Epilogue

A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets.

I never saw Ronald again, and he did not bother to search me out either. The last news I received of him was that he shot himself following the crash of '29. Then for years, his children squabbled over his estates and fortune, which made me all the more glad I never involved myself with him.

“What happened to the Heart of the Ocean?” my oldest grandchild, Annie, a spritely young woman of five-and-twenty, asked me.

“That, my dear, now rests at the bottom with the Titanic. The night the ship sank, Ronald showed me a last semblance of the gentleman he pretended to be, and offered me his coat, which I took. What he didn't realize until much later, and what I eventually found out aboard the Carpathia, was that the jewel had been in the pocket the entire time. He didn't ask for it again, but I kept it nevertheless, for all these years. Eventually, on the last expedition, I released it right where it belongs - with Harry.”

“This Harry Potter character,” Annie continued challengingly, but I only smiled at her. “I consulted the archives, but there is no trace, or record, of him ever boarding the Titanic.”

“That, my dear,” I replied slowly, recalling the vivid memories once more, “is because Harry Potter won his ticket in a lucky game of poker. His name was never taken down, and I never thought to take a picture of him either. It's understandable you did not find him, because now he exists only in my memory.”

“And did he really draw that portrait of you?” she inquired with interest.

“Well, yes,” I ascertained, smiling slightly, “to be honest, that was the most erotic moment of my life, up until then at least. I will keep that sketch until the day I die, and I will never forget the encounter.”

Annie's mouth only opened in a slight “o”, and she blushed slightly as she comprehended my words.

“Wow, grandma,” she said, “it must have been amazing being on the Titanic.”

“With the Titanic, my dear,” I corrected her quietly. “A part of me went down with that ship.”

“Is Harry with you now?” she asked, her eyes closed, and her head bent down; she might have been trying to conceal a tear.

“No,” I replied after a minute's thought. “But he will be, soon.”

“Oh,” Annie looked up at me. “How do you know?”

“Annie, dearest, I am feeling rather tired as of the moment…I think I will sleep for a while,” I said, “Could you come back in a few hours, and then, I will tell you how I know.”

“Yes, definitely,” she replied quickly, and shooing my other grandchildren from the room, she was the last to leave, and as she walked out, she gave me a meaningful glance, which I returned with interest.

“I promise, dear,” I calmed her.

I laid my frail body back onto the bed, and drifted off. Long-forgotten thoughts and memories of the Titanic surfaced with vividness in my mind…among them, I heard Harry's voice…

I found myself at the bottom of the Grand Staircase, new and unspoiled by time…the balconies and the surrounding floor was packed with people, their attention focused solely on me…I touched my face, and gasped - gone were the signs of age and wisdom - I was young, free, and seventeen once again…

Taking a step forward, to ensure it was not a dream - my heel struck the tiled floor soundly, and I became braver. Then I looked up at the top of the staircase, and my heart nearly stopped - Harry was standing there, leaning against the parapet with his back to me; with one hand he was supporting himself, and the other was in his pocket. He had crossed his legs, and his eyes were directed at the large clock on the wall opposite - there he was, himself not a day older than seventeen.

I mounted the stairs, excitement coursing through me with the rapidity of a wildfire. As if I was floating on air, my heart beat increasingly harder, as I approached him.

Harry must have heard me approaching, because he turned on his heel, and faced me, beaming.

“I knew you would come,” he breathed in my ear, and I shivered. “I have been waiting for you.”

“I know,” I muttered, unable to say anything more than that…

Our lips met in a tender kiss that sent electricity through me…the crowd around us erupted in cheers. I was overwhelmed by emotion, as I felt my heart finally come full once again…the heart of the ocean, I would say, finally finding its place…

And that, my dear Annie, is how you will know that I am rejoined with Harry at last…

Fin.