Never Too Late
Chapter 2: Hurtful Memories
Harry walked up the stairs of the Head Girl's dorm. He was to meet up with Hermione to go to Hogsmeade that night but she was running late, which unusual for her. About mid way from the door, he began to hear voices from her room. He looked up to see that her bedroom door was partially opened. He quietly crept up the stairs, trying desperately to stay quiet. He got to the door in time to make out a few words.
"I love you, Hermione."
Harry pushed the door open slightly to see Hermione's back facing him. She was kissing another. Not just any other guy, but her ex-boyfriend, Victor Krum. His hands one her shoulder and her's on his chest. Victor's eyes opened and gazed right at Harry. Not stopping the moment he glared at Harry with a look of sheer enjoyment, as he knew that Harry's heart was shattering with each moment.
Harry gave Victor a look of disgust as he silently. He thought to himself, "if this is what she wants, then so be it." He turned and left the doorway, staying quiet as possible. Rage fueled within his veins a single tear left his eye that he could hold back. He left the dorm through the portal and made his way outside.
Under the starry night, he walked the pathway to Hogsmeade alone. Hedwig flew down before him before he made it to the edge of Hogsmeade. She had a letter for him. He quickly took the letter from his faithful friend. It was from his father's old friend, Remus Lupin. He read the letter. He looked up at the small town then looked back at the castle. He gave out a sigh before saying, "Accio Firebolt." Within moments his broomstick flew to his side. He mounted it and took to the sky.
The alarm clock next to Harry's bed went off, awaking him from his dream. He opened his eyes and reached to shut it off. He turned on the light next to it. Squinting from the pain of light entering his eyes for the first time today, he looked over to see a little girl sleeping next to him, hugging a stuffed bear. His pain about the dream was temporally subdued as he smiled and kissed her forehead.
He got up out of bed slowly so he wouldn't awaken his daughter. He turned back to take one more look at her. Seeing her long deep red hair reminded how much she looked like his own mother. He smiled once more and left the room and went to his bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. Each time he does, he still cannot believe the image he sees. Once he was a thin and not very built. Now he is tall, very athletically toned, his face showed experience rather than innocence as it used to be. His hair was still the same, jet-black with no way to tame. His eyes were also the same, emerald green and piercing. Able to melt the hearts of woman with a glance and intimidate a foe with a glare. He now donned a well-trimmed goatee of jet-black as his hair. He turned on the water faucet and rubbed cold water in his face to help wake him up before turning on the shower.
In the shower, he thought more about the dream. It was more than just a dream, it actually happened to him almost two decades ago. Lowering his head under the shower, allowing the water to flow over his head. He tried forgetting about the dream and look towards the week to come. It wasn't working.
He got out of the shower and dried off. He got dressed in his night cloths and walked back into his room. He saw his daughter sitting up rubbing her eyes. He walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down next her. She looked up at her father with her emerald eyes, the same as his, but with tears in them.
"What's wrong, Lily?" he asked in a worried tone as he rubbed her hair back away from her face. She hugged her father tightly and cried a little harder. "What is the matter?"
"I had a bad dream." She sniffed. "Someone came and took you away from us." She hugged tighter after saying so. His heart dropped to the floor. The thought of him leaving his family was one thing he never let himself think of. He picked up his daughter and held on to her shoulders. He peered into her teary emerald eyes with his.
"Lily," he said with the utmost seriousness. "I would never, ever leave you or your brothers. You three are my life and my being. Without you three, I would be nothing." He hugged her again with tears forming in his eyes but he held them at bay.
"Daddy?" she said still a little upset. "Do you still love Mommy?"
"Everyday." He replied, not able to stop the single tear that left his eye from thinking about his beloved wife. "Come on. Time to get ready for school. Want to do me a favor?" She nodded as she rubbed away the last of her tears. "Go wake up Alexander, I'll get Christopher."
The little redheaded girl quickly got to her feet and raced to her brother's room while her dad was behind her. She turned the knob and opened the door quietly. The room was, to put it nice, not well organized. Cloths were all over the floor along with papers and soda pop cans. A guitar and amplifier were in one corner with the cord unraveled across the floor. Posters of bands like, Deftones, Slipknot, Tool, and others were across the walls. She stepped carefully to not make a sound. She got to the bed to see her older brother sleeping, or so she thought. As she got closer to see him, he quickly turned and grabbed her. He threw her on the bed and commenced to tickle her unmercifully.
