𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐶𝐼𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙-𝙩𝙬𝙤

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

SHELL COTTAGE WAS beautiful, but the four friends were overstaying their welcome with Bill and Fleur. They were healing, both physically and emotionally. They had to push on, keep hunting. Caroline's head wound Dobby had healed wasn't giving her too much trouble. It was the shake in her hand that was back, the nightmares that continued to keep her from sleep. One day, they would be free of this. One day.

Caroline felt Harry kiss her neck sweetly, her back pressed into his chest one morning two days later. He didn't sleep, too afraid of accidentally hurting Caroline. "I love you." Harry whispered because he thought she was asleep, covering her with the blankets. They said it every time they left each other now, unsure if it would be the last time.

Harry really thought she was dead that night. When the Snatchers dragged her over to the others in the forest while she was unconscious, blood dripping from her head, he thought he lost her. The whole journey to the Manor, he begged the Snatchers to pick her up, to stop dragging her so aggressively. They dumped her body on the floor and he wanted to kill everyone in the room. Then he heard her screams from the cellar, and he wanted to celebrate because she was alive, but she was being tortured, a fate worse than death. Harry knew she was covering up her pain for him. They always tried to think the other didn't notice, but both of them knew.

He stood and left the bedroom they shared with Ron, grabbing different clothes and shutting the door silently. She knew where he was going. Caroline gave him a while of alone time before she tugged on proper clothing, tossing her braids into a high ponytail and leaving Ron asleep. Caroline walked quietly down the stairs, past Fleur, and out the back door, where Harry was up on the hill.

She began walking up the mounds of sand, the sun lighting up her skin. They had been at Shell Cottage for only a few nights, but Caroline had looked at the stars from the window each evening. They were dim now, had been for many months. "Some of my best work, yeah?" Caroline said to make her presence known, pointing to the grave stone she had constructed for Dobby.

Harry looked up at her, away from the shard of mirror he carried with him everywhere. "Did I wake you up?" he asked with concern.

Caroline shook her head, sitting down beside him. "You think I sleep?" she asked, her scarred hands resting in her lap. It felt like a lifetime ago that Jacob was killed and she was stabbed. She couldn't believe how much they had missed just while hunting horcruxes. It was April, coming up on the three year mark since Jacob died, the two year mark since Sirius died. Time was strange, like the stars, Caroline was realising that.

"Bill's gonna find out about Tonks and Remus. Just keep it out of your mind." Harry said, opening his arm so Caroline could sit close to him at the base of Dobby's grave.

"I know. I just hope they're okay." Caroline spoke, fixing Harry's two bracelets. She dropped her head to his shoulder, just breathing with him. Somehow, someway, they were still together, still as in love as they always had been. They shared a heart, they just didn't know that. They had been together for over two years with no breaks in between. Some people were just meant to be together, and Harry and Caroline were just that. Soulmates. Caroline believed in that stuff, Harry just believed whatever she wanted to make her happy.

Harry breathed in the salty air, pressing a kiss to Caroline's head, her soft scent of nature and cinnamon always and forever providing him immense comfort. They stood up to go inside, Caroline straightening the lily she had placed on Dobby's grave. It was enchanted, so it would never die. "Why didn't you use your ring in the Manor? To tell me you were okay?" Harry asked suddenly, walking with Caroline's hand in his grip.