Family Visit.

Alan stood in fireplace of Selena's home with two wings of the necklace in hand. He connected them and placed on his neck. Parts shone in a flash of magical light becoming whole again.

Wings of Fate.

Her aura and echo of emotions were still somewhere out there, lingering subtly between the lines of refined metallic feathers and profound curves of delicate design.

"Hey, Amu, have I done something wrong? Or I think too much?"

Dragon raised her head from his wrist and looked at him not knowing what to say. It just rubbed it's head over his palm and went asleep again.

"Well, I need to go." - he said to himself and extinguished the lights inside the flat locking the door. He went into the approaching night of the street and hailed a cab.

"Ya, kid, ain't ya to young to wander alone at this hour?" - an old man with half of his teeth missing and a strange assent smirked at him. - "Heh, as long as ya paying, kiddo. Where ya wanna go?"

"Flower shop near Victoria and Albert Museum." - he said only because it is on the way and looked at the streets.

"Ya going on a date, heh?" - old man asked with a 'ya know what I mean' grin. - "Its good to be young, yeah!" - but seeing lack of response just smiled awkwardly and kept silence the whole time while arriving at the place.

Alan went out of the car and went inside the flower shop. A kind lady greeted him.

"Hello there, what is it that you would like? I have many good compilations there, behind the corner."

"I need every flower in your shop. Make it two each." - he said in a low voice.

"Two each?" - the smile on her face wanned a bit. - "I understand. But two each will be quite costly, why not choose favorite of a person?"

"I..." - he raised his eyes at her and sighed. - "I don't really know her favorite, so I buy everything you will compile for me..."

Shopkeeper finally understood situation at hand and prepared for work.

"Make it beautiful please. She loved beautiful things."

'I think...'

Alan paid a hefty sum for the bouquet and went out to the cab.

"Thanks for waiting." - he said while carefully placing flowers near himself in the backseat.

"Hey, that some cool bouquet ya get, kiddo. The girl gonna like it." - driver gave him thumbs up with a nasty grin.

"Hope so." - simply said Alan without explaining. - "Now I need some alcohol."

"Sure thingy, great shop ahead. Ya will like it. I tell ya, girl will'a be yars!"

Alan looked out and went into his own thoughts.

* * *

"Gramps... is there a way to remember?"

"Sorry, little one, even if there is, I know not about it. Even among Isu Eternal Mind was a gift of gods. Something extremely rare. You are yet to understand what it truly does for you."

Alan sighed. It was hard to feel with the heart without remembering anything, just dry knowledge.

* * *

"Here ya go." - Driver said while stopping the car in the parking area. Alan looked out and found a supermarket with big wine department.

"I'll be back." - he went out and bought a bottle of the most pricey scotch. On the way to the exit he made a detour and entered meat stand, buying a big chunk of beef.

"Ya very strange kiddo, who buys meet for dates, oh and ya girl have heavy taste, alright! Okay, kiddo, where now, just spill the address, I'll get ya there in a jiffy!"

"State Cemetery."

"Eeh... kiddo, where again?"

"State Cemetery."

"So... ya bought all this..."

"Will you drive or I should find another cab?" - asked Alan with even voice, hiding well his irritation with the old man.

"Yeah, driving, driving." - old man felt bad for talking and bragging so much for the first time in his life.

It took two hours to get to the place of their burial. Alan walked out holding all he bought and gave a stack of money to the driver.

"Drink for them in my stead." - said Alan and disappeared in the approaching darkness. His back view looked very lonely.

He went through the roads to a remote corner. They were buried like traitors with no honor and the cheapest gravestones there was.

Alan approached a place with three tombstones.

"Father, mother, Silver... I'm back." - he waived his hand and used the very cleaning magic he learned earlier. Perhaps no one will understand why a young wizard will learn it when there are house elves.

"Mom... I don't really remember what flowers your favorite, so please, don't be upset if you find something you don't like... here." - he placed a bouquet near her tombstone and used his hand to wipe it from leaves that just fallen down. - "Fall is approaching." - somehow he felt a little soar in the eyes. Couple of drops fell from the sky on his face. Looks like it will rain soon. - "What was your favorite season? I hope it is all of them, hehe. I'm being greedy, right?"

