Harry picked himself up. This was pointless.

"Go home, Hermione," he mumbled as he walked away, casting his wand to the gutter. He had carried the wand around for eight years, some sub-conscious attempt to hold onto a painful past.

"Why?" she screamed, "Harry, this isn't fair, I searched the country for you. I'm not leaving this easily."

"You aren't staying," Harry called over his shoulder,"That's for sure!" And with that he slipped out of the alley and onto his life, leaving Hermione alone, and cold again.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked herself, tasting the salty-bitter tears as they slipped through the cracks in her lips.

******************************************************

Harry reached his destination. Above his head swung a sign that he's looked at with silent disgust for nearly seven years, Trusted Shipping Co.

Harry was a dock-jockey. All of his experience and intelligence had gone into wizarding. In his youth he'd never imagine that wizardry would betray him... Or that he'd betray wizarding.

"Mornin' 'Arry," a gruff, yet large man nodded his head as Harry passed. The man was Gerold Treneus, a kind man, but a drunkard at that. Harry had met him in his first year after escaping Hogwarts. Harry didn't really have close friends, anymore, but if he did, Gerold was it.

"Morning, Gerry," Harry passed by Gerold to get to his locker. Mornings like this made Harry just want to curl up and die- and mornings were usually like this on the small South England port town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I'm moving kind of slow
Down that same old path
Wasting time inside this hourglass...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do we have this morning, Gerry?" asked Harry as he emerged donning a dark tan jumpsuit, already spotted with rain. The suit was obviously too big for Harry, but cuffs had never been anything new to him.

"Jus' a load from the Frenchies," Gerry spoke sloppily with a ciggarette hanging out of his mouth,"Some sor' a' snail, or fish or summat." Gerold never really cared what was in the boxes he heaved, just as long as he got paid for it. Harry filled out the soaked paperwork and they joined a group of workers who were already off-loading the supplies. The machinery was heaving under the shipment, and the workers were grunting much to much for themselves even. Harry knew a simple spell to lift the crates off the ship. But he hadn't used magic for eight years.

Harry frowned. He also hadn't his wand.

"Looking for this?" asked a smirking Hermione who had leaned on a stack of crates, holding the wand out to him.

"No." Harry said abruptly, trying not to take notice of Hermione. She was breaking him down slowly, he caught onto her schemes.

"Then why were you searching your pockets?" It was an open question and Hermione knew it, but Harry stumbled anyway.

"My pen," he replied after a moment of searching (thinking).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She's coming up ahead now,
and I feel, yes I feel
My head turning like a race car wheel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry, can we at least talk?" Hermione pulled her hand back, still clutching Harry's wand.

"There's nothing to talk about- COMING THROUGH!" Harry's attempt to end a conversation was cut off by a forklift passing between them.

"You know damn well there is!" Hermione shouted, raising the suspicion of a couple of workers. She glared at them and they went back to work. "Harry come on." It was working, she was breaking him down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I'll try
to say 'hi' another time,
I gotta find a way
to get inside your mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It then dawned on Harry, that he couldn't get rid of her. (Especially if she had his wand, he thought with a little humor- though it was too dry.) His only real hope was to agree to talk to her. "Okay," Harry said,"but not here. Not now. Too many people, and I have my job to do." Hermione won; Harry caved.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and sighed strainingly,"Okay, but you damn well better talk to me." She swept out into the darker corners. Harry didn't worry about finding her later; if she wanted to talk to him, she could go and find him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Say what you want
Say what you mean
Question yourself
Are you really what you seem

Say who you are
Say what you mean
Question yourself
Are you really what you dream
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~