Until the very End - [Harry Potter xF!Oc]

2008-2009

"What if we skip the press and go straight to the party?"

"They'll ask you questions whether they see you in front of a speaker stand, or by the bar."

Mel shook her head in defeat. "Well, at least the kids get to stay."

"I won't take my children to the ministry if I can help it, especially James."

"Lovely parenting, Glasses, talking ill about your kids behind their back..."

They were getting ready to attend a dinner celebrating Mr. Greengrass's trajectory, fifty years of devoted work trying to understand the secrets of the wizarding world. Mel and Harry were a few of the carefully selected guests.

Mel, with her research on obscurial going steady, was on the brink of another great discovery, which of course, would be the cherry on top of her boss's career since he was nearing retirement.

"You know what Erick told me the other day?" The woman continued, brushing thick locks of hair and pushing them one by one over her shoulders.

Harry hummed to let her know he was listening.

"He's starting a business with Anne," she smiled at her reflection. "He wants to pick up where his grandad left it."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "That's great! What does he and Anne have in mind? Tellies and phones?"

"Think so," she nodded. "But if he does this, he'll quit his current job, which makes me sad." Mel sighed and got up. Harry didn't ask why, he knew.

"Office hours might get duller without him, but you'd still get to see Ron, 'Mione and me during lunch hour."

"That's not what bothers me," Mel replied. "You know I can handle dull, it's just... we've slowly been growing apart from everyone. Haven't you noticed?"

"By everyone, you mean..?"

"Our friends. Neville, Luna, the twins... I mean, we see them at birthday parties, holidays and all that, but we used to see each other almost every weekend—"

"You worry you won't get to see Erick as often as you do now?" Harry teased her. "He lives fifteen minutes away—On foot!"

"Well, he's still my best friend!" Mel argued.

"I thought I was your best friend."

Mel huffed and lightly stomped her foot in frustration. Harry smirked, all those years together and she was still as easy to tease as when they were little.

"I worry we'll grow apart, okay?"

"When has that ever happened to the people we know? Take Remus and Sirius for example. It only took a few days for them to be back in—"

"Yeah, but that's just the thing, it's not like we can go back to being students at Hogwarts, cause the one time we all hung out together Erick and I were dating, and after that, no other routine lasted, did it?"

"Is this your way of telling me you've fallen back in love with Erick, or..."

"Glasses!" Mel approached him with a scowl. "I'm saying that we aren't getting younger, and we got kids, jobs, and projects that are leading us in different directions—it's not like before, when the war ended and all we cared about was spending time with each other, and having fun. It'll never be like that again and..."

Mel took a quick breath that came out shaky and Harry realized she was spiraling. He stopped his teasing and reached out to stroke her hands, his shoulders tensed when he realized her skin was cold and sweaty.

"Look up," he spoke. "Look at me."

Mel's pout turned more prominent, but her breathing steadied. She held onto Harry's hands tightly.