Ten years later

Harry

"Astoria forgave me because I was Harry Potter. Should I be happy? Being The-Boy-Who-Lived speared me from her wrath. She had sympathy in her eyes. I loathed that look. Everyone looked at me with sympathy. They pity me. She was the only person who didn't look at me like that until that day." Then again, she wasn't able to see who I was until that day. Maybe I was overthinking it?

"I don't look at you like that do I, Harry?" asked Neville.

"Sometimes." I admitted.

Neville opened and closed his mouth. He pressed his lips together and cringed. "I don't pity you, honestly. I don't."

"I know." I said, and gave him a half smile, "I was young then. An emotional teenager."

Neville agreed. "So, tell me what happened after Astoria found out you were Harry Potter. Did she treat you differently as you thought?"

"No, she was the same Astoria Greengrass. Nothing changed. We still met up every now and then but not as often."

Hannah came out of the back room to sit with us at the bar. "So what's this about you and Astoria Greengrass, Harry? You want to date her?"

This subject made me uncomfortable and I was equally embarrassed that she was listening to mines and Neville's conversation. "I...um...I'm supposed to meet her at Hogwarts in about..." I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and jumped out of my seat. "Oh, no! I'm late."

"Good luck, Harry." whispered Neville.

"Get your woman." said Hannah.

When I reached the castle I was nervous but not from the run, it was from the prospect of seeing Astoria again. It's been so long since I last spoke to her. It was my fault. In my fifth year, I ignored everyone, including her. She was a third year and couldn't let my depression over Cedric's death reach her. I also ignored her in my sixth year. It was mostly due to my ego being caught up with being The Chosen One. I didn't return for my seventh year. I started Auror training right after recovering from the war. We haven't contacted each other for a long time. I hope...what do I hope for? That she is still the same. That is too much to ask for. It's been years. No one is the same since the war. Even me.

"Potter, glad you can make it."

I heard McGonagall's familiar shrilled voice and lifted my head up.

"Professor, I apologize for being late. I had some business I had to take care of."

"It's not me you must apologize to."

She sent me a piercing look that made me feel like a first year all over again. "Where is she?"

"In her office."

"Thank you." I said and sprinted to the History of Magic classroom in the first floor.

When I opened the door I was left wondering if this was the right room. My memory of this classroom was minimal because I slept most of the time while I was here. Even so I can tell that it didn't look the same. The entire room was bright with color. There were flowers the corner of the teacher's desk, large portraits of the interior of homes, mansions and different landscapes.

Professor Binns gave boring lectures that put students to sleep. I and Ron got by because we borrowed Hermione's note on the class. I thought she was the only one immune to Binns' drone voice. Apparently, I was wrong. Neville told me Astoria and Binns got along well. I suppose, they got along more than well if the old ghost was willing to retire from his teaching positing and hand it to Astoria. That really means something. We are talking about Binns. He was a teacher as a human. Rumor had it he fell asleep in the staff room and died of old age. His ghost left his body and resumed teaching like nothing happened.

"Astoria?" I said, wondering where she was at.

Maybe she thought I stood her up and was hiding? Yeah, any moment now she was going to jump out and surprise me. I waited ten minute calling her name before deciding to search for McGonagall and ask her where Astoria was again.

"In her office." McGonagall stated.

"I was just there."

"You went to her classroom. I told you she's in her office if you have had stayed and listen you would have heard me telling you it is located in the fifth floor."

"Sorry, professor. Thank you." I said and went to the fifth floor.

I found her office and pushed the doors open.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

In the middle of the room, Astoria stared at me through her glasses with large red puffy eyes. Oh no! I made her cry. I stepped into the room and took her hands.

She stared down at our connected hands and back at my face.

"Harry?" she said in a small voice.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

She pulled her hands from mines and covered her ears.

I was shouting. I have to stop doing that when I am with her. "S-so-sorry," I said in a lower tone.

She slowly removed her hands from her ears. Her eyes moved up and down my body. "Harry? You came?"

