Broken Fate

Chapter Twenty-Six ~ Shay and Jamie

Jamie watched Shay leave the entrance hall, then hurried across the room to meet up with Hermione, who had been waiting for her. She wasn't sure if Shay would go with Neville, but she hoped that he would.

They were several minutes late for History of Magic, but Ron and Harry (both of whom wore rather glazed looks as they listened to Professor Binns' droning) said they hadn't missed much, and Professor Binns didn't even notice they were late. Jamie sat in her seat, her mind wandering back to Shay. It was almost impossible to get him off her mind. She was all right until she actually saw him, and that happened with such frequency that it was usually pointless to try not to think about him. Her conversation with Will the other night had eased her mind for a time, but now she was back to questioning her decision not to tell Shay how she felt about him.

Will, being Will, had approached her because he had noticed she wasn't doing so well. "Jamie? Do you want to talk"

Jamie glanced over at Will, who gazed back solemnly. "About what?"

"Why you're acting so oddly."

"I'm...well...it's a long story."

"I have a long time to listen."

And so Jamie had found herself spilling her feelings for Shay to her attentive cousin. "And...Will, I don't know what to do! I want so much to tell him."

"Then why don't you?"

"I don't know! A lot of reasons, the first being that it's Shay. I just...well, he's still my best friend. I don't want to ruin that. What if I tell him and..." Jamie hesitated, not sure how to put it to words. "Shay's afraid of love," she finally said. She looked up at Willl, who didn't say anything, but was studying her silently. "I've known that he's afraid of it for a long time, but Shay'll pretend he's not afraid of anything."

"What do you think Shay would do if you told him that you loved him?" Will asked.

"I..." Jamie had considered this; it was part of what was holding her back from saying anything. "He might accept it and reciprocate...but he would probably try to deny it first. He would put on a mask and hide everything he felt so he wouldn't have to deal with it." She sighed heavily and looked at Will. "He's had so many issues with love, Will...you and I have both seen it. He has trouble accepting it."

Will nodded.

"I just...I feel like Shay has so much he's dealing with...and this is all so new to me...I'm still a bit scared of my feelings, to tell the truth."

"Jamie," Will said carefully, "I have no doubt that Shay loves you as much as you love him. I also think that if anyone can get through to him, it's you. But only you can know when it's the right time to tell Shay. I can't do that for you."

Jamie closed her eyes. She had known that Will would say something like that. He wasn't much for giving outright answers, but for directing someone into finding the answers on their own. "If I've learned anything during my life, it's that we can't depend on tomorrow being there. Today is all we have. I would regret it forever if something happened and Shay never found out how I feel."

"You've always been that way," Will said, a slight smile on his face. "Seize the moment--say what's on your mind--that's Jamie Potter for you."

Jamie returned the smile, though hers was a bit more troubled. "I know. Shay always said that sometimes I don't know when to shut up."

"But?"

"But this is too important to me to ruin it by trying to convince Shay that it's right. I know it's right--I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I just...Will, all of Shay's troubles with love started with his mum's death--and I don't know if he can accept it until he mends things with his father."

Jamie sighed to herself. That was the conversation in which she had convinced herself to wait to talk to Shay, but now she was questioning that decision. Maybe Shay would go into the forest with Neville. Maybe some sort of progress would be made...

Even so, how long was she going to wait before she told Shay that she loved him? Maybe she was going about this all wrong. Maybe Shay would be able to accept her love, and that could be a starting point. She was waiting for Neville to be the starting point...and maybe it wasn't going to work that way. Maybe that's what Will was trying to get her to realize when he told her that if anyone could get through to Shay, it was her.

She wished Will was here--she could have used some encouragement.

The class crawled along even slower than usual, and that was saying something. Jamie mulled things over in her head all through the class, and by the end of it, she had decided that regardless of anything, she would tell Shay how she felt about him tonight.

When class finally ended, Neville was the first to stand up. "Wish me luck."

"Luck, mate," Ron said, clapping a hand on Neville's shoulder. "Wish me luck. Snape's sure to find a torturous way for me to spend my detention."

Neville winced sympathetically. "Luck."

