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[ Hermione checks him over quickly, just to make sure, and seems - well, as satisfied as she can be by the fact that he's not falling apart. He looks better than he has for a while and she appreciates that, despite his nerves. ]

Of course I'll take a look, just- hold still.

[ She leans in and moves, hands gentle, to explore what she can of his features. She ignores the amber eye for now and focuses on the one remaining, looking closer and frowning. There is something, something almost glassy, but she can't really pinpoint what it is or why it's doing what it's doing. Instead, she frowns. ]

What've you been doing to it?

[ He stands still and lets her explore. If she catches it at just the right angle, there's a dull flash of pale golden green - not quite at the strength of a cat's eye, but it's the same phenomenon. ]

There is something there, isn't there? Let me try something.

[ He turns away from her for a moment and removes the other, amber eye. It leaves a rather unsightly (har har) hole in his face, but the eye-shine doesn't diminish. It used to. ]

[ Hermione deliberately does all that she can to not look in his hole (which is a weird thought all by itself, really) and, instead, focuses entirely upon what does remain; there's some kind of strange, twitching glow that feels familiar to her and she can't place it at all. ]

It's exactly the same, even without the influence of the other one.

I thought so. It used to stop when I took the eye out, but it's there almost all the time now. It'll fade, but it never really seems to go away.

[He's still got his prosthetic eye in hand when he speaks to her, but unless she asks for it, he doesn't really want to give it up. Like it or not, it's a part of him now.]

Before you worry too much, it's not bad. It just...after Treun, well, during the Midnight Court really, when the ceiling came down and it was so dark and hard to see, I found I could see. If I tried hard enough. And it faded in and out after that, but it seems to be stuck now.

[From the tone of his voice, it's clear that he wants this to be a good thing, but he's unsure how Hermione will react.]

When the ceiling came down. Why do things keep falling on you, Harry?

[ Her lips purse and she shakes her head, arms slipping crossed over her chest. Eventually, she sighs, breathing out and lifting a hand to brush his hair from his eyes, looking at him before she forces a little smile. ]

You're turning into a rabbit.

You don't really want an answer to that, do you?

[ He ducks his head and it just makes his hair fall back into place. There's no hiding his new scars, but it's still a habit. ]

And that's not so bad. I do like carrots.

No, I really don't. I'd rather you try and avoid those situations, though, please?

[ She sniffs, resisting the urge to reach out and tiny out his forever unruly hair. It's frustrating, even if it's so Harry that it almost hurts. ]

I'm not baking you carrot cake.

I solemnly swear that I will endeavour to avoid any situation where madmen, foxes, dragons, or the idiots astride them try to drop several tonnes of rock on my soft skull.

[ Harry raises his hand and tries to look as sincere as he can. It doesn't work. ]

I'll forgive you if you can find me some timothy grass.

Any more situations, seems like. But at least you're going to try from now on.

[ She shakes her head, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards a place where they can sit and actually talk. ]

Why, exactly, would you want timothy grass?

[ He disentangles himself for a moment to put his eye back in and then lets her haul him off to wherever she pleases. ]

Isn't that supposed to be good for rabbits? It's certainly got a lot of fibre.

I honestly have no idea. I could do some research, just in case you do sprout ears.

[ She settles down before she turns back, face dropping into something a little more serious. ]

Speaking of research.

How's yours been going? I've gotten a few answers, here and there, but no one, great, perfect solution.

Someone must've taken that book out.

[ He pauses and frowns before continuing: ] And I am sorry for Glaem's library.

It's been a bit of a disaster, yeah. It's -- it's not too bad, really.

[ Most of the books Hermione needs most she keeps with her, after all. All the ones from home, especially. ]

I've been dabbling about and I have a few leads. That and Thranduil - he can hide one for us. Undetectable.

Good. That's a relief.

[ They might not be able to get them all hidden in time, but Reynard can't un-Sunder a court without the full set. ]

And, I know you must, but I have to ask, you trust him?

I do, with everything that I have. Legolas saved me from Ganondorf, you know that, with Ron, and his dad is as good a man as Legolas is. I'd trust them with my life and more, Harry. I haven't mentioned it to Legolas yet, of course, mostly because I'm trying to keep it quiet, but... I mean it. I really do trust them.

[ She takes his hand, squeezing his fingers gently. ]

They're incredible. You should come meet them one day.

I'd like to, but I want you to be sure that I'd be welcome there first.

[ Harry is fairly sure that they either don't know or don't particularly care that he went to Celegorm to the end, but it was a very public display and who can tell. ]

They're... I don't think either of them are particularly concerned with being part of either court. And, um... That --

[ She shakes his head, leaning over. ]

That... Person travels with them - us.

Even so. I don't want to show up and unintentionally cause trouble for you.

[ Note that 'unintentionally' is the key word there. ]

Can you tell me a bit about them? All I really know about the elves, I learned from Celegorm, but I don't really think he was much like them.

I don't think you would. Legolas and I are brother and sister, you know. They'll tolerate you, at least.

[ She's teasing, though, and she nods as she crosses her legs under herself. ]

Legolas is very brave and loyal to what he believes in, to what he thinks is the right thing to do. He really wants to make his dad proud and he worries, sometimes, that he's not doing everything he can to make things work out. We talk about it, sometimes, when he braids my hair. Thranduil... He's a lot like Legolas, but a little sterner, I think? I mean, he's a father, so of course he'd be, but he definitely has a joking side too -- they both do. It's just getting around to seeing it.

They sound like good people and I'm really glad, relieved, too, that you've got them here.

[ Harry makes a quiet, thoughtful noise and leans back, looking up at the sky and clearly trying to think something through before speaking. ]

So, it's you and Legolas, with Thranduil and John as your parents?

[ She's going to clock him and he knows it. ]

When you hit me, aim for somewhere new. I'll enjoy the novelty.

I am too. They're fantastic, they really are, and they're some of the best people I've ever known. You'd love them.

[ Hermione pauses before she snorts, covering her mouth to bite back her laughter, not hitting him but just nudging his side gently. ]

No! No, Thranduil has to be the big brother. It's a compliment because he doesn't look a day older than Legolas. Did you know that Legolas is over a thousand, though? I can't imagine how old his dad is - and an elf I met, Arwen, who said she'd teach me elven is even older than that. She's almost three times that.

I had an idea that the elves lived long and, well, they sort of look like us but they're really, really not. I also think they're used to a very different sort of witch and wizard.

[ Whenever he's mentioned that he's a wizard, they get this odd look. ]

That's what I've found too. Not just with Legolas and his dad but people from his home, too. The humans, like Éowyn, and the dwarves, like Gimli. It's all rather foreign to them, which I suppose is understandable.

But you all get along?

[ That's the important part, he things. Harry isn't too sure how he feels about the majority of the Unseelie. He has his friends and allies, but he wouldn't call any of them family. ]

We do. It's nice, travelling with them, and I don't think my legs have ever been this well exercised, not even when we were camping across England.

[ She's found a place here, she thinks, and that's all she could ask for. ]

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