Author's Note: Thanks to all who have read and reviewed. Sorry for the long time between updates, but I've been busy with work…you know the story. I was also lacking motivation until I saw the trailer for POA---and can I say I can't wait!!!!! I hope you like the update. In this chapter, Harry will meet Trey Julie's boyfriend for the first time. Harry also goes looking for help from someone who has never steered him in the wrong direction. Please read and review.
Chapter Six
You Don't Know Me
"You give your hand to me
And then you say goodbye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
You'll never, never know
The one who loves you so
You just don't know me"
(The Song is "You Don't Know Me"---its been done by a number of artists, but I'm most partial to Ray Charles' version and the version by Jann Arden which is on the My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack)
It was hard to believe that less than 48 hours ago, Harry's life had finally seemed to be coming together. He'd spent four years grieving for the girl he'd loved more than life itself and in the process, he'd thrown away every opportunity and chance he'd been given.
He'd finally started to put that grief and guilt behind him and then he received word from Neville that a Hermione look-alike was alive and well in some town in North Carolina. Everything had sort of spiraled into a tailspin from there. Now, instead of moving on with his life and embarking on his Auror training, he was trying to get the most important part of his past back into his life.
There would be no other chances. He'd known that when he'd pondered over what to do at the train station. Should he go to North Carolina to see who this girl really was? Could she have been Hermione? What is she was? What if she wasn't? He hadn't really had time to sensibly weigh the pros and cons of the situation. He'd had to make as split second decision and he'd done the only thing he'd known to do. It had been what Sirius had told him to do that night outside The Burrow. He had to follow his heart. His heart always led him to Hermione, which was why he'd thrown caution to the wind and taken the chance.
In the past couple of hours, he'd experienced nearly every emotion under the sun. He'd heard her voice again and he'd seen her beautiful face. He'd seen her warm smile and heard her melodic laughter.
There was no doubt in his mind that this girl was Hermione Granger. He'd known it in his heart the moment he'd swiveled around on that barstool and saw her walking through the restaurant. He honestly didn't know how he'd been able to hold it altogether when she'd walked past him without a hint of recognition in her eyes. He honestly didn't know how he'd been able to keep his emotions in check when she'd sat down beside him at the bar.
His natural instinct upon first seeing her after all this time had been to take her in his arms and hold her. He wanted to tell her how much he'd missed her. Yet, he couldn't do any of those things that had seemed so natural just a few short years ago. If he had done that upon first seeing her, this girl would probably have ran as fast as she could to the local police station to take out a restraining order.
The cold, hard, and painful truth was that this girl---this Julie Maxwell---didn't know him from Adam. She had no idea who he was and what they had meant to each other.
Someone had obviously gone to great lengths to ensure that she never found out who she was. But who would do something like this? What would they gain by doing something like this? Not Voldemort, he was dead. He more than likely had something to do with it. He had to have had help, though. Wormtail, possibly? Maybe another Death Eater?
He wanted to find out who had done this to Hermione. He wanted to make that person pay for taking her away from her family, her friends, her home, and from him.
He had to have answers. He couldn't do this by himself. He needed help and he needed it now. He knew exactly where to go.
"Harry?" Sirius asked somewhat groggily.
"Hey," Harry said, sheepishly, standing on the doorstep at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
Sirius looked at his godson concerned.
"I thought you were in North Carolina," he said, yawning.
"I was," Harry said. "Can I come in?"
Sirius stood back and allowed Harry to walk inside the house. It was quiet and dark.
"I'm sorry to wake you," Harry said, seeing for the first time that his godfather was dressed in pajamas and a bath robe, his hair disheveled. "It's only 7:00 there. I forgot about the time difference."
"It's alright," he said. "Come on in the kitchen. I'll make us a cup of tea."
Harry nodded and followed him through the foyer and into the kitchen. He took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as Sirius searched for the kettle.
A few moments later, they were seated at the kitchen table with steaming cups of Earl Grey tea before them.
"So was it Hermione?" Sirius finally asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, running his hands absently through his hair.
"How can you be sure?"
"I know her better than I know myself, Sirius," Harry said softly. "It's her. She on the other hand has no bloody idea who the hell I am. She walked right past me today, do you know that? She didn't even know who I was!"
Sirius frowned and put a comforting arm on Harry's shoulder.
