Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and Co. J.K. Rowling does.
Summary: After one very eventful night ten years ago, Voldemort was destroyed and Harry disappeared. Where did he go? What happened that night? Only one man knows the answer: a teacher named James, aka Harry. This big question is, now, what are his former friends plotting?
Author's note: Forgive me for the late update? (I've been saying that a lot lately…) I'm promising myself a very big treat if I can get the next chapter up with in a week… Hopefully the incentive will work… Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 23: Eating and Meeting
----------------
"Ron, dear," said Hermione at breakfast the next morning, "I've taken the liberty of inviting a few people over... for the plan."
"Excuse me?" asked Ron incredulously. He did not want to get other people involved in "the plan". In his opinion, it was already confusing enough with only two people knowing about it.
"Well, you didn't think that only you and I could pull it off, did you?"
"And just who did you invite over?" Ron was getting suspicious.
"Just the twins and Ginny. No one else. They'll be here by about 4:00. The kids will over at Janice's house."
Ron put his hand to his forehead. "Hermione! How could you do this? Fred and George are going to terrorize that poor man! And Ginny... she won't want to give up time to work on this stupid idea! She has probably made plans with Daniel. She said she was going to apparate over to his house for Christmas eve. You're going too far, Hermione. Why must you be so elaborate? If you want to find out if the man is Harry, why don't you just walk up to him on the street and ask him? You know, like a normal person?"
"Did you just call my plan stupid?" Hermione's eyes were bright and her voice shrill. "I have created this plan perfectly. Nothing is wrong with it. And we can't just walk up to him on the street because he would deny being Harry. I've planned something where he can never deny who he is and he'll have to join our world again. You'll see, he'll come back."
Ron rolled his eyes at his wife's hysterics. Jack and Emily had by this time left the breakfast table and headed up to their rooms. They were all too used to their mother's moods that had started ever since she had come back from seeing Ginny.
"Hermione," said Ron warily, "What exactly are you going to do? You're not going to hurt the guy, are you?"
"Only if he deserves it."
"But do you even know if he's ever going to be alone? That's what you need for this plan to work, don't you? What if he's never by himself?"
"I have back up plans. Which is why I invited the twins and Ginny over. I sent the SpySphere to go listen for dinner plans. I figure night time would be a more effective and dramatic time to execute the plan," Hermione ended excitedly.
"And while we're on the subject of SpySpheres, I've been meaning to ask you something. If you wanted to find out if the guy was Harry so badly, why didn't you just have the device follow the man around some more after you found out he was going to England? He could have said something that would have proven whether or not he was Harry."
"Like what? Talked in Parseltounge? Told his friends 'I'm the most powerful wizard since 1734'? Like those muggles would have believed him."
"He might have told them that, after all, they did see you shout a spell."
Hermione threw her hands up. "Who cares? I knew he was Harry from the moment I saw him. I didn't need proof, I needed dates, like when he would be coming to England."
"So you just had the SpySphere sitting here for four months measuring who came into and out of the London area?"
"Pretty much. Brilliant, wasn't it?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Sure it was, honey." There was a pause. "So, you're hoping you find out the man's dinner arrangements by this afternoon, right? So you can make plans for your plan?" asked Ron, slightly confused.
"Hopefully," responded Hermione.
"Good luck with that. It will be a miracle if this plan works at all."
"Trust me, it will work fine," said Hermione confidently.
----------------
James walked into the small restaurant nervously. He had made arrangements with Ciara and Paul to meet for lunch, and was anxious about seeing them. He had not seen them for at least a year and a half.
It was an Indian restaurant and all the windows had been darkened. The air was scented with incense and the smell of curry. James looked at his watch. He was slightly late. He looked around the room to see if the Westins had arrived yet. Two shapes in the corner caught his attention and he walked over to them.
"James!" said Ciara excitedly when she saw him approaching. "I'm so happy to see you!" She stood up and gave James a tight hug. Paul stood up and James shook hands with him.
"Hello Ciara, Paul," said James. "How are you two doing?"
