Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, ya'll. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and let me know what you think. I would like to give a special thanks to Ash who helped me with my writer's block and gave me a little idea about the last part of this chapter. I am going to be going on vacation next week, and I hope to post at least one more chapter before I leave. We'll see how that goes, but I hope you enjoy this latest chapter…
Chapter Seven
I've Been In Love Before
"Catch my breath, close my eyes
Don't believe a word
Things she said, overheard
Something wrong inside
Once you won't admit it, then you know you're in it"
("I've Been In Love Before", The Cutting Crew)
Sirius Black was again awoken by the sound of persistent knocking on his door. He stumbled out of the bed and down the stairs, grumbling all the way. He loved his godson, he really did, but he'd have to teach him when to call at a proper time.
To his surprise when he opened the door, he found Kit and Ron on his doorstep. A few feet behind them, stood Maggie. All three looked confused, upset and worried.
Ron was clutching a piece of paper, which looked to be The Daily Prophet.
"Good morning," Sirius said. "Won't you come inside?"
He stood back and allowed the three of them to come inside.
"Have you seen this?" Ron asked him, once they were all inside the foyer.
"No," Sirius said somewhat irritably. "As I was asleep before you came knocking on my door, I don't believe I have seen it. Is that today's issue?"
Ron nodded and thrust the paper into Sirius' hands. Sirius looked at it for a moment and then gasped.
There on the front page in big, bold letters was the headline: POTTER A NO-SHOW FOR TRAINING. WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN!
Sirius looked up at Ron before continuing to read the accompanying article.
The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, can now be known as The Man Who Skipped Out on Auror Training. It seems Potter was scheduled to begin his training at a top-secret location in Scotland, but according to sources close to the training program, Potter never showed up.
This is seemingly just another chapter in the breakdown of The Boy Who Lived. It seems that his heartbreak over the loss of his girlfriend and best friend Hermione Granger. Miss Granger died at the hands of He-Who- Must-Not-Be- Named four years ago. Potter's grief was said to be so immense that he cut himself off from all of his friends and squandered away all of his opportunities.
It had seemed that Potter was finally getting things back on track, but this latest development would suggest otherwise. Keep reading The Daily Prophet to find out the latest developments on Potter's disappearance.
Sirius read the article again before looking up at the muggle, the witch and the wizard looking back at him, expecting answers.
"Did he go where I think he went?" Ron asked him pointblank.
"What do you mean?" Kit asked her husband surprised.
"Yeah, Ron," Maggie chimed in. "Do you know where Harry is? Why didn't you say anything?"
Sirius held up his hand. "Calm down, you lot. Let's go into the kitchen. I'll tell you what's happened."
They followed him inside the kitchen. No one accepted his offer for tea, they wanted answers. They each took seats at the round table. Sirius looked at Ron.
"He is exactly where you think he is," Sirius said softly.
Ron slammed his fist down on the table. "How could you have let him do that, Sirius?"
"Ron, Harry is a grown man! He can do whatever he wants. I am in no position to tell him what to do or what not to do," Sirius said plainly.
"That's bull, Sirius," Ron said emphatically. "You could have told him the truth. You could have told him that what Neville saw was complete and utter wishful thinking on Neville's part. Now, he's somehow convinced Harry that this is the truth? For Merlin's sake! He was just getting everything back on track and then something like this happens. I swear, the next time I see Neville, I'll-"
But Ron never finished his sentence. Kit, who'd been listening totally confused, blurted out, "Will someone please back up and tell me what's going on?"
Ron took a deep breath. "A few days ago, Neville was in North Carolina. He saw a woman there who he said resembled Hermione. He said she was the spitting image of Hermione. I told Harry that this was all a load of rubbish, but I knew it got to him. He said it hadn't, but I knew it did. Now, I guess he's blown away the last chance he had to go chasing after someone who looks like Hermione."
"Oh my God," Kit said softly. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hermione is alive?" Kit choked out. Maggie was silent. Her face fell.
"Not you too, Kit," Ron said angrily. "She's not alive. I saw her die! I saw that bastard perform the spell on her that killed her! It's not her!"
