Unofficial Portkey Archive

Author's Note: This is actually a revised version of the story by the same name. I hope those who have read it once will read it again and critique. For those of you who are going to ask who Pappy is, just be patient he's pretty cool. Again, I look forward to reviews more than anything else. Help me. If I am getting too detailed and boring, say so…kindly though if you can. If I am not detailed enough and something leaves you feeling like "so what" then tell me that too. You are the only ones who can help me improve my writing. Thanks and enjoy. Tim

Summer Holiday Blues - Chapter 1

Harry Potter found himself alone as he had many times before during the summers. It wasn't nearly as ghastly an experience as in the past because Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were terrified of him. They avoided him now and still looked at him with disgust. He hated the way things were before. Yet before he could at least try to get their goat and have some fun with them. Now they ran like cockroaches when the lights come on when he approached. All in all it suited him just fine.

Harry spent many of his days walking around town thinking of the past year. It took nearly the entire month of June for him to stop sniffling or outright crying at the loss of Sirius. He hadn't cried until the loneliness of the Dursley's had set in. Ron and Hermione had been brilliant about sending short messages about their goings on during that first month which helped ease the pain. He began to appreciate Ron's humor and Hermione's sensitivity. Hermione had sort of become his pillar of strength with her kind words and strong spirit.

Today he was walking in town and found himself in one of the markets. He looked across the street to the bookstore and walked toward it. Next to the bookstore was a little antique shop that piqued his interest. He walked in.

"Good afternoon young man," said the elderly gentleman sitting in the chair beside the cash register. "Is there something I might help you find?"

Harry looked around and saw an ornately crafted little jewelry box with what might be pearls. He didn't know why it appealed to him, but it's craftsmanship was extraordinary and the maple wood was intriguing. "I just spied that jewelry box on the desk over there. Can you tell me about it?"

"It's funny you should pick that piece young man. It was my great-grandmother's." The man looked at it with a distant stare. The man looked as if he were at least eighty years old if he was a day, thought Harry. He thought this piece must be very, very old if his great-grandmother owned it.

"It was one of the first jewelry boxes to contain a music box inside. My mother used to play it everyday morning and night. Son, what's your name?"

"Harry, Sir. Thanks for asking. What may I call you Sir?" Harry asked politely.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal. My name is Nathaniel…Nathaniel Moore." He laughed half-heartedly and continued. "But you may call me Nate or Pappy as most do around here. Would you like to have a listen to the box?"

"Sure, Pappy." Harry said.

Pappy's hands were craggy and nearly immobile but somehow he managed to get the box turned around and the key turned. The music was fabulous thought Harry. It was so melodic it had a tranquilizing effect on him. He looked next to the box where there was a ceramic figurine of a little girl dancing that reminded him of Hermione. The figurine was only about six inches tall, but the mousey brown hair, the eyes and the smile on the little girl's face were all exactly like Hermione. Somewhere in his subconscious he realized every pretty girl had started to look like Hermione.

"Pappy, how much do you want for the music box and the figurine?" Harry inquired.

"That music box could command a price of 2500 pounds at Southby's in New York or at some of the finer auction houses in London." He said. He noticed that Harry looked deflated. "You're in love aren't you Harry? Who's it for?" Pappy asked.

Harry was shocked at the question. He had spent most of his money for ice cream and CD's the first month of the summer, but 2500 pounds would mean he'd have to go to Gringott's and that just wasn't possible. "It would be for a girl named Hermione. The figurine looks like her."

Pappy looked at Harry and somehow knew these pieces were special to him. Pappy wasn't sure why but he wanted to see how badly Harry wanted them. "Harry, I'll give you two choices. You can make your best case for why this girl is special to you or you can work it off by coming here and keeping me company for the summer. A combination of both may get the two of them as a set for a really reasonable price."

Harry was bewildered. He thought, Pappy must be a nutter to offer such an expensive antique for an explanation and/or a companion for a month or so. Maybe he doesn't know I'll be leaving before the end of August. "Pappy I will be leaving before the end of August. I won't…" Pappy waved his hand as if to say stop don't worry I know what I'm doing.

"Besides, I'm an old man and even though the dust makes antiques look more antique that only goes so far. You can do some odd jobs then too. I am alone here and could use the company for a short time each day. The answer I am looking for if you are going to take option one requires that you answer a couple of questions. Are you in love? If she had the chance would she be willing to do something out of the ordinary for someone she loved? This isn't something that you can do in one day. You'll have to think about it. I'll ask a lot more questions if I don't get good answers. What do you say? Do we have a deal?

"I think I'm in love with her, Pappy, but what does that have to do with anything?" Harry asked respectfully.

