And So it Goes

And So it Goes

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Summary - Spoilers: Book 1 - 5 Contents: PG- 13

Description: A songfic with a mix of angst, romance, action/adventure, and humor all rolled into one. Takes off from the summer before Harry's 6th year. Some will fall in love, some will meet there fates, some will discover mysteries deep within the walls of Hogwarts, and mysteries within themselves. New characters, new villains, new adventures, new squee moments.

A/N - This is going to be a rather long songfic, with each chapter having a different song reflecting it's mood. Also, for all of you that had issue with book 6, hopefully this helps in that this picks up after book 5. My fluff with H/Hr starts off pretty slow and light because I think it stays truer to how they would be. I promise lots of action/adventure & ample steaminess in later chapters. PG-13 now for now, but it may go up in the later chapters. Lastly, I do not own any of the characters in JKR's wonderful world.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I walk a lonely road

The only one that I have ever known

Don't know where it goes

But it's home to me and I walk alone

*I walk this empty street

On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Where the city sleeps

and I'm the only one and I walk alone

*I walk alone

I walk alone

*My shadow's the only one that walks beside me

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me

'Til then I walk alone

He quietly lifted the latch on the kitchen sliding glass door, pushed it slightly to the side, creating an opening just large enough to squeeze through. If he would have moved it any farther it would have squeaked and he did not need to risk waking any Dursley family member today. He then headed out to the backyard, over the fence to the front, and then onto the street.

This had recently become a ritual for Harry - up about a half hour before dawn, sneaking out, walking the streets in Little Whinging....peace, if just for an hour, a half hour, it was peace. The calm before the storm, in more ways than one. The storm was at one minute the Dursley's, the next, his own personal battle against the loneliness of being there, being him, and then above all, the coming war. But right now....peace.

He took in this walk more than the others, as today was the day he headed back to Hogwarts. For the first time he felt a slight pang in leaving, knowing he might never return. It certainly wasn't the idea of missing the Dursley's that had him experiencing such emotions, but that Little Whinging was a glimmer of the muggle world. He thought about what life might have been like for him if he was just a damn muggle. What would normal high school have been like? Going to college? Learning to Drive? 'Dursley's probably wouldn't have let me drive, anyway,' he thought.

He stopped for a minute, closed his eyes, took in a breath of the air, listening to first morning dove starting to chirp - and then he resumed walking - all the 'what ifs' didn't matter now, what is- is.

The sky was now starting to show a glimmer of pink on the underside of the morning cloud cover. As he was about to turn the corner onto Privet Dr. He saw Hedwig soaring down toward him. He squinted his eyes to focus on her and realized that she had a letter in her talons. Hedwig had been staying with Ron, and occasionally with Hermione. She would have free reign to fly when she needed to, and be able pass letters between the trio, thus, he had a good idea who the letter was from. Harry jumped up and caught the letter as Hedwig was letting go if it, just as if it were a snitch.

He looked at the letter for a minute.....it was Hermione's handwriting. He was at the point where he dreaded opening her letters anymore. As he walked back home, he reflected on the contents of all of the other ones she had sent this summer.

Over break she had this brilliant idea of getting a summer job - 'what kinda wizard gets a summer job, better yet, in a MUGGLE store?' he thought. A bookstore to be specific, well actually, the coffee shop in the bookstore. She would get discounts on her books of choice and had become rather the coffee addict, as she had told him numerous times. She also told him numerous times about Christian - the MUGGLE who worked in the bookstore and of whom she had become very chummy with. The first time one of her letters spoke of Christian, they had gone out for dinner and a movie the night before. She didn't call it a date, but Harry knew it was. She wrote about it as if it was just one more small detail of her week. Yet, he knew it was something more, and suddenly he had this wave of something wash over him, anger - no, jealousy - maybe, but why? He disregarded it, until the next letter, in which Hermione and Christian had gone to the Zoo, an amusement park (he had never even been to one), and more dinners. He acknowledged it this time - he was feeling full blown jealousy. 'She is allowed to date,' he thought, 'she's never been mine.' But this small voice in the back of his head was saying, 'but she is mine... my Hermione.'

He moved to sit on the curb, contemplating opening this latest letter. He thought back to the one she sent him a two weeks ago, which had hit him like a ton of bricks.

Dear Harry,

How are you? I hope the Dursleys are at least being civil to you. I wanted to write and tell you that I thought of you this week while I was at the movies. Something really funny happened in the movie we saw, and it reminded me of a prank Fred and George would have pulled off. I almost mentioned something to Christian about it, but then remembered that he didn't know about 'my other life.' Dating a muggle is harder than I thought it would be.

Harry had put the letter down, not wanting to read the rest of it, and suddenly, the whole room had started to get blurry, except for the photo he had of he and Hermione on his desk. He could hear rain starting to trickle against the window, but didn't shift his gaze, he just focused on the photo, on her. Dudley had starting screaming for him from the hallway outside his room, and as soon as he looked to the door where Dudley's obnoxious voice was coming from, the rain ceased - immediately. Harry wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and had headed out to see what Dudley had needed.

Snapping out of his flashback, he tried to put aside all that had just replayed in his mind, and gathered the courage to read this one.

Dear Harry,

How are you? I am sorry I haven't written in a few weeks, but I went away with my parents...to the United States! It was such a great vacation - New York City! Of course, I picked up something for my two favorite guys while I was there.

Harry thought, 'wait - two - does she mean... she must mean Ron and me. So, maybe Christian is not in the favorite guys category.' Harry quickly felt a little rush of - something - almost electric run through him. He anxiously continued reading.

I will give you your presents on the train today. I have been up all night. I couldn't sleep, so I wrote this at about two this morning. I am just so looking forward to getting back, to start our sixth year, and to see you guys.

I am sure you have been worried, Harry, about what this year holds. I feel just dreadful that once again you have had to bear it alone this summer with those horrible people, but know that that is all going to change in just a matter of hours!

Love, Hermione

P.S. No more Christian. I broke it off before we went to the states. We can't hide who we are, what we are meant to be. Not to mention, he found some of my spellbooks on the dining room table the week we were leaving. He kinda freaked and started asking me if I was in a coven and if I sacrificed 'things' - I couldn't really tell if he was joking or serious. He started distancing himself after that, so, it was rather inevitable.

Harry looked up from the letter, the sun was now almost completely up, the clouds were slowly melting away, and the sky had hues of pink, orange, and yellow. 'Beautiful,'' he thought - 'almost perfect.' And with that, he tucked Hermione's letter in his back pocket, returned to the fence, jumped over it with only one hand on the top helping him up and over, and quietly snuck back into the house.