Had kinda given up on this fic. I felt that all i really did was make nasty
things happen to Harry, which i, personally, enjoyed, but every else
probably didnt! The reason im continuing, is beacause of the threats iv had
from Ahyanah- i beacame "inspired" to continue agen.so if i bore you to
death you can blame her (im assuming ur a girl, ahyanah-really sorry if u
aint!!!), not me!!
The Journey had been easier than he'd anticipated. Sent to Mrs Figgs on his own, while the Dursleys went to see off their relatives at the train station (Harry and Dudley were to join them at their home the following week), it had been relatively simple for him to turn down the little lane on the way to the old ladies' house the moment the car was out of site, and retrieve his belongings in one piece-if a little soggy-from underneath a bush.
The Portkey was admittedly a little more difficult to find. "An empty beer bottle in the park" had been Rons' detailed description of it. Unfortunately, due to the rowdy doings of a group of teenagers(Dudley himself probably included) in the park the previous night, there was before Harry a myriad of bottles to choose from. In fear of missing his "flight" as Mr Weasley like to put it enjoying being able to use "such a quaint little muggle phrase", Harry had had to resort to cradling a pile of them on his lap, making sure that his hand touched a small part of every one, and then trying to look inconspicuous.
However, despite this minor mishap, he had found himself, some time later, standing in Diagon Alley, feeling only a little shaken.
He was a little disappointed to see that his friends were not there to greet him, but then again they had a lot to buy, and he would quiet easily catch up with them.
First though, he thought to himself, Gringots.
* * *
Abi rubbed her eyes and stared , mouth open at the space that, until seconds ago, had contained Harry Potter.
She hadn't been following him, oh no. In fact, after their last exchange, she had been avoiding him like the plague.
She had been walking in the park, just like she always did on Sunday mornings-of course on seeing him, sitting on a swing cradling a lap full of empty beer bottles, who wouldn't have stopped and stared.
She had been just about to approach him when it happened. Really she was!- her lips were already forming his name. But before she could say anything, he had vanished-into thin air. Well not quite into thin air, she thought to herself, for she could have sworn she saw a flash of light, and then the silluette of Harry slowly fade away.
Who cared anyway, how he had disappeared. He was gone, and she was going to find out how. That was all that mattered.
* * *
Arthur Weasly was a little surprised to see Harry in front of him when he did. As far as he knew, the Portkey wasn't due to leave for another half hour.
He rolled his eyes and tutted to himself impatiently. It was Hodgkinson, his new assistant, he knew it. Fresh out of Hogwarts this one was, with as much common sense as a baboon on laughing gas, he had told his rather amused wife, who could still remember her husband on his first day at the office, a bemused eighteen year old who couldn't tie his own tie.
He would have to go into work now, and check that the blasted idiot had only set the portkey to work the once, and on his day off as well!
That, however, he pushed to the back of his mind, and greeted Harry with genuine pleasure.
"Hey Harry-had a good holiday so far?"
Harry raised his eybrow a little, but he grinned.
"It's been alright." he said.
He had a bruise on his eye, Arthur noticed, and an image of Dudley immediately floated into his head. He decided, however, to say nothing. Wait for Molly to see him-she was better at these sort of things than he was.
Instead, he picked up some of Harrys' luggage and chuckled.
"Well its good to have you back." he said.
* * *
Abi stood up, feeling a little nautious. As her vision became clear again, she saw that she was in the middle of a busy street, with two figures standing before her.
How had she got there?
One minute, she had been fingering a piece of broken bottle that had been dropped by the mysteriously absent Harry, the next, she was standing here, in this strange place, in front of these strange people dressed...well strangely!
So this was Harrys' secret! What it was, exactly, she had no idea, but she would figure it out, that she was certain of!
She eyed the two figures suspiciously, and the pair did just that in return. They looked as confused and bewildered as she felt!
There was a girl there, and a red headed boy. Both were wearing a long kind of coat which reached their ankles, the girl, a beautiful deep crimson one and her friend, a rather shabby looking one that had perhaps once been green.
"She must be a muggle, Ron!" the girl was whispering to him.
Muggle. Harry had used that word before-no she'd seen it somewhere...oh yes! In that book about plants! The one belonging to Harry. So what was the girl implying here?
"Excuse me but erm...who are you?" she asked sheepishly.
The pair looked indignant.
"We were about to ask you the same question." snapped the girl in a tone that rather irritated Abi.
The other, Abi noticed, was scowling at her in a very unfriendly way.
"What have you done with Harry!?" he demanded, and advanced towards her menacingly.
