CHAPTER EIGHT. NEW BEGINNINGS
Genre for this chapter - general with a hint of romance.
To everyone who's read and reviewed so far, thanks you guys. Stick with it.
Nat surveyed Harry. No. It couldn't be....then she saw he was smiling.
" He's awake. The worst's over. Look for yourself. " said Harry.
Straightening up, Nat looked at the bed. Ron gave her a very weak smile and, for the first time since she'd entered McGonagall's office, Nat burst into tears, throwing herself on the bed, kissing her Pa wherever she could reach.
" Ow! " protested Ron. " I'm still not....ow! "
" I thought you were going to die. " sobbed Nat. " I can't believe you're okay! "
She felt his hand on her hair and cuddled in even tighter to him.
" I'm not out of the woods yet. " said Ron croakily. " But I'll make it. "
Only when she was absolutely sure that there was no chance of a relapse did Nat return to Hogwarts with Professor Longbottom. She left Ron in Harry's tender care, waiting on Ron hand and foot, pandering to his every whim. Only when he came so close to losing Ron did he realise what a complete idiot he had been. A visitor the day before Nat returned to school reinforced it. She had gone to the shop for strawberry ice cream and when she returned, a woman was sitting on their sofa chatting to Harry.
" You were all he ever spoke of. " said the woman quietly. She had a very strange accent and Nat listened intently, aware that they hadn't heard her come in. " You and his beautiful daughter, and how much he loved you both. "
She was a very pretty woman. Long red-gold hair hung down almost to her waist, framing her oval face and soulful brown eyes.
" Nat! " exclaimed Harry, and she jumped. " Come here, darling. There's someone I want you to meet. "
The woman smiled at Nat, who returned it somewhat nervously.
" This is Fraulein Maria Brunner. She's the Auror your Pa has been working with in Germany. "
" Hello. " said Nat shyly.
The witch held out her hand, which Nat shook.
" You are every bit as pretty as I imagined. " said Maria. " It is an honour to meet you. "
" Why don't you take Pa his ice-cream? " suggested Harry. Nat turned and fled.
Oscar and Deborah were waiting for her on her return.
" We've been so worried! " exclaimed Deborah." Professor Longbottom told us what had happened. "
" Yeah, is he going to be okay? " asked Oscar plaintively.
" He's going to be fine, if my dad doesn't spoil him to death. " said Nat with a grin. She turned to Oscar.
" Still writing to Elisabeth? "
Oscar nodded sheepishly. " She's great fun to write to. " he added defensively as Deborah caught Nat's eye and winked.
They both looked relieved. Nat sighed to herself as she let Oscar go. Let him have his Bolivian femme fatale if that was what he really wanted, she thought. She had seen what jealousy could do and wanted no part of it. If he was still her friend, what right had she to want anything more?
Her first lesson next day was Muggle Studies. She braced herself for the usual tirade of sniping and whispered insults that usually came her way from her seat partner, but Johnstone was surprisingly subdued.
When the bell came to signal the end of the lesson she stood up to pack her books away and winced as Johnstone grabbed her arm.
" Natasha. " he said formally. " I was sorry to hear about your father. "
" Why should you be bothered? " asked Nat. " It was probably some of your lot who put him in hospital in the first place. "
" You know //nothing// about me. " said Johnstone angrily. " I lost my father as well in the war. We're not so different, you know. "
She looked into his eyes, normally so cold they blazed with fury, turning them a deep sapphire in colour.
" You're a Slytherin. " she said weakly, knowing she had lost the upper hand somewhere along the line.
" So naturally I'm evil. " said Johnstone flatly. " Typical Gryffindor bigotry. "
" I'm not like that! " wailed Nat.
" Prove it. "
" How? "
" Come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. And we can put the world to rights. "
Nat went absolutely scarlet. She detested this boy and here he was asking her out. Was he completely insensitive?
" Yes, all right. " she was appalled to hear herself say.
He smiled a totally genuine smile that made his whole face light up.
" I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall after lunch. See you then, Natasha. "
" Okay. Bye, Johnstone. "
" Rainer. " he said with another quirk of his lips.
" Rainer. " she breathed, watching him as he left.
