Author's note: I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I was a little stumped on how I wanted to do this chapter. I wrote nearly eight pages and scrapped that because I thought it was crap. Hopefully, you guys will like this chapter. I know some of you aren't fans of Alternate Universe stories, and I admit I wasn't at first, either. But, I do hope that you give this story and me a chance. Hopefully, I'll surprise you. And word of warning: this chapter will end with something I'm a bit famous (or infamous) for. Please let me know what you think. I live for reviews!
Chapter Two
La Isla Bonita
Tropical the island breeze
All of nature wild and free
This is where I long to be
La isla bonita
(Madonna, "La Isla Bonita")
The sun was just setting in the Abaco Islands as a green-eyed man sat down outside the Café Oceana. Absently, he began reading the newspaper that someone left on the table. He took a long sip of his beer and sat back into the comfortable chair. The early evening air was quite warm, but the ocean breeze kept it quite comfortable. This is going to be a nice night, the man thought to himself. This would probably be a night that would remind him why he'd come here in the first place over six years ago. It was nights like this that would remind him of why he'd decided to stay.
This place certainly wasn't heaven, but it was the closest thing to it that could be found on earth, according to one Harry James Potter.
The people on these islands didn't know him by that name, however. They knew him as Jack Evans. But, even if he'd decided to keep the Harry Potter name, he didn't reckon anyone on this island of Muggles would bat an eyelash. There were no other wizards or witches on this island, save for his godfather Sirius Black. To everyone on these islands, he was just another tanned face in the crowd. Here, he could walk along the sidewalks or down on the marina and not have people approaching him asking to look at his scar. Here, he could walk into a restaurant or sit outside a café like this one and not have people pointing and whispering about him. For the past six years, here in the Abaco Islands, he'd managed to carve out a normal life for himself. There had been a time when he was in school at Hogwarts, when he didn't figure a normal life would be in the cards for him.
The majority of his childhood years were spent preparing to fight Lord Voldemort. While most lads his age were concerned about grades, girls and acne, he was preparing to either kill or be killed. The war that had ultimately led to Voldemort's defeat had been costly for both sides. It wasn't a time that Harry looked back at fondly. He could recall lying in that hospital bed for days, bloodied, bruised and beaten---but alive. Everyone around him was celebrating, but he certainly didn't feel like it. Many of his close friends had died in that war. Some had even died trying to protect him. It was quite a load to carry on a seventeen year old boy's shoulders. Everyone kept asking him afterward how he was feeling and the only answer he could give them was that he felt…numb.
Lying in that hospital bed had given him plenty of time to think. The question he kept asking himself over and over again was "What's next?" There wasn't a shortage of options. Professional Quidditch teams offered him lucrative contracts with endorsement deals. The Ministry of Magic said any job he wanted he could have with no question asked. When word got around that he'd helped Fred & George with their joke shop, business owners and entrepreneurs started sending him business plans wanting his backing for one project or opportunity.
It didn't take Harry long to figure out that none of those opportunities would give him what he truly wanted. What he'd always wanted was to lead a normal, peaceful life and be treated just like everyone else. In light of what he'd just done, he knew that would never be possible.
He sought advice from the three men whose opinions mattered most to him: Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. They'd all listened to him and ultimately told him that the decision was his and his alone to make. They all told him that whatever he decided they'd support him and stand behind him one hundred percent.
It was Sirius who suggested the idea of traveling around the world after graduation. As Sirius pointed out, Harry hadn't traveled before. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to see and experience what the world had to offer. The idea intrigued Harry.
No schedules to follow. No looking over his shoulder for the next impending danger. His mind was quickly made up and he excitedly began making plans for the trip. His best friend, Ron Weasley, briefly toyed with the idea of coming along, but the Chudley Cannons had other plans for him. They'd offered Ron a lucrative six-year contract to play Quidditch professionally. Ron, who'd always seen himself as another Weasley brother or Harry Potter's sidekick, finally had the chance to make it on his own and he jumped at the chance. So, ultimately, it was Sirius who came along for the trek around the world.