The girl pulled him back.
"Stop it Ron! She's obviously a muggle. What could she possibly have done?"
This irritated Abi further, and prompted her to snarl:
"Look, could either of you tell me where I am, or will I go and ask somebody else?!"
That startled the pair, who both put hands on her to stop her.
"No! Wait!"
"You're in Dia-"
"You're in London." "Ron" cut his friend off, glaring at her angrily.
"Theres obviously some problem with the portkey, so Dad's in enough trouble as it is! Just shut up will you!"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"But Ron-surely they're going to use a memory charm anyway-"
"We'll take her to Dad." the boy continued, deliberately ignoring her, "He can sort it out."
"But that's stupid! What happens if Harry turns up? You wait here for him and I'll take her to your Dad."
The boy looked like he was about to protest, but the girl already had Abi by the arm and was dragging her across the cobbled street.
They said nothing for some time. Abi, was engrossed in the sights, sounds and smells of the strange place. Finally, she spoke:
"I don't have a clue where we are-but I'm pretty sure this isn't London."
The girl seemed uncomfortable, and unsure of what to say, so Abi tried again.
"I'm Abi." she said, and smiled.
She was surprised to see that the girl smiled back, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.
"Hermione." she replied.
Abi took a deep breath.
"So...Hermione...do you think you'd be able to explain to me exactly what is going on?"
* * *
Harry finished the last dregs of the butterbeer in his cup, and sat back with a contented sigh. This was the happiest he had felt in a long time. All the worst was behind him now-for another year at least. He was back with people who he could talk to-people who wanted him to be there!He hadn't noticed how starved he'd been of real conversation untill he had sat down with Mr Weasley. Weeks and weeks of saying next to nothing, of having nobody who could talk about the things he wanted to talk about. Little, trivial things, like the latest Quiddich scores, Howgwarts. Being able to speak freely about these things with somebody who understood them seemed like heaven! He even began to wonder how he could possibly have been so low at the Dursleys. None of what had happened to him over the past few weeks seemed of much importance now.
"Harry!"
Before he could turn around, he felt two arms close around his neck and his nose was tickled by a mass of frizzy brown hair.
"Hello Herm!" he exclaimed happily, reallising immediately that it wasn't merely conversation he'd been missing.
"Take a seat, Hermione." said Arthur, warmly, and then, noticing the figure standing rather bashfully behind her:
"Who's your friend-and...where's Ron?"
Instantly, Hermiones' face became sober.
"There must have been a hitch with the portkey, Mr Weasley-we were waiting for Harry and-"
Arthur gave a large, exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his thinning hair.
"That damned Hodgkinson-when i get a hold of him I'll...."
But Harry was no longer listening, because he had just caught sight of Hermiones' companion.
"Abi!" he exclaimed hoarsly, his heart sinking.
She looked at him, almost apoligetically, and gave him a rueful grin. Harry felt his heart melt all over again, and cursed himself for doing so. She looked to him strange, and out of place. As if she had been cut out of Privet Drive and superimposed on to Diagon Alley, but had nothing actually to do with the scene at all. In a way, he thought, she had been.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but could think of nothing to say.
"I think I'd better find Molly." Mr Weasley stood up. "Hermione, would you get Ron, and then we will meet back here. Harry-I think you'd better stay with the cases, and the muggle-sorry-what did you say your name was- oh-Abi wasn't it?"
He muttered something under his breath and was gone, and within moments, Hermione too, had left.
"Sit down." muttered Harry, without looking at her. Abi obeyed, sat down on one of the empty seats. There was an awkward silence then, where Harry sat worldessly staring into his empty mug, and Abi fidgeted uncomfortably.
Eventually, she spoke.
"I really didn't mean to cause all this bother."
Harry looked at her, sardonically and said nothing.
"I was just in the park when I saw you. You were sitting with a pile of empty bottles on your knee looking a bit upset so I thought that-"
"You thought that you had better have a good stare, and then maybe call my Uncle to cart me back to St Brutus' where I belong." He interupted her, angrily.
Abi reddened.
"You know that's not what I thought." she lied.
"Anyway who could blame me for being curious? You can't go making trifles fall on peoples heads and disappearing into thin air without people thinking you're a bit weird!"
Harry looked up then, startled.
"Why...what makes you think I made the trifle fall-I mean-how could I possibly have done it?"
Abi rolled her eyes.
"I'm not a complete fool! I saw how she was making you feel-I don't think you were able to stop youreslf. To be honest, I would have done the same if I'd been able."
