Disclaimer: blah blah blah... Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, JK does. But
I swear I WILL own Draco Malfoy...someday. *grins evilly*
A/N: I know it's weird to start a D/H fic pairing like this but it's essential, I tell you! Gwahahaha... ok, I should shut up now shouldn't I? lol
Turn to the side.
Bed sheets rustled.
Still not working.
Bed springs creaked as the figure shifted his weight to the other side.
To hell with this!
A 15-year-old boy got up, running a hand through his scraggly black hair and un-sticking his sweaty t-shirt from where it had stuck like film on his body. He tore it off and threw it haphazardly towards the other side of the room, then stood up, fumbling in the dark. His hands automatically reached towards his bedside table and he pushed his glasses on his narrow nose. Not that having them on helped any. He focused on the distant light of the window of the cabana he shared with his cousin Dudley, who was snoring loudly in the opposite end. He dragged a chair from the small coffee table and sat there, enjoying the moonlight as if he could feel it, and thought.
He'd been doing nothing but for the whole summer, much of which hadn't gone by at all. Once he left King's Cross Station barely a week ago, his aunt and uncle (practically the only family he had left, ever since-) had announced that they were going to an Island; St. Barts, off the coast of France at a resort called the Isle de la Paix. Two days later they arrived there and all further communication between him and the Dursleys had ended, aside from the occasional bickering over bathroom usage between him and Dudley. It had been 3 whole days and he had done nothing but sit in their cabana, craving to get out of there but at the same time unwilling to face what he knew he had to eventually.
Deep down he hated himself for it. He knew that he should be doing something more productive considering his circumstances, and he wished he could, but ultimately, he was too tired, too lazy to act upon his thoughts and intuition. So he sat there, doing the only thing he had so far done that summer and nothing but.
Dudley gave a loud snort; Harry Potter glanced back at him, and then inspected the darkness for anything unusual. Since the events of the past school year, he had been on edge. He wouldn't admit it considering how many outbursts he's had over it, but seeing it printed on paper like that made the fact that Voldemort was back so real that it threatened to come to life off the page and strangle him.
Not that dying would be such an awful thing, Harry thought dismally, his brain going against his will and replaying the events of a few weeks ago in his head. Wands – sparks – light – Neville – the orb – Dumbledore – Voldemort – Bellatrix Lestrange – Sirius –
He stopped there, taking every once of his willpower to cease any further thoughts of his godfather. The heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach came again like a sucker punch; the feeling he had been trying to avoid all summer. It was hard to tell which feeling was creeping across him the most: Fear, anger, sadness, hatred or guilt. It all felt like one big ball of fiery emotion at the pit of his stomach waiting to explode.
But then he wasn't about to deny that the vacation so far hadn't been useful. It gave him time to think about everything the past year away from everything: the appraising stares, the egging on, and false assurances. In this remote little island with barely 200 people he doubted he would encounter anyone who would know him. It hadn't been dull beyond belief but it was getting close to that. He suddenly wondered what Sirius would have done had he been in his position. He'd hated being cooped up at home all of last school year.
He immediately regretted thinking about him as a thousand thoughts assaulted him like one of the monster waves he had seen some of the guys here surf. Harry gripped the armrests on the chair he was sitting in and started grinding his teeth in frustration. He had to find something to do so he's stop thinking so much about all those trivial things.
He strode noisily towards the sliding doors leading to the veranda, seeing clearer in the dark now that his eyes had adjusted, not even bothering to put on a fresh shirt over his battered jogging pants. He knocked a glass of water to the floor intentionally, daring Dudley to wake up and tell on him, but the big oaf just kept on snoring loud as a giant in his bed. But then the honest truth was, Vernon and Petunia wouldn't have cared if he'd been sneaking out at night. They were in a different country and could deny ever knowing Harry in a heartbeat.
He slammed the door shut, and for a moment he was afraid the glass would fall out of it's frame and shatter to the ground. Instead it stood there, as steady as ever, shining his reflection back at him.
