Lightning and War

Through the Portal

"I still can't believe that Calliope would betray you that way."

Tom made sure that he was facing the other way as he got himself a second cup of tea. Dorea wouldn't take well to the way his eyes rolled. But seriously, it was the third time she had said that, and she knew as well as anyone how much Calliope had hated Harry for the tremendous sin of being alive when her stillborn son, with the same name, wasn't. Why did she have to keep remarking on it?

"Maybe I should have seen it coming."

Tom turned back around fast enough to almost spill his tea. This was the first time Harry had said anything like that. Mostly he sympathized with Dorea and nodded as though he wanted to soothe her.

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Calliope didn't let up on her bitterness even after I'd been here six months." Harry leaned back in his chair, ankles crossed in front of him, and stared up at the ceiling. His mouth twitched now and then, as though he wanted to spit something out. Tom crossed the kitchen to be near him, resting his hand on his shoulder. Harry's face softened into a smile.

"And?"

Tom didn't glare at Dorea, because he also wanted to hear this, but he held still for a second before he nodded to Harry, telling him that he was all right. He sat down in the chair with his teacup again.

"That should have told me that the fantasy of the perfect family I had was only a fantasy." Harry's hands tightened around his own teacup. "I just—I hoped there were people here who would sympathize with me. My fantasies didn't include a cousin who hated me. I got enough of that back in my first world."

Tom dreamed for a moment of going through the portal to Harry's dimension and wreaking revenge on his Muggle relatives. It wouldn't happen, because Harry didn't want it to, but if he ever changed his mind, he only had to tell Tom.

"Most of the family loves you, Harry. You know that."

"But I was blind about it. I thought this dimension was a paradise. It wasn't." Harry swallowed most of his tea at a gulp and sat up. He looked almost recovered from the magical exhaustion that had consumed him yesterday, when he stabilized the portal to Tom's world. "I need to make sure that I'm seeing what's really there when we go after Jonquil."

Dorea swallowed, but Tom knew there was nothing in her mouth. "You don't have to. I should go myself. Or Celandine and Arthur should, as Jonquil's parents."

Harry shook his head. "I don't blame myself for it as much as I did, but Jonquil is gone partially because of me. I don't forsake my duties."

"I wish you wouldn't think of them as duties," Tom muttered to him.

"Yeah, I know, because you'd like me to give up on them and come back to fight your war with you."

"You wouldn't have to fight. Just come back with me."

"Are you coming back to us, Harry?"

Tom let Dorea have a little taste of his glare, and took pleasure in the way she recoiled. Harry rubbed his thumb gently along the side of Tom's hand and answered only, "I haven't decided. Calliope is family to you in a way that I'll never be. And assuming that Jonquil comes back with us, she might not be best pleased to have us here, either."

"I'll always love you, grand-nephew. I'll always want you here. And you haven't even met Rigel and Rose properly yet."

Tom wondered if Dorea noted the way that Harry's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I know, Great-Aunt. I'll keep it in mind." He drank the rest of his tea and glanced over at Tom. "Are you ready?"