Everything was dark. There was a dull rumble of noise in her ears — as if there was movement around her but all sounds were foggy, giving off the effect that she was underwater. She was aware of the cool floor beneath her, and the cool air blowing on her face.

Was this death? An eternity of total darkness in which she could hear nothing but the mumble of other lost souls. It could have been worse, she supposed. She could have been dammed to suffer all eternity in a burning city and fiery pits — a land of pain and punishment.

Then she heard it, the soft sound of Draco Malfoy's voice, growing steadily louder in her ears. Someone else was with him. Katerina recognised this voice too. It was Ginny.

"She doesn't have a pulse, Draco," she told him, yet Katie could tell by the croakiness of Ginny's voice that she was crying. "It's been ten minutes, Madam Pomfrey done all that she can, she's not waking up."

"She will!" Draco protested. "She will wake up!"

Their voices sounded distant, like they were part of a dream. Suddenly, as if it had never been there at all, the rumble in Katie's ears vanished, and she could hear mutterings, the patter of footsteps, and even some laughter. Then she became aware of her own heart beating rhythmically against her ribcage. It was pumping blood throughout her body... it was keeping her alive...

Katerina Blair's eyes fluttered open and she was momentarily blinded by the light. For a second, she believed she was dead once more, staring up into the heavens, but then she recognised the ceiling of the Great Hall. It was lighter than it had been when she collapsed, yet still a pale navy, as the smallest bit of rising sunlight crept inside the windows of the Great Hall.

"Rina!" Draco cried. "She's alive! Ginny, she's alive!"

Soft, cold hands caressed Katie's cheeks. She was confused. She did not know what was going on, but a familiar face above her came into focus. Pale, silver eyes bloodshot, cheeks streaked with tears — Draco Malfoy was smiling down at her and crying with relief.

He kissed her forehead and cradled her head, and she couldn't help but smile. Ginny was also kneeling by Katie's side, clutching one of her frail hands.

"You said she had no pulse." Draco said to Ginny, yet his voice was filled with too much joy to sound even the slightest bit angry.

"It — it just have been really faint," Ginny responded. "Bloody hell, Katie, we thought you were gone."

"So did I." Katie chuckled. She tried to sit up but her ribs ached and she groaned in pain.

"Broken ribs." Draco muttered, then he called Madam Pomfrey over.

The woman gave Katie an odd purple potion that mended her broken bones in a heartbeat, then she gave her some chocolate for good measure, and Katie was reminded, with a stab of grief, of Remus Lupin.

"Where's Harry?" Katie asked. "Ron? Hermione?"

"They went up to Dumbledore's office," Draco answered. "They didn't want to see you like this. They thought you were dead too."

Having almost died only minutes before, Katie found that she had a new appreciation for the smallest things in life. She lay her head back in Draco's lap, breathing the crisp dawn air that was seeping in through the open doors. Ginny rubbed circles on her hand and Draco stroked her hair, which had long fallen out of its braid. As she gazed up into his face, Katerina noticed something that she had never noticed before.

Tiny, pale dots, almost invisible specks of a slightly darker colour than Draco's skin lay scattered in an odd pattern across his nose and upper cheeks. She giggled and he raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he said.

She grinned stupidly up at him. "You have freckles."

"What, so you're going to start comparing me to the Weasleys now?" Draco drawled, rolling his eyes.

A mischievous grin split across Katie's face.

"Oh, no," she simpered. "No, you'll never be as cute as Ginny."

Draco scoffed loudly and Katie and Ginny laughed. Katie finished her last square of chocolate and sighed in content.

"He was right," she said, more to herself than to anyone else. "It really does help."

Katie lifted up her shirt to reveal a thick wad of bandages wrapped around her torso. The wounds on her face had stopped bleeding and were cleaned, but her head still throbbed painfully.

Draco and Ginny helped her to stand. She wobbled on her feet and felt a little nauseous, but otherwise she was fine. Lucky, she thought, very lucky that she had not died. Her eyes scanned the packed Hall.

In one corner, the Weasleys were sitting and crying together, in another, Dean and Seamus sat talking to and sharing tea with Aberforth. Luna and Neville were chatting.

