Harry stood in the doorway, frozen in time. What was happening? Had he hit his head, or was he drunk? He didn’t think he was. “Gandalf?” he managed.
“Yes, my boy, it’s me. Now come sit down before you fall on your arse.”
Harry walked forward and flung his arms around the wizard, who hugged him back, and said, “How?”
They sat down. Gandalf passed him an iced coffee. “This might help keep you awake,” he smiled. “I’ll explain, but first I wanted to say.”
“Do not thank me… please.” Harry interrupted. “I am not a hero. I just did what I had to… and I couldn’t sleep now, if I wanted to.”
“I know, I know, Harry.” Suddenly Harry jumped up and hugged Gandalf again.
“Gimli and the others, are they?” he said hopefully.
“No, they are still gone, Harry. Come, sit back down, and I’ll explain.’ Gandalf sat back in his chair, took a drag from a pipe, a real pipe, coughed and said. “I’m going to have to give that up. It’s bloody awful.” Harry shook his head and smiled.
“Right. Gimli, we’ll start there. When Smedley came into the room, he tried to strike me with an energy bolt, but Gimli pushed me to one side, absorbing the attack with his Axe. I was still righting myself when he ran at Smedley, screaming ‘AND MY AXE’.” Gandalf smiled, “He knew he was going to die. He did it to give me time to get ready, though I think Smedley wet himself! It was a fierce cry.”
“I can imagine,” said Harry, patting Gandalf on the leg, smiling but feeling sad for Gimli.
“Then I fought Smedley, and, well, you know what happened there. It’s all I could do to give you time to escape. What I didn’t know was that, when I destroyed the ring, its spirit cast my body into a pocket universe, which eventually spat me out in a lovely Welsh town called Merthyr Tydfil.” He took a sip of coffee. “Thing was, I’d completely lost my memory, no idea who I was, so when the locals found me, they took me to the local hospital, thinking I was some cosplaying druid with amnesia coming off a bad trip.” He laughed.
“Didn’t they find you were made of paper?” Harry interrupted.
“No, because I wasn’t. Something about the pocket universe. Its energy is similar to what Death used earlier to transform the others to human.”
“Fuck! That’s pretty lucky.”
“I don’t think luck had much to do with it. I think Death and his minions have been moving around what they could, where they could, behind the scenes without getting directly involved.” He went to take another drag from his pipe and stopped. “Ghastly habit. Anyway, there I was sitting in Prince Charles Hospital, very nice people by the way, with no memory of anything until about 4 hours ago when Death turned up and shattered a crystal in front of me, the one you found at Smedleys, from the staff. I now remember everything, and a bit more because the Crystal is psychic.”
“I don’t understand,” said Harry. “How did you get your memory back?”
“Well, why would you understand, dear boy? Narya, the ring, had also sent my consciousness into the crystal when it sent my body through the portal. If it had gone into the realm that made me human, it would have completely reset me. I’d have lost my memories, my experiences… myself.”
“Ok… ok… Bloody fantastic!” Harry began laughing. “You have to come with me to see the others, though one already knows, I think.”
“Not right now, Harry, I’m still a bit flustered. Tomorrow at breakfast would be better. Right now I need to rest. I think I am now an actual old man, but I wanted to see you, my boy.” He smiled.
“Ok, fair enough.” Replied Harry. Gandalf stood up, and they hugged again.
“I will need a new staff, or maybe a cane, I think.” He smiled and left the room. “Goodnight, Harry.”
Harry, now wide awake, sat at the window. In the tree outside was a white owl. “So you knew, didn’t you?” he smiled.
‘That would be telling,’ said Taylor. ‘How are you feeling?’
“Like the world got a little better, but I have some way to go before I’m ok again.”
‘Just remember, you aren’t alone, Harry.’
They sat in silence a little, watching the full moon until Harry fell asleep.
———————————————————————————
Harry made his way down for breakfast, rubbing his neck. It was stiff from falling asleep in the chair. Everyone was sitting talking to Gandalf when he got there. Susan came over to say good morning. “You sneak.” He said before hugging her.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” She replied.
“Come on, sit down. You need a good breakfast.” Shouted Gandalf. Harry smiled. He could see Gandalf was holding Huck’s cane, which made him smile.
“So are you moving in with Lilith?” said Cinderella.
“He most certainly is not!” Replied Lilith, chuckling.
“No, I am going to start an amateur theatre group out of the basement of a Book and Record shop Lilith plans to open. I won’t be living there.”
“You might be,” said Harry, “If you don’t make any money.” They all laughed.
“Charming,” said Gandalf in mock offence. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I can always fall back on tribute work.” He smiled.
‘I think it will be fun,” said Lilith, “the world takes itself far too seriously.”
Susan turned to Harry while everyone was talking to Gandalf and eating. “I have something for you.” She passed him a knife. “It’s a little like the other knife but only takes you to 1 destination and will then return you to where you came from.” He studied the knife in his hand. It looked like an ordinary penknife. He opened it, and the blade looked like it was made of stars.
“It’s beautiful,” he said.
“It is, and it will bring you to the kitchen in my house, if you want to see me?”
“I want to see you, all the time.”
“Well, that’s the best answer. You win the prize of seeing my Grandad and telling him you want to go out with me.” She beamed.
“He can’t kill me, can he?” He asked, half joking.
“He likes you, but not as much as I do.” She grinned.
“I’m glad about that.”
———————————————————————————
A week later… Harry appeared in Death’s kitchen with a bottomless jar of marshmallows. He took a deep breath and started the long walk to the study. Inside, Death was playing chess with one of the Freds. He looked up as Harry entered. “Hello, Harry. And, yes.” He said before returning to the game.
“Err hello, Mr Death sir, I would like your permission to date Susan… please?”
“Hmmm, well, you don’t need it.” He replied.
“Sorry, but she said I should ask you.”
“I know, but I already gave you permission when you came in.”
“Sorry, sir?”
“I said ‘Yes’ when you came in. I knew what you wanted. Perfect memory, see.”
“Oh, I see, thank you, sir.”
“Anyway, she’ll do as she wants. Are those for me?” Death pointed at the marshmallow jar.
“No, sir, they are for Susan.”
“Hmmm, just as well. They play havoc with my teeth. But I do enjoy liquorice.”
“I’ll remember next time, sir.”
“That was sweet to watch.” Susan stepped in behind Harry and hugged him.
“You enjoy teasing me, don’t you?” She nodded. “You’re not going to stop, are you?” She shook her head. “Ok, at least we understand each other.”
Death stood up. “I’m not sure how you always win,” he said to Fred. “I think you might be cheating.” Fred quickly disappeared. Death turned to Susan. “I’m going out for a bit. Watch the Freds for me.”
“Is that a new cloak, Grandad?” Susan asked.
“Might be.” Death actually sounded a bit defensive.
“Where are you going?”
“To a bookshop. I need a book.”
“Do you? But you’ve read everything.” She was smiling.
“It’s a colouring book.”
“Oh, I see. A colouring book. Is this from the bookshop Lilith has opened?” Harry almost couldn’t watch. She was too good at this.
“Might be.”
“Well, why not invite her for dinner, so we can double-date?” She said finally.
“Hmmm, I’ll ask her, early days and all that. I mean I did kill her.”
“I know, Grandad, but you’re a charmer.” She smiled at him as he disappeared.
“You’re not going to tease me like that, are you?” said Harry. She turned to face him.
“Depends. Are you likely to sneak off looking at other women’s colouring books?” He raised his eyebrows a little.
“No.”
“Then we should be fine.” She kissed him.