By: FayeValentine00
Chapter 1
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I haven't heard from you all summer and I was hoping that maybe you'd be able to visit one of these days. I really think that we should talk. I don't really care what we talk about, honest. Just send me a note to let me know you are okay. Please?
Hermione
I sighed as I sealed the letter and sent it off with the barn owl I was renting for the summer vacation. This was the 4th letter I'd sent Harry in the last 2 months and he never replied. Saying I'd become worried would be the understatment of the year.
Sirius died just days before the end of the school year and Harry had never recovered. He'd carry on general conversation but if anything serious even threatened to come up, Harry'd thought of some excuse and then ran off. In reality I knew that there was very little I could do to ease the loss of Sirius but I wasn't about to just sit by and watch Harry crawl a little deeper inside himself a each day.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Mom's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and when I looked up at her, I tried to conjure up the best smile I could.
"I'm fine. Just worried about my O.W.L.S."
"I'm sure they'll be here anyday. Just relax, okay? You've been upset ever since you came home."
"Alright."
Once Mom left the room with one last worried glance, I realized that I couldn't wait for Harry's responce. I had to call him at Privet Drive or I'd go mad. It took about 20 minutes to locate the number but once I did, I locked the bedroom door and settled onto my bed, staring at the cordless phone receiver.
"Please be home." I whispered to myself as I dialed the number slowly.
"Hello?" A womanly voice answered the phone and for a brief moment Hermione had second thoughts. "Hello? Are you there?"
"Oh, yes. Sorry about that. May I please speak to Harry?"
There was a long silence on the other end before the woman voice came over the line again but this time her tone was much harsher. "Who is this?!"
"Hermione Granger. Harry and I are classmates and I need to get some homework from him, if that's okay."
It took everything in me to be polite to the woman that'd made my best friends life a living hell but I also knew that if I said what was on the dip of my tongue, I'd never get to speak to Harry.
"Wait."
There was a very long silence and I'd began to wonder if the phone had simply been forgotten. I was just about to hang up when a voice I barely recognized came on the line.
"Hello?"
"Harry? Is that you?"
"Hi Hermione."
A chill ran down my spine. His voice sounded so hollow. There was no emotion at all. Just a dull, monotone voice.
"Hi. I was just calling because you never wrote me back. I was worried."
"Don't worry. Everything is fine."
"No it's not, Harry."
"Look, I don't realy want to talk about this right now so-"
"Harry, WAIT!" Pain flooded my mind when I realized that Harry was just moments away from hanging up on me. "Can we meet for lunch?"
"What?"
"Lunch. Lets go have lunch tommorrow. We can even go to a muggle place so no one bothers us."
"I don't want to talk, Hermione." He sounded like a stranger.
"Please, Harry. You don't have to say a word, I swear. I just want to see you. Please?"
My plead was followed by yet another extremely long silence until he finally gave me the one word answer that I'd been praying for.
"Fine."
We made plans to meet the next day at a small cafe in London and then said quick goodbyes. I hung up the phone with two strong emotions pulling painfully at my heart. One part of me was excited because I was going to be able to see Harry again. The other part of me was worried. Harry'd sounded worse then I'd ever remembered hearing him before and it made me wonder if I'd be able to do anything to break the spell that held him so deeply within himself.
The next morning I woke up and got dressed. Realizing I was nearly two hours earlier, I decided to try to do something about my bushy hair. By the time I finished and stood looking in the mirror, I couldn't help but sigh.
Hermione, what the hell are you thinking?
Somewhere along the line of getting ready, I'd completely gone over board. I used the same product in my hair that'd I used at the ball in our 4th year. I'd decided to use a bit of makeup and I'd even opted for the most recent muggle fashion. I was wearing black jeans and a red baby-tee. Althought I really liked the way I looked, I suddenly realized that Harry would think I was being odd.
"Mom! I'm leaving." I tried to run out the door before she saw me but her voice sent me walking back into the kitchen.
"Hold on, Hermione. Come in here for a minute."
I walked in to the kitchen and she looked at me with obvious surprise on her face. "You look nice. Where are you going?"
"I'm meeting Harry at a cafe in London. We haven't seen each other all summer."
Mom looked at me a long time with an expression that I wouldn't understand for a long time but finally she nodded. "Alright. Have fun and be safe."
I rode the subway all the way to London and made my way towards the cafe where Harry and I had agreed to meet. I saw him waiting for me at the end of the street I'd turned down and had to hold back the shock at what I saw.
Harry looked awful. His hair was messier then usual. His clothes looked crumbled and the large bags under his eyes immediately told me that he was not getting enough rest. I had to take a deep breath before marching down the street and walking right up to Harry who was now nearly 10 inches taller then me.
"Good morning, Harry! I'm so glad you could come." I spoke brightly as though neither or us had a care in the world.
Harry had to do a double take when he turned to me. I guess that was a compliment especially because the fog that seemed to cloud his eyes lifted for a moment when he realized that it really was me standing before him.