"But how..?"
"Harry, what's going on?"
She stared, angrily at the boy in front of her who was silent for some time.
Finally he spoke.
"Well," he said "I'm a wwizard."
The Journey had been easier than he'd anticipated. Sent to Mrs Figgs on his own, while the Dursleys went to see off their relatives at the train station (Harry and Dudley were to join them at their home the following week), it had been relatively simple for him to turn down the little lane on the way to the old ladies' house the moment the car was out of site, and retrieve his belongings in one piece-if a little soggy-from underneath a bush.
The Portkey was admittedly a little more difficult to find. "An empty beer bottle in the park" had been Rons' detailed description of it. Unfortunately, due to the rowdy doings of a group of teenagers(Dudley himself probably included) in the park the previous night, there was before Harry a myriad of bottles to choose from. In fear of missing his "flight" as Mr Weasley like to put it enjoying being able to use "such a quaint little muggle phrase", Harry had had to resort to cradling a pile of them on his lap, making sure that his hand touched a small part of every one, and then trying to look inconspicuous.
However, despite this minor mishap, he had found himself, some time later, standing in Diagon Alley, feeling only a little shaken.
He was a little disappointed to see that his friends were not there to greet him, but then again they had a lot to buy, and he would quiet easily catch up with them.
First though, he thought to himself, Gringots.
* * *
Abi rubbed her eyes and stared , mouth open at the space that, until seconds ago, had contained Harry Potter.
She hadn't been following him, oh no. In fact, after their last exchange, she had been avoiding him like the plague.
She had been walking in the park, just like she always did on Sunday mornings-of course on seeing him, sitting on a swing cradling a lap full of empty beer bottles, who wouldn't have stopped and stared.
She had been just about to approach him when it happened. Really she was!- her lips were already forming his name. But before she could say anything, he had vanished-into thin air. Well not quite into thin air, she thought to herself, for she could have sworn she saw a flash of light, and then the silluette of Harry slowly fade away.
Who cared anyway, how he had disappeared. He was gone, and she was going to find out how. That was all that mattered.
* * *
Arthur Weasly was a little surprised to see Harry in front of him when he did. As far as he knew, the Portkey wasn't due to leave for another half hour.
He rolled his eyes and tutted to himself impatiently. It was Hodgkinson, his new assistant, he knew it. Fresh out of Hogwarts this one was, with as much common sense as a baboon on laughing gas, he had told his rather amused wife, who could still remember her husband on his first day at the office, a bemused eighteen year old who couldn't tie his own tie.
He would have to go into work now, and check that the blasted idiot had only set the portkey to work the once, and on his day off as well!
That, however, he pushed to the back of his mind, and greeted Harry with genuine pleasure.
"Hey Harry-had a good holiday so far?"
Harry raised his eybrow a little, but he grinned.
"It's been alright." he said.
He had a bruise on his eye, Arthur noticed, and an image of Dudley immediately floated into his head. He decided, however, to say nothing. Wait for Molly to see him-she was better at these sort of things than he was.
Instead, he picked up some of Harrys' luggage and chuckled.
"Well its good to have you back." he said.
* * *
Abi stood up, feeling a little nautious. As her vision became clear again, she saw that she was in the middle of a busy street, with two figures standing before her.
How had she got there?
One minute, she had been fingering a piece of broken bottle that had been dropped by the mysteriously absent Harry, the next, she was standing here, in this strange place, in front of these strange people dressed...well strangely!
So this was Harrys' secret! What it was, exactly, she had no idea, but she would figure it out, that she was certain of!
She eyed the two figures suspiciously, and the pair did just that in return. They looked as confused and bewildered as she felt!
There was a girl there, and a red headed boy. Both were wearing a long kind of coat which reached their ankles, the girl, a beautiful deep crimson one and her friend, a rather shabby looking one that had perhaps once been green.
"She must be a muggle, Ron!" the girl was whispering to him.
Muggle. Harry had used that word before-no she'd seen it somewhere...oh yes! In that book about plants! The one belonging to Harry. So what was the girl implying here?
"Excuse me but erm...who are you?" she asked sheepishly.
The pair looked indignant.
"We were about to ask you the same question." snapped the girl in a tone that rather irritated Abi.
The other, Abi noticed, was scowling at her in a very unfriendly way.
"What have you done with Harry!?" he demanded, and advanced towards her menacingly.
The girl pulled him back.
"Stop it Ron! She's obviously a muggle. What could she possibly have done?"