Jamie went back to Gryffindor Tower with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to wait for Neville's return. Jamie sat perfectly still on one of the chairs in Gryffindor Tower and wound her fingers together. Hermione pulled out parchment, quills, and An Advanced Guide to Transfiguration so she could finish her essay. Ron and Harry engaged in a game of chess, and Jamie eventually joined Hermione with homework of her own. They hadn't been in the common room for more than half an hour when Dennis Creevey came running into the Tower, breathing hard, a frantic look on his face. "Harry! Neville's hurt!"

All four of them immediately jumped to their feet. "What?" Hermione gasped.

"How?" Ron asked.

"I...don't know," Dennis gasped. "I was outside...snowball fight...and that Slytherin-Shay, I think-went running up to the castle, levitating Neville in front of him. Neville was knocked out and dripping blood."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Jamie looked at each other. "Hospital wing," Harry said.

Five minutes later, they entered the hospital wing to find Madam Pomfrey running hurriedly toward a bed surrounded by a curtain, which Jamie could only assume Neville was behind. Shay was standing by the door to the infirmary, tense and completely pale. "Shay! What happened?" Jamie asked.

"We were attacked when we left the forest," Shay said in a very clipped voice. Jamie knew that the tone in his voice meant that he was greatly shaken. "I don't know what it was that attacked us-it was something huge, with a hard gray shell and a huge sting, and fire shot-"

"Blast-Ended Skrewt," Ron said immediately, his face dark.

Jamie looked at him in disbelief. "Those creatures you said Hagrid created?"

"Yes," Harry said shortly. "They're awful."

"Is Hagrid insane?" Jamie asked, her voice rising slightly. "Does he just make a point to collect dangerous creatures and let them loose in the Forbidden Forest?"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione exchanged glances. Jamie threw up her hands in frustration and whirled back to Shay. "So what happened to Neville?"

Shay crossed his arms, looking even tenser, if that was possible. "He-" Shay faltered for a moment, and then met Jamie's eyes squarely. "He got stung saving my life." He glared at the rest of them, as if daring them to comment.

Oh. Jamie stared at Shay, not quite sure what to say. She could only imagine the thoughts that must be running through his mind right now.

Hermione quickly asked, "Will he be all right?"

"I don't know."

Hermione bit her lip, and Harry's face darkened. "After everything we've been through...I can't believe that Neville might actually die...especially because of a Blast-Ended Skrewt..."

Jamie walked over to Shay. "I'll stay with you." Shay narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, but she continued to stare at him, unblinking.

Madam Pomfrey hurried out from behind the curtain and saw them standing by the door. "Out! Out, out, out!" she snapped as she ran to a cupboard.

Arms still crossed, Shay looked fiercely at Madam Pomfrey, and Jamie muttered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Madam Pomfrey rushed back behind the sheet, calling over her shoulder. "OUT!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances, and Hermione motioned Ron and Harry with her head. "Shay probably needs a few minutes," Jamie heard her whisper to Harry and Ron. The three of them exited the infirmary, leaving Shay and Jamie alone.

~*~

He might die, Shay thought numbly, his gaze fixed on the curtain around Neville's hospital bed. He could feel Jamie looking at him, but he pointedly avoided her gaze. She finally sighed and slid down to lean against the wall, not speaking. Shay was glad for the silence. The last half hour had been horrible. He had levitated Neville out of the Forbidden Forest as quickly as possible, not even sure when he reached the hospital wing that Neville was still alive. Madam Pomfrey hadn't asked any questions; she had simply whipped Neville over to a hospital bed and begun working frantically. Shay supposed Neville must be alive, or Madam Pomfrey wouldn't be doing...whatever it was she was doing.

Shay was still struggling with the idea that Neville had actually jumped in front of that...Blast-Ended Skrewt to save his life. What had possessed him? Shay should be the one on the hospital bed right now. He had no idea what would have happened had he not gone into the forest with Neville. Would Neville still have been attacked, and died without anyone knowing what happened? Had Shay's presence diverted the skrewt's attention? He had no idea-not that it mattered. The fact still remained that Neville could die.