"Just fine, James," answered Paul.
"Did you get a new haircut?" asked Ciara, fingering James's hair maternally.
"You mean since I saw you last?" James laughed. "Well, I suppose it does look different... I had it pretty long when I visited you guys in New York."
"It was down to your shoulders!" chuckled Ciara.
"Here, James, have a seat," said Paul, gesturing to a chair.
They all sat down in their chairs. A waiter came by and poured a glass of water for each of them.
"So, how's your life going?" asked Ciara after sipping some water.
"Oh, alright, I guess."
"Alright? What's wrong?"
"Oh, you know, issues..." replied James vaguely.
"Is it about that sighting?" asked Paul.
"Um, yes..." James answered, confused.
"We read the paper," explained Ciara.
"Oh."
"Pity about her seeing you," said Paul, "Your scar didn't show, did it?"
"No, but she still went nuts."
"And I'm guessing you still haven't told your friends about yourself?" asked Ciara, hoping the she was wrong.
"No, I haven't told them," James sighed.
"Poor James," said Ciara sympathetically. Somehow, those words made James feel slightly better, as if someone else understood exactly what he was going through.
The waiter came by and asked for orders. Ciara ordered for the entire table, and what she ordered all sounded pretty spicy.
"Getting in touch with your Indian roots?" asked James wryly.
"Hardly. I'm Irish and I happen to like spicy food, thank you very much. And so does Paul," answered Ciara.
"It's an acquired taste," said Paul. "Years of eating it have numbed my English tongue, and now I can hardly tell if something's spicy or not."
"I just hope my tongue can take it," said James.
Ciara laughed. "Don't worry. You'll enjoy it."
"So what are you two doing for Christmas this year?" asked James.
"We were just going to have a quiet holiday at our house," said Paul. "Ciara's sister might drop by."
"She's got three grandkids that she might bring by as well. They are so adorable," said Ciara. " Most of the ornaments on the tree were broken beyond repair by Maegan's grandkids last year, so we're stocking up this year. Along with the potion ingredients, we've been shopping for some extra ornaments."
"By the way, have you had any luck finding the ingredients you need?" said James.
"More or less. But powdered boar's blood is getting harder and harder to buy in large quantities. We did have unusual luck finding the pickled ginseng flower, though."
"That was pretty lucky," said Paul, "Normally we have to special order that from Asia. As it was, the apothecary had just ordered some. Apparently, there's a new diet potion that uses pickled ginseng flower, and that's why he had ordered it."
James made a face. "Don't diet potions usually use really gross ingredients?"
"Which is why this new one is so popular. Ginseng flower can hardly be called gross."
"I don't understand girls these days," said Ciara. "They seem to have potions that fix anything. Why can't they just be happy?"
"Women are weird," commented James thinking of Emma.
"By the way, do you have a girlfriend yet?"
"No."
"Why not? I bet girls are dying to find a nice gentleman like you."
"You'd be surprised."
"You're such a loner, James. Don't you ever want a girlfriend? Or want to get married?"
Luckily, the waiter brought by the food just in time to stop the conversation. James did not feel like discussing his love life, or lack thereof.
All the food was spicy, but, true to Ciara's word, James enjoyed it. The rest of the dinner passed by quickly. James told Ciara and Paul about his students at school and about the bakery and other casual topics. Ciara and Paul told James about their new clients (there was one sad case where a mother came with her daughter, age 6, to buy pills for the two of them to escape the father) and about some advancements they have been working on.
Soon, it was time for the Westins and James to leave. The Westins were expecting a client later that afternoon. James said a sad goodbye to Ciara and Paul, and Ciara wiped a few tears away.
"Come and visit us soon, will you?" she asked.
"I'll try as hard as possible," answered James.
Paul and Ciara gave James a few more hugs and "Merry Christmas's, and then the Westins hailed a taxi and left.
James headed back to his hotel room. He knew that he and all the Hardings were to go to the wax museum and then to dinner, but he did not know when.