Harry stared at himself. Bright green eyes red and swollen behind absurdly dorky glasses, unruly bed hair and a disshelved look about him that gave you the impression that he wasn't quite right in the head. Maybe he was completely bonkers; he as sure as hell felt like it during times he saw and heard things no one else had.
The fifteen year old made his way across the beach towards his favorite spot on the island. It was this huge rock a few meters off shore and at the same time bordering the side of a lagoon. It took the better half of an hour to get there but it was worth it. He kept picturing what it would look like at this hour at night. Maybe he'd find a cool new creature and take it back to Hogwarts to show Hagrid.
The prospect of being back at school cheered him up a bit but then his mood darkened as he realized school was still almost two moths away.
It was high tide by the time he got there because it was full moon. He was secretly glad he was wearing his trainers as the rocks he used to get himself up there were jagged. He stared up at the moon and wondered how Lupin was doing but then he looked at the scenery around him and all further thought was pushed out of it.
Giant waved were crashing against the cliff face, swallowing the lagoon and sending sprays of ocean water even up where Harry was sitting. He ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the oceans saltiness and leaned back on the rock, savoring the feeling. This was actually the first time he'd ever gone to the beach. The full moon was turning the dark clouds magnificent shades of purple and black. The breeze swept past him, messing his hair up even more but cooling him so that he'd forgotten the stuffy heat of the cabana.
Amidst the waves there was a bright orange pinprick speeding towards shore. A windsurfer. Harry marveled at his control and maneuvering against the tsunami-like waves. He squinted, watching him. It was amusing and breathtaking, like he felt how passionate this guy was to be out at this ungodly hour.
A huge wave formed behind the guy. Harry wanted to yell and warn him but all of a sudden he ditched his sail and rode the wave towards shore, skimming the waves as if it were nothing.
Harry leaned back against the rock with a sigh. The whole show had reminded of Quidditch, his favorite thing in the world and practically the only thing he had actually been good at aside from Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hours passed and he had only noticed when the sky was tinged with pink. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed it was almost sunrise.
"Pretty, isn't it?" a voice prompted from behind him.
Surprised, he turned around so fast that he cricked his neck. He massaged it and stared at the girl with long dirty blond hair sitting a few meters above him. He wetsuit had been pulled down to her waist, revealing a simple white bikini top and a sparkling sapphire blue navel ring. Harry nodded dumbly, wondering if she was a figment of his imagination as well as the inflating feeling he had in his guts.
The girl smiled brightly and slid down the rocks to sit beside him. He noticed a tattoo of a dragon circling her right bicep as well as her chipped black nail polish. "I'm Caitlin, but you can call me KC." She said, holding out her hand. "What's your name?"
Harry stared at her. It had been a while since someone had asked him that because he'd gotten used to being recognized as The Boy who lived. Somehow it was a relief to be anonymous even to this one person. Then he realized he must have seemed like a total nutter to just be staring at her like he was. He took her hand and shook it. "I'm..." he paused.
Caitlin seemed amused. "Forgot your own name?"
Harry's eyes widened. "No.... No! I just-"
"It's quite all right." She smiled. "Happens to me a lot. You can tell me when you remember." She winked at him and propped herself up on her elbows on the rock behind them. Silence fell but it wasn't uncomfortable like you might have thought. It was... something else.
"I'm Collin," he finally said, saying the first name that had popped into his head.
She looked at him curiously but then smiled again, wider this time, showing a straight row of perfectly white teeth. He noticed her K9s were exceptionally long. "Nice to meet you, Collin. You from around here?" she asked.
Harry (or is it Collin now?) shook his head. "No, I'm vacationing here with my aunt and uncle. And you?" He had asked because she hadn't spoken with a French accent like Fleur Delacour, but she looked like she was what with the blond hair and all. Then it suddenly occurred to him that this was the chance he had been wanting: To be a whole different person even for a few weeks.
"Nah, I'm from New York but my mum's ¾ French or something like that. Come to think of it, my family's a whole hybrid of every nationality possible," She laughed and the sound filled the air like something from a music box. "What school are you from?"