Shay had been struck by a sudden epiphany as he had stared down at Neville's unconscious body in the Forbidden Forest. This is how my father died. Perhaps not the same exact death, but he had just seen Neville perform the same sort of selfless act that had gotten him killed in Shay's own timeline. Then, he had put himself between Death Eaters and a group of Muggles, and he been killed. And just now, he had jumped in front of a skrewt to protect someone that he didn't know. Granted, Neville knew that Shay was his son in the future, but he didn't know Shay-Neville had admitted that himself. He had simply reacted. Had it been that way when he had been killed defending the Muggles? Had it been instinct-an instinct to guard and protect-that had sent Neville Longbottom to his death in the future?

Shay sighed heavily, his eyes fixed on the curtains. If he doesn't die, I'll...His thought was interrupted when Jamie tugged on his hand. He stared down at her for a moment, and then slid down to sit beside her. She kept hold of his hand even after he was seated. "I'm sorry, Shay," she said quietly. "If I hadn't asked you to go to the forest..."

"Then he might be dead right now," Shay said shortly. "I..." He wasn't even sure what to say. He shook his head and lapsed into silence again. He heard an echo of Jamie's voice in his mind; something she had said to him just after Christmas. "We have a second chance. Can't you see what that means?... Then give it a chance, Shay. Please. Just give it a chance." He had never given Neville a chance, and now...that second chance might be gone, and he wasn't going to get a third one.

Shay sighed again and looked down at his and Jamie's joined hands, then winced and looked away. This talk about second chances was making him rethink certain aspects of his life-and not just Neville's part in it. He could quite clearly remember the moment he had realized-really realized; the feelings had been there for a while, but he had refused to admit them to himself-that he was in love with Jamie. It had been that night she had been missing, just before Christmas. He had never been more relieved in his life when Charlie had carried her up to the hospital wing with a concussion and a broken ankle. He hadn't told Jamie about it; partly, he knew, because he really was terrible with discussing his feelings, and the thought of discussing these feelings was incredibly discomforting.

There had been more to it than that, but he hadn't known for sure what was keeping him back until this very moment. He was now seeing that the other reason he hadn't told her was because of fear-all he had ever seen of love ended in pain. His parents, Jamie's parents, and even Will's parents-they had loved each other more than anyone, but they had been killed in the end. Jamie's conversation with him at Christmas hadn't helped much, either-all her talk about how death came to everyone, but how he couldn't let that stand in the way of living and friendship and loving. She had said that life was a risk, but one worth taking.

He didn't want to hurt Jamie. That was the biggest part of it. Whenever he thought of 'love,' he thought of his mother, and he didn't ever want Jamie to go through the kind of pain his mother had.

But now... Shay looked over at the curtains hiding Neville, feeing very troubled and not liking feeling very troubled. What was love, really? Was it knowing someone and seeing the beauty inside of them? Was it not caring about their imperfections? Was it doing anything for them? Dying for them, if need be? What had made his mother fall in love with his father? What had made Shay fall in love with Jamie? Did she love him in return? Did he want her to? Yes...but the sensible part of his mind just wanted to keep her safe.

And love wasn't safe.

All of these thoughts were new and uncomfortable, and his mind was full enough with thoughts of Neville. He pulled himself out of this train of thought and glanced back down at their hands. "If somebody else comes in here..."

"Hermione, Harry, and Ron are standing right outside. We'll have warning," Jamie said quietly, not releasing his hand.

Shay leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Jamie," he said, without opening his eyes.

"Mmm?"

"My father would have died for my mother." Shay could almost feel Jamie's gaze on him. "He loved her."

"I know."

Shay nodded and fell into silence again. The minutes seemed to tick by, and he finally opened his eyes when he heard Madam Pomfrey's tired voice. "I thought I told you to get out."

"Is Neville-" Shay and Jamie began.

"He'll live," Madam Pomfrey said shortly. She pinned them with her glare. "Barely. You got him here just in time, and you can be sure I will be getting a full explanation out of you very shortly, Mr. Long."

"But...he's going to be all right?" Jamie asked uncertainly, as if unable to believe what she had heard.

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said crossly. "Now out! It will take some time for him to recover! I will certainly be talking to you later, and you can be sure Professor Dumbledore will hear about this!"

Relief spilled over Shay-Neville was not going to die. Not today. Jamie grinned at him and squeezed his hand tightly. "He's all right!"

"Out!" Madam Pomfrey demanded.