"Well, if it wasn't her, Harry would have come back by now, wouldn't he?" Kit asked.
"Harry believes that it is her," Sirius said quietly. "I think chances are that she is. I'm working on seeing about getting a positive identification on the body in Hermione's grave. It's a little tricky without parental consent. Harry doesn't want to tell Hermione's parents until he's sure. He feels he's been responsible for so much of their pain; he doesn't want to get their hopes up for naught. But, he believes that this girl in North Carolina is Hermione."
"Well, of course he does," Ron said sarcastically. "But it's not her. Where is he exactly, anyway? I think I should go and talk to him about this and talk some sense into him."
"You will do no such thing, Ronald Weasley," Kit said forcefully. "You leave Harry alone. Let him do this. We have to know. Don't you want to know? If this girl is Hermione, we have to know what happened. We have to get her back to us; to her family and friends who love her."
Ron's own eyes shined with fresh tears. "I don't want to see him get hurt again. I don't want to lose my best friend."
"You won't," Kit said. "Harry's doing the right thing. If he's successful, the Dream Team will be reunited. Don't you want that?"
Ron smiled a half smile. "More than you know."
"Well, let him do this," Kit said, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder. "I can't believe it."
Kit looked at Sirius, about to ask another question, but as she did so, she caught the eye of Maggie. She cupped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, Maggie," Kit said. "I'm so sorry. We're being completely insensitive to you."
Maggie looked shell-shocked, to say the least. "It's okay," she said, not sounding genuine at all. "I understand. She was your friend."
"Don't make any decisions until you talk to him, Maggie," Sirius said. "He cares a great deal about you."
"I know that," Maggie said, tears now shining in her own eyes. "I'm not stupid you know. I know that he loved her more than he's ever loved anyone in his life. I knew that when I got involved with him. I knew the risks, but I went for it anyway. I had no idea something like this would happen. He's never really been able to let her go. Something like this just proves it."
No one said anything to refute what she said. There was no need to lie to her to make her feel better. They knew that what she'd just said was the truth as she did.
"He's been checking in with me," Sirius said. "I'll let him know that you three know what's going on, but please keep this between these walls. We can't have this getting out. I need your word on this."
They all three nodded.
"Good," Sirius said. "Now, who's up for tea?"
A couple days later, Harry walked into the restaurant a few minutes before his shift was scheduled to start. He was surprised to find Julie sitting at the bar. She had her nose in a book and as he looked at her, a wave of nostalgia came over him. How many times had he seen Hermione just like that?
"How's everyone's favorite bartender?" Julie asked him cheekily, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Good," he said smiling at her. "I think I'm getting the hang of it."
"Well, you should be," she smiled at him. "I happen to be a great teacher."
"Yes, you are," Harry agreed, laughing. "What brings you in here? I thought you had the night off?"
"I do," she said. "Trey's supposed to take me out to see my favorite movie tonight. He had a late class so he asked if he could pick me up here."
Harry's face fell at the mention of Trey.
"Your favorite movie?" he asked her. "What's that?"
She looked down at the floor. "You're going to think it's silly."
"I could never think it's silly," he said. "Tell you what, you tell me you're favorite movie and then you can ask me any question and I'll answer it for you. Fair trade?"
"I suppose so," she said, smiling at him. "Okay, my favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz".
He smiled at her. "What's so bad about that?"
"Well, it's a kid's movie, isn't it?" she asked him. "Do you want to know why I love it so much?"
"Sure," Harry said, stepping behind the bar and leaning forward on his elbows to meet her gaze.
"Well, I was in a car accident when I was 16," she told him. Harry leaned in. This was the first time she'd ever brought forth any details about her past life. He hadn't wanted to push her too quickly; afraid he might scare her off for seeming so pushy and forward for someone she just met.
"I woke up in the hospital a few days later without an idea of who I was or how I got there," she said. "I mean, I didn't even know my own father! Can you believe that? Anyway, I spent some time in the hospital, recuperating and undergoing all these tests. It was such a depressing time. This one day, I was going down the hall and there in the children's ward, a group of kids were watching this movie on the VCR. I wandered in and sat down and something about that movie spoke to me. It made me feel like everything would be okay. It was the only thing that made sense to me at the time. I know it sounds funny, but it just made me feel okay."