"Er, Stonewall High." It was partially true. That was the school he was meant to go to before the letters from Hogwarts came. "And you?" He was secretly glad he could at least be social if he wanted to, him being in his circumstances and all.
Caitlin ran her hand through her hair, her highlights catching and reflecting the murky mid-sunrise light. "Manhattan School of the Arts, but I take some classes at Juliard." She bit her lip. It was true. Sort of.
Collin (Harry was now starting to call himself this in his thoughts) might have been a wizard but he had grown up with Muggles so he wasn't completely ignorant. "Oh, you're a dancer," He smiled at her with what he hoped was a playful grin.
She turned to look at him seriously. He felt his insides get heavy again at her stare and his heart started beating at a this-is-definitely-not-healthy rate. "No," she said slowly. Then all of a sudden she grinned, making her blue eyes sparkle. "I'm a cheerleader!"
Then they both laughed for no reason. Then something occurred to him.
"Were you the one surfing earlier?" he asked.
She nodded, about to laugh again. "You saw me beefing it out there, huh?"
"Beefing it?" He had so much to learn about normal teenage lingo. "You were really good! Seriously, I actually thought I was looking at a professional or something." He didn't mention that he thought she had been a guy.
She raised her eyebrow but nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Right. Almost drowned in the last wave, though." Caitlin looked down at the water, inspecting it. "But the water looks great now! You wanna go for a swim, shoobie?"
"E-excuse me?"
"Shoobie." She repeated, pointing at his feet. He stared down at his socks and trainers. "Oh."
She pulled her hair into a ponytail with the scroungie he had thought was a bracelet on her left wrist. "So you coming?"
Harry would normally have declined, but he was supposed to be Collin now, but it didn't mean that he didn't wish he had some gillyweed right about now. He wasn't exactly the world's best swimmer. But nonetheless he took off his shoes and socks and stood up to make his way down the cliff face.
Caitlin watched him curiously. "Where are you going?"
"Down to the beach...?" he answered lamely.
She laughed and pulled the wetsuit down off her. Harry had to bite his tongue so that's he'd wince and not stare at her. "I know a shortcut. Come on," She grabbed his hand and, with strength he would never have thought capable from a girl, tossed his over the edge.
He landed with a splat into the water. Harry surfaced and looked up at her only to find her grinning and laughing her ass off. "Nice shortcut." He sputtered, coughing out mouthfuls of water.
Caitlin took a swan dive off and landed in the water in front of him with barely a splash. She surfaced and laughed again.
"I hereby award you 10 points!" He said authoritatively, making her laugh again.
"And I award you 2 points of that face plant!" she started giggling again.
Harry adopted a look of mock hurt. "Hey, that hurt you know..."
Her smile vanished. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't think that it'd- I mean.... Oh god, I'm sorry Collin!"
He loved the way she said the name. He wanted to be Collin a lot worse now. "No problem." He said, waving his hand regally then laughed. "Truth is, I'm used to a lot worse injuries that doing a face-plant into water."
She twirled around in the water the started floating on her back, looking like she thoroughly enjoyed being in the water. "Tell me about it. I broke my ankle last summer and I had to stay home the whole time. It sucked beyond sucking." She sighed then looked up at him.
Harry felt his heart inflate to more then two times it's normal size.
"You sure you can swim in jogging pants?"
He looked down into the clear water, now slightly illuminated by the slowly rising sun. He admitted he did look queer and it was causing him some difficulty to swim. At those words, Caitlin's face broke into another grin and she ducked underwater again. Harry spun around, trying to find out which direction she'd gone until someone tugged at his pants from underwater. He took a deep breath and pulled the rest of his body into the water.
Harry tried to pry her hands off his pants but she kept looking up at him with a determined grin, trying to tug them off. Finally she let him take her hands off and for some reason he drew her arms up around his waist, pulling her closer so that her fingertips were touching the skin on his stomach.
