This has got to be some sort of sick joke.
Harry slowly made his way through the corridor, not at all oblivious to the blatant staring of his peers.
It was September 1st, and, as such, it was time for wizarding students all over Britain to return to their education. For the first time in as long as Harry could remember, Harry was not entirely sure he wanted to return. He could, after all, visit Fleur much more often if he had more free time. As for Salazar, well, Harry could easily apparate into the chamber whenever he wanted.
If I'm not on the Hogwarts Grounds, that is.
All in all, Harry was not looking forward to his return to Hogwarts. It was something he and Fleur both had in common, it seemed. She was not particularly interested in returning to Beauxbatons for her seventh and final year of education.
She, however, was significantly luckier than Harry. The seventh year students of Beauxbatons were allowed to intern at different places of work - it was a means of preparing them for the 'real world', so to speak.
Fleur had initially been interested in interning at Gringotts.
"It is covered from top to bottom in wards." she had said months prior, "It would certainly be an interesting job, especially for someone like me."
After thinking over the summer, however, Fleur had decided against it. She had instead applied to work somewhere else for an internship, or, more specifically, for someone else.
Fleur had somehow managed to procure an apprenticeship with Camille Estelle.
How she had done it, Harry truthfully had no idea; perhaps it had been her near perfect grades, perhaps it had been her performance in the Triwizard Tournament. Either way, it had clearly worked out; for the next year, Fleur would act as Camille Estelle's one and only apprentice.
Thump.
Harry's eyes narrowed as a fourth year Slytherin girl crashed into the compartment beside him. Her eyes widened as she saw Harry, the colour draining from her face. She instantly spun on her heels, rapidly moving in the opposite direction.
Strange.
Harry continued towards the prefect's compartment with a shake of his head. He was not at all excited for their first meeting. For starters, the other Gryffindor Prefect in his year was Hermione, something Harry was not at all surprised by. Although Harry was not entirely certain who the other new prefects were, it did not take much time for him to realise that he would likely not be fond of the selection.
Sure enough, when Harry walked into the prefect's compartment his eyes were met by the carefully combed blonde hair of the Malfoy heir. To his left sat Pansy Parkinson. Her hands were wrapped gently around Draco's, rubbing carefully across his own.
Neither of them looked particularly well, Harry noted.
Without attracting much attention, Harry sat down in a corner of the compartment beside the two Hufflepuff prefects. He had not checked who they were for he was not particularly interested in finding out.
"Harry?" said a soft voice from beside him.
Harry turned to find Susan Bones watching him with concern.
The girl had long crimson hair that perfectly framed her heart shaped face. Her eyes were green - not exactly emerald like Harry's, but green all the same. She wore the standard Hogwarts uniform, her robes coloured yellow and black. Adorned over her heart was a prefect badge, one that matched the colour of her house.
"Auntie told me about the trial." she whispered shyly, her head ducked slightly, "It isn't right, what they're doing to you. I'm glad you got off."
Harry smiled kindly at the girl.
"Thanks." he muttered, "It's nice to hear that for a change."
"I believe you as well." she continued quietly, "About You-Know-Who, and that he's back."
"You do?" Harry questioned in surprise.
Susan nodded.
"Cedric can't have just dropped dead." noted Susan, "And I don't think you would lie about how someone died. It doesn't seem like you."
"Tell that to everyone else."
"I have." Susan declared, "I've been telling Hannah since June."
"I'm assuming she doesn't believe me?"
Susan shook her head slowly.
"She's been reading the Daily Prophet." said Susan softly, "It isn't her fault, not fully. She just wanted to know what happened, and since you never said anything, she's turned to the Daily Prophet."
Harry's eyes narrowed.
"And I'm assuming you want to know as well?"
Susan shook her head once more, her eyes still not meeting Harry's.
"You've already said what happened, remember?" she told him, "That's all I need. Auntie cancelled our Daily Prophet subscription months ago anyways."
Before Harry could respond, a soft coughing noise from the front of the oversized compartment caught his attention.
"Well," began a Ravenclaw boy whose robes were adorned with a rather large badge - that of the Head Boy, to be precise, "I suppose we'd better get straight to it. I'm Jacob Burton, Head Boy, and this is Lilian Baker, Head Girl."