"No fair!" she gasped between the laughter. "You were supposed to be asleep!"
"How can anyone sleep with all the noise you make, red?" he laughed as he continued to tickle his baby sister. Alex was fourteen going on fifteen in a few short months. He was an almost exact copy of his father when he was his age, all except for the hair. His hair was jet-black, like his father's, but long.
Alex got tackled from behind. He landed sideways, releasing Lily. "Any ever tell you that you shouldn't pick on your little sister?" said a voice that belonged to their oldest brother, Christopher. He smiled as he held his brother in a full nelson. Unlike the other two, he didn't have their father's eyes. His were blue and stunning. His hair was blonde but he did have the unruliness that Harry possessed. "Get him back, Lily!"
She didn't hesitate, she immediately started tickling his sides as he started fidgeting to get free and to stop the tickling. Harry stood at the doorway, watching his children roughhouse. He couldn't help but smile at them. Watching his children grow up was the best thing and hardest job he could ask for, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. "Okay children, time to get ready. Breakfast in 10."
The three stopped to catch their breaths from all the laughter. It was a good start for the last week of school they each thought. Chris was the first to get up and go back into his room to grab some cloths. Lily followed suit and went into her room. Alex lied in bed for a few more moments before grabbing some cloths.
The three came downstairs to the smell of eggs and bacon. They sat in their seats at the kitchen table, eager to be fed. Harry gave his children their helpings before making his. "Alexander," he said from the other side of him. "I need you to do me a favor."
"What's that?" he asked before chewing on a piece of bacon.
"I need you to run by your sister's school and walk her home tonight."
"Okay," he said before drinking his orange juice. Thinking that his son will dispute, his answer was a shock to Harry.
"I'm asking you cause I have to work late and Christopher has practice after school."
"It's no big deal, Dad." Alex responded, reassuring his father that he had no problem walking Lily home.
The children finished their meal and left the table to grab their book bags. Alex grabbed his skateboard and Harry walked them out the door and watched them off. Worry was felt in his stomach like it does everyday he watched. "I wish you were able to see them, Cynthia. You would be so proud of them." He closed the door and got ready for work. The thought of the dream still popping in and out of his head.
Chapter 2: Hurtful Memories
Harry walked up the stairs of the Head Girl's dorm. He was to meet up with Hermione to go to Hogsmeade that night but she was running late, which unusual for her. About mid way from the door, he began to hear voices from her room. He looked up to see that her bedroom door was partially opened. He quietly crept up the stairs, trying desperately to stay quiet. He got to the door in time to make out a few words.
"I love you, Hermione."
Harry pushed the door open slightly to see Hermione's back facing him. She was kissing another. Not just any other guy, but her ex-boyfriend, Victor Krum. His hands one her shoulder and her's on his chest. Victor's eyes opened and gazed right at Harry. Not stopping the moment he glared at Harry with a look of sheer enjoyment, as he knew that Harry's heart was shattering with each moment.
Harry gave Victor a look of disgust as he silently. He thought to himself, "if this is what she wants, then so be it." He turned and left the doorway, staying quiet as possible. Rage fueled within his veins a single tear left his eye that he could hold back. He left the dorm through the portal and made his way outside.
Under the starry night, he walked the pathway to Hogsmeade alone. Hedwig flew down before him before he made it to the edge of Hogsmeade. She had a letter for him. He quickly took the letter from his faithful friend. It was from his father's old friend, Remus Lupin. He read the letter. He looked up at the small town then looked back at the castle. He gave out a sigh before saying, "Accio Firebolt." Within moments his broomstick flew to his side. He mounted it and took to the sky.
The alarm clock next to Harry's bed went off, awaking him from his dream. He opened his eyes and reached to shut it off. He turned on the light next to it. Squinting from the pain of light entering his eyes for the first time today, he looked over to see a little girl sleeping next to him, hugging a stuffed bear. His pain about the dream was temporally subdued as he smiled and kissed her forehead.
He got up out of bed slowly so he wouldn't awaken his daughter. He turned back to take one more look at her. Seeing her long deep red hair reminded how much she looked like his own mother. He smiled once more and left the room and went to his bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. Each time he does, he still cannot believe the image he sees. Once he was a thin and not very built. Now he is tall, very athletically toned, his face showed experience rather than innocence as it used to be. His hair was still the same, jet-black with no way to tame. His eyes were also the same, emerald green and piercing. Able to melt the hearts of woman with a glance and intimidate a foe with a glare. He now donned a well-trimmed goatee of jet-black as his hair. He turned on the water faucet and rubbed cold water in his face to help wake him up before turning on the shower.
