Just a Little

Six months later

Harry

When Ron told me later what had happened, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't bear the scars from it. After everything that had come before, the end seemed so simple it was almost anticlimactic. I feel nothing from the scar at my forehead any longer. It will be with me forever, but it means nothing to me now other than a closed door on my past. It's the scar on my chest that causes the most grief - it links me to Ron and Hermione.

Ironically, it seems Wormtail freed us from the cell we were in. I was unconscious at the time, but that's what Hermione told me later. When the rescuing Aurors arrived, Wormtail surrendered himself. I can only be bitter that it came too late for Sirius to live as a free man. I haven't figured out yet if he's repaid his wizard's debt to me by doing so or not.

The three of us have settled into a routine of sorts. Before our capture, we used to pretend we were platonic roommates while in public, a relationship no different than at Hogwarts. Since being freed, we make no pretences about our relationship. When asked, Ron is my boyfriend and Hermione is my girlfriend. It is that simple and that complex. Unfortunately, most of the wizarding world doesn't understand. They "accept" it because of who I am, but we know what kind of sidelong glances we get when we go out.

We were kept at St. Mungo's for about a month. The dreaded "observation" period considering our ordeal. Of course, it could just be that the doctor wanted to keep the reporters away since the three of us were in the restricted wing with heavy wards that both kept us in and the reporters out.

I remember the Daily Prophet headlines from that time proclaiming in bold capital letters: Boy Who Lived Kills Voldemort or Dark Lord Dead. There was no mention, of course, of Ron or Hermione in these headlines, nor in most of the articles.

Ron calls us The Idiots Who Lived, and me The Boy Who Lived Twice - Hermione and I snickered over the obscure reference to a James Bond movie when he first said it - when he doesn't refer to me as Wonder Boy. How old do I have to be when I'm no longer referred to as "Boy" anything?

Ron and Hermione. How do you say thank you to two people whose love saved your life and yours saved theirs? Is thank you even enough? I can't resolve this dilemma, so I haven't brought it up since we were released.

I can feel them inside me, feel their power when either is upset. I guess that's a side effect of the healing spell they performed, but since that's never been done before, no one can explain it and I'm not going to allow us to be experimented upon. I can't read their minds - which Hermione tells me is a good thing - but I can feel their emotions. Being an extremely limited empath can be quite annoying some days, but at least I always know when to leave Hermione to her PMS.

Ron

Once again, we're in Harry's shadow, but I don't mind so much anymore. It would be snide of me to hold up my hand, palm showing, and yell to reporters, "Yes, we survived, too. See the scar?" Harry has two now, so he'll always win that contest. I don't want to compete with him for another one. So, when we're out, Hermione and I act as his human shields.

Then again, we do shock the reporters when we are open about our relationship, so I get that happy thrill. They can get used to seeing me snog Hermione or seeing Harry snog her, but when I snog Harry, everything goes crazy and the three of us just grin at each other. Is it really that shocking? I hope so.

We haven't talked about what happened in Voldemort's dungeon. Yes, it turned out not to be Lucius Malfoy's at all, but a dungeon He-Who-Is-Dead built to hold Harry. If I could kill him again, I would. Hermione tells me I have to let go of my anger so I can heal, but I'm not ready.

Good things to come of it? Apparently Voldemort's demise caused immense pain throughout the Death Eater ranks. Just as his "death" at Harry's hands - or forehead - when Harry was a baby caused the Dark Marks to fade until his resurrection, his real death caused them to disappear, its bearers suffering tremendously with the removal. Anyone screaming their heads off and clutching their left forearms when we killed He-Who-Is-Crispy-Toast was arrested as a Death Eater.

Despite the fact that the Mark is gone, it will still appear faintly by Muggle technology called "black light" - an irony I love. Hermione just smiles when I ask her why a purple light is called black, and Harry blinks stupidly at me. I think they're conspiring against me.

Harry told me something interesting just after we were released from St. Mungo's - he can feel some of what Hermione and I feel. He calls it being a limited empath and figures it's a result of our healing spell. I haven't quite figured how I feel about it, but even if I don't like it, there's nothing I can do about it.

Since being released from St. Mungo's, we've slowly tried to get back to our lives. Harry and I were both Aurors, our dream job. Though I suspect we didn't have the grades - and test scores - to fully qualify, we were allowed to train and join because of who Harry is. Neither of us can quite face going to back to work yet. Quidditch looks more interesting - and doesn't have as many nightmares associated with it.

Hermione

After five months, the volume of mail has lessened. The day we were released from St. Mungo's, Ron just had to give both of us a tonsil-inspecting kiss in front of the reporters, just after Harry had kissed me. He delights in tormenting reporters that way, but has no idea what the public reaction would be. It must be denial on the part of the public, it has to be. Why else would someone misconstrue those kisses as me leading both boys on? The letters make good kindling in any case.

I try not to feel too melancholy, otherwise Harry will be upset. He can feel our strong emotions now as a result of the healing spell. I've been looking into ways that sense of perception can be shared amongst the three of us, but haven't found anything yet. In my spare time, I've been writing a paper about the healing spell Ron and I did. Near as I can tell, that level of healing by non-medical personnel can only be performed successfully by people who share a great depth of feeling.

Nothing like magical valuation on your love and level of power.

Harry and Ron haven't gone back to work yet and I don't blame them. I spend most of my days in the study, researching and writing. They spend the days listening to Quidditch matches, watching the telly or scrimmaging in the Weasley's backyard. I leave them be. If I were an Auror, I wouldn't be ready to go back to work yet either. It doesn't seem as pressing now that Voldemort is dead and nearly all the Death Eaters were captured.

And the nightmares we have don't help either. I've been taking a sleeping draught when it's available, more to spare Harry the burden of sharing our bad dreams than for me, and trying to get Ron to take it. He keeps refusing, but soon Harry is only going to be able to sleep when we're awake. I'll use that as leverage to get Ron to take it sometimes.

None of us have talked about what we're doing from here. For the time being, we hang about the house. So far, we are content to exist in each other's orbit. Romantic overtures have been few and far between toward me, but I think Ron and Harry are taking solace in each other. I don't know quite how to feel about that. I know I could be a part if I wanted to, but I haven't felt any desire to since our release. My boys, of course, are oblivious. If they were any other way, I'd be afraid someone had poisoned them.

Any division amongst us, however, is not visible to the outside, even the Weasleys. We are the Trio, and we are stronger together than apart.

Author's Notes: Thanks to my reviewers since Chapter VI went up: Cloe Black, Archchancellor, El Mann, Kateri, AndinaOfRivendell, PiccadillyLily, Bertie Bott, Jorsen, kim1013, KristinLupin0620, Emerald Moonbeams, HPFREAKYFAN, coolpearls, Javen Green, elly1342, Joanne Potter, and chrisy.

© 2003 Trisha Masen 4 1 July 2003