Patronuses Chapter 2 - Blind Dates

July came, and Harry started thinking about how he was going to celebrate his twenty-first birthday. The Weasleys were great, and a second family to him, but he was seriously considering spending this birthday alone. Especially since last year's had been pretty wretched.

Hermione had owled the previous week to suggest that Harry spend some time in the muggle world. It wasn't a bad idea, and yet Harry still hadn't gone. He hadn't really spent any time in the muggle world since the big Horcrux hunt, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of that world again. Where would he go? What would he do?

Feeling somewhat lonely and nostalgic, Harry decided to visit the Dursleys. He changed into a nice clean set of slacks, button-up shirt, and tie; grabbed his wand; walked out past the apparition wards and was gone.

He reappeared in the alley between Wisteria Walk and Magnolia Crescent. Nothing had changed since he had saved Dudley from dementors in that very place. He started walking, confidently at first, but soon he became burdened by memories and indecisiveness.

This was the first time Harry had even thought about the Dursleys since the night he was "rescued" by the order nearly four years ago. Where had the Dursleys be taken that night? Had they even gone back to Number 4, Privet Drive?

He'd have to chance it.

He turned the corner onto Privet Drive and headed to number 4. Nervously, Harry straightened his tie. He wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get. Hesitating on the doorstep, Harry noticed that Private Drive looked exactly the same, but then again, it was one of those places that never seemed to change.

Knock, knock.

Petunia Dursley answered the door, her expression darkening when she saw who it was. Harry forced a smile and left his hands in plain sight as he said, "Hello, Aunt Petunia. May I come in?"

After a moment's thought, Mrs. Dursley nodded and opened the door to him. "I didn't realize you had heard," she said.

Rule one for a quiet life with the Dursleys: never ask questions. But Harry had grown up, and in some ways he had hoped he could be treated as an equal now. "Heard what?"

Petunia didn't respond as she led Harry into the living room. "Dudders, there's someone to see you."

Harry rounded the corner to find Uncle Vernon, Dudley, and a very pretty blond all sipping Champaign with smiles on their faces. When Vernon saw Harry his face changed instantly from one of happiness into a mix of fear, resentment, and anger. "What are you doing here, boy?" he thundered.

Dudley's reaction to seeing Harry was surprised but not hostile. "Dad," Dudley said in a tone that was meant to imply sometimes along the lines of 'please don't ruin this for me.'

"Good to see you too, Uncle Vernon," Harry responded calmly. Then to Dudley he said, "What's this? Little Duddykins is engaged?" It was the only logical explanation.

Dudley laughed and held out his hand to shake Harry's in welcome. "Yeah, actually. You might remember Marissa?"

Harry turned to the blond. She didn't seem familiar. "I'm sorry, no."

Marissa smiled and then held out her hand. "Marissa Barnes. Don't worry about it. We were in the same year. I always wondered what happened to you."

Harry's eyes flickered to his uncle's and then back. "I was a very troubled child, but I got the help I needed," Harry lied smoothly.

Dudley frowned, but Petunia and Vernon both looked relieved. Marissa just smiled. "Well I'm glad everything worked out for you. I hope you'll be at the wedding?"

"Be sure to send me an invitation."

"We will," Dudley answered with a nod.

oOoOo

Harry was reluctantly invited to stay for dinner, mostly at Marissa's insistence. She was happily chatting with Harry, trying to weasel information out of him. Harry merely said that it was a dark past that he didn't want to get into. Marissa's eyes widened and she looked positively thrilled. Harry couldn't imagine why.

About halfway through dinner, Marissa asked him a question that made everyone at the table stop what they were doing, just to hear the answer.

"So Harry, do you have a girlfriend?"

Harry set down his fork and replied, "No, why do you ask?"

"Well, I have a friend who adores men with a mysterious past. She's a few years younger than you, and she studied abroad for most of her school years at some elite private academy. She's currently single, and I think that you would get along famously. What do you say?"

Harry somehow had not comprehended what Marissa was implying. "What do I say to what?"

Marissa laughed. "To a blind date, of course." She turned to Dudley, "Your cousin is so funny!" More laughter from Marissa. Dudley forced a laugh which Petunia mirrored, but it died out quickly.

