Story Name: Untitled

Rating: T

Warnings: mild language, femslash

Genre(s): general, friendship

Summary: He gave her a quick hug before saying goodbye, not wanting to leave the front step, but knowing that if he didn't pull himself away now, he wasn't too sure he'd be able to go back. Life was too peaceful here, too innocent, too normal, too perfect and he could see himself falling very easily into it all and letting himself be consumed.

*Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form. Any characters you recognize from the books/movies belong to J.K Rowling. The plot and added characters are my own.

Untitled

"Catch me if you can!" A little girl about seven with long dark brown hair, grey eyes and very fair skin was running away from a boy with black hair, brilliant green eyes and glasses.

"Rave! You run too fast! Slow down or I'll never catch you!" the girl laughed and slowed down a little. She felt hands grab her arms and pull her to a stop.

"AHHH! No! Don't, ha ha! Don't tickle! Ha ha ha! Please! Ha ha! Stop! Ha ha ha!" the boy stopped tickling the girl and just smiled at her. She looked up at him and glared.

"I'm…gonna…get you…for that," she panted. The boy just smiled. Rave was just about to tackle him when she heard her father call her.

"Coming daddy! I've got to go ok? I'll see you tomorrow," Rave gave the boy a hug and ran into her house. The boy walked across the street and went into his house. An hour later he looked out his window and saw a moving van and people bringing boxes and furniture out of the house and into the van. The boy ran to Rave's place and looked for her.

"Hi," he spun around and saw Rave. Her face was tear streaked and eyes puffy and red.

"We're moving. To America," Rave looked down and sniffled. The boy's eyes grew wide.

"Rave! We have to go now! Come on!" Rave looked back at the moving van and then back at the boy. She threw her arms around his neck and started crying again.

"You're the best friend anyone could have," the boy sniffled and felt his eyes sting. The tears fell and his heart broke. The only friend he had ever had was leaving him. Probably forever.

"Rave come on we have to go." Rave felt herself being pried away from him and she started screaming and trying to get away from her dad.

"NO! Harry! No! I don't wanna go! No! Please! Harry!"

"Rave! Please don't go! Come back! Rave, come back!"

A sixteen year old boy woke with a jolt. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at his clock.

"6:30." He grumbled. He tried to get back to sleep but he couldn't so he threw the blankets off and opened his wardrobe. He looked at his reflection. The same unruly hair, the same brilliant green eyes, and the same lightning bolt shaped scar as in his dream. Harry crawled under his bed and opened the loose floor board under it and pulled out some pictures. He looked through them. Memories of him and Rave flew into his head. He shook his head sadly.

"Rave." He whispered. Harry put the pictures back under his bed and looked out his window. He could see a large black figure coming for his window. Harry sighed and opened his window and waited for the owls to come through it. Two owls came in swiftly and landed on his bed. Another owl sort of tumbled through the window and landed noisily on the floor. Harry rolled his eyes and set the grayish brown owl onto his bed. He looked at the other three and studied them. One was a barn owl, clean and groomed and the one was a great horned owl. Harry took all the letters and packages and gave all the owls some water. He sat on his bed and looked at the letters. Harry opened the first one.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday! I really hope you like you're present I got you. Hope you're Aunt and Uncle are treating you alright. I'm going to be over at the Burrow in a couple days, I hope you can make it! If not then I'll see you on the train to Hogwarts. Happy Birthday again!

Love,

Hermione

Harry opened the letter from Ron.

Harry,

Hey mate! I hope you're doing well. I know for a fact that you're going to love your present, but you can't get it until you get here. And there is no buts…you are coming here this summer. NO exceptions. Even if you're Aunt and Uncle say no you're still coming! And that's final. So how's Monday at four? Sounds good? Ok, good. Well I'll see you then. Happy Birthday!