The boy nodded towards a Hufflepuff girl who stood by his side, motioning for her to speak.
"As you've no doubt realized by now, we'll be leading you through your responsibilities as Prefects throughout the upcoming school year." said the girl, "I am sure you all, for the most part, understand what your respective responsibilities are - patrolling the hall, helping the first years, and so on. Those will be passed onto you by your Head of House."
"Our jobs are to help you learn or understand how to help others." added Jacob, "We've also got more tasks to do, and a bit more leeway, but that's pretty much it. We're more or less 'Head Prefects' if anything."
"Now then, all of your responsibilities will be with prefects in your year," began Lilian, "And a majority of them will be with prefects in other houses. Being a Prefect allows you to interact with your peers in ways you normally would not be able to - take advantage of that. Regardless of being in different houses, we all attend the same school."
The numerous prefects all nodded, only a select few of them actually paying attention. Harry's focus slowly drained away as the seconds turned to minutes. He had, after all, been given a sort of overview by Lupin before leaving Grimmauld's Place.
"You'll mostly be helping the younger students do whatever they need to do for the first time." said Lupin, "After that, it's just patrolling the hallways with other prefects in your years -"
"- as usual, Moony's forgotten all the important parts." interrupted Sirius from his seat at the table, "The rounds are always done with students of the other gender, which means -"
"- girls, Sirius, yes, we know." muttered Hestia with a roll of her eyes.
"Exactly!" Sirius practically yelled, "This is important Harry, you don't understand. James and I used to think being a Prefect was for prats, but McGonagall's right, it's a big responsibility!"
"You're only saying that because it would have given you an excuse to be out of the Gryffindor common room after hours." noted Lupin.
"I didn't need an excuse, I never got caught." said Sirius stubbornly.
"Yes, you did. Hundreds upon hundreds of times."
"Yeah, but I've snuck out thousands upon thousands of times, haven't I? It's the ratio between the two -"
" - What they mean to say is that it's quite simple." interrupted Hestia, "Just do your rounds, help the first years for the first few weeks, and that's pretty much it. In return you can dock points and use the Prefect's Bathroom -"
"The one with the portrait of the mermaid in it?"
Sirius and Lupin's jaws both fell open, Tonks grinned, and Hestia's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, that one." said Hestia dryly. "Just don't dock points from anyone for no reason or you'll get your badge confiscated. And try not to mess around in the prefect's bathroom either."
"But if you do, do it between one to four in the morning." Sirius whispered quietly, "No one's ever up then."
Harry shook his head, turning to observe those that sat within the compartment. Beside him, obviously, sat Susan, with Ernie Macmillan sitting to her right. On the other side of the compartment sat Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein, accompanied by Hermione (who seemed rather out of place).
Sitting apart from everyone else were Pansy and Draco, both of whom were seated in a corner at the opposite end of the compartment. Pansy's arm sat gently upon Malfoy's, their fingers interlocked. Her eyes were filled with worry, and never left those of the blonde boy.
It was almost sweet, in a way.
Both of them seemed rather nervous, something that certainly did not suit either of them. Neither had said a word the entire meeting, and neither had done or said anything to attract attention to themselves. They had remained quiet, speaking only to one another.
Both of them had never so much as looked in Harry's direction.
That can't be a coincidence.
"They've been like that the entire time." noted Susan quietly, her eyes falling upon the forms of the two Slytherin prefects, "I think they might be worried about . . . well, him. You know, returning and all that."
Harry nodded slowly, continuing to watch the pair with poorly hidden curiosity. It would certainly explain why the two seemed to avoid looking at him, but Harry wasn't quite sure that was the whole story.
"Still, I expect they'll cheer up when we get to Hogwarts." whispered Susan, "I'm sure they'll like the Defense Professor quite a bit."
Harry turned to face the redheaded girl.
"You know who the new Defense Professor is?"
Susan slowly shook her head.
"No, Auntie wouldn't tell me. But she didn't like them very much, that's for sure."
"How d'you know she doesn't like them?"
"You don't call people you like 'that old toad-faced bint', do you?" replied Susan with a giggle.
Harry smiled slightly before turning to face the Head Boy and Girl, listening as they finished up their speech.
" . . . all you really need to know." finished Baker, "You are all dismissed, you can go back to your own compartments now. Remember, you'll have to lead the first years up to your respective common rooms."
