurt on her face disappearing before brown eyes could open again. The cold seemed to wrap around her heart again.

Hermione took a deep breath and probably opened her mouth to apologize, she had crossed a line she hadn't toed for a long time but Harley just forced on a smile and shook her head.

"Normal? Is that what you were going to say? You wouldn't have to worry if I was normal?"

Normal. Normal was a word that haunted Harley all her childhood and continued to do so. Harley knew what Hermione thought about her, as she called it, 'condition' but it was a topic they rarely, if ever, touched.

She looked away from Hermione because she knew that her friend could read her eyes. Hermione usually saw the sadness that resided there. But sometimes Harley hoped Hermione could see the acceptance too.

"Harley, I-" Hermione struggled a bit at what to say, "I-I am sorry, I did not mean that. You're right, sometimes I worry too much and my reflex was to..." She sighed, "I apologize...you just have a special condition."

'Special', well that was one way to put it, Harley thought casting away the small hurt that still surfaced at the fact that after running away from the label all her life she still got stuck with 'abnormal'.

Honestly, it was not the label that bothered her but the fact that her friend was the one that put it on her. If only Hermione just accepted- Harley pushed away the thought with some effort.

Hermione was looking at her with that sad look on her face and Harley just hated that fact that she was the reason it was there. Loathed it even. So she just put on a smile and decided to lighten the mood. "Its fine. Even I know your friend is not normal. It comes with the label, 'Mione."

Hermione scrunched her nose at the 'horrendous nickname' as she called it but leaned forward to kissed her cheek, deciding to take the olive branch for what it was."Well, I don't care. You are the best"

Harley looked at Hermione and the corners of her lips raise up in a amused smile, "And you are covered in octopus powder."

"Agh, disgusting." Hermione made a face looking at the purple powder that has transferred from Harley onto her. She flicked her wrist and her wand appears in her hand "Tergeo" With that Hermione rubbed her arms to feel that the smelly powder had indeed disappeared."What exactly were you doing with that? And how on earth did you get it, I thought it was only available in summer imports?"

Harley grinned before walking towards the kitchen, Hermione followed her out of habit. She could feel the small curling of warm at the thought of her sword-wielding-companion turned Herbology teacher who had sent her a package full of rare materials.

"Neville." She said as answer to the second question, pointedly ignoring the first one."Soooo, what exactly were you screaming for?" She inquired, trying to change the topic. "Please don't tell me Ron got stuck in the dryer again" She made a face at the apples in the basket. After drinking hundreds of diluted apple flavored love potions to develop immunity to them-George's idea- she lost any taste she had had for them.

"No" Hermione chuckled, thankfully deciding to let go of the unanswered question. She pulled a chair towards her and sat by the kitchen counter putting her hands on her lap.

"Good, I don't think I can handle that again", Harley's eyes shone with mirth as she remembered her friend's initial introduction to muggle electronics. It had taken both of them, an oil spell and lots of pushing and pulling to get Ron out of the dryer.

"Nothing as disastrous...but Ron and I have to leave now," Hermione said casually, though she probably wasn't as relaxed as she was sounding. "Are you sure you don't want to come after all?" She tried once again.

Harley wondered why Hermione even tried anymore when the answer never changed. She tried each time and it never worked.

Harley tsk-ed, putting her empty glass in the sink, "I am sure. I have told you before, I don't feel like going and as much as I love them, I would like some time without all the emotional torture." She patted Hermione's shoulder and turned towards the fridge, "I'm going to be fine. Don't worry. I'll have company."

Harley had her back turned on Hermione, but she swore she could almost feel her friend stiffen.

Another Taboo topic.

"Everything is ready to go." Ron declared entering the kitchen, Harley could almost kiss him for the interruption. Almost. Because gross, he was like her brother.

"You still not comin', mate? We both know how much you love mum's treacle tart. You sure you wanna miss it? " He asked teasingly bumping their shoulders before turning around to hug her.

Harley nodded. "I'll survive, Ron." She returned the hug with a smile. There was something about the Weasley men that always makes her feel loved and protected. Well Weasley men except Percy, she never felt as comfortable around him even if he had loosened up after the war.

"George will probably come over like he does every time to avoid the get-together. Are you sure you will be fine?" Hermione asked absentmindedly, running her wand over her shirt to get out the invisible creases.

Harley's smile became strained, "Yes ma'am, I am sure I will be fine. I'll be in the house and It's not like I'll be alone." Sensing the impending argument, Ron latched his hand around Hermione's elbow.

