Omen or Coincidence?
Myrtle stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, feeling her way along the walls. When she finally reached the kitchen, she could see the blurry outline of a person sitting at the table.
"Good morning," she said brightly as she felt her way to a chair.
Hermione looked up from her newspaper, amused. She had been informed of the situation when she had returned late last night. "Good morning, Myrtle."
"And how are you this fine morning?"
"Fine..." Hermione stared at Myrtle for a moment. "Myrtle, why aren't you wearing your glasses or contacts?"
"Well, person-I-don't-know-"
"It's Hermione Granger."
"Oh! I hope you don't mind I borrowed some of your pajamas. Anyway, as I was saying, (it's the silliest thing...) I forgot to take out the contacts last night before I fell asleep. It was my first time wearing them, and now my eyes hurt."
"That doesn't explain why you aren't wearing your glasses."
"I...I, uh, left them at Hogwarts. And besides, they make me look ugly."
"Oh, Myrtle! You're so vain," Hermione said.
Myrtle felt her face turning red and defended herself with, "I seem to remember you shrinking your teeth!"
Hermione flushed as well and rapidly changed the subject. "It never ceases to amaze me that the wizarding world hasn't found a solution for bad eyesight. Even Muggles have laser eye surgery."
"Laser eye surgery?" Myrtle asked curiously.
"Well, it's a medical operation Muggles perform to correct eyesight permanently so a person doesn't have to wear contacts or glasses."
"Oh!" said Myrtle. Softly she confessed, "Back when I was alive, it was my dream to become a Healer and discover spells to correct eyesight, clear up acne..." Myrtle stopped and flushed. Her dream now seemed so superficial.
"Oh, yes," said Hermione. "Those are good things to want to cure...all those things that can make teenage life so horrible."
Myrtle felt a little better because Hermione seemed to be sincere. "How does it work?" she asked curiously. "This laser eye surgery?"
"Well, they cut the eye with a laser-"
"Cut?!" Myrtle interrupted in astonishment. "And what's a laser?"
"It's a beam of concentrated light-"
"Oh, my!" Myrtle interrupted again."It sounds so barbaric!"
Hermione felt slightly annoyed and opened her mouth to explain more when Harry walked sleepily into the kitchen.
"What sounds barbaric?" he asked groggily.
"I was telling Myrtle about laser eye surgery," Hermione said.
"Oh!" said Harry. "Well, I suppose that would sound barbaric to someone who has lived all her life in a world where they can regrow bones," he laughed. "I guess it's just never been thought important enough for anyone to bother discovering a spell for it," he finished with a shrug.
"Well, I wasn't born in the wizarding world..." Myrtle said self-consciously. "But even in the Muggle world they didn't have 'laser eye surgery' when I was alive."
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances; they had forgotten that Myrtle was a Muggleborn. Even the world she had lived her childhood in would be completely changed now...
Hermione changed the subject yet again. "Myrtle," she said brightly, "Did you know Harry will be taking you shopping today?"
"Shopping?" Myrtle said blankly as her mind tried to switch to the new topic. She didn't see the dirty look Harry threw at Hermione.
"Yeah..." Harry said, trying to keep himself from sounding begrudged.
"Oh, that's so nice of you!" Myrtle said happily. Harry felt a little better when he heard the excitement in her voice. Then Myrtle's face fell. "But...I don't have any money. At least, I don't think I do," she said, frowning. "My parents are dead by now, and I wasn't exactly expecting to come back to life and need money."
"Well, Hogwarts has a fund for students who have no families to get the necessities, and Professor McGonagall has given you access to that even though Hogwarts hasn't reopened yet."
"Oh. Well, when are we leaving then?"
"Oh," Harry said. "Um, I need to eat some breakfast and get dressed, and then we can go."
After Harry had gone back upstairs to get dressed, Hermione quickly pulled Myrtle off to the bathroom near the room she had slept in. "Here," she said, thrusting a bottle into Myrtle's hands.
"What is it?"
"It's a pain potion to make your eyes feel better so you can put the contacts back in. You can't go stumbling blindly about Diagon Alley." Hermione turned to leave and paused before turning back and saying, "Oh, and Myrtle?"
"Yes?" Myrtle asked as she gulped down the liquid.
"You should buy some new glasses while you're in Diagon Alley. It's always good to have a spare pair, and now they sell some really pretty ones."
Myrtle couldn't see Hermione's face, but she smiled to show her appreciation before concentrating on putting the contacts back on. Once she could see again Hermione was gone, and she checked out her reflection critically in the mirror. Hermione did have some make-up in here that Myrtle could borrow, and she had combed through her hair before she had gone downstairs. There were so many things she needed to buy...hopefully Harry wouldn't feel too awkward.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Myrtle and Harry strolled down the streets of Diagon Alley. "Our first stop will be Ollivander's to get you a new wand," Harry said.
"Ollivander is back?"
"Yes. No one told you?" Harry queried with a quizzical eyebrow.