Katie frowned. "Where's Chris?" she asked.

Both Draco's and Ginny's faces paled and Katie felt panic rise inside of her.

"He — he wasn't looking too good, Katie..." Ginny said, her eyes welling with tears. "He's over there, but—"

Ginny pointed to the far left corner of the room and Katie wasted no time in rushing over. She could hear Draco and Ginny calling her back, but she ignored them. Running probably wasn't the greatest idea after losing pints of blood and almost dying, but Katerina pushed the whirring feeling in her head and dashed over to her brother.

Chris was lying, eyes closed, cheeks sunken, with his head in Niall's lap. Niall was crying and muttering inaudible words. Katie did not know if Chris was still alive, and she was almost afraid to ask. She knelt down next to him and, with a violently trembling hand, searched his neck for a pulse.

"He — he keeps waking up and slipping away again," Niall choked out through sobs. "Madam Pomfrey says she can't do anything for him while he's unconscious."

Katie cupped one of Christian's hands in her own and she could feel it growing steadily colder. Rapidly, tears welled in her eyes, and before she could stop them, they started cascading down her face.

Chris let out a small groan and his eyes opened. He squinted in the harsh light.

"Chris!" Katie and Niall cried together. Chris tried to move his arm but winced in pain.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey—" Katie moved to stand up but Chris' loose grip on her hand tightened.

"There's no point," he said. His voice was hoarse and breathy. It gritted against his breath and Katie was sure it must have been causing him pain to speak. "It's — it's too late."

"Don't talk like that," Katie said quickly. "You're fine, look, you're fine."

But even as she looked down at him, she could see the remaining colour draining from his cheeks and the light fading from his eyes. She placed her hand on his chest. His heartbeat was faint, feeble.

"Come on, Chris," Katerina sobbed. "Don't do this. Don't leave me. You're all I have left."

Despite the immense pain that he was probably in, Chris' lips curved upwards.

"I'll tell Leo..." he began but paused to take an unsteady breath. "I'll tell Leo that you miss him."

As Christian's eyes began to close, Katie got the feeling that she was drifting away from the Great Hall. It was getting smaller, darker, around her, but then a beam of light shone through in the form of Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, Mr Blair, stop making such a fuss," she bumbled. "Here, eat this."

She handed him a slab of what looked like honeycomb. Niall fed it to him — Chris was too weak to do it himself — and the colour came back to his face almost at once. Katie let out a cry of relief.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she said.

Chris beamed at her before their view of each other was obscured. Niall, who was still crying, but now, Katie supposed, they were happy tears, had bent down to kiss Chris and Katie decided it was best to leave them alone. Smiling, she stood up and began to make her way back over to Draco.

In her haste to get to Chris before, Katie had not noticed that she was walking on a limp. She hobbled awkwardly on her feet. Draco, she saw, was now sitting with his parents. He allowed his mother to smother him with hugs.

Katie hesitated — did she really want to be around Mr and Mrs Malfoy in that moment?

Then it hit her — the glowing realisation. After Voldemort struck Harry apparently dead in the Forbidden Forest, it was Narcissa who examined him. She must have known that he was truly alive, but she decided to lie instead, and Katie knew all too well just how dangerous lying to the Dark Lord could be. Maybe Narcissa only lied because she wanted to get inside the castle to see her son, but still, she had effectively saved them all.

Katie found her path blocked by two beaming faces. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood had appeared in front of her.

"That was really brave, what you did out there, Neville," Katie praised. "Standing up to him like that."

Neville flushed deep scarlet.

"Well, it — it was nothing compared to you," he stammered, still grinning despite his rosy cheeks. "You went into the Forest to kill the snake, you lied to him, and we saw you fight him!"

"But who actually killed the snake?" Katie smiled, lifting an eyebrow in a suggesting manner. Neville blushed again.