TBC
Genre for this chapter - general with a hint of romance.
To everyone who's read and reviewed so far, thanks you guys. Stick with it.
Nat surveyed Harry. No. It couldn't be....then she saw he was smiling.
" He's awake. The worst's over. Look for yourself. " said Harry.
Straightening up, Nat looked at the bed. Ron gave her a very weak smile and, for the first time since she'd entered McGonagall's office, Nat burst into tears, throwing herself on the bed, kissing her Pa wherever she could reach.
" Ow! " protested Ron. " I'm still not....ow! "
" I thought you were going to die. " sobbed Nat. " I can't believe you're okay! "
She felt his hand on her hair and cuddled in even tighter to him.
" I'm not out of the woods yet. " said Ron croakily. " But I'll make it. "
Only when she was absolutely sure that there was no chance of a relapse did Nat return to Hogwarts with Professor Longbottom. She left Ron in Harry's tender care, waiting on Ron hand and foot, pandering to his every whim. Only when he came so close to losing Ron did he realise what a complete idiot he had been. A visitor the day before Nat returned to school reinforced it. She had gone to the shop for strawberry ice cream and when she returned, a woman was sitting on their sofa chatting to Harry.
" You were all he ever spoke of. " said the woman quietly. She had a very strange accent and Nat listened intently, aware that they hadn't heard her come in. " You and his beautiful daughter, and how much he loved you both. "
She was a very pretty woman. Long red-gold hair hung down almost to her waist, framing her oval face and soulful brown eyes.
" Nat! " exclaimed Harry, and she jumped. " Come here, darling. There's someone I want you to meet. "
The woman smiled at Nat, who returned it somewhat nervously.
" This is Fraulein Maria Brunner. She's the Auror your Pa has been working with in Germany. "
" Hello. " said Nat shyly.
The witch held out her hand, which Nat shook.
" You are every bit as pretty as I imagined. " said Maria. " It is an honour to meet you. "
" Why don't you take Pa his ice-cream? " suggested Harry. Nat turned and fled.
Oscar and Deborah were waiting for her on her return.
" We've been so worried! " exclaimed Deborah." Professor Longbottom told us what had happened. "
" Yeah, is he going to be okay? " asked Oscar plaintively.
" He's going to be fine, if my dad doesn't spoil him to death. " said Nat with a grin. She turned to Oscar.
" Still writing to Elisabeth? "
Oscar nodded sheepishly. " She's great fun to write to. " he added defensively as Deborah caught Nat's eye and winked.
They both looked relieved. Nat sighed to herself as she let Oscar go. Let him have his Bolivian femme fatale if that was what he really wanted, she thought. She had seen what jealousy could do and wanted no part of it. If he was still her friend, what right had she to want anything more?
Her first lesson next day was Muggle Studies. She braced herself for the usual tirade of sniping and whispered insults that usually came her way from her seat partner, but Johnstone was surprisingly subdued.
When the bell came to signal the end of the lesson she stood up to pack her books away and winced as Johnstone grabbed her arm.
" Natasha. " he said formally. " I was sorry to hear about your father. "
" Why should you be bothered? " asked Nat. " It was probably some of your lot who put him in hospital in the first place. "
" You know //nothing// about me. " said Johnstone angrily. " I lost my father as well in the war. We're not so different, you know. "
She looked into his eyes, normally so cold they blazed with fury, turning them a deep sapphire in colour.
" You're a Slytherin. " she said weakly, knowing she had lost the upper hand somewhere along the line.
" So naturally I'm evil. " said Johnstone flatly. " Typical Gryffindor bigotry. "
" I'm not like that! " wailed Nat.
" Prove it. "
" How? "
" Come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. And we can put the world to rights. "
Nat went absolutely scarlet. She detested this boy and here he was asking her out. Was he completely insensitive?
" Yes, all right. " she was appalled to hear herself say.
He smiled a totally genuine smile that made his whole face light up.
" I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall after lunch. See you then, Natasha. "
" Okay. Bye, Johnstone. "
" Rainer. " he said with another quirk of his lips.
" Rainer. " she breathed, watching him as he left.
TBC