"Did you have the chance to talk to her?" Sirius asked him gently.
"Yeah," Harry said, with a half smile. "I was so nervous, when I was standing outside that restaurant. I don't think I'd been there 20 minutes when she came through the doors, loaded with books. It was like going back in time."
"So what did you say to her?" Sirius asked. "You didn't go the honesty route did you?"
"No," Harry said shaking his head vehemently. "She thought I was just some new arrival into town. She even helped me get a job there. I start tomorrow evening. We'll be working the same shift."
Sirius nodded, his expression disappointed.
"What's that look for?"
"I wasn't aware I was giving you any sort of look?"
"Right," Harry said. "You have that disappointed father look. Of course, I don't really know what a disappointed father would look like, but I've seen movies. You have that I can't believe you fucked up your life like this look about you, Sirius."
"I didn't say anything to you, did I?" Sirius asked. "I've never wanted anything more for you than for you to be happy. That's all that I ever wanted for you, Harry. I won't lie to you and say that I wasn't proud about you becoming an Auror because I was. But I know you. I know that you wouldn't have been able to just let something like this go."
"Thanks," Harry said.
"So, you're going to be a bartender? What do you know about being a bartender?" Sirius asked with a chuckle.
"Not a damn thing," Harry admitted. "If I'm lucky, everyone will just want to drink beer. How hard would it be to just serve that? And in my favor, I did spend an awful lot of time inside pubs over the past four years. That should count for something."
"Yeah, well something tells me that these Muggles aren't going to want to order Ogden's Fire Whiskey and butterbeer," Sirius said. "You really got yourself into this pretty good, didn't you?"
"Well, it's the best way for me to get close to her again," Harry said. "Maybe I can find out what she's been doing these past four years."
"What do you want me to do?" Sirius asked.
"Can we get Hermione's grave exhumed?" Harry asked. "Just so we'll be sure that the body in that grave isn't hers. I mean, I know it's not, but I would still like to know."
"You won't be able to do that without parental consent," Sirius said. "I doubt Dr. Granger and his wife would give you that."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, probably not. But there's got to be someway that we could find out. Can you check into that? And maybe go see Wormtail in Azkaban and see if he knows anything? Also, do you remember any Death Eaters by the name of Maxwell?"
Sirius looked thoughtful. "The name's not ringing any bells for me, but I'll look into it. Why?"
"That's the name she's going by now. Julie Maxwell. According to Neville, she'd told him that she had moved to North Carolina from London four years ago with her father. If I find out anything more, I'll pass it on to you. You still have that mobile telephone I gave you for Christmas?"
Sirius nodded. "Yeah. You want to keep in contact through that?"
Harry smiled. "Yeah. It'd make it a whole lot easier."
"Okay," Sirius said. "I'll check in with you tomorrow with what I've found out."
"Thanks," Harry said. "I better get back. I'm going to need to find a more permanent residence tomorrow. I can't live in a hotel, especially when I don't know how long I'm going to be in North Carolina."
Harry got up from his chair and smiled at his godfather.
"Harry?" Sirius asked him, giving him a hug.
"Yeah?" Harry said, when they'd finally let go of each other.
"I am proud of you," Sirius said. "Never ever doubt that."
Harry beamed one last time at Sirius before apparating back to Chapel Hill.
Trey had surprised Julie outside her last class of the day, carrying a daisy.
"What are you doing here?" she'd asked him, surprised. "I thought you had a full schedule today?"
"I do," he said. "But even we busy med students get breaks every now and then. I thought I'd walk you to work."
"Yeah, you probably just want to see if Billie will give you a free piece of pecan pie," she said, smiling at him.
"Well, that too," he said smiling at her. "So, if you have no objections, I would like to walk you to work."
"Okay," she said. "I know you're just using me to get free pie from Billie."
"You figured me out," he said, winking at her. "It's my modus operandi. Each year at the beginning of the semester, I pick out poor, unsuspecting waitresses and stalk my prey until I find out how I can use them to my advantage to get free dessert and food from restaurants, diners and food stands."
"You are such a goofball," she said, laughing at him.
She took his hands as they walked through the quad toward Franklin Street. It was truly a beautiful, albeit hot and humid day. She was feeling a little better about her situation with Trey. She really hadn't been fair to him. She'd never really been in love before and hearing him declare his love to her had naturally freaked her out a bit. She would just take things one day at a time and see where things went from there. She'd say it when she was ready and right now, she wasn't ready. She'd just take things as they went.