James knocked on Peter and Sarah's hotel door.
"Come in!"
When James came in he saw both Peter and Sarah playing video games on the hotel TV.
"Small-town life boring you, Peter?" asked James, smiling.
Peter paused the game and looked up at James. "No, we were waiting for you."
"Indeed," said James dryly, glancing at Sarah who was still furiously clicking at her consul, not realizing the game was paused.
"Come on! Why won't you go? Peter--" Sarah glanced at Peter who was laughing softly and saw that the game was paused.
"So... James... what were you saying?" she asked, a suffusion of red coming to her cheeks.
"I was asking when we were going to leave to visit the wax museum?" asked James.
"As soon as everyone meets in Mum and Dad's room, around 2:30," answered Peter.
"That sounds good to me." James looked at his watch. It was 2:00. "I'll just wait here, then, with you guys until 2:30."
Sarah laughed in amusement.
"What?" asked James. "Is it alright if I wait here?"
Sarah started to laugh harder. "Yeah..."
"Then what's so funny?" asked James. Peter also looked at Sarah with confusion. He had no idea what Sarah was laughing at either.
"It's... your... accent...James..." she managed to get out again, before another fit of giggles overtook her.
"Why does everybody think my voice sounds so funny?" asked James, annoyed. "What's wrong with it? I don't think I have an accent, do you Peter?"
"Actually, James, I think you do."
"Do you mean a Canadian accent or a British accent?" asked James. "Because the Canadian accent might sound funny in England, but the English accent would sound funny around you guys," he explained.
Sarah was still laughing. "Can you say something else? It's so funny!"
James rolled his eyes and closed his mouth tight.
"You've got a nice Canadian-British mixed accent, James" said Peter. "It's just your old accent coming back. I mean, you grew up here, right?"
James shook his head yes.
"So it's perfectly natural for your accent to come back, at least partially, by visiting here, right?"
James shrugged his shoulders.
"Sarah, would you stop laughing so James can talk again?"
"It's too hard to stop!" she said, clearly having a laughing fit.
"Then can you leave?"
Sarah laughed. "Sure... I'll visit your parents." She wandered out of the room. Peter and James could hear her insane laughter fading down the hall.
"She gets that way sometimes," said Peter. "'Besides, she didn't know you when you had your accent, so it is probably strange for her to hear you speaking with an English accent."
"Great. Just great. Tell me, do you think it will be safe for me to ever speak to her again? Or will she rupture her diaphragm?"
"I think she'll be fine... that is, as soon as we get back to Canada and your English accent fades away again."
The hotel phone in the room rang. Peter answered it.
"Hello?... Wow, that was fast... Yes... Yes... No... James is fine... And he is talking again... No... What?... I think so... Sure... That's fine... Okay... We'll be right over."
"Who was it?" asked James.
"That was Sarah calling from my parents' room. She said it's easier to talk to me without you in the room and that we should come over now. She also asked if tomorrow would be an okay night for just the four of us to go out for dinner. I don't think she was really asking, because she had just gotten her reservations confirmed."
"In short, it was a courtesy call," said James dryly. "How Sarah of her. So, where did she make the reservations?"
"A restaurant called Italia just off Leicester Square."
"Well, Italian sounds nice."
"Yeah, if it wasn't at 8:30."
"It's at 8:30? At night?"
Peter rolled his eyes. "No, we're eating dinner in the morning... Of course it's at night!"
"Is this restaurant really nice or something?"
"Yeah. She's wanted to go ever since we passed by it earlier today. And she wanted just the four of us to go. I think tomorrow night is the only night we're doing that, all the other nights we're eating with the entire family."
"That's fine. Are you almost ready to go to your parents' room?"
"Yeah," said Peter. "Just let me put on my shoes."
A few moments later, James and Peter headed out of the room to Peter's parent's room.
And a few minutes later, a small round globe left the folds of the curtain and zoomed out the slightly open window.
----------------
The SpySphere flew in just in time. George and Fred had just arrived, and Ginny had already been at Hermione and Ron's house for a few minutes.