"So, what are you going to do now, Katerina?" Luna asked. Katie stared at her, puzzled. It was an odd question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going to choose Draco, or the boy that's currently running towards you with the speed of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Katie whirled around. Harry and Ron were bolting towards her, but neither of them as fast as Hermione, who moved with immense speed that Katie didn't even know the girl was capable of. Hermione flung her arms around Katie and the latter stumbled back into Neville and Luna. Nevertheless, she hugged Hermione back.

"Dead!" Hermione gasped. "We thought you were dead! Oh, are you all right?"

Hermione grabbed either side of Katie's face and began to examine every inch of it. Katie couldn't help but grin.

"I'm fine, I'm OK." she reassured Hermione.

Katie did not hug Harry or Ron, but as Hermione and Ron turned to engage in conversation with Neville and Luna, Harry took Katie's arm.

"Can I show you something?" he said and she nodded without hesitation. Across the hall, Draco caught her eye and smiled. She smiled back and nodded, letting him know that she would return soon, and left the Great Hall with Harry.

"Where are we going?" Katie asked as they climbed the marble stairs.

"You'll see." Harry responded.

The castle was in ruins. Walls had been blown away and the railings on the stairs were blasted apart. Statues lay crumbled in the hallways and the floor was splattered with blood.

Up and up through the castle they ascended, until, at last, they reached the seventh floor. Katie thought that Harry was taking her to the Room of Requirement, but he walked right by the stretch of blank wall and continued through the corridor.

The stone gargoyle that usually guarded the Headmaster's office lay decapitated on the floor, giving Katie and Harry immediate access to the office. The spiral stairs twirled and lifted them onto the landing above. Harry opened the grand doors but allowed Katie to step inside first. Dumbledore's, or, the Headmaster's office was perhaps the only room in the school that had not suffered any damage. It was exactly as Professor Snape had left it, only, on the desk sat a stone basin, engraved on which were many runes.

"What's that?" Katie inquired, pointing to the basin.

A smile played at Harry's lips. "What we came for. Look..."

He gestured for her to follow him and they stepped up to the desk. Inside the basin, a misty silver substance was whirring. It was neither liquid nor gas. Katie was overcome with the urge to dip her hand inside and swirl it through the silvery substance, but thought better of it.

"What—?"

She was about to ask what this mysterious silver substance was but cut herself off. Harry had pressed his wand — his holly and phoenix wand, newly repaired — to his temple. He drew the wand away from his head, extracting a thin band of silver. Katie gawked at it as it hung loosely from the end of his wand. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I've never done that before," he said. "I wasn't sure if it would work."

He tipped the band into the basin and at once it turned a mysterious, twinkling blue colour and began to whirl in spirals.

"You first." Harry said.

Katie was perplexed, but then Harry encouragingly nodded towards the basin and she understood what she had to do. She clutched the edges of the basin and, slowly but surely, lowered her face towards the blue matter. As soon as her nose touched the surface, she got a feeling that some invisible force pushed her by the small of her back, and she fell into the basin.

Katie was not falling for long before her feet hit solid ground. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the new surroundings, but she recognised Diagon Alley as it had been when she was younger. Colourful, bright, lively, and filled with happy shoppers. She gazed around, a wide smile splitting her face, taking in the sight that made her nostalgic but joyful. Then something else caught her attention: a voice, her voice.

"Me neither. I'm Katie by the way. Katie Blair."

She jumped, a little startled. There, standing by the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies was an eleven year old Katerina Blair. Her long, dark blonde hair was braided down her back and she was barely five feet tall. Beside her stood a boy in tattered clothes, his hair askew, and a thick wand of sellotape holding his glasses together.

"I'm Harry."

"Blimey, we weren't pretty when we were younger." Katie looked around. Harry had evidently followed her into the basin, because he, as a seventeen-year-old, was standing next to her, watching their very first meeting with tears in his eyes.

Eleven-year-old Katerina Blair gazed at eleven-year-old Harry Potter, blinking slowly. Katie knew what her younger self was thinking; she knew Harry from somewhere, but she could not quite place him.

"I should probably get back to my parents. They'll be wondering where I am." little Katie said.

Younger Harry looked disappointed, but he quickly painted his smile back on his face. "OK."

Katie turned and started walking away from Quality Quidditch Supplies when she paused abruptly, turning back around.