Caitlin shook her head, making her hair form wispy clouds. It made her look ethereal, like a mermaid caught in a net and was trying desperately to get away. At this thought Harry let go of her hands, but instead of pulling away she put her hands to his face, fingertips tracing his features as if she were trying to find out what he was. Her eyes lingered over the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, then she pulled away and twirled around in the water, still smiling at him. Jets of sunlight were now piercing the water and she danced around them, looking more beautiful that anything he'd ever seen before. Harry swam after her, trying to catch her around the waist. He was acutely aware of how unlike himself he was acting, but the thought was lost as the only thing he was thinking about was catching her. Suddenly she stopped and took his hand, pulling him back towards the surface.
Harry took in a lung full of air, unaware of how much he had wanted to breathe again until he actually was. He brushed his unruly hair out of his eyes and looked at her. He was pleasantly aware that she was still holding his hand, and wished that she hadn't noticed so she wouldn't let go.
Caitlin was panting, and he didn't blame her because she'd been underwater longer than he had. She finally let go of his hand to brush her hair back. Harry noticed the numerous piercings she had on her ears.
She turned to look at him. "Where d'you get that scar?" she asked curiously, all traces of playfulness gone now.
Harry frowned slightly. "Car accident, when I was a kid." He could feel her eyes on him. "Both my parents died," he added without needing to.
Caitlin frowned. "I know how that feels. My mum died a few years back. How old were you when it happened?"
"Barely one." He answered vaguely. "You aren't gonna comfort me or anything?" he added with a bit of humor in his voice.
She looked at him squarely in the eye and staring into the sapphire blue was almost painful that he wanted to look away. "I hated hearing people say 'sorry' when my mum died because I knew they weren't sorry at all. But if you want me to comfort you I will." She smiled at him.
"No need to; I've been hearing it all my life and I'm getting sick of it." He looked away from her and into the almost risen sun. "It's beautiful." He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen the sunrise for years now, and it felt great to just be alive.
"Come on, I've got to get back to the house before my father notices I'm gone. Do you have to be anywhere?" She started swimming back to shore.
Harry's mind traveled back to the still sleeping Dursleys back at the resort. "No," he said defiantly, paddling after her.
*
A/N: I know it's weird to start a D/H fic pairing like this but it's essential, I tell you! Gwahahaha... ok, I should shut up now shouldn't I? lol
Turn to the side.
Bed sheets rustled.
Still not working.
Bed springs creaked as the figure shifted his weight to the other side.
To hell with this!
A 15-year-old boy got up, running a hand through his scraggly black hair and un-sticking his sweaty t-shirt from where it had stuck like film on his body. He tore it off and threw it haphazardly towards the other side of the room, then stood up, fumbling in the dark. His hands automatically reached towards his bedside table and he pushed his glasses on his narrow nose. Not that having them on helped any. He focused on the distant light of the window of the cabana he shared with his cousin Dudley, who was snoring loudly in the opposite end. He dragged a chair from the small coffee table and sat there, enjoying the moonlight as if he could feel it, and thought.
He'd been doing nothing but for the whole summer, much of which hadn't gone by at all. Once he left King's Cross Station barely a week ago, his aunt and uncle (practically the only family he had left, ever since-) had announced that they were going to an Island; St. Barts, off the coast of France at a resort called the Isle de la Paix. Two days later they arrived there and all further communication between him and the Dursleys had ended, aside from the occasional bickering over bathroom usage between him and Dudley. It had been 3 whole days and he had done nothing but sit in their cabana, craving to get out of there but at the same time unwilling to face what he knew he had to eventually.
Deep down he hated himself for it. He knew that he should be doing something more productive considering his circumstances, and he wished he could, but ultimately, he was too tired, too lazy to act upon his thoughts and intuition. So he sat there, doing the only thing he had so far done that summer and nothing but.
Dudley gave a loud snort; Harry Potter glanced back at him, and then inspected the darkness for anything unusual. Since the events of the past school year, he had been on edge. He wouldn't admit it considering how many outbursts he's had over it, but seeing it printed on paper like that made the fact that Voldemort was back so real that it threatened to come to life off the page and strangle him.
