I don't expect him when he comes. I'm not sure whether to invite him in, but he's at the door dripping wet, and I'm in the warmth and comfort. So I motion for the tall man with green eyes and crazy black hair to come inside, looking him over as he does. I grab his coat from his hands and hang it on the rack, receiving a small smile of thanks. Then we stand there looking at each other.

Once friends now strangers and we meet again in my own home. He's taking me in, I can see it. What I look like, thinking back to our school days, he's trying to see if I've adjusted to my life. I do the same, I see how he changed from when I saw him last. I take him in. Harry Potter is now a man, and I a woman. No longer two eighteen year olds trying to patch up our messed up backgrounds, and attempting to create successful futures.

"Jamie" he says, my name he says. With respect, as a friend, as an equal.

And I can think of so many things to say, some dramatic, some simple, others plain rude. He owes me, he knows that. I didn't make peace with her, and he knows that too. There is no possibly good reason for him to be here right now, I have every right to tell him to leave, but all that comes out of my mouth is "It's been a while."

Harry nods. Because it's true, and nothing can deny it.

There is nothing more to say.

"I'm sorry, would you like to sit?" I say, breaking the silence at last.

"Yes, thank you." Harry responds, then continues "He's not, uh-"

"No, he's visiting his mother in France, nothing to worry about" I answer his unfinished question. I lead him to the living room, taking a seat near the fire, and then call a house elf for drinks.

"Does Mrs. Malfoy want something while she talks with Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, that would be lovely Gimma, and please, call me Jamie." I said kindly. Though Draco still didn't like them much, I insisted they be treated as nicely as possible. "Can you please bring me a cup of apple cider? You know I've never been much of a tea person." I say turning to Harry, "Would you like anything?"

"Some tea, please?" he asked Gimma.

She nodded and with two short bows disappeared.

I started moving books from the coffee table to an unoccupied chair; this was the place where I did most of my reading and books tended to accumulate. While I was doing so I glanced at Harry, he was looking into the fire fidgeting with his hands.

"Is something wrong?" I ask. Could that be the reason he was here? Or maybe he was delivering a message, yes, that could be it. He being top Auror came up with a situation so important they needed information from the past and none of his trainees wanted to come again, having been scared by Draco many times before. But before my train of thought got any farther than that Harry starts talking, so I turn my attention to him.

"You know the war's 20th anniversary is coming up." He looked really nervous as he said this, but I couldn't see how this related to him being here. He continued, "and the Daily Prophet wants to, um, interview you. They're running an article featuring the 'top five affected by the war-" he made air quotation marks as he said this "- and, in reverse order it's Malfoy, Ron, uh, Hermione, you, and, me."

I stared.

"You don't have to do it of course"

I wasn't a hero.

"The voting was done only by the most important war veterans."

I wasn't super special.

"Malfoy already said he'd do it by owl."

I was the hidden part of the story.

"But I wanted to ask you in person."

I was the girl who was forced in to the dark side.

"I mean, you are a very important part of the story."

I was backstage crew while the others stared in the show.

"And I get it if it's too personal or you don't want to drag yourself all the way to the Ministry but-"

I was the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I'll do it."

Thanks to everyone who's read this. Please leave a review on what you think :) Second chapter should be up soon since I already started it.

- Curly