Harry was about to refuse, but he hesitated. He was torn between the idea of meeting someone who might be able to get to know him without all the wizarding world drama and the thought that he would have to lie about basically everything. He shook his head.

"Oh, come on, one tiny little date?" Marissa was pouting.

oOoOo

Harry stood outside a small café, trying to remember how he had been talked into this. After he had said no to the idea of a blind date, Marissa's questions about his past had become more pointed and uncomfortable. Harry couldn't answer because he wasn't sure what his aunt and uncle had told people, and Marissa was becoming suspicious. So, to distract her, Harry had agreed to the blind date.

He was meeting a girl named Natalie McDonald. He didn't know why, but the name sounded familiar… but that couldn't be, right? Natalie was a muggle friend of Marissa's. Perhaps it was simply the fact that McDonald was a common enough last name. Yes, that would have to be it.

Harry was holding a white rose as his identifier. He brushed it nervously across the fingers of his left hand while he waited. Plenty of good-looking women passed by, but none of them approached. Harry checked his watch.

"Hello," a voice said from behind him.

Harry turned to see a young woman with dark brown hair smiling at him. "You must be Harry," she said, holding out her hand.

Harry nodded and shook her proffered hand. He couldn't help but notice that her hand was soft and warm and it made his stomach churn in a not-unpleasant way. "Yes. You must be Natalie."

"I am." She smiled. Harry thought she had a nice smile. He reluctantly let go of her hand, and offered the rose. Natalie smiled, took the rose and snapped it in half. Harry was about to protest when Natalie took the short end (the one with the blossom) and tucked it into her hair.

Harry adjusted his glasses, at a loss of what to say or do next. It had been a year since Ginny, and before that… well, Ginny had been the one to steer the relationship. Natalie broke the tension. "So, shall we go in? I've heard the coffee here is great."

oOoOo

Harry and Natalie ordered drinks at the counter and then found a small table to sit at. For a few moments, neither spoke, but Harry decided he hadn't been placed in Gryffindor for nothing, and cleared his throat.

"Sorry about this," he said. Then realizing how it must have sounded, he added, "I mean, you didn't have to agree to this. I only said yes because Marissa was so insistent."

Natalie smiled and looked down at her cup. "How do you know Marissa anyways? She's never talked about you before."

"Oh, she's engaged to my cousin."

"Really? I didn't know." She looked almost sad to Harry when she said that.

"Well, I only found out a few days ago. I sort of dropped by unannounced at my uncle's house."

"Right," Natalie said. "Of course. That must be what Saturday's party will be about. And why Marissa insisted we have our blind date first. She must be expecting us to hit it off so that I can have a date to her engagement party too." Natalie let out an exasperated sigh and then laughed. "Marissa's always been a bit of a matchmaker."

Harry smiled. "Are you two very close?"

"As close as we can be, I guess. We've had very different lives."

"I know how that goes," Harry muttered, but Natalie heard him.

"Are you and Dudley close?"

"No, not at all," Harry said with a small laugh at the absurdity. Seeing Natalie's questioning look he added, "Dudley and I never got along when we were growing up."

"You lived with the Dursleys?"

"Yeah, they took me in when my parents were… died in a car crash."

If Natalie heard the hesitation she didn't comment on it. She sipped at her drink with her brow furled in thought. Harry started to feel guilty. He had just lied to her and he'd only known her for fifteen minutes. Perhaps this was a bad idea. "I need to go," he said, standing. "I'm sorry."

"Wait," Natalie said, causing Harry to pause. She rummaged in her purse and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbled something and then pushed the pen back into her bag. She held out the note with a smile. "My phone number, if you'd like to try this again. I had a good time."

Harry blinked at her in surprise as he took the paper from her. "Really?"

"Yes, of course," Natalie said. "I wouldn't give you a fake phone number, that's just silly."

Harry chuckled. "I didn't mean that. I thought I was messing this up."

"First dates are always awkward," Natalie said. "But since you haven't insulted me or spilled something on my dress, and since neither of us has been interrupted improbably by an ex-lover, I would have to say this was pretty nice."

"Would you like to go out with me again?"

"I'd love to. When?"

oOoOo

Harry was meeting Natalie again for dinner that night. He was uncharacteristically optimistic about the evening, though he couldn't explain why. He had decided to be honest about everything in a non-specific way. He'd be true to his character, and hoped that Natalie could just learn to like him without knowing details about his past. It wouldn't be that hard. Harry had never even told Ginny.

