Chapter 3: Run
Both teens spun around, fists balled defensively.
"Hello, children," Harry Potter greeted, eyes cool despite his shallow smile.
"Father," Jolina acknowledged him coldly, obviously wanting nothing at all to do with The Boy Who Lived.
Chris watched the frigid confrontation, feeling the air between father and daughter crackle with intensity.
"Um, hello, Mr. Potter!" Chris greeted Harry warmly, choosing to ignore Jolina's death glare. He tried to have the best of both sides…
"Hello, Chris," the lean, muscular man replied, never taking his eyes off Jolina. He often played kiddy games of Quidditch with Cory, and worked out too. He used to play with Jolina, until she turned ten. She hadn't touched a broom within ten yards of her father in the past five years. Sometimes she would sneak one from the closet at night and fly alone, but other than that, flying at home was something she almost never did. It was quite clear she hated her father.
"No, this isn't Chris, it's my boyfriend secretly disguised as Chris," Jolie remarked loudly, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"Don't joke about such serious matters!" Harry scolded. "It's bad enough to disobey me and have a boyfriend, but for him to be from Slytherin?! And you run off just because you believe my rulings are unfair?"
"You'll be happy to know, oh tyrant of a father, that I'm breaking up with him! And Chris is my new boyfriend!"
"I am?!" Chris squeaked. Jolie grabbed his flushed face and gave him a long, heated French kiss right in front of her father. Chris was melting into her arms like wax.
Jolina grinned an apology to her best friend when they separated for breath, ignoring her father. Chris absolutely couldn't resist. He stopped caring what everyone else thought, and that he could completely destroy all good relations with Harry. He didn't care that Jolie had not truly meant it. He would make her mean it. He kissed her again, making his tongue quite visible to Mr. Potter. Harry became furious, grabbing both teens by their robes and pulling them roughly apart.
~*~
"You are so dead, young lady!" Harry shrieked at his daughter.
"Why? Because I'm just like you were when you were my age?" Jolina retorted.
Harry tried to talk back, but no words came out of his mouth, which was opening and closing much like a fish's does.
"Yeah, that's right! Mom told me you were a 'feisty' one!"
"Ex… exactly how much did she tell you?" Harry steamed, turning red with anger.
"Oh, just enough to know that I was a mistake!" With that, Jolie turned sharply on her heel and exited the room, leaving her father to gape alone.
~*~
"Hermione, what exactly did you tell our daughter? For some reason, she seems to think she's a mistake!" Harry yelled, his face a lovely shade of maroon.
"Well, excuse me, Mr. Perfect Potter! At least I told Jolina the truth!"
Once again, Harry impersonated a suffocating fish.
Hermione turned away, storming out the front door.
"Well, at least we know where Jolina picked up that habit," Harry muttered, scratching his head.
Next door, Jolina and Chris were hanging out in his room.
"So, what's the verdict?"
"Two months grounded in my room. Starts tomorrow."
"Oooh, that's gotta suck. And just for arguing with your dad!"
"And kissing you right in front of him. PDA, ya know? What's your punishment, Chris?"
He grinned. "Lavender dearest does not exactly know why I came home so soon…"
"So… where should I go?"
"Wha'd'ya mean, 'go'?"
"I'm running away of course!" Jolie replied.
"But… but, Jolie! What about me?!" he asked, then added, barely audible, "What about… well… us?"
"But I thought… you mean… you're not coming with me?"
"Huh? You want me to come?"
"Oh, I dunno… we've only been best friends for what? Nine, ten years? Of course you're coming… right?"
"Y… yeah, I guess so…"
"And plus…" Jolie paused.
"What?"
"Well… you're an awfully good kisser for an actor… am I right in guessing you weren't acting?"
Chris blushed crimson. He hesitantly nodded as he covered his face with his hands, completely embarrassed.
Jolina smiled. "No! It's okay! Dude, if you don't stop blushing you'll pass out from all the blood in your face!"
"How about Sirius?" Chris asked suddenly.
"Siri—huh?"
"Why don't we hide out at Sirius' house? We could tell him… tell him our parents said we could hang with him for a couple of weeks until school starts!"
Jolina grinned and pulled out her wand. Pointing it at her house, she muttered, "Drujiema!" and closed her eyes, waving her wand back and forth. She opened her eyes again.
"I'll be right back. I have to go home and pack while no one's there. I just checked," she gave Chris a quick peck on the cheek, then dashed out the door.
Chris pulled out a suitcase, already bewitched to be feather-light. Quickly, he threw his belongings into it, and packed so food for the journey.
Looking out the window, Chris saw Jolie sitting on her porch with an old, black suitcase, waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, both teens were on the Knight Bus.
~*~
A/N: We would greatly appreciate reviews! ^_^