Chapter 21—Older Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters for the most part. You know that.

Author's Note: I despise this chapter. I gave me a heck of a hard time. If it's really terrible, I can scrap it and start over, but I think I can get over this and move on. I really didn't mean for things to be as date-ish as they sounded last chapter. In an effort to get this chapter up immediately, I'm not responding to reviews this time. Sorry again for the tardiness.

Harry and Giona sat and talked for about ten minutes, getting reacquainted. She asked how he was doing, and he asked what she'd been up to the last four years. Harry began to get suspicious and wonder if maybe Mrs. Weasley had Disapperated.

"Well, I had a year of secondary left the last time you and I met. I finished that and I'm in a college nearby. I'm still working here part time to help pay for it." She shrugged. "That's pretty much my life. Working, school, and a bit of dating here and there. What have you been up to for the last four years? I never saw you after that summer." She sounded almost accusatory.

Harry shrugged at her apologetically. "All my secondary schooling was at boarding school in Scotland. After I left here that summer, my grandfather pretty much wanted me with him in the summers. He thought Little Whinging was a little too city, unsafe; I know it's not, but you know how old people are."

"And after boarding school?" she asked, knowing that he still had another two years to account for.

"I didn't work for a while. Then I took some odd jobs here and there. I tried my hand at some semi-professional sports, nothing really major. Did some interior decorating and painting. Now I'm starting up a private tutoring and schooling program."

"You've certainly had a busy time of it then," she said.

Harry nodded. "I moved four times before finally deciding on moving back home to be with the family for a bit."

"So, do you live in the area?" Giona asked, tilting her head to one side.

"No, not really. We were just in the area today so I thought we'd stop by here for a pizza."

"Oh."

Harry noticed she sounded a little disappointed. What was wrong with a little friendly flirting now and then, right? "I could stay around here for a while and we could go out for dinner tonight if you wanted. You look pretty cute yourself." Maybe could borrow Hermione's father's car. The Grangers didn't live all that far away. Probably about an hour or so. He could Apperate there, borrow the car, and drive it back here.

"Sounds great. I get off my shift at six tonight. I'd say 'let's get the whole gang back together' but you didn't stick around here long enough the first time to make any friends besides me."

Harry laughed. "I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Terrific. I'll go get you a fresh drink." She winked at him, standing up as Mrs. Weasley returned.

"Hello, there was such a line in there," Mrs. Weasley lied. A fairly obvious lie; even though ladies' rooms were typically crowded, there was hardly anyone in the pizzeria and all three of them knew that. Mrs. Weasley slid back into her seat in the booth with Harry. "So? How are things? You looked pretty friendly there."

"Mrs. Weasley, it was just a little flirting and a dinner with an old friend." He wasn't even sure he'd managed "flirting" correctly.

"Of course it was, dear," she said, not believing him for a minute. The girl was fairly pretty.

They finished their lunch with pleasant conversation and no one knocked over any more drinks. As Harry paid the bill, he winked at Giona and she wrote down the address to pick her up from.

Outside, Harry and Mrs. Weasley parted paths, Apparating to separate destinations.

"I'm going to pay the Grangers a visit, Mrs. Weasley. Will you think about what I told you earlier?"

"Alright, dear. Have a lovely time, and remember what I told you earlier," she said.

Harry waved her off and Apparated to the Grangers' backyard. This was the designated Apparating point for any of Hermione's friends who ever Apparated to the house, and it had been the Aparating point ever since they'd first learned to Aparate and had accidentally arrived in the living room once and sent papers scattering everywhere. The backyard was surrounded by a reasonably high wooden fence that kept him out of sight of Hermione's neighbors. He knocked on the back door.

Mrs. Granger answered. She blinked when she saw him. "Harry? You haven't been around to see us in a long time."

"Hi, Mrs. Granger. I hope this isn't a bad time."

"No, come in."

Harry and Mrs. Granger had a good time catching up, and he told her about Hermione and Ron's house—she hadn't seen it since they moved in.

After a while as the visit was winding down and Harry asked about the car.

"I'm not going anywhere else today, you can borrow my car."

"Thanks, Mrs. Granger. I'll bring it back tonight."

"Don't worry about it. If you get in late, just park it and put the key in the mailbox."

"I really appreciate this. It's tough…"

"Trying to keep a foot in both worlds? I don't know how Hermione has managed it as well as she has. I don't think she really does see any of her friends from before Hogwarts. There weren't many but…She knows which world she wants."