"Come on Hermione. She'll be fine, she is not a baby you know." He winked at Harley before dragging his protesting wife to floo to the Burrow.
Harry took a bite out of the sandwich she had taken out of the fridge and stood in the Kitchen until she heard the familiar whosh of the fireplace, then she went back to the basement.

Hermione Granger-Weasley found herself in quite a fix at the Weasley gathering. Her fingers clenched around her spoon, wishing it was a wand instead. She absently wondered whether she would lose her job if she were to, hypothetically of course, curse a nosy in-law to the inch of her life. Her mind ran over several loopholes that might allow her to go scot-free. Maybe if she-

"So is the girl still living with your son and his wife?" The said in-law's nasally voice sounded way too loud in the suddenly quiet room. Aunt Muriel's face curled up in dislike, " I don't know why you deal with this Molly when she didn't even bother to come here. Probably thought this was too beneath 's ruined her, I tell ya."

Hermione saw with wonder as red color steadily crept into Molly's cheeks and she seemed to be burning with anger. Deciding to intervene before any actual cursing took place, Hermione clenched her teeth and forcefully smiled, "As a matter of fact. We live with her, Aunt Muriel. She is kind enough to allow us to intrude her private space until our house is completed."

Aunt Muriel looked like she had swallowed a lemon, she reached for her spoon and ate another spoonful of the cake Molly had made. She must have thought of a reply as a nasty smile appeared on her face. Hermione suddenly wanted to knock out her crooked teeth, "Oh really, then I must ask how is that house coming out for you dear. I mean, it has been what,four years since its construction started?"

"It's coming well aunt," Ron interrupted, " We are actually expecting to move out soon."

His casual announcement caused the table to erupt into a series of congrats and inquiries. Hermione glared at him halfheartedly, knowing that he did it on purpose. He knew this would make it more difficult for her to refuse, that clever bastard. She answered a few of the questions before finding an opportunity to slip away.

Standing by one of the windows, she took a bite from the pumpkin pasty she had swiped from the table. Rain splattered against the window, masking the Burrow with its blurriness.

It is raining. Why did it always rain when these gatherings happened?

"Wotcher Hermione" The voice startled Hermione and she droped her pastie as she jerked toward the voice.

"George? What are you doing here?!" She looked at him, checking him over as was her habit nowadays. She took in the filled cheeks, the flush to his cheeks that suggested he needed some liquid courage to get ready to come here. She wasn't surprised, after the first few gatherings he had chosen not to come to this. She could't help but notice that he looks better than he had in months, years even.

Her cheeked burn realizing how rude she was being, "I mean it's good to see you." She tried to sound sincere even if their relationship had strained over the years with arguments.

George scoffed plopping on the couch next to her, he put his feet on the table. They both knew,Molly would most likely kill him if she saw it.

"We both know that isn't true, but well...we just came. Angelina thought it would do me some good to come on the gatherings. Steps of healing and all that hogwash." He gave a small fond smile and Hermione was a little startled to see that it looked happy and open instead of hollow, as was common after the war.

"That's good. Congratulation...about the engagement I mean"

"Thanks." and with those words the conversation died again. It took some time before any of them spoke again.

Hermione could hardly remember the last time she talked with George without heated words and angry sighs. There was a time when their victory was together but now it felt like she lost whenever he won.

She could still hear the splattering of rain outside, a beautiful earthy smell filled her senses. Her eyes followed a rain drop's path on the window.

"She is not a child you know."

Her brows furrowed as she looked at him, they both knew who he was talking about. And they were both aware that their ideas on how to deal with what was going on diverged a long time ago.

Hermione picked at a lose thread on the couch, she had hoped they could avoid this thing this time. "I know tha-"

"So stop treating her like one." He looked straight at her, looking until she was forced to look away.

"I am just...She needs me, George.I am doing what's right for her."

He looked at her with eyes filled with sympathy, " I know but did you ever think that maybe, you're not doing right by her. It took her a long time to come out of her cage, and all you're doing is forcing her back in" He stood up and walked away leaving her behind to deal with her thoughts.

Of course she was doing the right thing, Hermione told herself. She spent all her time keeping Harley in a safe environment, trying to find a cure and to minimize the symptoms of Harley's condition. Unlike him, who spent his time finding ways to take her away from the safety of their home.

Of course she was right. Wasn't she?

"Ron, I don't feel so well." Ron tuned out Ginny's recounting of one of her matched to look down at his wife.