And travel the two of them had. They'd started in Australia and worked their way around the globe. Harry had never felt more carefree and at ease. He found himself getting quite used to this. That one year flew by and when the time came to make a decision to stay or go, Harry knew there was no way he'd want to go back. Other than the Weasleys, he had no real ties to London.
Living out of suitcases and trunks had gotten to be a bit much and he and Sirius decided to settle down in one place. As both of them had quite enough of cold winters and rainy days, they'd decided pretty easily on a tropical, warm location. But, where?
The answer was found in Isla Solarte. Harry had fallen in love with it the moment, he'd set foot on the sand. This would be their private island. It was small, but big enough for two houses. The larger one housed Harry and Sirius. The smaller guesthouse was used by Remus Lupin whenever he visited.
Remus Lupin was the only person who truly knew where Harry and Sirius were. While the Weasleys were the closest thing Harry had to a family, he'd not told them where he was. He figured they deserved to live a normal, quiet existence without having to be hounded by the wizarding press about the whereabouts of "The Boy Who Lived". He knew that the Weasleys were still asked routinely to give any details they had to the Daily Prophet.
As a necessity, Harry kept his letters to them deliberately vague in case his owls were intercepted. He did constantly reassure Molly Weasley that he and Sirius were safe, happy and healthy. His reassurances didn't stop Molly from trying to send him on her trademark motherly guilt trips about why he'd not come home in such a long time.
To a casual observer, it may have seemed a bit paranoid for Harry to go to such extreme measures to protect his new life, but the last thing he needed or wanted was the wizarding press descending on his new life and home, threatening the peace and tranquility he'd worked so hard to find.
The Weasleys kept him abreast of the latest comings and goings and happenings in their letters. They'd even started to send him clippings from the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly that printed speculation about where "The Boy Who Lived" had disappeared. Some of the "Potter sightings" had been quite bizarre and Harry and Sirius had quite a few chuckles about some of the places people had claimed to see him. Harry reckoned his favorite one had to be the one that claimed they'd seen him gambling in Las Vegas with two showgirls draped on each arm.
Despite not having two showgirls draped on each arm, Harry was quite happy here on the islands. Most of the locals were expatriates from all over the world who had come to the islands for varying reasons, but they mostly involved starting over, hiding out, or finding themselves. Most traveled here ostensibly for a short holiday, but found they liked the island culture and lifestyle and built their new lives here and set down roots. It wasn't hard to see why. The crystal blue waters and warm climate were quite intoxicating.
While Harry thought he was just another face in the crowd, he kept attracting a bit of attention from both the local girls and the tourists who frequented the island.
Speaking of girls, Harry truthfully hadn't had much experience with them at Hogwarts.
Other than Cho Chang, he'd never had a serious girlfriend. Theirs hadn't really been that much of a relationship. Following Cedric Diggory's death, they'd both turned to each other and the "relationship" had grown from there. But, she'd not been able to take the constant worrying about him and she'd put demands on his time and asked him to make promises that he couldn't make, let alone keep.
He'd had quite a few casual relationships, but certainly nothing serious. He wasn't looking to be tied down to anyone. He didn't want anyone to put demands on his time. And this was what he wanted, or at least had been up until recently. A nagging voice in his head kept reminding him how nice it would be to have one woman to wake up to in the mornings and one woman to sleep with at night. That same voice kept reminding how he wanted his own family. He didn't know where those thoughts came from, but they kept coming. He'd remind himself that he was only twenty-four years old, after all. If he settled down at all, that would come much later.
His thoughts were interrupted by Sirius' arrival. He was, as always, joined by Eva Montague. She was the proprietor of Café Oceana and more importantly, Sirius' long-time, and as Harry liked to add, "long-suffering" girlfriend. She was an American who came down here following her divorce from-as she put it---the most horrible man on the planet. She and Sirius met two years ago and it had been love at first sight on Sirius' part.