"Harry, my dear boy…," Pappy started and then stopped thinking better of what he was going to say. "Why don't we start with you coming to see me and do some of those chores? And as far as what does being in love have to do with anything-everything. Love is the reason I am still alive and working." Pappy looked at Harry with compassion and an expression Harry had only felt looking into Albus Dumbledore's eyes.

"Do you want me to come tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"Why yes, of course. I realize coming to see an old man is boring to a young man such as you. I just enjoy the conversation and company." Pappy said.

Harry didn't know why he felt uneasy about taking such expensive merchandise from an old man for a wing and a prayer. He changed his mind about the deal. "Pappy, I prefer to pay for the gifts and I can't right now so…," he answered in a melancholy voice. "Good day, Pappy."

"Wait a second my boy, come back here." Pappy said with a stern look and a wave of his wrinkled hand to come back. "This isn't charity, I've been in business a long time. You're not taking advantage of me, if that's what you think."

Harry turned and looked back and started walking toward Pappy again out of respect to the old man.

"A word of advice if you don't mind…even if you do mind, I suppose. If you are looking for such an expensive gift for someone, you should know exactly what that person means to you. You can't play at love, Harry. It can kill you or sustain you. That's why there are so many sad people in this world." He looked for a reaction from Harry. Harry was now standing only two or three feet in front of him looking at his feet. "Believe this much, you will be paying properly for these pieces. What I have in mind is work. Some of it is answering questions, some of it is listening and another part is cleaning and manual labor." Harry had the distinct feeling that Pappy was prepared to sit for the rest of the night waiting for an answer before he'd let Harry leave. There was an expression of genuine concern and fierce passion on Pappy's face.

Harry continued to look Pappy in the eyes and at his face for several minutes and realized that his craggy old face had scars. From what, Harry could only guess. But what was certain was that Pappy was a kind old gentleman in spite of his demanding demeanor at the moment. Maybe it would be a good idea to come here because he wouldn't be so depressed about Sirius and being alone if there were a companion of sorts in it for him too. He liked Pappy. "Pappy, we have a deal. It might take me a while to figure out how I really feel though. Good day again, Pappy."

"Good day, Harry. Just remember that you can't take too long. You're leaving the second week of August," Pappy said with a smile.

Harry nodded absent-mindedly as he was deep in thought. He realized about half-way home as he kicked a pebble that Pappy had heard him wrong. He had said he was leaving by the end of August. Harry just considered it a sign of old age.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After several weeks of being at 4 Privet Drive, one of the advantages of his new circumstances in the Dursley house had become that he got his mail regularly. He had only returned from his fourth visit to Pappy's antique shop a few moments before. He'd spent almost all the time over the past weeks working and talking about practically nothing important. At the moment he was reading a letter from Ron. He was saving the one from Hermione for when he could concentrate.

Hi Harry,

We're looking forward to you visiting at the end of the holiday. Charlie will be back from his dragon adventures. I have been practicing my goalkeeping with Ginny as a chaser. She has turned out to be quite a good player. Hopefully we will be able to win the Quidditch Cup this year. It would be bloody awesome to stick it in Malfoy's ear.

Harry, I've been thinking. Maybe you should come a week or so before Hermione. Maybe the second week in August would be best instead of the week before classes begin. I have some things to talk to you about. Let me know soon. My Dad wants to take us into the Ministry of Magic if you'd like to go. That is if you think you should with you-know-who still on the loose.

Well, so long for now, mate. Let me know what you think about coming earlier. We can come pick you up. I've already cleared it with Mum.

Ron

Harry was surprised Ron hadn't mentioned George and Fred. Ron was working with them at their joke shop in Diagon Alley. Ron had written some weeks before that it wasn't nearly as bad as before when he was the guinea pig for their new tricks. The twins had matured and stopped trying so hard to make the most grotesque concoctions known to man or wizard.

Just at that moment, he heard Mr. Dursley call his name. "Harry, come down for supper. I won't be calling you again." Even though they steered clear of them, Vernon Dursley was still the singularly rudest man Harry had ever met. "Harry, did you hear me?" He bellowed.

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'll be right down." Harry put away his books and the letters--placing Hermione's standing up against the letter holder admiring her beautifully big handwriting.

"Harry. We're starving," bellowed Dudley. Harry bounded down the stairs. He decided to give Dudley a little trouble this evening.

"I hurried as fast as I could, Duddies, I know missing a meal might cause you to disappear. Or maybe being rude to me will make me cause you to disappear." Harry looked at him with a whimsical smile as Vernon and Petunia sat thinking of Aunt Marge floating away three years ago. Dudley passed the food to Harry first. Harry was not above being as slow as possible just make them all languish at the sight of the beautifully done pot roast while they waited for Harry to finish serving himself.

They ate in silence. The Dursley's only treated him nicely out of fear. Harry was sad about this. He wanted to be treated well for just being a good kid. Somehow the Dursley's would never see it. His disappointment quickly turned to the splendid letter sitting on his bureau in his room. He ate like a ravenous wolf and excused himself. Until this summer he would have been expected to stay and clean up.