They said the usual goodbyes and she handed him the key. Soon, Harry was gone, speeding down the road and hoping he wouldn't get pulled over by the police; he never had gotten around to getting a driver's license. He mused to himself. No Muggle identification. No driver's license. Sure most of the wizarding world could recognize him by looking at his forehead but if he got pulled over now by a Muggle cop he'd be in a great deal of trouble.

Harry drove around, looking for a store where he could find some slacks and a nicer shirt. Sure it was just a friendly date, Giona had said as much when she when she said he didn't stick around long enough to make friends, but that didn't mean he couldn't look nice anyway.
He found a department store that looked right and went inside, coming back out wearing khakis and a black button-down shirt. At least he wasn't wearing jeans.

That taken care of, Harry checked his watch. He still had a few hours left and it would only take an hour to reach Little Whinging where he was supposed to pick Giona up. Deciding to use the time constructively, he searched for a bookstore. It took a while, but he found one that looked suitable.

Searching out the geography aisle, Harry found exactly what he was looking for: maps, atlases, and even a globe. He thought every proper classroom ought to have a globe. Tucking said globe under his arm, he looked through the books. He scanned the titles: Food Around the Globe, A Brief History of Europe, Pangea and Beyond, and Hola, Bonjour, and Hello were just a few of them. He grabbed these and a few others, trying to keep in mind that he was going to be dealing with kids between the ages of five and nine for geography.

Moving on, he went to look at children's books, looking for things simple enough for kids just learning to read. Dr. Seuss. Spot. ABCs. He picked up a few of them and moved on again, looking for something a little more challenging.

By the time Harry left the store he was satisfied with his purchases but realized he was running late for his dinner with Giona.

Speeding just a little, Harry thought he might just make it on time. Well, he was going to be on time until he got lost. He took a wrong turn about three streets from where Giona lived. The delay in getting back to the right street cost him nearly fifteen minutes; fifteen minutes he didn't have lying around to spare.

Finally he arrived at the house and rang the bell.

A pretty, dark haired girl about Harry's age answered the door. "Hello."

"I'm here to see Giona," Harry said.

"Oh, you must be her pizza friend. Gi will be down in a minute. She's getting dressed." The girl yelled over her shoulder. "Gi! He's here!"

Here he was, fifteen minutes late, and she still wasn't ready. Women! He stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Another girl joined the first at the door. This one had short, spiky green hair and half a dozen metal filled holes in various locations on her face. "I'm May," she said, sticking out her hand.

"Harry." He shook her hand, and looking at her guessed she was probably around 18, possibly older.

"Are you from around here?"

"I used to be. I spent most of the last ten years in Scotland until recently."

"Why?" the first girl asked.

"What?"

"Why go there, why move away?" May asked.

"Boarding school."

"Why? Were you a problem?"

"Or were you just too spoiled for regular school?"

"The boarding school was a family tradition."

Yet another girl joined the first two and this third girl still was not Giona. This girl was a short girl with auburn hair. Harry figured she was probably a couple of years older than him. As way of introduction she said, "Julie. What are your intentions?"

"Intentions? We're going out for a bite to eat." Harry wondered if he should run. Running was looking like a very good idea at the moment…

"Leave him alone, girls, he's not Jack the Ripper," Giona said, pushing her way through. "Does he pass?"

The dark haired girl gave a single nod.

May gave a simple, "Yes."

Julie shrugged. "I just got here. I guess he passes."

"I'll be back later, don't burn the house down while I'm gone," Giona said, stepping past them. She grabbed Harry's hand and steered him away from them and towards the car.

When they were inside and the car was started, Harry looked back; the girls were still standing in the doorway, waving them off. As they drove away, Harry asked, "Er, who exactly were those people?"

"My roommates. Rent is expensive. You didn't think a college girl could afford to rent a house on her own, did you? I work in a pizza shop. May is my cousin; she moved in after our last roommate got married and moved out. Julie and I have classes together. Amarice I've known forever," Giona said. "They're very effective for getting rid of creepy guys who are up to no good."

"I see. Where do you want to go?" Harry asked.

"Anything but pizza is really fine with me. I'm not very dressed up; I had to cover part of somebody else's shift so I got home later than expected." Giona's hair was in a high ponytail and she was wearing a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and brown corduroys.

"Pick a place—and tell me how to get there. I haven't been in the area in a long time." He was pleased he was finding his way around as well as he was.

"Take a right on the next street, and then a left on the one after that. It should bring us to a nice café."

"Do they sell sandwiches there?"

"I think so."

"Then it sounds great," Harry said.

They drove on in silence for a few more minutes.

"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Giona asked.

"Help yourself." He winced as she turned the radio on and she flipped to a station playing some very loud heavy metal. It just wasn't his taste. He was grateful when she told they stopped the car and settled into a little booth at the café.