Not that dying would be such an awful thing, Harry thought dismally, his brain going against his will and replaying the events of a few weeks ago in his head. Wands – sparks – light – Neville – the orb – Dumbledore – Voldemort – Bellatrix Lestrange – Sirius –
He stopped there, taking every once of his willpower to cease any further thoughts of his godfather. The heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach came again like a sucker punch; the feeling he had been trying to avoid all summer. It was hard to tell which feeling was creeping across him the most: Fear, anger, sadness, hatred or guilt. It all felt like one big ball of fiery emotion at the pit of his stomach waiting to explode.
But then he wasn't about to deny that the vacation so far hadn't been useful. It gave him time to think about everything the past year away from everything: the appraising stares, the egging on, and false assurances. In this remote little island with barely 200 people he doubted he would encounter anyone who would know him. It hadn't been dull beyond belief but it was getting close to that. He suddenly wondered what Sirius would have done had he been in his position. He'd hated being cooped up at home all of last school year.
He immediately regretted thinking about him as a thousand thoughts assaulted him like one of the monster waves he had seen some of the guys here surf. Harry gripped the armrests on the chair he was sitting in and started grinding his teeth in frustration. He had to find something to do so he's stop thinking so much about all those trivial things.
He strode noisily towards the sliding doors leading to the veranda, seeing clearer in the dark now that his eyes had adjusted, not even bothering to put on a fresh shirt over his battered jogging pants. He knocked a glass of water to the floor intentionally, daring Dudley to wake up and tell on him, but the big oaf just kept on snoring loud as a giant in his bed. But then the honest truth was, Vernon and Petunia wouldn't have cared if he'd been sneaking out at night. They were in a different country and could deny ever knowing Harry in a heartbeat.
He slammed the door shut, and for a moment he was afraid the glass would fall out of it's frame and shatter to the ground. Instead it stood there, as steady as ever, shining his reflection back at him.
Harry stared at himself. Bright green eyes red and swollen behind absurdly dorky glasses, unruly bed hair and a disshelved look about him that gave you the impression that he wasn't quite right in the head. Maybe he was completely bonkers; he as sure as hell felt like it during times he saw and heard things no one else had.
The fifteen year old made his way across the beach towards his favorite spot on the island. It was this huge rock a few meters off shore and at the same time bordering the side of a lagoon. It took the better half of an hour to get there but it was worth it. He kept picturing what it would look like at this hour at night. Maybe he'd find a cool new creature and take it back to Hogwarts to show Hagrid.
The prospect of being back at school cheered him up a bit but then his mood darkened as he realized school was still almost two moths away.
It was high tide by the time he got there because it was full moon. He was secretly glad he was wearing his trainers as the rocks he used to get himself up there were jagged. He stared up at the moon and wondered how Lupin was doing but then he looked at the scenery around him and all further thought was pushed out of it.
Giant waved were crashing against the cliff face, swallowing the lagoon and sending sprays of ocean water even up where Harry was sitting. He ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the oceans saltiness and leaned back on the rock, savoring the feeling. This was actually the first time he'd ever gone to the beach. The full moon was turning the dark clouds magnificent shades of purple and black. The breeze swept past him, messing his hair up even more but cooling him so that he'd forgotten the stuffy heat of the cabana.
Amidst the waves there was a bright orange pinprick speeding towards shore. A windsurfer. Harry marveled at his control and maneuvering against the tsunami-like waves. He squinted, watching him. It was amusing and breathtaking, like he felt how passionate this guy was to be out at this ungodly hour.
A huge wave formed behind the guy. Harry wanted to yell and warn him but all of a sudden he ditched his sail and rode the wave towards shore, skimming the waves as if it were nothing.
Harry leaned back against the rock with a sigh. The whole show had reminded of Quidditch, his favorite thing in the world and practically the only thing he had actually been good at aside from Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hours passed and he had only noticed when the sky was tinged with pink. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed it was almost sunrise.
"Pretty, isn't it?" a voice prompted from behind him.