This irritated Abi further, and prompted her to snarl:
"Look, could either of you tell me where I am, or will I go and ask somebody else?!"
That startled the pair, who both put hands on her to stop her.
"No! Wait!"
"You're in Dia-"
"You're in London." "Ron" cut his friend off, glaring at her angrily.
"Theres obviously some problem with the portkey, so Dad's in enough trouble as it is! Just shut up will you!"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"But Ron-surely they're going to use a memory charm anyway-"
"We'll take her to Dad." the boy continued, deliberately ignoring her, "He can sort it out."
"But that's stupid! What happens if Harry turns up? You wait here for him and I'll take her to your Dad."
The boy looked like he was about to protest, but the girl already had Abi by the arm and was dragging her across the cobbled street.
They said nothing for some time. Abi, was engrossed in the sights, sounds and smells of the strange place. Finally, she spoke:
"I don't have a clue where we are-but I'm pretty sure this isn't London."
The girl seemed uncomfortable, and unsure of what to say, so Abi tried again.
"I'm Abi." she said, and smiled.
She was surprised to see that the girl smiled back, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.
"Hermione." she replied.
Abi took a deep breath.
"So...Hermione...do you think you'd be able to explain to me exactly what is going on?"
* * *
Harry finished the last dregs of the butterbeer in his cup, and sat back with a contented sigh. This was the happiest he had felt in a long time. All the worst was behind him now-for another year at least. He was back with people who he could talk to-people who wanted him to be there!He hadn't noticed how starved he'd been of real conversation untill he had sat down with Mr Weasley. Weeks and weeks of saying next to nothing, of having nobody who could talk about the things he wanted to talk about. Little, trivial things, like the latest Quiddich scores, Howgwarts. Being able to speak freely about these things with somebody who understood them seemed like heaven! He even began to wonder how he could possibly have been so low at the Dursleys. None of what had happened to him over the past few weeks seemed of much importance now.
"Harry!"
Before he could turn around, he felt two arms close around his neck and his nose was tickled by a mass of frizzy brown hair.
"Hello Herm!" he exclaimed happily, reallising immediately that it wasn't merely conversation he'd been missing.
"Take a seat, Hermione." said Arthur, warmly, and then, noticing the figure standing rather bashfully behind her:
"Who's your friend-and...where's Ron?"
Instantly, Hermiones' face became sober.
"There must have been a hitch with the portkey, Mr Weasley-we were waiting for Harry and-"
Arthur gave a large, exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his thinning hair.
"That damned Hodgkinson-when i get a hold of him I'll...."
But Harry was no longer listening, because he had just caught sight of Hermiones' companion.
"Abi!" he exclaimed hoarsly, his heart sinking.
She looked at him, almost apoligetically, and gave him a rueful grin. Harry felt his heart melt all over again, and cursed himself for doing so. She looked to him strange, and out of place. As if she had been cut out of Privet Drive and superimposed on to Diagon Alley, but had nothing actually to do with the scene at all. In a way, he thought, she had been.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but could think of nothing to say.
"I think I'd better find Molly." Mr Weasley stood up. "Hermione, would you get Ron, and then we will meet back here. Harry-I think you'd better stay with the cases, and the muggle-sorry-what did you say your name was- oh-Abi wasn't it?"
He muttered something under his breath and was gone, and within moments, Hermione too, had left.
"Sit down." muttered Harry, without looking at her. Abi obeyed, sat down on one of the empty seats. There was an awkward silence then, where Harry sat worldessly staring into his empty mug, and Abi fidgeted uncomfortably.
Eventually, she spoke.
"I really didn't mean to cause all this bother."
Harry looked at her, sardonically and said nothing.
"I was just in the park when I saw you. You were sitting with a pile of empty bottles on your knee looking a bit upset so I thought that-"
"You thought that you had better have a good stare, and then maybe call my Uncle to cart me back to St Brutus' where I belong." He interupted her, angrily.
Abi reddened.
"You know that's not what I thought." she lied.
"Anyway who could blame me for being curious? You can't go making trifles fall on peoples heads and disappearing into thin air without people thinking you're a bit weird!"
Harry looked up then, startled.
"Why...what makes you think I made the trifle fall-I mean-how could I possibly have done it?"
Abi rolled her eyes.
"I'm not a complete fool! I saw how she was making you feel-I don't think you were able to stop youreslf. To be honest, I would have done the same if I'd been able."
"But how..?"
"Harry, what's going on?"
She stared, angrily at the boy in front of her who was silent for some time.
Finally he spoke.
"Well," he said "I'm a wwizard."