A handsome waiter approached them with menus and took their drink orders.

Harry and Giona looked over their menus and picked out their sandwiches. When the waiter came back with their drinks, they ordered and finally got around to talking and catching up.

Harry said, "I'm surprised you remembered me when we met today. We haven't seen each other in a really long time."

Giona laughed. "How could I forget you? The bloke that the boss put on our shift to replace you was horrible. Clumsy, arrogant, short, and his face was covered with zits. Not to mention that he kept hitting on me. I had to have my older brother have a word with him."

"You didn't just sic your friends on him?" Harry laughed. "I think they'd have been effective."

"Back then I only knew Amarice and May. I hadn't met Julie yet, and at that age May wasn't exactly the way she is now."

"So the piercings and hair are new?" Harry asked.

Giona sipped her drink. "Fairly. She didn't start getting them until the last few months. Her mother tolerated the hair, but once she started on the piercings she threw a fit. One of my roommates was moving out so we offered the spot to May, providing she got a job and could pay her share of the rent. It was better that than her living with her friends or her boyfriend or something. This way I can keep an eye on her."

"Smart thinking."

"So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"I don't know. What sports are you into? Politics? Pop culture? Why'd you move back with your mother? Pick a topic."

"These days I've sort of become a bit of a hermit. I've cut myself off from the television. I don't read the paper. Haven't kept up with professional sports in ages. I don't know what's going on in the world," Harry admitted. It was true; except for the little bit of time he spent in Ottery St. Catchpole he had mostly cut himself off from the Muggle world. Even earlier in the year when he lived in Muggle parts of Britain he hadn't had much to do with it.

"This was probably a bad idea. We were friends four years ago. We didn't know each other well then, and we don't know each other at all now."

Harry shrugged, feeling annoyed that Dumbledore had forced him to quit when he had. "We can't pick up where we left off, but we can start over as new friends."

"Friends who are never going to see each other?" she asked, looking at him wryly. "You don't live around here anymore."

"How about pen pals then? You write me about how your schooling is going and I'll write you about what weird direction life takes me. We write once a month. Deal?" The postman didn't know where the Burrow was, but he could rent a P.O. Box.

Giona laughed. "Deal. Let's finish our sandwiches and get out of here. We can catch a movie or something."

"Only if you pick the movie though; I don't even know what's playing."

After that, they seemed to get along better for the most part, talking without really saying much of anything. It wasn't long before they were off and driving again, heading toward the cinema. As they bought their tickets and got in line to see the show, Harry tried to remember the last time he'd seen a movie in a theatre. He hadn't done it more than maybe half a dozen times, that much was certain.

The movie was all right, but it was very loud, and the screen was too bright. Harry found himself blinking when he came out. Compared to the bright screen, it was dark outside.

"So how did you like the movie?" Giona asked as they got in the car.

"It was fine."

"Not great?"

"Not really my sort of movie I guess," Harry said, shrugging as he backed out of the parking space.

"You struck me as an action movie guy though," Giona said, puzzled.

"Well, people can surprise you." He'd had enough action in his life. He didn't need to see other people running away from people who were trying to kill them. Wasn't the point of a movie to get away from real life?

As they were driving back towards Giona's home, Harry saw cop car lights flashing behind him. He groaned as he noticed he was speeding. With no other choice, he pulled over to the side of the road.

"What happened?"

"I was speeding. I didn't even notice that officer behind us," Harry said. He hoped he wasn't going to have to take out his wand and perform a memory modifier. If he did, he'd have to do one on the cop and Giona.

The officer exited his vehicle and approached Harry's car.

Harry rolled down the window. "Good evening."

"License and registration?" the officer asked in a deep voice.

Harry reached for the glove box and took out the registration. "This isn't my car. It belongs to a friend." He handed it to the officer.

"Well, well." The officer started to laugh. "Identification?"

"I don't have any."

"Sure you do, just pull back the hair off your forehead and take a picture," the officer said, returning his voice to its normal pitch.

"Colin, is that you?" Harry asked.

"Who else is going to ask you to pull the hair off your face and take a picture?"

"I can't say I'm not glad to see you," Harry said, laughing with relief and relaxing.

Colin shook his head. "You're lucky I'm the one that pulled you over, you know that?"

"I know."

Colin looked over the registration that Harry handed him. "This car is registered to Judy Granger. Any relation to Hermione?"

"Her mother. I borrowed it from her this afternoon."

Giona tapped Harry on the shoulder. "If you borrowed this car from your friend's mother, then how did you and your mother get here earlier? And how did she get home?"

"My mum and I drove out here together today, and then she dropped me off at my friend's parents' house to borrow their car so she could go home," Harry explained.