~*~

Ginny finished her Muggle studies class and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. She was crossing through the entrance hall when she realized Malfoy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. When he saw her, a huge smirk crossed his face. "Oi! Weasley! If you're looking for Longbottom, you're not going to find him in your tower."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I didn't do anything. It seems poor Longbottom has accidents wherever he goes; I heard this one might be life threatening. Oh, well. Can't say it would be a loss. We'd sure go through a lot less cauldrons in Potions."

Ginny's fingers itched to grab her wand, but she held her hands steady. The best way to encourage Malfoy was to react, and she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "I'm sure you don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy," she said coolly. She continued toward the stairs, determined to walk past him without a second glance.

Malfoy stepped in front of the stairs, bumping into her and effectively blocking her path. Ginny stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you have something better to do than stalk fifth years?"

Malfoy leaned forward, his gray eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh, but you're a special case, aren't you?"

"You're an idiot, Malfoy." Ginny said calmly. "I doubt even you have any idea what you're talking about."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed even more, and he lowered his voice to a hiss. "I would feel sorry for you if I didn't know that you deserve it."

Ginny drew a deep breath and stared hard at Malfoy. "I'm going upstairs now. If you touch me, I will give you the worst Bat-Bogey Hex within my power to give."

Malfoy gave her a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Too bad your family didn't choose the right side." His eyes narrowed and he studied her sardonically. "You have the opportunity to be part of something only a select few can be part of. You're a pure-blood, no matter how much you hang around with filth like Potter and Granger." His eyes locked on Ginny, and she felt a wave of revulsion. How could anyone be so narrow-minded? "Just keep that in mind. You could always...change your mind."

Ginny didn't even bother to reply. She shouldered past Malfoy and continued up the stairs, feeling a bit disturbed by the encounter. She knew very well that Malfoy had been communicating with Death Eaters-what, exactly, did he know? They needed the Veritaserum more now than ever, but it was going to be quite a while before it was finished. And what was this business about Neville?

When she reached Gryffindor Tower, she found out about Neville, at least. The whole tower was abuzz with news that Neville had been badly hurt and bleeding, and rumors abounded-some people were saying a Slytherin had attacked him; others saying a Slytherin had helped him. Ginny didn't stay around to hear much; she simply whirled and headed toward the infirmary. She got there only to find out that Neville was going to be fine, and it wasn't long before she heard the whole story. She waited around the infirmary for a while, but when it became clear that Madam Pomfrey wasn't going to let any of them see Neville until later, they all headed off for dinner.

It wasn't until Ginny sat down that she realized there was a piece of parchment in her pocket; she could hear it crinkle. Frowning, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a note in unfamiliar handwriting that read, 'Your time to choose the right side is running out.' Her eyes narrowed as she looked at it. Malfoy must have stuck it in her pocket when she bumped into him on the stairs.

"Ginny? What's that?" Before Ginny could move the note away, Harry had peered over her arm and read it. He plucked it out of her fingers, his face darkening. "Who gave you this?"

"Malfoy, I think."

Harry glared across the hall to where Malfoy was seated at the Slytherin table. "Be careful, Ginny."

"I am."

~*~

Hermione still managed to hold a Transfiguration tutorial that evening, though Will was still at Grimmauld Place. At the end of the lesson, Shay was about to follow Hermione out the door, but Jamie's voice stopped him. "Shay." She looked at once very nervous-he could tell because she was interlacing her fingers together-and very pensive. "There's something I want-I need-to tell you."

Shay swung around, immediately alert. "What?"

"It's just...well, not just...I can't..."

It wasn't all that characteristic of Jamie to stammer when she spoke to him, which concerned him even more. "Jamie, what?"

Jamie looked at him helplessly for a moment. "I love you."

Shay hadn't known what he had expected-Jamie telling him about something or someone bothering her, maybe-certainly something other than what she had said. It wasn't the first time Jamie had told him she loved him, but it had always been in friendship. This time, he didn't think she meant it that way. At all. "What?"

Jamie slowly pulled her fingers apart and held her hands at her sides. "I love you," she repeated, her voice a bit stronger. "I realized it a week ago, and I wanted to tell you, but then decided to wait, and then changed my mind-I've always been honest with you and I just needed...I just needed to tell you."