I'll have to let Hermione do that bit, I dunno what the password is.
The prefects all stood up, hastily making their way towards the door in small groups. Harry waited silently for the groups to leave, not at all oblivious to the way Malfoy and Parkinson quickly rushed past him.
"You don't have to sit alone, you know."
Harry turned around, his eyes meeting those of Susan Bones.
"You can sit with us." she said, hastily continuing on, "That is to say, Hannah and I."
Her eyes widened slightly before she added, "She'll be nice, I promise, I'll keep her in line -"
"That'd be great, thanks." said Harry kindly.
Susan smiled shyly, making her way through the compartment door with Harry.
"Don't worry, she'll warm up to you." whispered Susan quietly, leaning towards Harry as she picked up a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans.
If you say so.
Harry and Susan had arrived at the compartment (which Hannah had apparently saved) nearly an hour ago. Hannah, unsurprisingly, had not been particularly thrilled to see Harry joining her friend, and had quite unsubtly made it clear to her friend. As of now, the pigtailed blonde was staring out the window, watching as the countryside flew by.
Harry was grateful to Susan for at least trying to help him out. She was shy, that much was certain, but she was quite nice. She was gentle as well, and very amicable. It was not at all a surprise to Harry that she was sorted into Hufflepuff.
The rest of the Hogwarts students, however, were not in the same category as Susan. Many of them watched as Harry walked by, not at all bothering to keep their voices down as they mocked him. Others were simply curious; they pointed and watched him pass with interest. A few were even in awe of him as he passed, their jaws hung wide open.
Harry couldn't quite say he found any of them more preferable than the others.
The rudeness was petty, but it truthfully didn't matter in the long run. The curiosity felt a bit annoying as well, but was unfortunately understandable. The awe was more disturbing than anything - it was strange, people being so enraptured by someone whom they had never met.
Still, Harry had put up with it. Not that he had a choice, of course - but he had put up with it nonetheless.
Who knows? It might not even be as bad as I expect.
After all, Harry had already made something of a friend - he couldn't exactly call Susan a stranger anymore - and only a few hours had passed. As long as he kept his head low and stayed out of trouble, the school year would hopefully pass along without too many issues.
It was wishful thinking, and he knew it.
"Don't worry." whispered Susan quietly, having seemingly noticed Harry's internal dilemma, "I'm sure everything will be fine. It just takes time, doesn't it? They'll know they're wrong in the end."
Harry nodded slowly, watching as Hannah shifted uncomfortably by her seat near the window. They sat in silence for a few moments before Susan eventually pulled out a rather thick textbook, opening it to a page which she had bookmarked.
"Our potions textbook for this year." explained Susan quietly.
"Potions?" inquired Harry.
Susan nodded.
"One of the only things I've really been good at, along with Herbology." she said, "Mostly because it doesn't use wands as much as the other subjects, I guess. I'm not very good with a wand."
"I'm the opposite." noted Harry, "Good with a wand but not the best with writing or things like Potions and Herbology."
"I know." whispered Susan with a smile, "I still remember the time when you nearly got strangled by the Venomous Tentacula."
Harry chuckled gently, allowing for a smile to grace his features.
"- let the feast begin!"
Harry clapped along with the rest of the students as the golden plates of the Great Hall filled themselves with food - though he appeared significantly less cheerful than usual. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he found himself unlikely to enjoy Hogwarts' Opening Feast - something which likely had to do with the way everyone was avoiding him.
There's literally a three metre circle of emptiness around me.
It was true. There was no one sitting near him, for all the Gryffindors seemed to be under the impression that he held a highly contagious disease. Even the Ravenclaws (who sat at the table behind him) had left a bit of space behind him completely empty. Many of the students were glaring at him with anger and mistrust.
The Daily Prophet must've been busy.
"Well, someone doesn't seem happy." noted Nearly Headless Nick, watching as Harry moodily stabbed his steak with a fork.
"Why should I be?" Harry muttered back, "I'm back in this bloody place, aren't I?"
"I'd have thought you'd like that." said Nick sadly, "I remember your first night here, you know. You were the happiest student I'd seen at a feast in decades."
"Decades, huh?" questioned Harry as he added a few foreign foods to his plate.