Eva had olive colored skin and long black hair that she usually tied up in a makeshift ponytail or sloppy bun. As
she'd been burned before, she'd been a little wary of taking up with someone else. But, Sirius had worn her
down with some old-fashioned wooing and they'd been inseparable ever since. Harry was waiting for the day when the
two of them announced an engagement, but Eva kept saying how happy she was with the way things were.
A few months ago, Sirius had confessed to Eva who he really was and what he and Harry were. She'd been shocked at first, to say the least. She'd also been quite mad to find out that Sirius had lied to her, but he'd explained that he hadn't lied about his feelings. By then, she loved him too much to let this new news tear them apart. Harry was quite happy for Sirius. His godfather hadn't exactly had an easy time of it over the past few years and the happiness that he so richly deserved was finally his. It also helped that Harry liked Eva as well.
"Harry!" Eva said, leaning down and pecking him on the cheek. "If you get any cuter, we'll have to lock you up."
Harry scoffed. "Not hardly."
"New cruise ship just docked," Sirius reported, sitting down beside Eva.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"What's that for?" Eva asked. "I thought you'd be on the pull."
"Not for some tourist," Harry said with a laugh, taking another long sip of his beer.
"What a difference two months makes," Sirius said, winking at Eva. "This from the very same bloke who used to beg me to come with him to the main island so he could scope out the new talent."
Harry glared across the table at him. "It just gets old after awhile, doesn't it?"
"You never know," Sirius said with a nod to the docks. "The love of your life may have just walked off that ocean liner."
"Two to one odds says she hasn't," Harry said.
Eva and Sirius exchanged a look. Perhaps now was the time to break the news to him that they'd been putting off.
"Or she could be arriving on Isla Solarte tomorrow morning to stay in Remus' guest house," Sirius said quickly. He looked at Eva. "Love, do you still have any of the salmon?"
"Hold on," Harry interjected. "Just hold on a second. What did you just say?"
"About the salmon?" Sirius asked innocently.
"No," Harry said shaking his head. "No, no. About someone coming to stay in Remus' guest house?"
"Oh that," Sirius said dismissively.
"Yeah, that," Harry said staring at his godfather.
"Oh, well…Remus wrote a few days back and told me he was sending a colleague to stay with us for awhile," Sirius explained. "Seems she's stressed out about her job and Remus took pity on her and offered her the guest house for a two-month sabbatical."
Harry leaned back in his chair. "When were you going to tell me about this? For that matter, why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Maybe because I knew you'd act like this," Sirius said with a smile.
"Act like what?" Harry asked angrily. "Upset that some girl---some witch----is going to be staying on the island? Why would that upset me? What if she knows who I am? Who you are?"
"She doesn't," Sirius answered. "You know as well as I do that Remus wouldn't do that."
"It probably won't be as bad as you think it will be," Eva said, reassuringly. "From Remus' letter, she sounds like a lovely girl, Harry."
"I hope you don't expect me to watch after her," Harry said firmly. "Sabbatical? Another bloody tourist. At least on Isla Solarte, we can get away from them. Now, we'll have one living next door."
Eva laughed. She and Sirius knew that this news wouldn't go over well, but being as the girl was arriving tomorrow, there was no other way around it.
"We loaded up on some extra groceries for her," Sirius said conversationally. "And you and I need to do some cleaning up. I imagine it's quite dusty over there since Lupin was there last."
Great, Harry thought to himself. He was already knackered from a long day of fishing and now he was expected to clean up Remus' house for this strange girl. Two months? He hoped this girl didn't think he was going to allow her to tag along on some great island adventure. He had better things to do with his time than play nursemaid to some daft girl while she was on "sabbatical".
"We should probably head back," Harry said, pushing back from his chair.
"Alright," Sirius said. "Why don't you go on back on the docks and I'll catch up with you in a few minutes? I need to say goodbye to my girl."
"Girl?" Eva said, slapping him playfully on the arm. "Sirius Black, I'll have you know that I am not a 'girl' and haven't been for quite some time."
"You're always my girl," Sirius said flirtatiously.