Shay continued to stare at her. Was it coincidental that he had just been thinking about this very subject earlier? He had to give it to her-sometimes she had uncanny timing.

He needed to tell her that he loved her, too. How difficult was it to say? "And you picked now to tell me?" Difficult, apparently.

Jamie's eyes flashed with uncertainty. "I know it's not the-best time, but I..." She trailed off and searched his eyes, and he could see a mixture of confusion, hope, and trepidation there.

"Jamie..." I love you. Damn it, Shay, you owe her the truth. He kept his eyes on Jamie's, knowing that she deserved that, but that she also deserved more than the life she had grown up with. Unless Voldemort was defeated, he couldn't offer that. He would only make things worse for her-she should know that. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, but what came out was, "You should go."

Jamie's forehead creased. "Shay-"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Jamie. You should go."

"Shay, don't push me away! I do know what I'm talking about-it's all I've thought about this week!"

"Jamie!" Shay's voice rose, and they locked gazes.

"Shay, please, just tell me. Tell me you don't love me and I'll...I'll leave it alone."

Shay's jaw tightened, but he remained silent, unable to say those words, unable to lie to her.

An expression of relief passed over Jamie's face, and then she clenched her hands into fists. "This...this isn't something that I can force on you-you can choose to accept my love or you can choose to... refuse it. But please, please, please don't push me away," she whispered. She swallowed. "I'll leave you alone. This is in your hands now." She gave him one last, long look and slipped out of the room.

Shay stood there for several long moments, and then, feeling inexplicably angry and frustrated, he stormed back to the Slytherin common room, avoiding everyone until he reached his dormitory. It was thankfully empty, and Shay stayed there for a long while. Normally, he would have been able to successfully put his turmoil out of his mind, locking it into the 'do not touch' part of his brain, but Jamie...he couldn't do that with matters concerning Jamie. He had never been able to ignore her, or her words or feelings. It bothered him further when he found himself thinking, Jamie would tell me- He had never realized how much he depended on her. Even when she wasn't around, he always knew what she would say to him.

And right now, she would tell him he was an idiot.

It wasn't very long before Blaise came into the dormitory. Upon seeing Shay, he frowned. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

Blaise rolled his eyes good-naturedly and threw his book bag on his bed. "Fine."

Shay sighed and rolled his own eyes. He had become friends enough with Blaise to discuss some things with him-and Blaise never probed. "All right, fine. You and Samantha have been dating for what-two years?"

"Yes." Blaise sat on his bed and looked at Shay. "So this is about a girl."

"In a way." Yes, but Shay didn't want to talk about the details of it.

"It's about time. I was wondering if you'd be a bachelor forever. So which girl has finally won you over?"

"It's not like that. Well, not..." Not unless he decided to move forward. "Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth it? Samantha?" Blaise asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well..."

"Love?" Blaise ventured.

It sounded strange to Shay, especially coming from Blaise, but yes, that was what he meant. "I guess."

Blaise studied him thoughtfully. "Love is...well, Samantha once told me 'love is what we make of it.' At first I didn't know what she meant, but I think I understand now." He frowned and looked off to the side, as if remembering something, and then he considered Shay for a long moment. "My father worked for Voldemort, you know."

Shay shook his head. "I didn't know." Not that it was surprising...a great many of the Slytherin students' parents had worked-or still worked-for Voldemort.

"Some of the Slytherins know about it, but...it's not something I like to talk about, for obvious reasons." Blaise sighed heavily. "Even after Voldemort's fall fifteen years ago, my father was heavily into the Dark Arts. My mother hated it, and they had a lot of fights about it. When I was nine, and my little sister was three, she finally went to the Magical Law Enforcement to turn him in. Before he was arrested, he found out that my mother had betrayed him. He murdered her."

Shay was stunned into silence. While his parents had both been killed, they had been on the right side. He thought about how much he hated Draco for killing his mother...what would it have been like for Blaise to have his own father commit such an act?