"So, I have great news for you," he said, smiling at her.
"What?" she asked him.
"Well, I happen to know on good authority that the Chelsea Theatre is going to be playing classic movies all month long. And do you know which movie they are playing two weeks from tonight, Miss Maxwell?"
"I have no clue," she said.
"It just so happens to be your favorite movie of all time," he said.
"Really?" she asked excitedly.
"The Wizard of Oz," he said smiling broadly at her. "So, you don't make any plans. You and I have a date for that night."
"Okay," she said. "Are you sure you'll be alright with that movie? I mean, I know there's not any cool special effects or people blowing things up, but they do have singing munchkins and really cool monkeys."
"Yeah, well just don't tell anyone about it and I think it'll be alright," he said.
"Your secret's safe with me," she said. "Just promise me you won't break out with your own chorus of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and we have a deal."
"I don't even know all the words to that song," he said, laughing.
"Yeah, that's not what I hear," she said. "I bet that when I'm not around you are singing show tunes and dancing around in your apartment."
"I do not," he said.
"That's not what I hear," she said playfully. She started to run and he chased after her, both of them laughing the entire way.
Harry arrived at Billie's a little before five o'clock, dressed in a white button-down shirt and black jeans. He was nervous, to say the very least, but quite excited at the prospect of being in close proximity to Hermione again. He mentally corrected himself. He had to start thinking of her as Julie. He didn't need to slip up and call her Hermione.
Billie had welcomed him warmly and taken him to the back room where she'd shown him where he could clock in and gave him a key for his locker. They were just going over some of the things about the cash register and tips when Julie came running into the restaurant, out of breath and her cheeks flushed. She was laughing.
"Good Lord, girl," Billie said. "Are you being chased?"
Julie just panted. She held her finger up to indicate that she was trying to catch her breath.
"I'm going to kill Trey," she finally managed to say.
"Trey?" Harry asked quizzically.
Since Julie was still trying to catch her breath, Billie took the liberty of answering the question for her.
"Trey is Julie's boyfriend," Billie said.
Harry felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. He tried not to let it show how this had hurt him. Luckily, neither of the women was looking at him as someone else came running into the restaurant at that moment, just as out of breath and winded as Julie.
"You gave me the slip, you evil girl," he said.
"I did not," she protested. "Get off of me! You are all hot and sweaty."
"So are you," Trey said, hugging her.
"Ugh," Julie said, breathlessly laughing.
Harry watched the scene unfolding before him and had to fight the urge to curse this guy into oblivion. Who the hell did he think he was? Her boyfriend, you idiot, the little voice in Harry's head sounded shrilly for him. Sometimes, Harry admitted he really hated that little voice.
"You are going to be late," Julie said.
"I know, I know," he said. "It's your fault, you know."
For the first time, Trey noticed Harry.
"Hi," Trey said, nodding at Harry.
"Oh, hi, Harry," Julie said smiling at him.
"Hi, Julie," Harry said, warmly.
"I'm so rude," Julie said shaking her head. "Harry Potter, this is Trey Michaels."
"Nice to meet you," Trey said, extending his hand.
Harry shook it. "Likewise."
"Oh so you're British, too?" Trey asked.
This guy is a genius, Harry thought sarcastically.
"No, I was born right here in North Carolina," Harry said, deadpan.
Trey looked confused. Julie, though, broke out into a fit of giggles.
"What?" Trey asked.
"It was a joke, Trey," she said, elbowing him. "Forgive him Harry; he's just a boring old med student. They lose their sense of humor straightaway."
Trey gave Harry an odd look before turning to Billie. "What are the chances of me getting a piece of your fabulous pecan pie to go?"
"One step ahead of you, slick," Billie said, handing him a paper plate wrapped in aluminum foil.
Trey smiled. "You are the best, Billie."
"So they tell me," Billie said. "Now get on out of here so these two can go to work."
"Yes, ma'am," Trey said. "I'll call you, Jules."
Julie nodded. He kissed her quickly on the cheek before running out of the restaurant.
"I better go get changed," Julie said.
"Yeah, I better finish getting Harry here acquainted with the bar," Billie said. "Oh, damn, Harry. I need to go and make a phone call. You stay right here. I'll be right back. Julie, why don't you cool off before you get changed? Get yourself a glass of water."