In the shower, he thought more about the dream. It was more than just a dream, it actually happened to him almost two decades ago. Lowering his head under the shower, allowing the water to flow over his head. He tried forgetting about the dream and look towards the week to come. It wasn't working.
He got out of the shower and dried off. He got dressed in his night cloths and walked back into his room. He saw his daughter sitting up rubbing her eyes. He walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down next her. She looked up at her father with her emerald eyes, the same as his, but with tears in them.
"What's wrong, Lily?" he asked in a worried tone as he rubbed her hair back away from her face. She hugged her father tightly and cried a little harder. "What is the matter?"
"I had a bad dream." She sniffed. "Someone came and took you away from us." She hugged tighter after saying so. His heart dropped to the floor. The thought of him leaving his family was one thing he never let himself think of. He picked up his daughter and held on to her shoulders. He peered into her teary emerald eyes with his.
"Lily," he said with the utmost seriousness. "I would never, ever leave you or your brothers. You three are my life and my being. Without you three, I would be nothing." He hugged her again with tears forming in his eyes but he held them at bay.
"Daddy?" she said still a little upset. "Do you still love Mommy?"
"Everyday." He replied, not able to stop the single tear that left his eye from thinking about his beloved wife. "Come on. Time to get ready for school. Want to do me a favor?" She nodded as she rubbed away the last of her tears. "Go wake up Alexander, I'll get Christopher."
The little redheaded girl quickly got to her feet and raced to her brother's room while her dad was behind her. She turned the knob and opened the door quietly. The room was, to put it nice, not well organized. Cloths were all over the floor along with papers and soda pop cans. A guitar and amplifier were in one corner with the cord unraveled across the floor. Posters of bands like, Deftones, Slipknot, Tool, and others were across the walls. She stepped carefully to not make a sound. She got to the bed to see her older brother sleeping, or so she thought. As she got closer to see him, he quickly turned and grabbed her. He threw her on the bed and commenced to tickle her unmercifully.
"No fair!" she gasped between the laughter. "You were supposed to be asleep!"
"How can anyone sleep with all the noise you make, red?" he laughed as he continued to tickle his baby sister. Alex was fourteen going on fifteen in a few short months. He was an almost exact copy of his father when he was his age, all except for the hair. His hair was jet-black, like his father's, but long.
Alex got tackled from behind. He landed sideways, releasing Lily. "Any ever tell you that you shouldn't pick on your little sister?" said a voice that belonged to their oldest brother, Christopher. He smiled as he held his brother in a full nelson. Unlike the other two, he didn't have their father's eyes. His were blue and stunning. His hair was blonde but he did have the unruliness that Harry possessed. "Get him back, Lily!"
She didn't hesitate, she immediately started tickling his sides as he started fidgeting to get free and to stop the tickling. Harry stood at the doorway, watching his children roughhouse. He couldn't help but smile at them. Watching his children grow up was the best thing and hardest job he could ask for, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. "Okay children, time to get ready. Breakfast in 10."
The three stopped to catch their breaths from all the laughter. It was a good start for the last week of school they each thought. Chris was the first to get up and go back into his room to grab some cloths. Lily followed suit and went into her room. Alex lied in bed for a few more moments before grabbing some cloths.
The three came downstairs to the smell of eggs and bacon. They sat in their seats at the kitchen table, eager to be fed. Harry gave his children their helpings before making his. "Alexander," he said from the other side of him. "I need you to do me a favor."
"What's that?" he asked before chewing on a piece of bacon.
"I need you to run by your sister's school and walk her home tonight."
"Okay," he said before drinking his orange juice. Thinking that his son will dispute, his answer was a shock to Harry.
"I'm asking you cause I have to work late and Christopher has practice after school."
"It's no big deal, Dad." Alex responded, reassuring his father that he had no problem walking Lily home.
The children finished their meal and left the table to grab their book bags. Alex grabbed his skateboard and Harry walked them out the door and watched them off. Worry was felt in his stomach like it does everyday he watched. "I wish you were able to see them, Cynthia. You would be so proud of them." He closed the door and got ready for work. The thought of the dream still popping in and out of his head.