"He was put in Azkaban-he died there when I was thirteen, and my sister was seven. It was around that time that Samantha started trying to befriend me. She'd had a horrible family situation, too, but had learned to move past it. By the time my fourth year rolled around, I had decided that I needed to take a stand against things like that. That's when I was moved into this dormitory, and it was also the same time I started dating Samantha. Up until then, I hadn't wanted anything to do with love of any sort. It had brought my parents and Samantha's parents nothing but grief, but...well, what's life if we don't take chances?"

That was what Jamie had said, albeit in different words. Shay nodded once. "Yeah."

"Well, look at that. I made a speech. Did it help at all?" Blaise asked wryly.

Shay nodded again, his mind full of thoughts. "Yeah. I think it did."

~*~

Several hours after leaving Shay in the Transfiguration classroom, Jamie was attempting to concentrate on putting the finishing touches on her Astronomy homework. It wasn't going well; she kept thinking about Shay and the look on his face when she had told him she loved him. She knew now, really knew, that Shay loved her. She just wasn't sure when he would ever admit it.

She managed to get her homework completed, and at midnight, headed up to the Astronomy Tower with the rest of the sixth years. She quickly spotted Shay, already at his telescope, but he didn't glance her way. She stopped in front of her own telescope. She was sharing with Harry this evening, as Will was at Grimmauld Place and Neville was in the infirmary.

The lesson seemed longer than usual tonight, and Jamie noticed Shay looking at her several times during the class. When it was over, he wandered over casually in the throng of students leaving the Tower. "Mind holding back a minute, Jamie?" he asked in a low voice.

Jamie looked over at Harry, who shrugged. "I'll wait inside to walk you back to Gryffindor Tower."

Jamie and Shay waited until everyone had left the Astronomy Tower, and then Jamie turned to Shay, searching his face. "So..."

"So..." Shay crossed his arms and sighed heavily, turning his eyes up to the clear night sky. Jamie waited, but Shay seemed to be at a loss for words. Finally, he said, "This is a lot harder than I... Look." Shay's gaze turned back down to her. He definitely looked uncomfortable, though Jamie doubted most people would have been able to tell. "I just wanted to tell you...I thought about what you said."

"And?"

"And...you might have a point about some things."

"Shay."

Shay gazed at her, unblinking. "I...love you, Jamie," he finally said. He sighed again, but this one sounded much more relieved. "I love you. I've always loved you. You're the voice in my head; did you know that? Always there, telling me when I'm being an arse." He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. "I don't ever want to lose you, but I know it's a possibility. For now, though...damn, I'm making a mess of this."

Jamie tried to speak, but her throat was too tight with emotion to manage it. She simply shook her head, tears stinging her eyes.

"I guess what I'm saying is..." Shay stopped for a moment. "Well...I just don't want to waste anymore time-or chances."

Jamie swallowed hard, tears spilling down her cheeks. She stepped up to Shay and looked searchingly into his eyes. He stared back, unblinking. As if drawn by an invisible string, they slowly leaned toward each other, and their mouths tentatively touched. The next thing Jamie knew, Shay's arms were around her and the kiss was no longer tentative. It was the most wonderful and momentous instant of Jamie's life, and she didn't want it to end.

However, the sound of Harry clearing his throat brought them back to reality and startled them apart. Jamie glanced over at Harry. He was staring at them as if he had never seen them before. "Er...I just thought you should know Professor Sinistra is coming back up the stairs."

Jamie reluctantly pulled away from Shay and met his eyes. "Um..."

"Get going," Shay nodded toward Harry.

Jamie hesitated a moment, then pulled her eyes away from Shay and joined up with Harry, who was still staring at her. As they headed down the stairs, passing Professor Sinistra, Jamie knew that her face was beet red. Blasted Weasley complexion. Out of all the things she had inherited from the Weasleys, why did it have to be that?

They reached the bottom of the Tower and headed down the hallway. "So..." Harry said awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "You and Shay."

Jamie felt herself flushing again, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Ginny said something might happen...between you...but I didn't expect to..." Harry trailed off and coughed. "This is...new?"

"Yes."

"Ah. And he...er...makes you happy?"

"Yes." Jamie gave Harry a sideways glance, a warm feeling inside of her. Harry was concerned for her well-being, even if he wasn't going to say it outright. "It's all right," she told him.

Harry gave her a long look, and then nodded. He fell silent for a minute, and then he said, "Good. That's...good."