Ron

Harry laughed at his friend. He couldn't wait to see what Ron got him. Harry opened the last letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Here are you're O.W.L results from the previous year…

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures- E

Charms- E

Defense Against the Dark Arts- O

Divination- P

Herbology- A

History of Magic- D

Potions- E

Transfiguration: E

We hope to see you again this year.

Sincerely,

Deputy Headmistress,

Professor McGonagall.

Harry looked at the packages and grabbed at Hermione's first. He tore off the wrapping paper (moving snitches) and opened a box. Inside Harry found an Advanced Book of Defense Against the Dark Arts edition, and some of Fred and George's joke candy. Harry laughed.

"Well 'Mione, you're turning around." Harry grabbed Ron's present next and opened it. Inside was a new kit for his racing broom and a couple of sweets and cakes as well. He grinned and put his presents under the loose floorboard. He quickly wrote a reply to Hermione and Ron, telling Ron that he'd be happy to go to the Burrow for the rest of summer holidays and Hermione that he was fine and he'd probably see her at the Weasley's. He had just sent off the two owls with his reply's when he heard his Uncle's unmistakable footsteps from his bedroom.

'Time to do the chores then,' he thought. He changed into his hand-me-down clothes and quickly made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. After everyone had eaten and Harry had cleaned the kitchen he asked his uncle quietly if he could speak to him for a moment.

"What do you want boy?" Vernon asked gruffly.

"Well my friends, the Weasley's, wanted to know if I could go over to their place for the rest of the summer. They said that they'd pick me up at around four on Monday and I was just wondering if it'd be alright." Harry asked trying not to be too hopeful incase his uncle was in one of his moods and decided against it.

"They were the ones that were here before weren't they?" His uncle asked. Harry nodded.

"Yes but it would only be Mr. Weasley coming this time, not the others. He just wants to come here and pick me up and be right off that's all," Harry tried his best behavior voice and waited while his uncle thought.

"I guess it'd be a lot better for us not to have you hanging around here all summer. Fine tell them they can come pick you up," Harry sighed in relief and quickly thanked his uncle. He didn't know what he would do if his uncle had said no, he'd already sent the letter to Ron. He ran up to his room and sat at his wobbly desk and stared out the window to the house across the street. He'd never mentioned Rave to his other friends, he only remembered bits and pieces of her, but he distinctively remembered their bond. He did wish sometimes though, that she'd never left. His life would be so much better if she hadn't, and he could've told her all about Hogwarts and Hermione and Ron and maybe even…

No. Rave was a muggle. He wouldn't be able to tell her anything and he would have lived a double life if she had stayed. Maybe it was for the best then, she wouldn't be in danger because of him. He sighed and went downstairs, telling his uncle he was going to be out for a while. No one answered him, not that he really cared.

He walked down the street to the park, and sat on one of the swings. There was no one there at the moment and he was left to his thoughts. He was considerably bored, he realized. There wasn't much to do around here and he suddenly felt a streak of rebelliousness shoot through him. He acted on impulse and got off the swing and headed to the nearest bus stop. He waited until one of the buses came to take him into the city and he got off the first stop in town. It was then he realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was and how to get back to Privet Drive. He suddenly didn't feel so rebellious anymore and quite alone. He made his way to a little coffee shop across the street and stepped inside

"Hi, welcome to La Crème Café, there's a seat over there and I'll send someone over in a moment" a boy, probably around Harry's age, smiled and gestured over to the right side of the café, a small table by a window and Harry thanked him and walked over and sat down. It was still morning so it wasn't too busy, but there were a few business workers dashing in and out for their morning coffee before heading to work. He stared out the window onto the busy street, watching people talking on cell phones, rushing to taxies or just shopping and Harry was struck with the normality of it all. These people had no idea that there was an evil wizard on the loose, killing muggles and muggle born's alike and Harry couldn't help but wish he had that kind of ignorance, even for one day.

"Hello, can I get you something?" Harry heard a girl speak to him and he whipped his head around quickly, startled out of his thoughts. When his green eyes met her grey one's they both froze instantly. It was as if time it's self had stopped and all they could do was stare at each other. She dropped her note pad and stepped back almost as if she had been hit and stared at him with bafflement. Harry couldn't say anything…it was too surreal.

