Aionios

Chapter 6

While the others enjoyed themselves at Hogsmeade village, Harry and Isabelle had their own fun sharing stories of past adventures. Harry was all-ears for Isabelle's tales of fighting Death-Eaters, venturing the tides of Azkaban, traveling around the world for Dark Arts investigations, and the life of an Elite-Eight Auror. Meanwhile, Isabelle was hooked on Harry's own stories of fighting Voldemort in his first year when he took sanctuary in Professor Quirrell's body and in his second year in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Chamber of Secrets? How on earth did you manage to find that?", Isabelle gushed.

"Took a while to connect the dots together. We had to venture into the Forbidden Forest just to get the answers we needed. Trust me, it was difficult. Have you ever almost got eaten by an army of Acromantulas?"

"Not really... But an army of vampires tried to suck all the blood out from me and Thalia once... Does that count?"

"I think that's much worse, actually"

And as their stories continued on, the twins got to know each other a lot more. In Harry's eyes, he pictured his sister no longer as the little redhead baby in the scrapbook picture she had gifted him. He saw her as someone strong-willed, someone who seemed so invincible that even Death itself seemed to fear knocking on her doorstep. She felt like a newly-acquired anchor in his life, keeping him as he is now; happy and safe. In Isabelle's eyes, she saw Harry as a brave man. So much burden at such a young age. Deep down beneath all the praises she voiced out to her brother for conquering all that had happened to him, she felt such a heart-shattering regret. Where was she when Voldemort tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone? What was she doing when Tom Riddle cornered Harry in the Chamber of Secrets? Where was she when Harry needed her?

It seemed as though despite her efforts to ensure Harry's lifelong safety, she still couldn't fight off the person who burdened them in the first place.

But this time, for sure, she wouldn't let anything happen to him.

As she looked upon those emerald orbs that shined bright with awe from her stories of fighting darkness, she knew that if anything, she was fighting for him; her brother and other half; Harry James Potter.

When Hermione and Ron returned to share their own stories of their time in the small village of Hogsmeade, Harry and Isabelle lay in peaceful sleep on the couch facing the fireplace.

The two Gryffindors smiled fondly, just admiring the heart-warming sight of Isabelle with her head settled in the crook of Harry's neck, both Potters snoring lightly as they drifted into dreams of swash-buckling adventures by each other's side.

Maybe they dreamed of fighting off Death-Eaters together. Or maybe of sailing through harsh tides in search of treasures hidden deep beneath the Atlantic.

Who knows? After all, in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. We can swim in the deepest ocean or even glide over the highest cloud.

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"How's it going, Hagrid?", Isabelle questions, seated on one of the large couches within Hagrid's hut.

After waking up at 3 o'clock in the morning, Isabelle levitated Harry to the boys' dormitories to get better remaining hours of sleep. Since it was too early for Ace to be awake for their morning run, Isabelle instead trudged down to Hagrid's hut upon noticing the smoke emitting from its chimney signaling that Hagrid was awake.

"Alrigh'. Beaky and Clawsie missed yeh. Can tell they wanted ter see yeh e'r since the las' time they saw yeh", Hagrid says, settling on the couch in front Isabelle as he hands a gigantic mug to the red-haired witch.