She was cuddled in his side,head resting on his shoulder. She looked fine but he knew better. " getting late anyways." She had held up longer than he thought she would. Hemione pulled away from him, fiddling her fingers as she looked down. He knew that look. She was feeling guilty again. It was an expression he had seen too many times over the years.

He got up from the couch and made a round around the room, saying goodbye and giving last that time he could see his wife slowly but steadily get more tensed.

"Come on." He held out his hand and they both walked to the apparation point.

"Ron, I-"

"I know." He brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her hand. "I know."

There was something wrong.

That was the first thing that Hermione thought as they walked inside the was quiet. Too quiet. Usually Harley had some sort of music on, she didn't like the quiet when they were gone.

She felt a cold feeling crawling up her spine. She clenched her fists and tried to reassure herself, "Harley must be sleep. It is past-what was that?"

They both stilled and strained their ears. Hermione eyes widened when she heard another cry shatter the silence of the night, louder and more piercing. "Harry," she whispered, looking around frantically .

Blood.

There was blood on the carpet.

The world fell away and the only thing she could think was, Harley's had another episode.

Ron was already running to basement. He banged his fist hard on the door. "Harles! Harles Open up! Bloody hell," he dug in his pockets for his wand, finding it just as Hermione blasted the door.

They burst inside, going down the stairs three at a time and at the bottm, Ron immediately stilled. Hermione peered over his shoulder and blanched.
There in the dark with was Harley, sitting with her back to the wall. Her whimpers broke the trance and a sob escaped her throat as Hermione slowly walked towards her.

"Harley?" She called out softly. Kneeling next to her, Hermione touched her face. Thick red blood tricked down Harley's face as she mumbled.

"Christopher Matthew, 20. Software engineer. 15:10, car accident. Sarah Hopper, ."

Harley reached up and tried to wipe away her tears with her gloved hand. It only served to spread the blood all over her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath in, Hermione grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her violently. "Harry! Snap out of it!"

It had been a long time since they had to deal with an episode as violent as this. There were usually several signs before an episode this extreme. Harley must have been hiding the, Hermione's eyes widened with realization but she pushed away the thought, all the mattered right now was Harley.

"Jackson ." Hermione pulled her friend's hand from where she was scratching her face, Harley's hand looked death pale in hers. She stumbled back as Harleys eyes snapped light filled the room as their eyes met. Golden, beautiful and deadly eyes bore down to her very core and Hermione felt the need to give her self away.

With a loud crash, all the glass vials shattered, splattering potion ingredients everywhere. The golden color disappeared into the familiar jade and for a second everything seemed alright. Then Harley fainted.

She didn't wake for a week.

From the day he met her at the train,George Weasley was fascinated with Harley potter's eyes. They reminded him of the sparks their fireworks emitted for the first time when they lit them in Ron's room, of the grass stains that his mother scolded about and of the first green saplings that broke out of the ground after a harsh winter. He liked how he could make them spark with happiness with a silly joke or a prank

But he also hated her hated how they would not let him lie. He hated when they filled up with tears, not for her but for him. He hated how the world had taken away their hated how her eyes would not let him pretend that everything was alright, that she was okay.

He hated her eyes. Her eyes that were still green, but no longer the bright, sparkling emerald he had been fascinated eyes that had seen too much. He reached over her sleeping form and kissed her forehead.

"Get well, darling. Angelina is still counting on that movie night."

George Weasley hated Harley Potters eyes, yet he did everything he could to make them shine with happiness, even for a short while. He couldn't help but love those faded jade eyes because they belonged to the person who saved him from the war and from himself.

Slender fingers trembled and a drop of sweat fell on the wooden table Harley was working on. She bit her lip as she tipped a vial containing a dark red liquid into the final ingredient,her blood.

The liquid in her cauldron sizzled before several small rocks appeared on the surface.

One breath.

Two.

"Yes!" She exclaimed when the stones held together after she picked them up from the dish she had deposited them on.

"That looks awful."

Harley jumped back, cussing "What the Hell! What in the Merlin's name are you doing here? You tryina kill me?" She saw black hair from the corner of her eye.

"Not Hela."

Harley nodded her head solemnly without turning back, " Ah,ofcourse Thantos. How could I dare mistake you for another? Its not like you change forms in a blink of an eye. "

The boy leaned over her, looking over her shoulder. He ignored her declaration in light of his own curiosity, "This again? Aren't you tired of it already?"