"H-Harry?" her voice wavered in uncertainty, although she was quite certain it was him, it was nearly unmistakable, but it was unbelievable.

Harry almost didn't recognize her appearance but he remembered those eyes, they were like glistening ice, sharp, cool, but beautiful. Her hair had been dyed, it was no longer the rich dark brown he knew but a pale blond with black and pink chunks, she'd cut it short and shaggy, and styled it wildly. Her eyes were half outline in dark eyeliner, green it looked like and she had shadowed the outer part of her eyelid and highlighted the inner corners.

"Rave," he breathed, almost scared to believe it. Suddenly she cried out and jumped at him with glee.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! It's you, it's really you! Holy shi—"

"Rave if I hear you swear once more on the job your done!" someone called from behind the counter. Harry and Rave turned to look and saw a large man with his hands on his hips and an unimpressed expression, obviously the manager. Rave smiled sheepishly before turning back to Harry.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, her eyes shining with excitement. Harry's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean? I haven't left," he added as an afterthought, "Well, except for boarding school, why?" Now Rave seemed confused.

"Well, I went to your house about a year ago and your aunt and uncle were still there but they said that you didn't live there anymore," Harry pulled back a bit.

"They said I didn't live there or that I wasn't home?" he asked with suspicion.

"They said that you no longer lived there, that you had moved somewhere else with some other people or something. They weren't all too friendly about it either come to think of it," Harry was mad. No, he was more than mad, he was livid. Rave seemed to pick up on his anger.

"Uh…you ok?"

"Oh yeah, perfect, just peachy. I'm going to be having words with my relatives when I get home…uh, speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to know the way back to Privet Drive would you?" Harry looked slightly embarrassed but he really didn't have any other way of getting back home and he wasn't about to call there and ask for someone to pick him up. They'd probably just leave him stranded anyways. Rave giggled a bit.

"You don't get out much huh?" Harry just rolled his eyes.

"No, they're pretty strict about letting me out and I'm not here usually except for summer holidays," she smiled.

"Well, I don't get off work for another couple hours, until twelve so if you don't mind waiting around for a bit I could take you back," it was really the only option he had so he said sure, why not.

The next couple hours went by pretty fast actually, whenever Rave wasn't serving she'd come over to talk to him for a couple minutes. Harry learned that she had lived in America for eight years and he could tell by her change in accent, still a hint of British tones, but a distinct southern American accent as well. He also learned that she had turned into a bit of a trouble maker, and not necessarily the type that Harry was either. She'd been fined three times for smoking, brought home twice completely wasted and once even ran from the cops from a party where some drug dealing had been involved, although she swore she wasn't involved in that. Harry took her word for it; she was after all his first best friend.

"Alright, my shift's over, let's go," he followed her out and they walked down the street lined with apartment buildings.

"You don't mind if I change first?" she asked him. He shook his head, wanting to spend as much time as possible with her before he got back home.

They had reached her apartment building and she buzzed herself in. They walked up a couple flights of stairs and into a long hallway that smelt slightly of mold.

"Are your parents home?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, I don't live with them anymore. I've got a roommate though, she's a little crazy so be warned," Rave grinned at him before unlocking the door and stepping in and Harry closed it behind him. He heard someone shriek from inside the apartment and looked up taken aback. Rave laughed and a very slender, copper skinned girl came running from what Harry thought was the living room and leaped at Rave. Harry's eyebrows shot up when he saw the girl started kissing Rave rather passionately and he felt his face heat up with embarrassment, apparently the girl didn't notice him.

"Wow Dawn, your rather energetic today," Rave put the girl down and she smiled at her before turning to Harry.

"Dawn this is my long lost friend Harry and Harry this is my girlfriend Dawn. I'm gonna go change so I'll be right back, then I've got to take Harry home, he's appeared to have gotten himself lost," she grinned again and walked into the apartment.