Harry just listened to her, amazed. He resisted the urge to hold her, but it was such a strong, natural feeling to want
to comfort her in that way.
"Now that you think I am a complete nut case, I'll understand if you want someone else to supervise your bartending training," she said to him.
"I would never think you're a nutcase," he said. "I kind of like that movie, too."
"I'm not the only one, then," she said, winking at him. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks," he said. "And anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of this old bartending stuff."
"You are," she said. "Besides, most people just want whatever's on draft. You can't go wrong with beer. Though, I've never really had much of a taste for it. To me, it tastes just like urine."
"Tasted a lot of urine, have you?" Harry couldn't resist asking her.
She slapped him playfully on the hand. "You know what I mean! I mean, how I imagine urine would taste, you wanker!"
He laughed at her, enjoying the closeness that seemed to build between them each day.
Billie stepped out of the kitchen. She smiled warmly at Harry. "Hey, Harry."
"Hey, Billie," Harry said, still laughing along with Julie.
"You've got a phone call," Billie said. "Trey."
Julie smiled. "Be right back."
Billie watched Julie go in the back and turned to see Harry doing the same.
Billie couldn't resist smiling at him. She was quite taken with this young man, who had been nothing but polite and accommodating from the moment he'd entered the bar. She had pretty much developed a keen sense of picking out someone who was sincere and someone who was just a bull-shitter in her many years of owning a bar. It was one of things she prided herself in. Although she didn't know Harry very well yet, she knew he was one of the good ones. She'd also noticed her new bartender's fondness for her best waitress.
"You can close your mouth there, Harry," Billie said, raising her eyebrow at him. "You're starting to let flies in."
Harry's cheeks reddened. He picked up a sponge from under the counter and began to wipe the top of the bar.
"Don't worry," Billie said. "You're secret's safe with me."
"My secret?" Harry asked.
"Your little crush on Julie," Billie said. "Don't worry, I don't think she's picked up on it yet. Though I can't see why. You should see yourself when you're around her. I admit I haven't known you very long, but you light up like a Christmas tree whenever you're around her."
Harry couldn't help smiling back at Billie. He liked her immensely. He was glad that Hermione had someone like her in her life.
"She's a great girl," Billie said. "Smart, too. She'll catch on, Harry. I'll put in a good word for you."
"I thought you liked Trey," Harry asked.
"I do," Billie said, but leaned in and whispered, "But I don't think he's the one for Julie. Don't tell her I said that!"
"You're secret's safe with me, too," he said, smiling at her. "Thanks, Billie."
Julie came out of the back just then, her face a little crestfallen.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Billie asked concerned.
"Nothing," Julie said. "Trey had to cancel. They have a lab or something tonight that he didn't know about."
"Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry," Billie said. "I know how much you wanted to see it."
"Yeah," Julie said. "It's okay. I mean, I have the movie at home. I was just looking forward to seeing it on a big screen."
"And you still can," Billie said.
"By myself?" Julie asked.
"No, not by yourself," she said. "With our newest bartender here, of course."
"But, Harry has to work," Julie said.
"Not tonight, he doesn't," Billie said, winking sideways at Harry.
"I couldn't ask him to do that," Julie said, looking at Harry sympathetically. "Won't you need him here tonight?"
"Tuesdays are always slow," Billie said. "I want you two to go. Ray can fill in behind the bar."
"Are you sure?" Julie asked. "What am I saying? Harry, you don't have to do this!"
"What time does it start?" he asked her.
"Seven," she said. "But you really don't have to do this."
"I know I don't," he said. "But I want to. Besides, that could be the question you were supposed to ask me in exchange for telling me what you're favorite movie was. Remember, fair trade?"
She couldn't resist beaming at him.
"Get out of here," Billie said pushing them.
"I think you're trying to get rid of us," Julie said, turning around to face Billie.