Surprised, he turned around so fast that he cricked his neck. He massaged it and stared at the girl with long dirty blond hair sitting a few meters above him. He wetsuit had been pulled down to her waist, revealing a simple white bikini top and a sparkling sapphire blue navel ring. Harry nodded dumbly, wondering if she was a figment of his imagination as well as the inflating feeling he had in his guts.
The girl smiled brightly and slid down the rocks to sit beside him. He noticed a tattoo of a dragon circling her right bicep as well as her chipped black nail polish. "I'm Caitlin, but you can call me KC." She said, holding out her hand. "What's your name?"
Harry stared at her. It had been a while since someone had asked him that because he'd gotten used to being recognized as The Boy who lived. Somehow it was a relief to be anonymous even to this one person. Then he realized he must have seemed like a total nutter to just be staring at her like he was. He took her hand and shook it. "I'm..." he paused.
Caitlin seemed amused. "Forgot your own name?"
Harry's eyes widened. "No.... No! I just-"
"It's quite all right." She smiled. "Happens to me a lot. You can tell me when you remember." She winked at him and propped herself up on her elbows on the rock behind them. Silence fell but it wasn't uncomfortable like you might have thought. It was... something else.
"I'm Collin," he finally said, saying the first name that had popped into his head.
She looked at him curiously but then smiled again, wider this time, showing a straight row of perfectly white teeth. He noticed her K9s were exceptionally long. "Nice to meet you, Collin. You from around here?" she asked.
Harry (or is it Collin now?) shook his head. "No, I'm vacationing here with my aunt and uncle. And you?" He had asked because she hadn't spoken with a French accent like Fleur Delacour, but she looked like she was what with the blond hair and all. Then it suddenly occurred to him that this was the chance he had been wanting: To be a whole different person even for a few weeks.
"Nah, I'm from New York but my mum's ¾ French or something like that. Come to think of it, my family's a whole hybrid of every nationality possible," She laughed and the sound filled the air like something from a music box. "What school are you from?"
"Er, Stonewall High." It was partially true. That was the school he was meant to go to before the letters from Hogwarts came. "And you?" He was secretly glad he could at least be social if he wanted to, him being in his circumstances and all.
Caitlin ran her hand through her hair, her highlights catching and reflecting the murky mid-sunrise light. "Manhattan School of the Arts, but I take some classes at Juliard." She bit her lip. It was true. Sort of.
Collin (Harry was now starting to call himself this in his thoughts) might have been a wizard but he had grown up with Muggles so he wasn't completely ignorant. "Oh, you're a dancer," He smiled at her with what he hoped was a playful grin.
She turned to look at him seriously. He felt his insides get heavy again at her stare and his heart started beating at a this-is-definitely-not-healthy rate. "No," she said slowly. Then all of a sudden she grinned, making her blue eyes sparkle. "I'm a cheerleader!"
Then they both laughed for no reason. Then something occurred to him.
"Were you the one surfing earlier?" he asked.
She nodded, about to laugh again. "You saw me beefing it out there, huh?"
"Beefing it?" He had so much to learn about normal teenage lingo. "You were really good! Seriously, I actually thought I was looking at a professional or something." He didn't mention that he thought she had been a guy.
She raised her eyebrow but nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Right. Almost drowned in the last wave, though." Caitlin looked down at the water, inspecting it. "But the water looks great now! You wanna go for a swim, shoobie?"
"E-excuse me?"
"Shoobie." She repeated, pointing at his feet. He stared down at his socks and trainers. "Oh."
She pulled her hair into a ponytail with the scroungie he had thought was a bracelet on her left wrist. "So you coming?"
Harry would normally have declined, but he was supposed to be Collin now, but it didn't mean that he didn't wish he had some gillyweed right about now. He wasn't exactly the world's best swimmer. But nonetheless he took off his shoes and socks and stood up to make his way down the cliff face.
Caitlin watched him curiously. "Where are you going?"
"Down to the beach...?" he answered lamely.