"Come on, I'll get you something to drink, knowing Rave she'll take half an hour to get changed," Harry followed the girl to the kitchen where she poured him a glass of Sprite and then they settled in the living room. The television was turned on but it was muted and some soap opera was on.

"So your Rave's long lost friend hey? She's talked about you before, not much though, mostly just that she missed you and she bawled her eyes out for days when she had to leave. Says that her parents forcing her to move to America made her turn to the 'dark side'," Dawn rolled her chocolate eyes with fondness. "Personally, I think she's just blaming anything she can so she can't take responsibility for her actions. I love her to death, but she has some issues to work out, that's for sure. Her hearts in the right place though. So what about you? What's your story?" Harry was a bit shocked with Dawns honesty, but he told her a bit about himself although half of it was lies. He told her that his parents died in a car crash when he was a year old and he was the only one to survive and he lived with his only living relatives, and that he went to a boarding school which was probably one of the biggest blessings of his life. Harry took in Dawn's appearance and could immediately understand why Rave seemed to be so fond of the girl.

Dawn had copper colored skin, and it looked soft and smooth, her eyes were a dark chocolately brown and they tilted downwards, giving them an almond shape. Her hair was long and a glossy black and put currently in a messy half pony tail. She was very slim, but she had soft curves. She seemed to be a very outgoing person and very likeable.

After talking for a while Rave came out to the living room, wearing torn and faded jeans and a bright orange T-shirt that had a lemon on it and said "Squeeze Me!" Harry smiled slightly at the shirt and asked if she was ready to go. She nodded and Harry said good bye to Dawn, about to head out the door when she pulled him in for a hug. He was definitely not expecting that, and not used to people being as friendly as she was. When they were waiting at the bus stop Rave apologized.

"Hey, sorry about the suddenness of that. I guess she just missed me; I haven't been home a lot lately, working too many jobs you know? I hope that didn't bother you?" Rave turned her bright grey eyes to Harry and looked up with a bit of a fearful expression.

"No, no, of course I don't care; I was just shocked is all. I like Dawn, she's nice and I can definitely see why you like her," he smirked a bit and she laughed.

"Hey now, don't you go stealing my girlfriend!" they laughed and talked a bit about random things before the bus came. She walked him to his house and they stood at the front door for a moment, both feeling a bit awkward with each other. Not seeing each other for nine years can do that to people.

"So I guess we'll catch up some time yeah?" Rave said slowly. Harry was about to say for sure, but then he remembered that he was going to the Weasley's in a couple days. Reality came crashing over his head and he felt a sense of dread run through him.

"I, I hope so, but I'm going to stay at a friend's for the rest of the summer holidays in a couple days then I'll be heading off to school…I wouldn't be able to see you until next summer," Harry felt absolutely horrible for having to tell Rave this, and he felt even more crummy when he saw the look of disappointment cross her face. She tried to cover up by smiling and telling him not to worry about it and that they could see each other then, and maybe write some letters. He nodded and gave her a quick hug before saying goodbye, not wanting to leave the front step, but knowing that if he didn't pull himself away now, he wasn't too sure he'd be able to go back. Life was too peaceful here, too innocent, too normal, too perfect and he could see himself falling very easily into it all and letting himself be consumed. So instead of doing what he wanted, he did what he should, as he always did and said good bye before stepping into his uncle's house and closed the door.


A/N: Alrighty, so I wrote this out of boredom and I was having a hard time writing my other story When the Truth Becomes a Lie so I took a break and came up with this. I don't know if I'm going to continue it, it was kind of on a whim and my main focus is WTBL right now. Tell me what you think, if I should continue it or not. If I get good reviews and more inspiration then we'll see, if not then hey, at least it's something to read right? Thanks for reading, reviews are lovely! Oh yeah, and in case you didn't notice, I need a title, lol. Any suggestions?