"Yes, decades." said Nick, "Last one like you . . . Tom, I think - yes, Tom. He was a good one, he was, just like you."
Harry's eyes widened as he choked on his food.
The ghosts remember him.
How could he have been so stupid? The ghosts, they would have known of Tom, he could ask them about him!
"Nick," began Harry, hastily swallowing down his food, "what was he like, this Tom?"
"Well," began Nick before pausing slightly, scratching his head in thought, "a bit like you, actually. I'm not sure . . . he used to be all quiet . . . and then, during his fifth year, he just . . . changed. He was always very talented, mind you, one of the best students Hogwarts had ever had . . . but he somehow got better. We were very proud of him, mind you - especially Helena."
"Helena?" questioned Harry, ignoring the comparison Nick had drawn between himself and the teenage Voldemort, "Who's Helena?"
"She's not here." said Nick as Harry began to look around the hall, "But she's the ghost of Ravenclaw. Not very social, she is. She was practically heartbroken when Tom left, I still remember."
"They knew each other well?"
Nick nodded sadly.
"Oh yes. He was the first person she'd ever warmed up to in about a thousand years." revealed Nick, "She had a hard time letting him go."
Harry nodded slowly, quickly lowering his mouth to take another bite of food. By the time he had turned back to Nick, however, the ghost had already glided away.
"Now that you are all watered and fed," began Dumbledore several minutes later, once the last plates had been emptied, "I have a few announcements that I would like to make!
"First years, as usual, should note that the Forbidden Forest was given its name for a reason. A few older students would do to realise that as well, of that I have no doubt.
"A vast array of objects have been added to Mr. Filch's list of banned items. Should you wish to learn more, a complete list of the aforementioned items can be found pinned to the door of Mr. Filch's office.
"As has unfortunately grown into an annual tradition, I must welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge."
A polite applause spread through the hall, dying almost instantly as the woman stood from her seat. Harry tensed as he recognised the woman in question - the toad-faced woman from his trial.
All of a sudden, Amelia Bones' comments to Susan were making a lot more sense.
Harry listened with undivided attention as the woman made her way through her speech, ignoring the way that nearly everyone (except for Hermione) had their attention just about anywhere else.
Reading between the lines, just like Fleur says whenever she reads the prophet. If she hasn't burnt it, of course.
It was frighteningly obvious what exactly it was the Umbridge was playing at.
"The ministry is trying to interfere at Hogwarts." muttered Hermione from a few metres up the table.
They are indeed.
"Er - Harry?" said Hermione gently as the majority of the students rose from their seats, for Dumbledore had just dismissed them, "We're to show the first years where to go."
"Right." said Harry, "I suppose you know the password?"
Hermione nodded, slowly turning to face the small students at the end of the table.
"First years!" she called, "This way, please!"
The group of younger students slowly made their way towards them, each of them trying their hardest not to stand out. They eventually made their way before Hermione, who silently motioned for Harry to her. He did so hastily, smiling kindly at the younger students.
His smile vanished instantly as the first years all looked at him with poorly concealed horror, their eyes wide. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry noticed Hermione's eyes water ever so slightly.
"You lead," said Harry quietly, "I - you lead, please."
Hermione nodded softly, hastily wiping her eyes.
"Right, let's get going."
The Gryffindor first years followed the pair of them as they led the way through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. He was not at all surprised to note that even the people in the portraits whispered and pointed as he passed, even if he had wished it was not the case.
Just as the group approached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, a shriek pierced their ears. Harry turned to find Peeves the Poltergeist hovering above them, chuckling merrily to himself at the sight of the horrified first years.
"Peeves!" yelled Hermione in annoyance, "Leave now, or I'll be having words with the Blood Barron."
Peeves, however, simply stuck his tongue out, turning to face Harry instead.
"Ooooooh!" he shouted with glee, "If it isn't precious Potty!"
"Go away Peeves." growled Harry angrily, "I'm not in the mood to deal with you."
"Potty's angry, isn't he?" questioned Peeves with a cackle, "Potty's all grumpy 'cause no one believes his evil lies, his nasty little lies -"
Harry's previously clenched fist had loosened now, his poor attempts at Occlumency failing entirely. He instantly directed his magic towards Peeves, a trick he had learnt from Fleur over the summer.