"I'm trying to give you two kids a night off," Billie said. "You know what an indecisive person I can be, Julie. You better get on out of here before I change my mind."
"Okay," Julie said. She turned to face Harry and took his hand. "You ready to go?"
He nodded. As they walked out the door, he mouthed the words "Thank you" to Billie.
The movie let out sometime after 9:00 p.m. It was a nice night and Julie asked if Harry wouldn't mind a walk down Franklin Street. He tried not to sound too enthusiastic when he said yes.
They enjoyed good-natured banter as they walked along. He teased her a little about the movie and she gave back as good as she got.
They passed one of the coffee houses and Julie led him inside. Once inside, they settled down at one of the tables.
Julie took a sip of her cappuccino and looked at Harry pointblank.
"What?" he asked her.
"How did you get that scar?" she asked him. "I've been meaning to ask you about that."
He looked a little uncomfortable at her question. He couldn't tell her the truth, could he?
"Childhood accident," he said.
"It must be nice to remember your childhood," she said wistfully. "I wish I could recall mine."
You and me both, Harry couldn't help thinking.
"You don't remember anything?" he asked her. "From before your accident I mean?"
She shook her head sadly.
"Not for lack of trying, mind you. I've been to so many shrinks in the past four years and no one knows why I'm blocking all of this out. There's no real reason for me not to remember it. The best they can come up with is the head trauma I sustained from the accident."
"But you don't buy that?" he asked her.
"No," she said. "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to get my memory back, but I can't give up on the need I have to find out why. My dad's been really helpful."
"Your dad?" Harry asked her. "What about your mum?"
"I don't remember my mother," she said melancholy. "She died in London right before we moved here. My father said she had cancer. He said that was the reason we moved here. There were too many memories of her there and he wanted us to have a fresh start. It's been hard, but we've always had each other."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mother," Harry said. He wanted so badly to tell her that her real mother was alive and well with her real father in Atlanta, Georgia.
He wanted to find out more about this "father" of hers, though.
"What does your dad do?" he asked her.
"Well, he's a writer," she said. "He freelances articles for this nature magazine. He's always going on hikes and things like that back home in Asheville. It's in the mountains."
"Maybe I've heard of his work?" Harry probed.
"I don't know. His name is Simon Maxwell."
Harry shook his head. "Doesn't ring any bells."
He would, however, remember that name to Sirius when he talked to him next.
"Enough about me, though," Julie said. "You are pretty closed up about your past, Mr. Potter. So, it's your turn, fair trade? Spill all the secrets of your sordid little past, mister. And don't leave out any details."
"Anyone ever accuse you of being pushy?" he asked her, smiling.
"Yes," she said seriously. "But it's never stopped me before."
"Okay," he said. "What did you want to know?"
"Where did you grow up?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Surrey," he said.
"Where did you go to school?"
"A boarding school in Scotland," he said.
"What about your parents?"
"My parents," he said.
"Yeah," she said. "What do they do?"
"They, um, died when I was just a baby," he said uncomfortably.
"Oh, Harry," she said. "I am so sorry. Can I ask how it happened?"
"They were killed," Harry said, not meeting her gaze.
"Oh," she said. "Did they catch who did it?"
"Yeah," Harry said solemnly. "A few years later the person responsible died."
"I'm sorry," she said softly, putting her hand on his arm.
"It's okay," he said. "It's never been easy to talk about."
"I understand," she said, smiling sympathetically at him. "How do you get through something like that? I mean, I don't really remember my mother, but I-"
Her voice trailed off. He looked up into her brown eyes and felt an overwhelming sadness. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. How it was her love that made him strong enough to get through every bad thing that had happened to him.
"It's okay," he said. "I was sent to live with my only known relatives, the Dursleys when I was just a child. The less said about them the better."
"Not a pleasant experience, I gather," she said.
"That is the understatement of the century," he said, laughing. "I can honestly say that if it wasn't for Hogwarts, I wouldn't have made it. Well, that and Ron and Hermione."
He realized too soon afterwards that he shouldn't have said so much to her. It was too late to take it all back.