"Yes," I stared at her red puffy eyes, which were magnified by her glasses that were beginning to get foggy, "Your eyes -"

She covered her eyes and turned around. The end of her braided black hair whipped my cheek. I bit my tongue and rubbed the tender spot. As if it wasn't already awkward. I probably have a red mark on my face.

"I have allergies!" she said.

"Really?" I was relieved at the knowledge that she had allergies and wasn't crying because of my tardiness. "You should see Madam Pomfrey for that."

"I will."

She tuned back around and stared at my face. "What happened to your face?"

"It's nothing, just a minor accident. I got it right before I came here."

"You should see Madam Pomfrey for that." She repeated my words back to me.

"I will." I repeated her words back to her.

We smiled at each other. I suddenly feel shy.

Astoria inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. "Thank you for coming." She waved toward her desk, "Won't you sit down?"

We went to sit across from each other. I took this time to look her over. She was taller, with new brown and pink glasses. She still had nice skin, but her face was not as round as it was when she was younger.

"You look good." I slipped out before I could stop myself.

"Thank you. You look…good too." She said with a nod.

I nodded back to her. "How have you been?"

"Good. You?" she asked me back.

"Good. You?" I said.

She smiled. "I already answered you."

I smiled back. "Right."

What is wrong with me? I am an adult. Why am I acting like a fool around girls I am attracted too? This is not going well. I've got to say something. Something interesting. Something that'll get her talking so I don't have too.

"How did you get Binns to retire?" That's right. Go with a current subject I know about her.

"Oh, that? We figure out he never died."

My jaws dropped. "But I heard he fell asleep and died naturally?"

"It's easy to believe since he was quite elderly at the time. The truth is he never died. Normally, I sleep during his classes. In my third year, during one of my naps I removed my glasses and saw strange colors moving inside of Professor Binns. At first I thought it was a trick of the light but then I saw them again. I saw the colors when I removed my glasses and don't see them when I have them on. I saw colors like those before in my grandpa. He can astral project, leave his physical body and become a ghost-like state. The state he's in is similar to a ghost but he isn't dead. He can return to his physical body. My curiosity got the better of me and I asked Professor Binns about it. He was oblivious of the colors and became curious of my grandpa. Together we figure out that he didn't die but his astral body separated from his physical body. Unfortunately, he can't return to his physical body again because it was buried and decomposed but he was fine with it. We started talking more from then on. He's a delightful teacher once you give him a chance and very knowledgeable."

"That's brilliant. I've heard of astral projection and that's a rare ability."

"Astoria, look what I got you." a woman sang as she dramatically swung the door open, holding a colorful box. The smile dropped from her face when she saw me.

"Daphne!" said Astoria and went to her sister. "You brought me sweets!"

Daphne hugged Astoria with her free arm. "Yes, little one. Go supervise a house elf while he gets this set up for us to eat." she handed the box to Astoria, who took it and disappeared behind a door.

Daphne waited only one minute before marching toward me. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you never to come near her!" she half whispered and half yelled at me.

After I graduated from Auror training I went to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher, who I left the responsibility of keeping the place in order, gave me all of my letters that have piled the room in my absence. Among them was a red envelop. The Howler was from Daphne Greengrass. Through her rows of insults I wondered what I have done to her that made her hate me so much. I mean besides the obvious. It was not until it got toward the end did she clarified that she despised me because of my treatment of Astoria. She left me with warnings to stay away from Astoria and to never contact her.

"Astoria invited me." I told her.

Daphne glared at me before going through the same door Astoria did. This made me worried. Daphne made it very clear that she didn't favor me. What if she says something negative about me to Astoria?

The two came back through the doors together. Astoria was holding a tray with plates of cake and cups with tea. We sat down and Astoria told me the reason she wanted to talk to me.

"I'm organizing a special event for the students. They'd love it if you participated in it."

For the students? Not because you want to see me?

"Is that the only subject you want to talk about?" I pressed for more from her.

"I want to go over the specifics too."

"You shouldn't bother him, Astoria. A war hero like Potter is probably too busy to help you. You should pick someone else." Daphne said with an irritated expression. She hid it with a smile when Astoria looked at her.

"No. It has to be Harry. The students are set on having him here."

What about you? Do you want me here as much as the students?

"I'll do it."