"It is like my allure, I think." Fleur explained, "At least, that is how I would imagine it. You simply direct your focus and magic at something. It is quite hard to explain - it is like moving a muscle more than anything else."
The two of them stood near the river at the Delacour Chateaux, once again letting the time fly by in one another's company. It was nearing dinner now; Harry and Fleur had spent the entirety of the past day practicing.
"Right." said Harry, taking a deep breath, "I'll try again."
Harry closed his eyes, focusing hard on the tree before him.
Crack.
The tree bent slightly, a few branches cracking before falling to the ground. The bark shook for a moment before it all compressed inwards, crushing what was once a respectable cherry tree.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, surveying the effects of the magic he had released.
His eyes glowed emerald with otherworldly power.
The colour drained from Peeves' face as Harry's eyes glowed emerald, just as they had all those moons ago. The poltergeist, of course, was not hurt; Harry did not intend to hurt him, after all - but he could feel it.
He hovered for a moment, before his grin grew to one similar to the Cheshire cat.
"Potty's powerful now, isn't he?" he muttered with awe, "Potty the Great, Potty the Grand -"
"Go. Away."
Peeves cackled once more before zooming off.
Harry allowed Hermione to continue leading the way, which, thankfully, was not very far from where they already were. She kindly gave the Fat Lady the password ("Argentum Flos") before leading the first years into the common room. He stood silently to the side as Hermione briefed the first years on everything they needed to know, occasionally adding a few comments when absolutely necessary.
Ten minutes later the first year had been sent to their dormitories. Harry sank into an armchair by the fire, allowing his hand to fall into his head. He sat there for quite some time until, eventually, a voice from behind him grabbed his attention.
"So, you're just going to sit there?"
Harry turned around. It seemed as though the older students were all still seated around the common room - all with their eyes on him. Harry's cheeks tensed once more as he faced Seamus, the one who had spoken.
"Well, what exactly am I supposed to be doing?"
Seamus shrugged, his features just as tense as Harry's.
"Oh, I dunno, maybe talk to us?"
"About what?"
"About that night." said Lavender quietly from a corner of the room, "About what happened."
"We need to know if it's true." whispered Pavarti, "If he's - if he's back."
"I've already told you, he is." said Harry, gritting his teeth angrily, "What more am I supposed to say?"
"You could tell us more." muttered an older girl from the corner, "You could tell us what happened."
Harry turned his attention to her, as did everyone else. The girl blushed slightly.
"If you're asking what it's like when Voldemort kills someone, I can't help you." said Harry angrily, "I'm not talking about Cedric, and I don't want to talk about my mu - anyone else either."
"Who, your mum?" questioned Seamus curiously.
Harry flinched, his palm curling into a fist.
"So loved . . ."
"I said," Harry repeated, reinforcing his shoddy attempt at Occlumency, "I'm not talking about it."
Harry shoved past them as he made his way towards the dormitories, ignoring the reactions of those nearby, particularly how Hermione seemed about ready to burst into tears, as well as how Ginny paled drastically.
"You're absolutely mad if you think he's back!" called Seamus from the common room, "Barking mad!"
Harry felt his pathetic grasp on his Occlumency loosen once more.
"And how, exactly, do you think Diggory died?" Harry questioned angrily, "You suppose he was on the edge, and just decided to end it all?"
"It must've been you then!" Seamus yelled back, "You and the Veela girl!"
"Fleur?" Harry questioned angrily, ignoring the way his heartbeat suddenly sped up, "Are you fucking daft?"
"Please, we all saw!" yelled Seamus back, "Flirting before the task, then bloody cuddling after you come back with a dead body, you've clearly done something -"
Harry shook his head, his features contorted into an angry grin.
"You're a special kind of stupid, you know? Up there with Lockhart."
"Then you explain what was going on with that Veela!"
"'That Veela' has a name." retorted Harry angrily, "Not that it's any of your business, and not that it has anything to do with Diggory. Or are you still obsessed with her, just because she 'looked your way'?"
"I would never be obsessed with a Veela!" Seamus roared back angrily, "I asked my mum about them over the break, you know -"
"- yes, and what did mummy dearest have to say?"