"Ron and Hermione?" she asked. "Well, isn't that an unusual name? That's not one you hear all the time. Especially around this area. Who are this Ron and Hermione?"
"My, um, best friends," he said. He would never be able to describe how strange it was to sit here and talk to Hermione about Hermione.
"Partners in crime?" she asked.
He smiled. "How did you guess?"
"I'm quite perceptive," she said. "What are they like?"
"Well, Ron can be an infuriating prat, but other than that, he's a great guy. He comes from this large family, who sort of adopted me. He's the youngest son and his brothers give him a hard time, but he's really a great guy. He was my first friend my own age."
"What does he do now?" Julie asked.
"Well, he works in the government," Harry asked, hating to lie to her. The only comforting thought was that he wasn't blatantly lying, he was just telling half-truths. "He's married to an American girl named Kit. They are going to be having a baby in the next few months."
Julie smiled. "What about Hermione?"
Harry looked thoughtful. "How much time do you have?"
She smiled back at him.
"I don't think I could adequately tell you what she meant to me," he said. "She was this bossy, insufferable know-it-all when Ron and I met her. Ron, particularly, couldn't stand her. They used to have some of the worst rows you've ever seen. I tell you to this day, I can't find anyone who could banter back and forth like the two of them. It used to drive me crazy. They were always at each other's throats. Total opposites. Like oil and water."
"I don't understand how you became friends if you thought she was a bossy, insufferable know-it-all."
Harry smiled wistfully. "We went through something that changed all that. You know there are certain things you go through with someone that you can't not escape being friends with them? Well, something like that happened between the three of us and we were pretty much inseparable after that."
She just smiled and to Harry's relief, didn't push too much further for details.
"Is she the girl you told me about? The one you said was complicated?"
"Yeah," Harry said, taking a sip of his coffee. "You know how they say everyone has a soul mate? I never believed that until I fell in love with her. She had this way of making you feel like you could do anything. She was always kicking me in the arse to get my act together. She was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"You keep talking about her in the past tense?" Julie asked.
"Yeah," he said. "She died when we were 16."
"Oh, Harry," she said, again reaching across the table for his hand. "I had no idea. I can't believe all the tragedy that you've faced in your life. It makes me wonder."
"What's that?" he asked her.
"How you could turn out as well as you did," she said. "You seem like such a great guy. You could have turned out different, but look at you."
"I'm not that great," he said, relieved that they were finished talking about Hermione. He was afraid that if they talked about her any further, he'd tell her everything and it wasn't time for that. It was way too soon for that. He didn't want to scare her. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
"Yes you are," she said. "I mean, I know I haven't known you very long, but you are the nicest guy I've met in a long time."
"Thanks," he said. "You know you're alright, too."
She blushed. "Thanks."
The lights of the coffee house blinked on and off, signaling to the customers that the place would soon close.
"Ready to go home?" he asked her.
A few minutes later, they were standing outside Julie's apartment door. They were still enjoying each other's company and were laughing about the movie when Julie stopped to pull her keys out of her purse.
"Well, I had a great evening, Harry," she said. "I'm sorry you got dragged into it."
"I had a great time, too," he said smiling at her. He didn't want this night to end. The dim light in the hallway reflected off her hair and she had an almost ethereal glow to her. He wanted so badly to kiss her.
She looked up into his green eyes. She, too, was finding that she didn't want this evening to end either.
"Well, good night," she whispered.
"Good night," he said. Neither of them moved. They just continued to stand there in the hallway, staring into each other's eyes.
It was Harry who made the first move. He lost all ability to think as he looked at her, into those beautiful brown eyes. He did what felt the most natural and he leaned in and kissed her, softly. To his surprise, she returned the kiss, just as enthusiastically as he did.
When it was over, they pulled away from each other, breathless. Julie looked at Harry, not knowing what to say or do. She could never remember ever being kissed like that in her life. She was about to step forward and bridge the distance between them again, when a voice called out, "Hey, Julie. I came by earlier but you were out. Now, I see with why."
It was Trey. He didn't at all seem pleased with what he'd just witnessed.