" gonna work this time." She insisted, putting the stone back into the dish. She took some of the residue of the potion and carried it over to the microscope.
Thanatos crooked his head to the side, "It has your blood in it." His nose scrunched in a way Harley would call adorable if he wouldn't maim her for it.

Harley scoffed, "Won't matter. You'd be surprised what people are willing to do for a few extra hours and this is talking about years." She thought back to Voldemort and Nicolas Flamel, one who distorted his soul beyond recognition and other whose life depended upon a piece of rock. Both of them tried to avoid death but in the end death always claims those that belong to it. She knows this better than most.
Harley visibly shook off her morbid thoughts.

She wrote down her observations about the size of the particles along with the adjustment she'd made this time, adding the blood later on, in the recipe which allowed the more solid product. Who could have known that she would take to potions, or rather messing with potions, the way she had. Though inheriting the few remaining books of one half blooded Potions master, the rest of which had been deliberately burned by the said master, played a large role in it.

Minerva had given them to her instead of putting them in the Room of Requirement, it was apparently a tradition to put a teachers remaining stuff in Hogwarts storage if no one claimed it. She wondered what Snape would have thought of her research now. Probably something vicious.

"No I really won't be." Her attention turned back to Thanatos as he shrugged. " . And what I meant was, how did you counter the toxicity? " His eyes followed the stokes of Harley's thin hand on the paper, the other hand held one of the stones

"I haven't yet, I was thinking..."She thought for a while and put down the stone she had been writing about, "I can make some sort of separate neutralizer to be taken after the healing stones have been ingested and-" The hand picking through the rocks stopped, "Quiet. Its so quiet." She stilled, the cold tendril around her heart tightened. During the day she could usually hear the footsteps of her two best friends moving about.

This silence just felt condemning.

"I-I.." She put down the strainer, " I forget sometimes." Deep breath, "Put on the music will you ,Than?"

A song started emitting from the air around them. Harley looked at Thanatos and smiled. Golden eyes twinkled at her as the black haired boy bobbed his head to the beat. Regardless of how her life had changed because of this, she couldn't ask for a better companion for the rest of eternity.
She still couldn't believe how things had changed.

"I see you have a party going on." A voice said loudly over the music.

She leaned over the table to pick up her wand, and with a wave the music stopped.

"Georgie!" She walked towards him with quick strides grinning when he picked her up and twirled her around. She moved her gloved hands up and down his arms once he put her down, looking him over. "What are you doing here handsome?"

George gave a roguish smile, "Bitsy-Boo, Do I need a reason to visit my favorite business partner? "

Hayley's shoulders shook as she laughed, " That is almost worse than Ronikins, George!" She hit him on the chest softly. " Plus I am your only business partner." A soft breath of relief escaped her lips as warmed spread into her body.

"Eh, technicalities. You're still my favorite, Cutie pie." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Harley thought her cheeks would hurt later with how wide she was smiling. Being with George, she felt thirteen again. A little girl with a bruised heart full of love to give.

"Okay. Okay. I get it. Come on, I think I had a chair here somewhere." She looked around puzzled.

Potion vials were laying on the ground, a few plates of left over food were cluttered over the tables. She flushed a bit before banishing them away, she had spent more time downstairs than upstairs over the last few months.

"The chair ran away remember? The potion reaction." Thanatos quipped from the table he was sitting on.

Harley reached out a hand and ruffled her hair, "Wha- Oh right. Thanks Thana-" She stopped, looking at George. She sighed, "Thanatos, Would you mind?" Thanatos shrugged before disappearing.

George took a deep breath, "Its okay, Harley Darlin'. I accepted him as a part of you long ago."

Harley smiled, a sad edge creeping into it. "Then you're one of the only ones."

She picked up a coffee bean and transfigured it into a bean bag.

"Come here." George flopped on the bean bag, and pulled her into his lap.

Harley stiffened before allowing herself to relax. She put her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his arms ; she felt the silence and cold completely leave her, it was rare but she held on to the moments she did get .

They stayed in that position until George's side fell asleep and he adjusted Harley to his other side.

"Thanks, Georgie." The whisper was so soft, he wasn't sure she even meant it for him to hear.

"What for? If you're talking about the cuddles, I must say I'm enjoying myself quite a lot. Angelina isn't really one for cuddling." Harley smiled a little. That was George , always giving her a way out of hard spots.

"No, George." She pushed her self up, looking deep into his eyes. It was as if she were pushing him to face the truth. He could never stand against her eyes. "Thank you for coming here. For being here with me, even after what I-what I did." She looked away ashamed.