Harry frowned at that realization. Ginny never concerned herself with the past, only the future. At first, Harry had thought she understood that he just needed some time, but that wasn't the case. They had never talked much about their childhood, and they didn't confide in each other. He had never asked her about what she heard when the dementors got close, never had her share her experience with the diary horcrux. He didn't ask her because she didn't ask him. She didn't want to know the details, she just accepted things are they were.

Harry was still frowning when Natalie approached him. "Do I look that bad," she joked nervously.

Harry's eyes focused on her. Natalie's dark hair was hanging loose in silky waves just past her shoulders, and she was dressed nicely in a white summer-dress. When Harry looked closer he realized that the dress was actually comprised of tightly packed white lilies on a green background.

"You look great."

Natalie blushed.

oOoOo

Dinner was nice in a way that Harry wasn't used to. The Dursleys had always made him feel unwanted, Hogwarts had been filled with noisy adolescents, the Weasleys were loud and boisterous… It was nice to be alone with someone new. Natalie smiled when she caught him staring at her.

"Do I have sauce on my chin or something?"

Harry took a chance. "Yes. Here, let me get it." He picked up his napkin and gently reached across the table to wipe the imaginary sauce off Natalie's chin.

She chuckled. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"So what are our plans for after dinner?"

Harry felt his face get warm. "What do you mean?"

"Were we just going to say goodnight, or did you want to take a walk, or go dancing?" Natalie looked hopeful.

"I didn't have any plans," Harry said, praying that Natalie couldn't tell that his mind had taken a rather ungentlemanly leap. "Would you like to take a walk or go dancing?"

"Do you dance?"

"A little, but I'm not very good." The last time Harry had danced in public was Percy's wedding. He danced two songs with Ginny and one with Hermione. Before that the only time was the Yule Ball during fourth year, and that one was only because he had to. Another thought occurred to Harry that he and Ginny hadn't danced together since Percy's wedding.

"I'm sure you're better than you think. Perhaps you just haven't had the right partner," Natalie commented.

Harry frowned. Natalie had just said exactly what he was thinking.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Harry said, trying to repress his confusion. "No, I was just thinking the same thing and it caught me off-guard," he admitted.

Natalie chuckled again. "You say the strangest things sometimes, Harry."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, sometimes I can tell that you take great care in planning what you're going to say. Then other times you just talk. The strange part is that you seem more guarded about seemingly less important things. It's unusual."

Seemingly less important things?

Natalie continued. "Our pasts make us who we are, but most people find it easier to try to hold up their past as a defense to their personality. You're the exact opposite."

Harry nodded. "I want you to get to know me as I am, not by what I have or haven't done."

Natalie smiled. "Me too."

oOoOo

After dinner, Natalie led Harry down the road to a small and slightly unremarkable building. "This is The Jig. It has a big dance floor and a different theme each night," she explained.

"Different theme?"

"Different music and styles of dance. Let's see what tonight's theme is. If you don't like it, we don't have to stay."

"Fair enough."

Natalie pulled open the outer door and led the way up to the coat-check. "Excuse me," she said as she set her purse on the counter. "Could you tell me what the theme for tonight is, please?"

"Country dances, miss."

"And is there room in the form for us?"

"I believe so."

Natalie smiled. "Thank you." She turned back to look at Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know any country dances."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

Natalie insisted that Harry at least try three dances and if he still hated it they would leave, so they checked their coats and Natalie's purse and entered the dance hall.

The room was about a third of the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It was full of couples ranging from their early teens to middle-aged. No one looked twice at Harry, and it was a relief to not hear 'Look, it's Harry Potter!' followed by applause.

Natalie took Harry's hand, distracting him from his thoughts, and led him over to where he needed to stand for the next song. "Just do what everyone else does," she said.

Harry looked around a bit nervously. "First time, lad," the man next to him asked with a knowing smile. Harry nodded, but there was no time to ask what to do because the music started.

Country dancing was reminiscent of renaissance court dancing, only with livelier music and bouncier steps. People traded partners occasionally throughout the dancing, but always ended up with the person they had started with. It wasn't a bad experience at all and Harry was actually enjoying himself.

A/N: Like all authors, I would love reviews. =D