"No one ever told me anything at Hogwarts," Myrtle said with a shrug. "I wonder what happened to my original wand... maybe they gave it to my parents. But they were Muggles, so maybe not."
"What was your original wand?
"Willow and unicorn hair."
"That's the same wood and core as Ron's."
"Really?!" Myrtle responded as they ducked into the shop.
"My goodness..." came an aged voice. "Can it be...? Myrtle Puckle?"
"You remember me?" Myrtle asked Ollivander in astonishment.
"Of course I remember you. I remember every wand I've ever sold. Last time was willow and unicorn hair, correct?" Ollivander brought over a stack of boxes. "It's typical for wizards and witches to often have the same materials in their wands even when getting new ones."
But after trying over twenty willow and unicorn hair wands with no results, Ollivander frowned. "Hmmm, perhaps your unusual circumstances have caused your magic to change. Let's try something different."
After trying holly, cherry, rosewood, vine, beech, ash, mahogany, and oak with similar bad results, Ollivander tapped his chin and mused, "Perhaps we ought to try a more exotic variety." He went back into his stacks and handed Myrtle a wand.
Tiredly giving it a wave, Myrtle jumped when sparks came from the wand. After so long, she hadn't really been expecting results anymore. She'd actually been beginning to worry...
"Ah! There we go," Ollivander said with a smile before his smile disappeared. "Peculiar, most peculiar."
"What?" Myrtle asked with paranoia.
"Very few wands are made with yew because it so rarely chooses wizards. Most of the yew wands in this shop come from the wood of only one or two trees. You-Know-Who's wand was also made from the wood of this particular tree."
"What?!" Harry exclaimed in alarm.
"No need to be so alarmed. Nothing like Priori Incantatum could happen with woods, and he's gone now at any rate. But it's certainly still unusual..."
Harry and Myrtle emerged from the shop pale.
After a few moments of silence, Myrtle hesitantly ventured, "Do you think it's just because of the connection between my resurrection and his downfall?"
Harry wasn't sure what to think, but he said reassuringly, "I'm sure it's just a coincidence and probably means nothing. Don't worry about it."
He gave Myrtle a smile and got a hesitant one in return. "Okay..." she said.
Trying to cheer her up, Harry thought quickly and suggested, "How about we stop and get some ice cream before we continue? Fortescue's has reopened, even though it's under a new owner... My treat?"
Myrtle brightened considerably. "Thanks, Harry," she said and linked arms with him.
Suddenly there was a flash, and then as they both blinked to try to see again, a barrage of questions started from many directions and different voices.
"Harry, is this your new girlfriend?"
"What are your plans now that you've defeated You-Know-Who?"
"Is it true that you're planning on speaking in favor of giving Draco Malfoy amnesty? Don't you think Draco Malfoy still needs to be punished for his past crimes regardless of his war assistance?"
Bewildered, Myrtle clung to Harry. "Reporters," Harry hissed before saying firmly, "I will not be answering any questions of any kind when attacked in the street. If there are any newspapers that aren't here, they will be the first ones to get any such information in the future. And trust me, I will find out."
Harry kept a firm hold on Myrtle and Apparated her back to Grimmauld Place.
Apologetically he began, "I should have been expecting something like that since it was my first time in public since defeating Voldemort."
But Myrtle was pale and didn't seem to be paying attention. "They mentioned Draco," she whispered.
Harry's face went blank. "Yes, they did," he said neutrally.
"You won't turn on Draco, will you?" Myrtle asked anxiously.
Harry looked away. "You heard them calling for it, didn't you? They want him punished for his past crimes."
"Guilt by association," Myrtle insisted. "You know Draco never really did anything bad."
"Why do you keep calling him Draco?" Harry's tone sounded slightly annoyed. "You don't really know him."
Myrtle stiffened, and she said haughtily, "Draco is my friend. He confided in me in a way no one else ever had . . . even when I was alive."
"How do you know he wasn't just using you?"
Myrtle glared at Harry before saying bitterly, "I thought you were better than that. But I guess I should've known better when you nearly killed him over a silly schoolboy grudge."
The tension in the room grew even thicker as Harry stiffly said, "If you're referring to that incident in the bathroom, I didn't know the spell would do that."
Myrtle was now so angry that she was about to cry. "Why do you think you're so much better than him? You're done your share of dark things, but you've always been lauded for them while he's reviled."
Harry's body slumped, and he said quietly, "I never asked for any of this, Myrtle. You're the one who told me it was about choices."
Myrtle's voice was quiet also as she said, "And Draco chose to trust and help you. He didn't choose his family. If you can't move beyond your prejudice and see that, then you're not the person I thought you were."
Harry looked away again, and his voice sounded coldly disinterested when he said, "Yeah, well, very few people really know me . . . and I don't think you're one of them."
Myrtle was on the verge of saying something but changed her mind, simply bursting into tears as she ran out of the room.
A/N: Thanks to Fledge for inspiring the eyesight conversation!
I should have the next two chapters up within the week since they've already been sent to my beta.
