It was well beyond 2 am when a muffled crack gave away that someone had just Apparated into my bedroom and I woke from my sleep; not even a proper sleep, rather a slumber. Xeno's death, the death of yet another person close to me in a particular way, had left a deep scar inside me, even more because it had devastated Luna, and I wasn't sleeping well, these past few days.

She ditched her clothes on the go and quickly, without saying a word, slid under my cover. Her sweet body was shivering uncontrollably, her skin cold as ice, and I barely managed to suppress a surprised shriek when she hungrily pressed herself against me in a desperate attempt to find any source of warmth. Her breath escaped her lips in short staccatos loudly echoing in my ear.

Having silently counted to ten, I carefully draped my arm over her and pulled her into a gentle but firm hug, trying to make as much skin contact with her as possible. Neither spoke, I just held her tight in my protective arms. Gradually, her trembling subsided and her breathing became deep and even as she fell asleep, myself slowly dozing off as well, following her into the realm of our dreams.

It felt as if only a minute had passed before my alarm clock chirped once, as usual, at 6:30. Immediately wide awake, I sat up in my bed, only to find Luna still spooned up against me and peacefully snoring.

I watched her sleek frame, her impeccable, white skin, her face framed by an untamed crown of her blond hair. In her sleep, she didn't seem to broken by the many ordeals she had had to go through in her short life, not torn apart by her feelings for Ron – her husband and the father of her child – and for me – her soulmate – at the same time. In her sleep, she seemed happy and content. And very maybe, a tiny particle of this happiness could be attributed to me, something I was secretly hoping for.

I felt an immense wave of love and desire wash over me, but I didn't move, didn't dare to disturb her sleep. At that moment, I felt a king and she was my queen, and I was ready to fight the universe for her love. Oh yes, I was torn into two Harries myself, torn by my love for two wonderful young women and I couldn't help it. I only silently hoped, silently prayed for some kind of divine wisdom to come down upon me and rid me of the necessity to hurt the very people I loved with all my heart.

None of that was granted to me. Whomever I'd choose, I'd hurt the other precious being. There was no correct solution to the equation. We could enjoy stolen minutes, hours, spent together, but I could reunite with neither. All this would remain a mere illusion of happiness.

I couldn't remember how much time had passed - I might have even dozed off again during my silent soliloquy - when I felt someone's piercing gaze at the back of my head. Luna was already awake; she lay, naked, on her back, intently watching me. I warmly smiled back at her, not letting my gaze wander below neck level.

"Did you sleep well, angel?" I asked, lowering myself above her and kissing her lightly on her lips.

"Mmmmm... I could really get used to waking up to your kisses every morning," she purred, pulling me closer. She moaned softly against my lips when I kissed her again. Our bond flared with different colors of different emotions: red for love, dark green for contentment, and a deep blue that couldn't be interpreted otherwise as… peace. Now I understood what Aranrhod's words really meant when she said "you being here will help her keep her sanity".

"I'd love that too." The words tore out of my throat on their own accord before I even managed to think them. I guess in love one doesn't have to think, only feel, anyway.

Luna suddenly tore her lips away from my neck. "Liar," she said simply, only the curve of her lips indicating that she wasn't actually meaning it; in fact, she was only mocking me.

I decided to play along. "That's a serious allegation that will have to be proven. Failing to do so will result in punishment, I'm afraid."

"Then punish me, my Harry," she said in a husky voice, impatiently urging me to roll over and guiding me inside her.

"That was thorough corporal punishment," she panted heavily, rolling off me. "I guess I'll just have to be a good girl from now on."

"No, you don't have to," I shook my head seriously. "Just remain yourself, will you?"

Her eyes cast a few playful sparks. "Why? You want another chance to be able to punish me?"

"Never thought of it from that angle," I slowly filtered the words through my teeth, toying with her curves, "but once you mentioned it yourself..."

She bit her lower lip, casting a look at me that was hard to misinterpret. "You know, I actually like being a bad girl, so every now and then..." She broke out in laughter and playfully slapped my shoulder with her tiny hand.

I grabbed her hand and covered the tip of her fingers in small kisses, then enclosed her in my arms, my right hand gently caressing her back, and she sighed in contentment.

"Since you are such a good boy, I'll tell you a fairytale," she snuggled into my embrace. "Close your eyes and listen."

My eyelids suddenly went heavy, following her hypnotic voice. She took a deep breath and started speaking softly.

"Maidin cheomhar samhraidh in aice le Loch Léin, bhí Oisín ag fiach lena athair, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, agus lena chairde sna Fianna..."

The words were whispered in Gaelic, an ancient language that had already existed when a son of a certain carpenter in the faraway Galilea started his teachings, but my brain registered their meanings in clear, present-day English.