"That sounds like a plan," Julie said setting her bag down on the bar and walking over to the refrigerator and pulling a bottle of water out of it. She watched as Billie walked away from them. She smiled at Harry.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Yeah," he said. "A little nervous about tonight."
"You'll be fine," she said, winking at him. "Besides, you're old hat at this stuff, right?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "So that's your boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Julie said. "I guess so."
"How long have you been going out?" Harry asked, trying hard to sound nonplussed.
"Not too long," she said, taking another sip of her water. "It's all fairly new, actually."
"He seems nice," Harry lied.
"He is," she said, somewhat wistfully, Harry couldn't help but notice. "So how about you?"
"How about me what?" Harry asked.
"Did you leave anyone behind? Bring anyone along?" she asked.
"There was someone," he said nervously. "I mean, there is, but it's complicated."
"I know what you mean," Julie said. "Will you be alright while I go get changed?"
"Yeah," he said smiling at her.
"And don't worry about tonight," she said. "You'll do fine. If you need any help, you just ask me, okay?"
"You might come to regret that statement," he said laughing.
She smiled broadly at him. For a moment there eyes locked and Harry almost felt as if there was a flicker of remembrance in her gaze. Within a second, though, she broke their eye contact and smiled nervously at him. She then turned and walked away.
"Harry?"
"Hmmm?" he asked, startled.
Billie was staring at him, smiling.
"You ready to finish what we were talking about?" she asked him, smiling at him. She knew he'd been watching Julie as she walked away. From the look in her eyes, she'd been watching them for some time.
"Of course," Harry said, trying to regain his composure.
Billie smiled knowingly again at him. "Well, let's get back to it, then."
Later that evening, Julie was enjoying a free moment to herself and she was eating dinner in the back room. The crowd had been pleasantly light tonight and she was enjoying her plate of grilled chicken and pasta when the door opened up.
"You have to help me," Harry said, taking a seat at the table beside her. He looked quite flustered and his cheeks were red. His shirt sleeves had been rolled up and he looked as if he was about to lose it
"What's going on?" she asked concerned.
"I have no bloody idea what I'm doing!"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Someone just ordered something called a Long Island Ice Tea," he said. "I have no idea what that is."
Julie smiled compassionately.
"You've never done this before have you?" she asked him. She furrowed her eyebrows at him.
"Not exactly," he said sheepishly.
She looked at him and saw his charming smile and his brilliant green eyes. She wasn't going to rat him out to Billie. She didn't know what it was, but something about those eyes told her she could trust him. She was going to help him. She stood up from her chair and pulled him up from his chair.
"Come on," she said, taking his hand and leading him out of the back room and through the kitchen. He followed her, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
She silently pulled out a bottle of vodka, tequila, rum, gin, and some Coca-Cola from the shelf behind the bar. She took a highball glass from the table behind them and mixed the drink expertly. Harry watched her in amazement.
"And that, Mr. Potter," she said, smiling at him. "Is how you make a Long Island Ice Tea."
He beamed at her. It reminded him of times when he'd watch her in potions class expertly mixing the ingredients.
"Thanks, Her-, I mean, thanks, Julie," he said gratefully.
She smiled at him. "You're lucky it's a light crowd tonight."
He nodded.
"Tell you what," she said. "Tonight after lock up, you and I are going to have a Bartending 101 class. You better be prepared. There will be a test."
"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked her.
She looked at him and smiled.
"I don't know," she said honestly. And she didn't know. Something in her heart told her to trust this person. Something in her heart told her that this was a good guy. There was something about him that made her comfortable.
"I remember what it was like my first day here," she said. "I was about as nervous and clumsy as they come. I must have broken about eight plates and dozens of glasses that night. I guess I remember what it was like to be the rookie."
"Whatever the reason, thanks," Harry said, touching her arm.
She smiled.
"You're welcome," she said. "But you are going to owe me big time, mister. Big time."
She walked away from him laughing. When she was sitting back in the back room again, she couldn't help thinking of what she'd just said to Harry. It honestly didn't make sense why she was helping someone like this that she barely knew. Hell, they'd just met yesterday.
Yet, she hadn't even had to think twice about helping him. It just seemed like the right thing to do.