She laughed and pulled the wetsuit down off her. Harry had to bite his tongue so that's he'd wince and not stare at her. "I know a shortcut. Come on," She grabbed his hand and, with strength he would never have thought capable from a girl, tossed his over the edge.
He landed with a splat into the water. Harry surfaced and looked up at her only to find her grinning and laughing her ass off. "Nice shortcut." He sputtered, coughing out mouthfuls of water.
Caitlin took a swan dive off and landed in the water in front of him with barely a splash. She surfaced and laughed again.
"I hereby award you 10 points!" He said authoritatively, making her laugh again.
"And I award you 2 points of that face plant!" she started giggling again.
Harry adopted a look of mock hurt. "Hey, that hurt you know..."
Her smile vanished. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't think that it'd- I mean.... Oh god, I'm sorry Collin!"
He loved the way she said the name. He wanted to be Collin a lot worse now. "No problem." He said, waving his hand regally then laughed. "Truth is, I'm used to a lot worse injuries that doing a face-plant into water."
She twirled around in the water the started floating on her back, looking like she thoroughly enjoyed being in the water. "Tell me about it. I broke my ankle last summer and I had to stay home the whole time. It sucked beyond sucking." She sighed then looked up at him.
Harry felt his heart inflate to more then two times it's normal size.
"You sure you can swim in jogging pants?"
He looked down into the clear water, now slightly illuminated by the slowly rising sun. He admitted he did look queer and it was causing him some difficulty to swim. At those words, Caitlin's face broke into another grin and she ducked underwater again. Harry spun around, trying to find out which direction she'd gone until someone tugged at his pants from underwater. He took a deep breath and pulled the rest of his body into the water.
Harry tried to pry her hands off his pants but she kept looking up at him with a determined grin, trying to tug them off. Finally she let him take her hands off and for some reason he drew her arms up around his waist, pulling her closer so that her fingertips were touching the skin on his stomach.
Caitlin shook her head, making her hair form wispy clouds. It made her look ethereal, like a mermaid caught in a net and was trying desperately to get away. At this thought Harry let go of her hands, but instead of pulling away she put her hands to his face, fingertips tracing his features as if she were trying to find out what he was. Her eyes lingered over the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, then she pulled away and twirled around in the water, still smiling at him. Jets of sunlight were now piercing the water and she danced around them, looking more beautiful that anything he'd ever seen before. Harry swam after her, trying to catch her around the waist. He was acutely aware of how unlike himself he was acting, but the thought was lost as the only thing he was thinking about was catching her. Suddenly she stopped and took his hand, pulling him back towards the surface.
Harry took in a lung full of air, unaware of how much he had wanted to breathe again until he actually was. He brushed his unruly hair out of his eyes and looked at her. He was pleasantly aware that she was still holding his hand, and wished that she hadn't noticed so she wouldn't let go.
Caitlin was panting, and he didn't blame her because she'd been underwater longer than he had. She finally let go of his hand to brush her hair back. Harry noticed the numerous piercings she had on her ears.
She turned to look at him. "Where d'you get that scar?" she asked curiously, all traces of playfulness gone now.
Harry frowned slightly. "Car accident, when I was a kid." He could feel her eyes on him. "Both my parents died," he added without needing to.
Caitlin frowned. "I know how that feels. My mum died a few years back. How old were you when it happened?"
"Barely one." He answered vaguely. "You aren't gonna comfort me or anything?" he added with a bit of humor in his voice.
She looked at him squarely in the eye and staring into the sapphire blue was almost painful that he wanted to look away. "I hated hearing people say 'sorry' when my mum died because I knew they weren't sorry at all. But if you want me to comfort you I will." She smiled at him.
"No need to; I've been hearing it all my life and I'm getting sick of it." He looked away from her and into the almost risen sun. "It's beautiful." He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen the sunrise for years now, and it felt great to just be alive.
"Come on, I've got to get back to the house before my father notices I'm gone. Do you have to be anywhere?" She started swimming back to shore.
Harry's mind traveled back to the still sleeping Dursleys back at the resort. "No," he said defiantly, paddling after her.
*