"Professor Dumbledore, I can explain. I was on my way to Gringotts, and I got thirsty, so I came into…."
"Please, Harry. This is no time for fabricated excuses. We both know what happened here," the Hogwarts Headmaster replied.
"Listen, Professor. I apologize for lying to you, but I am not sorry for seeing Stacy. She's a wonderful girl, and I want to get to know her better. I don't interfere with your personal life, and I think you should give me the same courtesy. I don't want to spend all summer locked up in Grimmauld Place, and I don't think I'm asking for too much here," Harry retorted.
"Yes, indeed, Mr. Potter. I do realize I have scarcely attempted to accommodate you this summer, and for that, I ask your forgiveness. Perhaps we can arrange for you to meet Ms. Clearwater at a mutually agreed upon time under the presence of the Order?"
"I guess that would work, Professor. I just want a little privacy in my life, that's all," Harry said just to appease Dumbledore, knowing that he would soon be plotting an escape from Grimmauld Place and the clutches of Dumbledore himself.
"Yes, yes, Harry. We'll work out the logistics later. But for now, we must be on our way. I just have one more question for you," Dumbledore added.
"Yes, Professor?"
"What would be an appropriate punishment for jeopardizing your safety with a blatant lie?"
"Ummm, well, I think….." Harry stammered.
"Harry, perhaps I have not stressed enough the danger facing you that lies ahead. But alas, that is a discussion for a later date."
And with that, Dumbledore whisked Harry away from the confines of the Leaky Cauldron, taking them back to Grimmauld Place a few moments later.
They landed in the kitchen, several feet away from Mrs. Weasley. Noticing Dumbledore's presence and the absence of her eldest son, she immediately exclaimed, "Harry! Albus! Is everything all right? Where's Bill?"
"No worries, Molly. I trust that Bill will be returning shortly. There was a slight miscommunication between Mr. Potter and myself, which has been corrected."
"Well then, Harry, Albus, please sit down, and I'll fix you something to eat. It will just take a minute…"
"I wish I could, Molly, but I really must be on my way. I'm sure young Harry here would love a bite to eat. Good day." After a nod towards Molly and a wink at Harry, Dumbledore once again disappeared.
"Well, Harry, how was Gringotts? Did you get everything you needed?"
"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley, everything's fine. What's for dinner?"
"Of course, Harry. You must be starving. I'll be fixing some chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes. How does that sound, Harry dear?"
"That would be perfect, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered the kitchen. "I knew I smelt something. Dinner!" Ron bellowed as he entered the kitchen, clearly prepared for the evening's supper.
"How did everything go at the bank," Hermione asked, with a clearly knowing look.
Why did everyone think Harry was lying? "Well, you know, it was good. I got to check on some stuff, and now I'm done with that," Harry replied curtly, demonstrating his irritation with this line of questioning.
"Hey Harry, I was wondering, would you like to take a walk with me in the backyard after we're done with dinner," Ginny shyly asked.
"Yeah, we'd love to," Ron replied, in between gulps of food already.
"Ron!" Hermione said in exasperation at Ron's thick-headedness, "I think we need to do some cleaning in the attic. Don't you remember what Professor Moody asked us to?"
"Bugger, Ginny, we can't. 'Ol Mad-Eye wants us to go through some stuff in the attic, we're supposed to be looking for something."
The small-talk at the dinner table continued for another ten minutes or so, and then Harry excused himself from the Weasleys and Hermione. "I think I'm going to go in my room for a little while. I'll be back a little bit later," Harry said, and then headed down the halls of Grimmauld Place.
Noticing that the portrait of Mrs. Black was covered up, Harry exhaled in relief, glad that he was able to walk through the hallway in peace without any distractions for once. As soon as he entered his room, Harry saw Hedwig perched at the top of his bedpost, with a letter in her mouth. Harry immediately knew who it was from.
Harry,
I hope this letter finds you well. I really enjoyed meeting with you today, and I can't believe how much I've come to like you in the short time we've known each other. I talked with my parents about letting you spend the summer with me in Ireland, and although they are not crazy about the idea, (they initially said 'no') I was able to talk them into it by threatening to quit modeling if they didn't let me. See, you're not the only one who has to deal with angry adults ;) However, I did have to agree to let them meet you before we go off together. Apparently, they want to make sure you're not as "batshit crazy" (to quote my dad) as the Daily Prophet makes you out to be. I was hoping that we could have dinner tomorrow night at my house, if that would be okay with you. Let me know what you think.
My affections, Stacy
Well that certainly was a lot to digest! This Stacy Clearwater girl certainly doesn't mess around, Harry thought, noting that she was already offering the chance to live with her after only meeting him twice. Surely she couldn't have been like this with other guys, could she? Harry thought it was odd that Stacy's parents were letting her go off and spend the summer with a complete stranger, but then, Harry remember, they didn't exactly jump at the idea; Stacy had to make some threats first. It still seemed too good to be true. Harry couldn't believe that he would have the opportunity to spend an entire summer alone with a gorgeous supermodel in a beautiful villa. Who gets these kind of opportunities? The words of Alastor Moody came to mind, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Doubt anything you believe to be true." A romantic philosopher, that Moody, Harry thought.
Grabbing a piece of parchment from his drawer, Harry penned a response.
Hey Stacy,
I had a good time at lunch today. I still can't believe we might be moving in together this summer. How do you want to arrange this meeting with your parents tomorrow? I might be able to bust out tomorrow night, but I can't make any promises.
Harry
After he sent Hedwig on her way, Harry started to reflect on the predicament he found himself in. Sure, he had the potential to get romantically involved with a gorgeous girl, but at what price? He was lying to his friends, The Order, heck- even the most powerful man in the wizarding world. And the past few days sure have been stressful to boot! He had to deal with trying to sneak out of Grimmauld Place again (so far 0 for 1), and he was also nervous about meeting Stacy's parents. What was he supposed to say to them? Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Clearwater, I'm not nearly half as crazy as I look. I barely know your smoking hot daughter, but I'd nevertheless like to move in with her this summer, completely unsupervised if you don't mind, so I can try to shack up with her. Yeah, he could see that going over real well. Can you say, awkward?
Before he could continue his musings further, Hedwig returned to the window with a piece of parchment in her mouth. Gee, that was fast! Harry opened the letter immediately, his eyes glazing over Stacy's response.
Harry,
Here's the plan. You take the floo to my house at 11:00 tomorrow night. I told my parents you would have a hard time sneaking out, so they're willing to have a late dinner. I also told them how miserable you were under house arrest, and that made them more sympathetic to your cause. If you can't make it tomorrow night, just let me know, and we can reschedule it for some other time. I really hope we can make this work!
Stacy
Before he could even start writing a response, Fred and George came bustling into his room.
"Harry, old chap, do you mind if we have a word with you," Fred, or it might have been George, said to him.
"Sure, guys. What do you want?" Before either of them continued further, Fred closed the door and George cast silencing charms on the entire wall before saying anything.
"Harry, we need to ask you a favor."
Authors Note: I know, I know. It's been far too long. Like over a year. Feel free to hammer me in the review box, I know I've been really lame. However, if it's any solace, I have the next chapter already written out, and I plan on posting it sometime next week. Hope there's at least a few of you left after my hiatus!