"Our last guest has arrived!" said Hermione as the SpySphere flew in the house.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "A metal ball is now a friend of yours?"
"Tell me, are the late night conversations interesting?" asked George with mock curiosity.
"Oh, and for purely scientific reasons," said Fred, "Is your friend a boy or a girl?"
"And if it's a girl, can I have her name and address?" asked George.
"And if it's a boy, can I get his name and address?" said Fred just as seriously as his brother.
Ginny started laughing. "Fred! You're married! What would Angelina say if I told her you left her for a male ball of metal?"
"She's got a point there, Fred," said George. "I think I should take both names and addresses. It gives me more options."
Ron started laughing with Ginny, all the while waiting for Hermione to get annoyed or slightly angry, but she did neither. She was too happy.
"Laugh it up," she said brightly, "But this is our key to finding Harry."
The group suddenly sobered.
"As in Harry Potter?" asked Ginny in a high-pitched voice.
"As in the Boy Who Lived?" asked Fred.
"As in--" started George.
"Yes, yes. As in the Harry we know and love," said Hermione slightly impatiently.
"Is this why you invited us over?" asked Ginny.
"Yes it is. You all are going to help me find Harry, and I can guarantee you he'll be with us by Christmas."
Ron groaned.
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "And can I please get started with out any more interruptions?"
Ron mumbled an apology.
"Thank you," said Hermione. "Now, as you all know I saw Harry living as a muggle in Canada. And I happen to know that Harry is in London at this moment. Which means that he should not be that hard to find. With the help of this SpySphere, here," she gestured to the silver sphere in her palm, "We will know find out when and where we will be able to find him."
Fred looked incredulous.
"But how--" began Ginny.
"Just listen," said Hermione, tapping the sphere with her wand.
Smokey letters floated out. Number of conversations heard: one, it read.
Then, at high volume, the conversation Peter had related to James flew from the sphere.
"She also asked if tomorrow would be an okay night for just the four of us to go out for dinner..." said Peter's voice very loudly.
"Whoa," commented George. "Mind turning that down a few decibels?"
Hermione hushed at him.
"She doesn't know how," whispered Ron loudly to George.
"So, where did she make the reservations?" continued the sphere, seeming to yell in James' voice.
"A restaurant called Italia just off Leicester Square."
"Well, Italian sounds nice."
"Yeah, if it wasn't at 8:30."
"It's at 8:30? At night?"
"No, we're eating dinner in the morning... Of course it's at night!"
"This is amazing," said Fred. "Though it doesn't--"
Hermione sent a glare in Fred's direction and he promptly stopped talking.
"...she wanted just the four of us to go," the SpySphere shrieking in Peter's voice. "I think tomorrow night is the only night we're doing that, all the other nights we're eating with the entire family."
The SpySphere was done repeating the conversation and was silent.
"As you see," said Hermione, "Tomorrow is when we will enact the plan. It is our only chance. We have all the information and it seems to be the night with the least amount of people going to dinner."
"Um, and what exactly is 'The Plan'?" asked Ginny suspiciously.
Ron sighed. "Here we go..."
"Using your help and some strategic positions, 'The Plan' is, at the most basic level, a flawless design to make Harry rejoin our world."
----------------
These lovely people gave fantastic reviews! Applause, please.
amythest
AllieSkittllez
jeswin
rowan
accou2
Billy Bob Joe
Lily Evans Potter Black Lupin
Anaxandra
kateydidnt
Tobin Mitchell
smilez
Illustrious Sorrow
Korinna Myorin
Penelope
Autumn Ice
harriet potter
serena
ittybittytreefrog
Kraken
urain
Electricity-Of-The-Phoenix
Naomi SilverWolf
Marci
JaneyLane
Mayleesa
Nnifer
sakurastar-63
D'Nalia
R.K. Kensington
Sugar Quill
Lady Cinnibar
K. H. T
Gara
luke-6622427
mcnugget
marshmellow16b
smallfry
Love to all,
Adah