Harry couldn't help laughing. "Hey, people are trying to eat here. You're going to scare her customers away."
"Go away," Sirius said, waving good-naturedly at his godson.
"Good night, Eva," Harry said, giving her a hug before walking toward the docks.
It was nice night, Harry thought to himself as he walked along the dock toward the boat. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the night air was warm. It would be perfect if didn't have to think about this stranger invading his personal space for the next two months.
If he was thinking the night couldn't possibly get any worse, he was wrong. Trouble was sitting in his boat, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze.
"Maureen?" Harry asked, trying to be polite. "What are you doing here?"
Maureen Donnelly worked at Café Oceana and Harry had taken her out a couple of times, but he didn't think they had much in common. He'd tried to let her down easily, but she'd not taken the hint.
"I saw your boat in the marina and I thought I'd take the chance of running into you before my shift started," she said with a flirtatious smile. She wore a light blue sundress with spaghetti straps that accentuated every line and every curve.
"Well you did," Harry said letting go of her arm and jumping into the boat.
"Are you waiting for Ben?" Maureen asked. "Ben" was the name Sirius went by when they were on the main island.
"Yup," Harry said impatiently.
"Jack," Maureen asked, pouting at him. "I don't suppose you'd consider sticking around. It'd be nice to have a friendly face around tonight."
Harry pulled an apologetic face. "I'd really like to, Mo. But, I've had a long day and I've just found out that we have a guest arriving…"
"Oh," Maureen said, trying not to sound disappointed. "Someone from back home?"
"Sort of," Harry said with a shrug. "A friend of a friend sort of thing."
"Oh," Maureen said.
Harry didn't want to be mean, but he wished Maureen would just leave him alone. The last thing he wanted to do right now was make idle chit-chat with her. No, Harry mused to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was go home and prepare the guest house for some stranger who was going to invade his space for two months.
"Well, I guess I'll see you around then," Maureen said forcing a smile at him.
"Guess so," Harry said, giving her a slight smile.
She gave him one last look before she headed back up the docks.
Harry sighed as he sat back on one of the benches. He looked at his watch and wondered what could be keeping Sirius. He knew, though, it had to be Eva. He was probably snogging her senseless at the moment.
A few drunk tourists passed by the boat and Harry couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
If you'd seen one drunk tourist, well…you'd seen too many.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ron's letter. It had just arrived this morning, but he hadn't had a chance to read it yet. Since he had nothing better to do, he opened the envelope and unfolded the parchment inside.
Harry laughed as he saw the nearly undecipherable script of his best friend's handwriting. When Lupin taught them at Hogwarts, he used to joke that Ron had the handwriting of a serial killer.
Harry!
Being as you've not written to me in awhile, I thought I'd be the better friend and write to you. Just kidding, mate! Mum sends her best as always, but asked me to remind you yet again that you haven't been home in ages and she'd like to see for herself that you are doing okay. She's even talking about getting Dad to find out where you really are so she can come and nag you like she does me. And Fred. And George. And Percy. Bill and Charlie, too. Oh, and Ginny, of course. She's doled out your nagging to the rest of us and we're all getting a bit sick of it, to tell you the truth. Again, just kidding, but not really.
Things are going well. The team's on a five-game winning streak and we're starting a particularly brutal road trip that will keep me away from home for nearly a month. This was okay before, but I've met someone and we've been dating for a few months now. I really like her. She was a bit much at first, I'll admit, but she's really okay.
It still hasn't stopped me from playing the field, though. It'd be unnatural to not be on the pull when you're on these road trips, Harry. You wouldn't believe the offers we get. I'd be a fool to turn them down. I feel bad for lying to this girl, but I think I may be ready to settle down eventually. If I'd do it for anyone, I'd do it for her. She's really great. Maybe if you get your sorry arse back to London, you'll get to meet her.
Anyway, I need to finish packing. We leave tomorrow morning and I don't know when I'll be able to write you again. Stay safe! And as always, Mum says "COME HOME!"