"Harry!" she called. "Are you going to Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded.

"See you there."

The scene dissolved in a cloud of silver mist, and now Katerina found herself sat in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express. She jumped when she saw her younger self sitting across from her. Seventeen-year-old Harry Potter sniggered and she glared at him.

Eleven-year-old Harry was also in the carriage. He laughed at something that Katie had said and threw his head back, revealing the lightning scar on his forehead. Younger Katie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my God!" she gasped. "You're... Harry Potter! You're Harry Potter!"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, that's me."

Older Harry faced older Katie, smirking. "Starstruck." Katie elbowed him in the ribs and they both laughed.

Next thing Katie knew, she was standing in the Hogwarts grounds, breathing in the scent of the September air — flowers and freshly mowed grass. A little way ahead, two small figures were walking side by side across the lawn.

"Who's your Quidditch team, Harry?" Katie asked. She was gazing up at the Quidditch stadium.

"I... eh... don't know any." Harry mumbled.

Katie goggled at him. "You really don't know a bloody thing about the Wizarding world, do you, Potter?"

"Well, in my defence, I only found out about it a month ago." Harry countered, but eleven-year-old Katerina wasn't listening. She had seized Harry's hand and was dragging him towards the Quidditch pitch.

Katie, older Katie, present-time Katie, however you want to say it, smiled fondly as she watched them go. So young, so carefree, unknowing of the rocky path that they would soon be setting down.

The Hogwarts grounds melted away and they were back in Diagon Alley. A slightly older Katerina flung her arms around Harry, who was covered from head to toe in soot.

"You had me worried there for a second." Katie said.

"You're going to get yourself covered in soot." Harry chuckled.

"Oh, shut up."

Katie remembered how she did not want that hug to end, but the Weasleys shuffled over and they were forced to break apart.

Once again, they were in the Hogwarts grounds. The constant shifting of scenes was beginning to make Katie's head hurt, but she was having too much fun to care. Reliving all these memories that she had long since forgotten about...

The Hogwarts grounds were covered in snow. The Lake had mostly frozen over and was glittering in the setting sun. A little way away from the edge of the glazed lake, Katie and Harry, aged thirteen, were building a snowman.

"That's such a basic name for a snowman."

"And Harry is such a basic name for a boy."

This was the comment that sparked what was perhaps Katie's favourite memory of her and Harry — the snowball fight. She and Harry watched as their younger selves relentlessly threw snowballs at each other, laughing the entire time. As the grounds were so still and silent, their laughter echoed far and wide.

And then came the moment that, to that day, Katie still vividly remembered.

Thirteen-year-old Harry tackled thirteen-year-old Katie and they fell to the ground, cushioned by the snow. Harry held himself up, hovering over the girl so he wouldn't crush her, but then he started slowly lowering himself.

Katie could recall this memory so clearly because, even if she did not know it at the time, she understood now that this was when she fell for Harry.

Harry's arms buckled, and the kiss that almost happened was put on hold until fourth year. He fell on top of her and she groaned in pain.

"Sorry!"

The scene disintegrated again.

Fourth year Harry sat on a stool in the Champion's Tent. Out of nervousness, he was tapping his foot against the floor, aimlessly twirling his wand around his fingers and chewing his lips. The entrance to the tent was ripped open and fourteen-year-old Katerina stepped inside. Her eyes were wide, her face was flushed, her hair was blowing in the wind, and Harry's entire face lit up when he saw her.

"Katie—"

But she had already thrown herself at Harry and kissed him, and he responded with such enthusiasm that it was obvious he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"Did you ever regret it?" present-time Harry asked. Katie blinked away the tears in her eyes.

"Not a damn bit." she said.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters materialised around them. Steam was still billowing in puffs from the red train and the platform was alive with laughter and chatter as the Hogwarts students were reunited with their families for the summer. The Weasleys stood by, Mrs Weasley hugging all of her children, and Katie and Harry said their goodbyes.

"I'm going to write everyday," Katie told him. "I hope you know that."

"When did you get so clingy?" Harry teased, earning him a punch to the arm. He chuckled.