As he left the table, a thought occurred to him that up to this point seemed he had only once acknowledged with Pappy two weeks previous. Even now it seemed as ridiculous as it did when he said it. Did he love Hermione? What about Pappy's mistake concerning Harry leaving the second week of August. Now it was true. He passed it of as coincidence. He wanted to hear from Hermione, see her or talk to her more than anything else in life. All these other questions could wait. What he couldn't believe is that the feeling gave him butterflies in his stomach. Why should Hermione make him feel this way?

He ran up the stairs, opened the door, closed it and tore into the letter barely leaving the address on the envelope recognizable. He wanted to read through it quickly, but he forced himself to read slowly to savor each word she'd written. He read it through faster than he wanted to the first time which still took a good five minutes. Hermione could write such long and involved letters. Finally, he decided he'd slow down and read it again-more slowly this time.

Dearest Harry,

Are the Dursley's being absolutely horrible to you or has that calmed down a bit since last year? Do you still stay up at night under your covers practicing new charms? If you are don't get caught. You'll get expelled. Have you seen Mrs. Figg from across the street or anyone else from the…well, you know?

We have only just returned from the latest of our annual summer holiday trips. This year we went to Italy. You wouldn't believe who I saw there….Viktor Krum. He was with a frightfully trashy blonde girl and a few of his Quidditch teammates. He pretended he wasn't with the girl and tried make light of it. After I got over the shock of how shallow he was I finally figured out his game. I really thought he was different, but he turned out to be a jerk.

"Yes!" Harry yelled out loud. He supposed the Dursley's heard him, but he didn't care. Viktor Krum was out of the romantic picture for now.

I was a little upset with that, but low and behold I got an owl from Ron the morning after I saw Viktor. He cheered me up. He told me that he was working with Fred and George this summer. He said he was learning loads of cool charms, spells, and hexes. I look forward to seeing Ron the third week of August. He can be such a pain in the you know what, but he really is such a wonderful friend.

"Shit!" Harry said under his breath. He stopped to think for a minute why he'd said that. "I'm jealous of Ron. About Hermione." He smiled for a second and then muttered, "This is absolutely crazy." He started pacing as he read her letter.

I was thinking of you today and I immediately smiled. Other than when you get into a foul mood you are probably my best friend. I had a nightmare the other night that I was on a date with Malfoy. I had to get up and take a walk to work that one out after I woke up screaming.

Harry, I don't know if it's just me but do all three of us seem different somehow. I mean since the Department of Mysteries. Your last letter sounded more upbeat than I expected considering the circumstances of Sirius' death. Ron seems rather politer than I remember. Something seems to be keeping you together. Me, I feel like I am missing something. I am reading more than usual to keep from being bored. It's just that…I miss my friends more now than I used to. I'm sorry Harry. I don't mean to be depressing. Just…so much has happened and I worry about you, Ron and everyone.

Well, Harry, I'll be bringing your birthday present to the Weasley's this summer or school. I hope you don't mind. Will I see you at the Weasleys' this summer? I'm looking forward to seeing you. I've got loads to tell you. Well, take care, Harry. Don't do anything stupid to that Dudley character and get yourself expelled. (Hee hee). It's really not a laughing matter. Don't get suspended, Harry! Hope to hear from you soon.

Love and Friendship Always,

Hermione

Harry went to bed that night thinking of Hermione. His feelings for her had been building each year, but he could never put his finger on it. He knew it was the moment he saw her lying in the Department of Mysteries floor against the wall with the marks from the curse of that Death Eater that it had all come clear. He'd been too emotionally spent until this summer to think about it clearly.

He thought of her with her hair up at the Yule Ball two years ago. She was ravishingly beautiful that night. He thought of her defending him in the Department of Mysteries and countless other times.

Harry thought out loud, "Even if she thinks I am just a friend, I have to tell her or do something. Pappy's right. I can't let some git like Viktor steal her from me." He realized that the anguish of caring for Hermione might kill him faster than Voldemort. He looked around his room especially at the gap under the door to see if the light had come on. Good, he thought, I didn't say it loud enough to wake them up.

Just as he'd started to fall asleep, he had a horrible thought. What if Ron felt the same way about her? They'd always had this secret thing for each other. She even told him that he shouldn't have waited so long to ask her to the Yule Ball. He felt the emptiness in the pit of his stomach growing. After a while the uncomfortable feeling subsided a little.

What would he do if she liked Ron? Then he thought, it wasn't what would he do? It was: "What could he do?"

Harry decided that he'd ask Pappy. Surely, he'd have had some experience with girls when he was young. He might have an answer. If he could remember back that far.

Harry slept uneasily, but got up at the crack of dawn to go to Pappy's.

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