"Look at me, Hayley." The use of her name shocked her enough to look at him. "I've been rooting for you to do that for so I think you made Ronnie love you even more the day you forced them to go."

"I-I...No George listen I-" George place a finger on her lips, "No honey-kins you listen. Hermione had been putting off them moving out for over a year. You gave them the push they needed. And it was necessary for them and you."

Harley looked as if she was trying to convince herself the truth of his words, "Yeah I guess."

"What happened, Harles?"

Harley knew that those three words were not a demand. No. Never a demand. Only an option. A shoulder to cry on if she need. An ear to listen, if she talks. And today, after so long, she decided to talk.

"They..." She took a deep breath, " You remember the last get together before I told them to-." She waited for him to nod. "They came back to one of my...episodes." She looked at his face to gauge his reaction.

The small shock was replaced by concern before he moved his hand up and down her arm. As if trying to assure himself that she was alright. He nodded his head, urging her to continue.

"It was one of the bad ones , Deaths passing by, dates and names that I don't even recall anymore." She picked on a stray thread on his sweater, " But Hermione. Hermione touched my hand. Ungloved."

A small gasp escaped George's lips as understanding dawned on him, "Do you-Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The corner of Harley's lips tilted up, she blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes. "It wasn't-It wasn't anything bad, George."
George's eyes implored hers for answers, asking but never pushing.

"Old age." George released the breath he was holding.

Harley stood up from his lap, she ran a hand through her hair. Holding on to a section as she tried to get the words out, "When I woke up, she was there as I just couldn't- I couldn't do that to her George, I won't do that to us. I won't take that away from her."

George stood up as well, "Your such a gloom-monger, Sweet cakes. You'll be a part of it. Not take it away."

Harley raised tear filled eyes, "She was surrounded by her children." She released her hair, causing the to stick up. Harley could see that George still didn't understand, " It was just a possibility,remember? I saw so many. So many of them with old age. But there were possibilities where she ends up with only me by her bedside.I can't do-I won't-"

George's eyebrows furrowed, "What are you- It doesn't have to be one or the other"

"She considers me her responsibility. Until she is sure I am 'better', She won't allow herself to live much less have kids!"

George ran his fingers through his hair, "Hermione's a multitasker, Harley. Maybe in a year or two she'll relax and-" But even he knew he was lying to himself.

"Just like she relaxed these past 4 years? She won't relax, she doesn't know how. Her first words, before shouting at me, were that that next time she'll just find an excuse not to go to the gathering. She was even considering quitting her job! She's wasting her life, trying to correct something that isn't even wrong." An angry tear managed to escape her eyes to land on her cheek.

George hearing the shuddering of her voice, turned her around and caressed her cheek wiping the tear away, he pulled her close to her chest. And they stood there a long time, George whispering words of strength and Harley trying to believe them. Two broken people against a reality that was as true as the blood running through their veins.

After George left, she spent a long time sitting on the couch by the chair. She stared into the fire, wishing the warmth around her heart stayed forever, even if she knew it couldn't.

Harley wondered whether they could have known. The three children camping in the woods, trying to fight a monster that wanted to snuff out the light that was in them. Could they have known that the little story they heard will end up being their salvation as well as, in a way, their destroyer.
Xenophilius Lovegood had told the trio the much known story of the Deathly Hollows but it was more. Oh, it was so much more than a just a story.

A long time ago when those with magic and those without it lived together, a legend was told. It froze the hearts with fear and caused eyes to dart about. The legend of three brothers and their payments.

It was whispered from ear to ear and told to children at night. As the time passed by it transformed from a cautionary truth to a fairy tale. Its whispers traveled to far away lands and soon several elements were changed.

Its translations were made by several people, the most famous was Beetle the Bard.

"And the one to combine them shall be known as Master of death"

The tale was loved and feared and while the tale stayed same the wordings changed. And change in a single line had turned the life of a jade eyed girl upside down.

"And the one to combine them shall be known as Compeer of Death and Death shall claim them as its own."

And as Harley stood wrapped in Georges arms, she wondered once more if this was a gift or a curse.

Okay so first of all it is my first time writing MOD!Harry. I am pretty excited to write this story. I must say I'm a student so its hard to take time to write. If you like it, I would be glad to hear your thoughts in the reviews. And in the end, English is not my first language so If you find any mistakes please inform me so that I may correct them.

Thank you for reading.

-Marey

Edited:17-7-2018