"One misty, summer morning near Loch Léin, Oisín was out hunting with his father Fionn Mac Cumhail and his friends in the Fianna..."

I did hear something about the legend of Oisín from Seamus, only a few words mentioning it, and I didn't know the whole story. So, I let Luna's voice pick me up and fly me away on its wings to endless forests lived by mythical animals, raging seas washing rugged coastlines, fields covered with green grass and golden wheat.

"...she was dressed like a queen and her soft golden hair glowed in the sun like a crown..."

My fingers, as if by magic, got lost in Luna's blond locks. How I loved the feeling of her soft hair across my fingers, inhaling their sweet scent!

"...he became very homesick and longed to see his family and friends again. Niamh saw the sadness in his eyes and asked him what was wrong..."

A strange feeling stirred deep inside my chest but I was unable to move or talk, the magic of the moment firmly holding me in its grasp.

"...she wept as she watched her horse carry Oisín across the hills and over the ocean back to Ireland..."

Luna laid her head on my chest as she spoke and I was suddenly startled by the feeling of something wet against my skin. It was not at all hard to guess that it was her tears running down her cheek. When her last words died away in the silence of my bedroom, I felt thunderstruck, but I was unable to utter a single word. I held her tight, very tight to me, and I felt her feverishly holding on to me as if her life were depending on it. At that moment I understood that something was bound to change between us very soon, if it hadn't changed already.

"Why did you tell me this story, Luna? Why this story?"

"Didn't you find it out by yourself, my Oisín?" She raised her tear-stained face to me, endless love speaking from her intent gaze, as she answered my question with a question of her own.

The realization came down with the force of a steam locomotive, leaving me completely speechless. I felt dizzy and my heart was heavily thumping in my chest. Suddenly, I heard her voice whispering the same sentence into my ear that had appeared on my bathroom mirror what seems an eternity ago: "There's a way back from behind the Veil." It sounded so clear that I involuntarily looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but I quickly realized she was talking to me through our bond.

"Is this true, my beautiful Niamh?" I asked in a hoarse voice, my mouth suddenly dry. I could tell she liked being addressed by me that way by the warm smile that appeared on her lovely features. Without an intermezzo, she rolled me over on my back and quickly mounted me, emitting a deep moan. Her eyes, clouded over with lust, closed and she linked her fingers with mine as she started to move ever-so-slowly. It didn't take long, however, before she began quickening her pace and very soon her body was shaken by a wave of pleasure so strong that I almost lost it right there. She howled out my name but didn't even think to stop until she rode us both to Heaven with a final scream. Then, only then she lowered herself above me, skin touching skin, and ferociously captured my lips with hers. I eagerly answered her hungry, desperate kisses, pressing her precious body tight against mine, and a ripple of pure pleasure washed over our bond causing us to shudder a few times more in delight.

"That... that was incredible," she tore her lips away from mine, still panting heavily. "I never felt anything like before, my love. I saw myself with your eyes and I was feeling what you were feeling." She blushed prettily before continuing. "If I'm not mistaken, we both got carried away, just the slightest bit..."

My coherent thoughts, which in the past few minutes decided to take a trip overseas, still hadn't returned to me, so I only managed to mumble something neither of us could make out, but it was no problem. We understood each other without words, and it was just perfect this way.

Our bodies still connected, I didn't want to move and neither did she. We were burning up in fever and our magical cores were singing a happy song, an ode to love.

"I completely and unconditionally agree," I finally managed to put a few words together into a complete sentence. "This was amazing. And I love you, Luna, with all of my heart."

"Thank you for this wonderful gift, for showing me what it is like to be really loved, my Oisín. But... I'm afraid we haven't got much time left together, so you will have to forgive me for having attacked you so unceremoniously. Now it's time for me to give my gift to you." She suddenly rolled off me, the parting of our bodies eliciting a disappointed whine from both of us, and seated herself, cross-legged, on the bed beside me. Her sweet body seemed to be glowing in the faint light filtering through the gaps of the shutter, a sight I couldn't simply tear my eyes off. As far as I could judge, she didn't mind this attention at all; on the contrary, she seemed to be enjoying and encouraging it, something I was just too happy to oblige to.

"You were thinking probably that I was playing a cruel joke on you, weren't you, when I wrote that sentence on your mirror?" she asked, curiously eyeing my reaction.

I shook my head seriously. "I would never think that you would be joking at my expense, Luna. Not you. Given, I did have a few question marks, I still do, but then, I did have them about the existence of Nargles until that night."

She nodded. "You had better believe me, my dear Harry, because that sentence is nothing but the truth. I will send you back to your Hermione and little Lily. Even if I'm bound to lose you by doing so."