Your friend,
Ron
Harry shook his head as he folded up the letter. Years may pass, but Ron never seemed to change. He was still trying to burn the candle at both ends, as it were. Harry felt sorry for this girl, whoever she was. It seemed to Harry that she may just be about to get burned.
*********************
**************
Hermione arrived on Isla Solarte at about 8 a.m. the next morning. She'd thought that someone---namely Lupin's two mates---would have been there to greet her, but Hermione figured they were probably asleep or busy. Lupin told her that his friends kept strange hours. Luckily, Lupin had given her the keys and she didn't have to intrude on her hosts to ask them to let her inside. Using a levitation charm, she brought her suitcases and trunk into the house.
For a guest house, it was actually quite posh, Hermione thought as she looked around. The house had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and open living/dining/and kitchen areas. The floors were hard wood and the best feature to Hermione was the exposed beam ceiling. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she caught sight of the beach through the sliding doors. The pictures Lupin had shown her didn't do it justice. It was amazing. She couldn't wait to walk along the beach and feel the sand on her toes and the ocean breeze in her hair.
The open living room was tastefully decorated in muted greens and beiges. A beige colored couch sat in the middle of the room with large comfortable looking pillows. Hermione could see herself curled up on that couch reading. The kitchen was even better than the living room with top of the line appliances, including a custom built-in refrigerator/freezer, huge stove, and a dishwasher. There was expensive cutlery and cookware in the cabinets and Hermione remembered that Lupin told her how he enjoyed to cook. To her delight, the refrigerator was stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs and milk. Different snack foods, breads and tins lined the shelves. At least her hosts were hospitable, she thought. They must have gone to quite a bit of trouble to prepare the house for her stay. She made a mental note to thank them for their hospitality.
The master bedroom was to die for and Hermione nearly swooned at the queen-sized bed. The view from the bedroom was even more magnificent. It overlooked the crystal blue Atlantic Ocean. There was also an amazing stereo system and a bunch of old jazz and rhythm and blues compact discs. Not to mention the shelves that were lined with books that she'd never even heard of, which was quite a feat in itself.
Hermione, while still not happy about being away from work, thought that she'd stepped right into heaven with this house. She wondered if when the two month sabbatical was up, she'd be ready to leave.
She stifled a yawn as she set her suitcase on the bed. Truth be told, she'd not slept much the night before. She'd stayed up late with Lavender talking and packing. When she finally went to bed, she'd been too excited to sleep. She always got keyed up like that before going on a trip.
Deciding it might be best to take a kip before unpacking, Hermione moved her suitcase from the bed and onto the floor. She curled up on the comfortable bed and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
****
***
A couple of hours later, she awoke feeling quite refreshed. She was still a bit groggy from the portkey and thought a shower might wake her up properly. She grabbed the only towel in the cabinet and headed toward the bathroom.
*****
Harry could kill Sirius.
Their guest was supposed to arrive later that afternoon and instead of Sirius bringing the extra towels and blankets over to the house, he'd woken Harry up to perform the chore.
He'd been so angry, he'd not bothered to change clothes. The only thing he'd done was throw a t-shirt over his boxer shorts. What did it matter anyway? The dingbat girl wasn't supposed to arrive until later anyway.
He'd grabbed the basket of fresh linens and walked the short distance to the guest house, grumbling under his breath the entire way.
If he'd looked back, he'd have seen his godfather staring out the window at him with mischievous grin. Sirius had seen the young woman arrive as he'd taken his early morning run on the beach. Lupin had been right. Harry wouldn't know what hit him.
********
Hermione had just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body when she heard what sounded like a door slamming. She heard footsteps approaching and with a shaking hand, she grabbed her wand and slowly tiptoed out of the bathroom.
****
Harry turned the corner and was nearly to the bathroom when something bumped into him.
"HEY!" he exclaimed, as he lost his grip on the basket. The freshly -laundered linens fell to the floor.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" a woman shrieked at him, a wand gripped tightly in her hand and pointed straight at him.
"WHO THE HELL AM I?" he asked in disbelief. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"