***A/N: Wow, 5 whole reviews. Thanks so much! That made me happy. I am trying to lengthen the chapters, but like I said, it's all happenin' in my head, so this is directly from head to paper with a few punctuation marks along the way. Thanks again, I truly appreciate it. ***
** Disclaimer: Other than the plot and my characters, I own nothing. How could I? **
*A Lucky Save*
When Harry awoke that next morning, he felt strange. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt different. Deciding to go for a run, he noticed the time on the clock and realized it was still early. Not wanting to wake Mike, he got up, dressed in some running pants, trainers and a t-shirt, and headed out the door.
The morning air felt brisk on his face and made him feel so alive. He kept up his pace as he ran through the park. Normally, he would be thinking about the day ahead of him, yet today he was thinking of one thing, the voice of the woman who had helped him last night. He knew the voice, it was warm and familiar, yet, he just couldn't remember to whom it belonged.
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Hermione had been up for three hours before the bell of her alarm chirped its irritating beep to wake her. She had woken up silently sobbing from a dream she had had around 2 am and couldn't fall back. She could still feel the cold shiver up her spine every time she thought about that dream. It angered her, however, because it wasn't a nightmare or even remotely frightening for that matter, it just brought back so many memories of the past years that they over whelmed her.
With a cup of tea to the left of her and a photo album on her lap, she sat on her bed gently leafing through the pages, reminiscing and laughing about the good times. These photos were magical, they would usually move to mimic the scenes in them, however, due to years being in the non-magical world, they had stopped, frozen in the first frame of the scene.
This was the book from her 7th year. She loved and hated that year. She grew closer to her friends, only to be ripped from them by the painful means of circumstance. She thought about the death of one of her best friends, Ron, and how she never felt completely without him. Then she happened upon a picture with her and Harry. She had forgotten about that picture. It was taken immediately after their last N.E.W.T so that they could remember the priceless look of relief. She felt the pain of the loss of their friendship at the end of that year. She could still remember the argument.
Harry was angry at her when she told him she was giving up magic to pursue a career in muggle child medicine. He was furious because she was giving up something she was so good at. When she told him that she was doing it because she wanted to help muggles too, he screamed at her in a manner she had never seen. He told her she was so smart she was stupid. She would never be able to adjust and would never be a true witch in his mind. She could have handled all this if he hadn't said what he ended the argument with. He called her a mudblood. That word had punched her in the stomach so hard it knocked the breath out of her. She was use to it, because of Draco Malfoy, but coming from Harry, she might have well been fed to the Whomping Willow or one of Hagrid's creatures. She was so stunned that all she could do was stand there until it sunk in. Then, with all the power she could muster from every fiber of her being, she slapped him, right across the face, making it hurt. The next thing she knew she was in her room, sobbing and thanking Merlin she was going home. They had never spoken since; eight years had come and gone and not a word exchanged.
Hermione wiped a tear from her eye as she picked up the book and put it back on the shelf. She had heard Kathryn go downstairs, and she needed more tea. She would take her shower in a half hour and then walk to her office, as she did every morning, like usual, pretending everything was the same as it was yesterday.
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Harry came home to the smell of coffee brewing. Mike was sitting there, barely functional.
"Hey buddy. Good mornin'." Harry said gently so as not to scare Mike with any theatrics.
"Hmmmm, uhhh, ok." came Mike's reply, deep and dreamy.
"That's nice. Listen, I'm gonna go take a shower and then try and find my car. Hopefully, it'll still be there so I can have it towed home or something…" Harry said, rambling slightly. Mike, however, wasn't listening. He was asleep with his head down on the kitchen table.
The shower felt warm and kind against the coolness of the morning. When he got out, he brushed back his hair, watched it gradually fall into its usual unkempt stance, and put in his contacts. He finished getting dressed, tied his shoes and reached for his watch on the nightstand. His hand breezed over the business card underneath it and he remembered to call it and put it in his wallet.
He looked fondly at the four pictures in his wallet. He had one of Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, one of Sirius and the Weasleys, and one of the entire Cannons team. He stopped however on the last one. It was of Ron, Hermione, and himself during a 7th year Hogsmeade weekend. He sighed at the thought of Hermione. That fight they had had destroyed their friendship, and he didn't even remember what it was about.
Sighing again, he made his way to the door, but stopped at the phone before he left. Looking at Mike, who was still asleep, he picked up the phone and removed the card from his wallet. Dialing the numbers carefully, he listened to the gentle buzz of the rings and heard the click of someone picking up.
"Thank you for calling Dr. MacMillan's office. How may I help you?" a cheerful voice said on the other end.
"Uhh, could I speak to the doctor, please?" Harry asked, feeling his stomach in his throat.
"Sure, hold just a second." Said the voice. Harry could hear the woman calling the doctor over with a loud screech of her name.
"Gimme the phone" he heard as someone snatched the phone.
"Dr. MacMillan here, how may I help you? …… Hello?" Harry sat there with the phone in his hand, dumbstruck.
*** A/N: Ok this one's longer. I'm trying here! Hehe. I really thank those who have left encouraging words!! I really want you to enjoy this. Thanks so much!! ***