Colin gave him an odd look. "Your mum, Harry?"

"Yes, Colin, my mum," Harry said this and gave him a look that clearly said, "shut-up, you dolt!"

"Why don't you get out of the car?" Colin offered.

Harry complied and they went to stand a few feet away to talk.

"What's all that about your mum?"

"It was Mrs. Weasley and it was easier to just explain her that way rather than complicate things with the truth. We Apperated to the area here to go out for a bite, and then she Apperated home. I had plans, so I Apperated to the Grangers to borrow the car."

"I see."

"Now, what are you doing all dressed up like a Muggle police officer?"

Colin started laughing. "I am a Muggle police officer, Harry. You know that Dennis and I are both wizards. He'll be leaving school this year. Well, we've got a sister just a couple of years younger than Dennis. She's all Muggle like our dad. Dennis is going to go into magical law enforcement when he graduates. I didn't want to be completely cut off from my sister. It was hard enough for her with both of her big brothers away for seven years. I was never great at school anyway. I talked to Dumbledore before I graduated, told him what I wanted to do, and he arranged the paperwork. He got me records as if Hogwarts was a regular secondary school. That's pretty much it."

"Well, congratulations. Are you still into photography?"

"A bit. When I have the time for it."

"So are you living Muggle?" Harry asked curiously.

Colin nodded. "For the most part. I grew up that way, so it's not hard. I keep my wand on me though; never know when it'll come in handy."

"I'm living with the Weasleys and this is the second time I've been out with a Muggle recently. I haven't been keeping up with the papers or news for a while. There's nothing to talk about. Pretty much my whole life can't be talked about. I don't want to talk about my young life and I can't talk about the magical parts."

"Are you on a date?" Colin asked, grinning and looking back at Giona.

"No. Just old friends catching up. I'll talk to you later Colin. I've still got to get her home and take this car back to the Grangers and they live an hour, away."

Colin clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't speed."

"Yeah, yeah. I might not meet such a forgiving cop next time." Harry grinned and got back in the car, waving Colin off. He started the engine.

"What was all that about?"

"Just an old school friend giving me a hard time." He pulled back onto the road.

After a moment of silence Giona asked, "What did you say your school's name was?"

"I didn't."

"Well?"

"Hogwarts."

Giona was thoughtful for a moment, staring out the window at familiar houses and streets. "That's an unusual name. I imagine not many schools named that."

Harry agreed. "No. It's probably one of a kind."

"And you said your police friend went there?"

"Yes. He was a year behind me."

She became quiet again and Harry could feel her eyes studying him. "Are you a wizard, Harry?"

Those five words nearly made Harry crash.

"You are, aren't you?"

"You didn't go to Hogwarts, did you? I'd remember you there," Harry said quietly, after a long silence.

"No. But I know someone who did. I never told anyone. One day his mum and step-dad decided they shouldn't stay in the neighborhood anymore and they just moved. I never heard from any of them again. Except for him. He sent me a few of letters, the first one was a few months after they moved away. The letters were on funny paper. And an owl brought them. He was eleven then, so I had to have been twelve. He said that he was going to a special school where he could learn to control his gifts; I'd seen him accidentally do things a couple of times."

That sounded very wizardish.

"What was his name?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Dean. Dean Thomas." She shook her head. "I haven't thought about him in years."

"Did he ever mention politics or anything in his letters?" Harry asked.

"He stopped writing when I was fourteen. I don't know why, but the letters stopped all together. He would talk about his friends, ask me how his favorite football team was doing, that sort of thing. He always said he was at Hogwarts, and that at Hogwarts life was always the same. Undisturbed, I think he called it."

If Giona was fourteen, that would make Dean and Harry thirteen. The year Sirius Black was on the loose. Well, Dean had once said he never told his parents how bad things were getting in the wizarding world, otherwise they wouldn't have let him come back to school. Giona didn't know who he was in the wizarding world; that made him feel a little better.
Harry pulled the car up in front of the house.

"Would your roommates freak out if you started getting mail via owls again?"

"I don't think so. I'll tell them you raise birds."

Harry smiled. "Then you'll keep me up to date in what's going on out here in the real world?"

"Sure. You just tell me how things are going with that school you're starting. Is it for kids like you?"

Harry nodded. "There really isn't anything set up for them now to learn the basics. Hogwarts is only a secondary school; nowhere for kids to learn before then except a regular school and that's not always an option."

Giona kissed him on the cheek in a friendly manner and got out of the car. "Goodbye, Harry. You'd better write soon."

"Bye, Giona. I will."

With that, Harry started the drive back to the Grangers, carefully watching his speedometer.