"They're dark!" yelled Seamus, "That's what she told me, they're dark! She told me all about them, they're creatures, they are. And there isn't such a thing as a half-Veela, or a quarter. They're all Veela, mum proved it to me herself, showed me all sorts of books on them. They're all Veela, and they're all dark."
"Then your mum's just as daft as you are, isn't she?" Harry shouted angrily, "Because this somehow has something to do with Cedric, doesn't it? Keep talking Seamus, let's get to the part where this relates to Diggory dying. I'm intrigued now."
"You've been seduced by a dark creature, that's what!" Seamus roared, "A creature that's made you go mad! She's not even a bloody person, she's just a fucking bird. You've been seduced by a bloody bird -"
The flames within the fireplace roared with anger as Harry's eyes glowed emerald once more. He saw the way that his classmates paled with fear, but could not bring himself to care.
Relax, breathe gently. Remember what Fleur said, it's not worth it. He's not worth it.
"Watch your words." Harry warned, his voice barely hiding his anger. He watched with grim satisfaction as Seamus trembled slightly in place, "They just might be your last."
Harry angrily left the common room, making his way to the dormitories. He jumped into bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes, and slammed the curtains closed.
"Mama loves you . . . dada loves you . . ."
"Harry!"
Harry shot up from his bed, turning wildly to face whomever it was who had awoken him.
It was Hermione.
The girl stood nervously to the side, subconsciously fiddling with her fingers as she held her head down. She was adorned in muggle pajamas, her hair just as bushy as ever.
"You were twisting in bed." said Hermione quietly, "I didn't mean to wake you up so poorly -"
"It's fine." said Harry, "What did you want?"
"I - I just wanted to talk to you." she admitted quietly, "In - well, in private."
"Er - alright then." said Harry, shifting to one side of the bed, "I - er - I suppose you can come in then. The curtains are charmed."
"I know." whispered Hermione quietly, "I couldn't hear you until I opened the curtains."
"I - I was talking in my sleep?"
Hermione nodded slowly. Her eyes were beginning to water again.
"I just wanted to see you." she whispered quietly as she sat down, "I just - I wanted to talk to you, if only for a bit. Is - is that alright?"
"Of course, Hermione." Harry muttered quietly, "You can talk to me whenever, I won't bite - not you, at least. You've always been the most tactful out of us, remember?"
Hermione nodded, not even attempting to wipe away the tears that began to fall.
"I'm just - I saw how the first years acted, you being prefect." she whispered, "But - Harry, I'm so proud of you. You're a prefect, you're - you're w-working hard and it's beginning to pay off. I - I know you've never cared about being prefect, or anything like that - but I'm - I'm so proud of you Harry, I -"
Hermione paused, using her sleeves to wipe her face.
"I - I don't know much about what's h-happened to you in a while." she admitted shakily, "I don't know much about how you spend your time, or F-Fleur, but . . . I just want you to be happy. I know you're going t-through a lot now, and y-you don't deserve it, but it'll get better, it has to get b-better -"
Harry gently held out his arms which Hermione fell into almost immediately.
"I always t-thought you didn't r-remember." she whispered as tears fell upon Harry's shoulders, "I always thought y-you never k-knew them, and so you w-were alright. I - I - I just want you t-to be alright. P-Promise me you'll b-be alright, p-please."
"I can't do that Hermione, you know that." Harry whispered into her ear as he gently tucked her bushy hair behind her shoulder, "But I know how to beat him. I know how to beat him so he won't ever come back. I'm going to do it, I can promise that."
"I c-can help." Hermione whispered quietly, "I c-can help y-you. I k-know it's dangerous, b-but I can."
"Hermione, it's fine."
"I c-can even Obliviate my parents." said Hermione shakily, "Just in c-case I don't s-survive."
"You're going to survive, Hermione." Harry promised, "I won't let you die, you know that. But you can't help me. It's sort of like a final exam, isn't it? I've got to do this without you."
Hermione nodded slowly, tears still falling from her eyes. She held onto him for quite some time, neither speaking for what must have been hours.
"I know we won't be friends like we used to." she admitted silently, "Even if you wanted to, because of - because of V-Voldemort."
Harry held her tighter, doing his best to comfort her.
"But can I talk to you again?" she pleaded quietly, "Every now and then, just to make sure you're alright?"
"Of course you can."