Next Time Around

Leaving

Only then did he relax and sit back down. He undid Harry's binds as Harry rubbed the magic suppressing runes off of his wrists and sat up.

Harry shook his head with a small frown on his face. 'That was stupid. I was careless in the end. I could have beat you.'

Maat nodded. 'You could have. But you got to cocky in the end. Don't ever do that again in a battle unless you are one hundred percent sure of a win.'

Harry groaned. 'I know man, I know. It's just, I've never won from you before whilst in a different form, and I guess I just got overexcited.'

Maat nodded wearily. 'Just don't let it happen again.'

Harry absently waved his hand and returned to his base form. He stretched and groaned. It always felt better to be in his base form than in any others. He thought back at the last couple of years. He was all of twenty-five now (kind of, at least) and had had an intense and demanding, but great time in the ritual. He knew it was almost time to go back.

The classes he took were all going though the last couple of things and he was slowly distancing himself from the staff. Though it hurt him to do so, he knew it was for the best, as he would never see them again once he was back in the real world. He had already talked about it with many of the teachers and they agreed that it would be for the best if he would just try his best to forget about them as supposed to cry for them. As Mykallah, his disguise teacher, had put it, they weren't even real, so there would be no love lost if he would just forget about them.

Harry himself didn't want to forget but rather treasure the memories he did have. So, though he did slowly distance himself to them, he never intentionally sought out fights or disagreements. He didn't want to taint their memories with something like that. He knew it would be with a heavy heart that he would depart back to the real world again.

It was during a dinner that the subject of Harry leaving was finally brought up, by Sarah.

'So, Harry,' She said, being direct as always 'when are you going to leave huh? You don't have much time left. We don't have anything to teach you anymore, just some rehearsing and tests.'

Harry nodded, swallowing a piece of juicy meat. 'Yeah I know. I'm better than some of you in your own subjects. I think another week of two and I'll leave.'

Amun thought for a bit, then agreed. 'I think that is just about right. We will have enough time to make sure you know what you have to, and have a teary goodbye as well.

The others murmured agreements as well, and so it was decided that Harry would go back to real time in nine days.

Those days were on one side filled with tests, more tests and studying, but on the other filled with heartfelt goodbyes, laughing together and just enjoying each other's company.

It was on the last day before he would leave that Maat took him aside. These two days were free days and he had just been laughing around with some of his teachers when Maat came by and asked for him to speak in private.

Curiously, Harry had followed Maat out and into the park, where Maat had sat down, a serious expression on his face as he mentioned for Harry to sit down next to him.

'Harry... as you know it's the idea that we will just part ways after this, but to be honest you have been the best person I've ever had the pleasure to teach, and I'd be severely saddened if I were to never see you again. Therefor, I will tell you something secret that you can't tell anyone else.' At Harry's snort and mention of his dramatics, he lightly shook Harry's shoulder, telling Harry it was a serious matter.

'No really, listen to me Harry. In front of the Temple, there is a big door, right?' At Harry's slow nod, he continued 'if you say: " 'ursilat bwastt maeat" (meaning: sent by Maat) a small compartment will open. I have a portrait in there, and once activated I will know anything that has happened up till then to me, even from my time in here and not actually alive. I want you to take me from there when you're back in the past. You will not have to break all of the curses again, just kind of shout that at the door.'

Harry lifted an eyebrow. 'I have to shout. At a door. And it will give me a portrait of you.'

Maat blushed. 'Yeah. Sounds pretty stupid when you say it like that though.'

Harry's other eyebrow crept upwards. 'Yes, you could say so.'

Maat scratched his neck and smiled at Harry sheepishly for a moment, looking up at him though his eyelashes. Harry, who couldn't get over the fact of how cute Maat was looking (though he would probably receive a crucio if he ever said that to Maat's face), smiled back.

'Of course I will. You know me, I keep myself to my promises.'

Now it was Maat's time to raise an eyebrow. 'All right,' Harry laughed 'maybe not always. But I will get your portrait.'

Maat smiled, relieved. He nodded and pulled Harry in a strong hug. 'I will still miss you though.'

'I know' Harry murmured in his hair 'I will miss you too. All of you.'

After that touching conversation he had received many more alike, though any mentions of portraits were omitted in later conversations.

He shared a particular emotional moment with Sarah and Samjeer, and another with -surprisingly- Amun. He had always thought Amun to be strong, unmovable like a mountain, but it seemed the imposing man had a soft side as well.

And then it was finally time to go. He looked around one last time at the group of people surrounding him with a bright smile on his face and then started the process of leaving the dream realm.

It started with the buildings and the park in the background slowly turning a blinding white, as well as the sky. The blankness crept closer and closer until slowly his teachers started fading out of view and even the tiniest sounds that were made, like the rustling of clothes, went softer and softer.

Eventually, Harry stood alone in the blaring light. He closed his eyes against the brightness, but even with his eyelids closed the whiteness was just as prominent as before.

So he opened his eyes again, thinking of when he had come here. Back then, he had been searching for light in the darkness, now he was searching for a spot of darkness in the light.

Eventually he found a little black dot on what he thought was the horizon. He walked closer and closer, and the dot grew. He wasn't sure how long he was walking, but finally he was surrounded by darkness.

He started to feel his real body again. It was a weird sensation, like fitting in a pair of old and uncomfortable, extremely tight, pair of jeans. Slowly he could move his toes and fingers, then his wrists and ankles until after what must have been hours, Harry finally got feeling back in his entire body.

Slowly, carefully, he stretched. He winced. That had hurt. The ritual had clearly messed with his muscles for them to be so sore. Or it was just something that happened after lying on a stone slab, motionless, for over a week...

Then, he opened his eyes. He blinked. Wow. That had been an experience.

Sooo... you like? You hate? Pls tell me! I personally didn't really like this chapter... it's a bit all over the place and I really didn't know how to bridge from the dream world into the normal one... well, I tried I guess. Imma go work now coz I'm really spending way to much time writing this piece of dragon dung whilst I could be studying for my tests. Anyways... I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

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