"Dad... guess adults like you should have loved to drink something really manly... I brought one such drink. Sorry, dad, we will never be able to drink together or have some difficult talks about girls or what not... but... just bear with me here." - he opened a bottle and made a gulp, it was really strong. After that poured out the remaining of it on the ground. - "Oh... it is a bit windy here, my nose is a bit unwell, don't mind it, dad."

"Silver..." - he caressed the third tombstone which he made himself. - "Buddy... I told you back then I will let you eat meat... sorry, it took me some time to finally make it here with proper meal for you... you are not upset at me, right?" - he felt lump in the throat and breathed heavily. - "Of course you won't... you always was so well behaved, right, buddy?"

He stood on the ground in front of them and smiled, or at least he tried.

"It was my first year in Hogwarts. It is really a magical place, I'm very glad to be there..." - he talked about his experiences and new friends. About his accomplishment in magic and fights. He told them about Fleur ans Selena.

"Hey, it is time for me to go... but..." - he stood in front of them with clenched fists. - "You know, I had many different stories in my mind and all main characters there were like... revenge for your family... kill and what not... but do you know what I want?"

"I want to remember, mom... dad..." - his voice cringed a bit involuntarily and with that as if in sympathy sky gave in to the rainy weather. It poured down with coldness of fall. Eternal Mind made a very bad choice and cemented his feelings for them, as they were the cornerstone of awakening process. But with that it engulfed everything else about them. Not even a single fact left! - "your smile... your embrace... the taste of dishes you made for me... my birthday presents and where I spent them. Were you buying me cakes or making them? What color was your hair, your eyes? What clothes you liked to wear and where were our favorite places?..." - he touched his face and it was wet. Suddenly he felt so much pain that he just slumped down to the ground falling on his knees. Water splashed everywhere, it was a real downpour in the darkness of approaching night.

Clod and heavy.

"My... my legs slipped, hahaha..." - he clenched his fists and looked at the three tombstones again, holding his tears. - "Got dust in my eyes, ha-ha... you know, I tried to find our home after I got back. It was thoroughly renovated, not even a single thing was left... I than ransacked archives of newspapers in the Ministry and didn't find a single picture... but than I found a vault full of things. Mom... do you know how excited and happy I was? But... do you know... that I would have traded all that you left for a single picture of you and dad!... You know... I even dreamed of you several times... but even there... you remain hidden... even there, where all wishes should come true... I can't see you... so I wanted to find it..." - he wiped tears away with difficulty.

"Just a picture was fine, just one... it doesn't matter that it is old or small... at least... at least I will know what you looked like... at least... I will see your smile... you would have smiled on the picture, right?... we were a happy family, right?... so I ransacked it all from top to bottom... I tried to find at least something... but it was futile... I'm not crying... I guess you won't like to see me cry right, so I won't... I will smile..."

And he smiled. Through tears and with difficulty, but smiled.

"Sorry... so embarrassing, made mess out of myself... see... I'm smiling. And you should too. I will be strong and a man you can be proud of... you... you don't need to do anything, just watch me from up there, whenever and wherever you are..."

He touched each tombstone with slightly unsteady hand, waited for a bit in silence of the night looking very fragile and lonely, and apparated back home, exhausted in heart and body, crawling on the bed and habitually entered meditation, albeit still wet and dirty.

He really resembled a little defenseless cub, albeit wounded all over and weak. He wished to have at least one person to be here for him, but loneliness was all he got in return to his silent plea.

Delacour Manor. France.

Fleur closed the door to her room and leaned on it with her back. Then she slid down with tears on her face.

"I... I never thought... it will be this hard..." - she cried feeling as if a hole was left in her chest. - "Alan... wait for me... don't leave me... I never thought... I will be this defenseless without you... I never thought you meant this much to me... please, don't think I left you... I never thought of doing so... you will always have me... I just wanted to control this cursed empathy... back in the forest I couldn't even move!"

"Honey, dinner is ready." - came a knock on the door.

"Yeah mom, coming." - she raised to her feat, wiped her tears and adorned a smile.

'I will become strong to stand by your side.'