Authors Note: Any italics in this section are usually thoughts. Once again, thanks so much for reading and please review!
Chapter 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I-" Shannon began, finding she was unable to finish. He's not real…he can't be.
"Am I dreaming?" Harry whispered, staring into those stunning brown eyes.
"I was wondering the same thing…" Shannon breathed.
Before he could stop himself, Harry reached out a hand, brushing her cheek as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You feel real to me," Shannon smiled.
Harry smiled back and glanced around the hall as he said, "Where were you headed?"
"Oh," Shannon said, suddenly forgetting. "No where really. I was just…wandering I guess."
Harry nodded, "Mind if I wander with you?"
"Not at all," Shannon took the arm he held out. Maybe we aren't so invisible after all.
The two wandered the halls, sometimes speaking, sometimes simply walking.
"That's a lovely necklace you're wearing," Harry remarked as he led her to a stone bench.
"Thank-you," Shannon fingered the silver locket thoughtfully. "My mother gave it to me." She took the necklace off, opened it, and then handed it to Harry. Inside Harry found a picture of a woman and a small child.
"That's me and my Mom, when I was three. We used to be really close," Shannon's eyes grew dark. She looked as if she might cry.
It was bad enough that no one noticed her here. But at home, at home she felt the same wall, the same lack of human contact. Even her mother seemed to stop paying attention to her. Shannon knew something had happened, something that brought this change on, but she couldn't remember. No, that's not right. She wouldn't remember. She refused. She didn't want to think about it, didn't want to face it.
Harry saw the cloud forming, the dams about to burst. He pulled her in close. He couldn't explain it. Yes, he'd wanted to comfort her, keep the tears from flowing, but there was something else. There was also some strange sense of urgency, the need to hold on for dear life. But why?
Shannon felt herself wrapped in his arms, safe and warm. But this was silly. Why should she cry to some…some stranger? But he didn't feel like a stranger. He felt like… like a friend she hadn't known she'd had. Close…maybe too close. How long had it been since someone had noticed her? How long since she felt this kind of companionship? How could this be real?
Too fast…she was almost used to the isolation. And now this…She closed her eyes as she willed herself to let go. She could feel his arms drop away. It was an odd feeling, almost as if he was falling away. When she opened her eyes the bench was empty. She scanned the hallway quickly, but there was only silence. Nothing but silence.
Harry let her pull away, despite the urge to never let go. He closed his eyes, catching the scent of her perfume. He felt her take him by the arms, and then begin to shake him. Her voice changed, became deep, became that of Ron hissing "Harry, Harry wake up!".
Harry opened his eyes. Professor Trelawny was smiling at him. Ron sighed and shook his head.
"A dream," Harry moaned. "Another dream. But, she was there. She saw me!"
"Honestly Harry," Ron groaned. "Give it up. The girl's not real,"
"She felt real…" Harry's eyes fell to floor. Then he noticed it, what was in his hand. He still held the necklace.
Shannon stood and walked slowly back to her class. Not surprisingly, there was no one in the hall. It was the same sterile, echoy, cement passage it had always been. It was dotted with the usual "character-building" posters and sunny yellow bulletin boards covered in pieces of paper. Shannon had stopped noticing them ages ago, just like they'd stopped noticing her.
"I'm going crazy," She said simply, shrugging. "That's all, I'm just going insane. Nothing serious," She approached the door just in time for it to burst open, releasing a river of giggling, talking, smiling students in a mad rush to get to their lockers. Shannon stood against the wall as usual, where she was less likely to be trampled. When the doorway was clear she walked inside, sat in a desk in the back corner, and stared at the floor. The teacher didn't look up. Instead, she grabbed her lunch sack and left the room. Shannon hadn't looked up either. She continued to stare at the floor. It was just another day.
Harry held the locket in his hand, turning it over and over. If he still had it, could it mean…?
"Ron, I've-" Harry began.
"Mr. Potter," Professor Trelawny said, eyeing him coolly- a warning look.
"But-" Harry tried.
"Now is not the time," she answered, in the same cryptic tone she'd spoken in when he'd entered the room. Harry got the distinct impression she didn't mean he should stop talking and pay attention, as most teachers would. No, she meant something else, something about Shannon…and the necklace.
