Chapter 20

Home again

Cassie and Harry walked along with the crowd, heading generally toward the Underground. They were dissecting the movie, discussing favorite parts and funny lines. Harry told Cassie, "That was so fun. I'm glad that we came together to see this."

"I'm serious about renting some other Bond films, Harry. You seemed to really enjoy this one."

"I did really enjoy the movie but I don't really understand about renting the videos of the others. Could you explain that a little bit more?" Harry had decided that it was not worth trying to fake knowing more about this than he did; she didn't seem to mind if he was a little behind the times.

"Just tell me, please, that you know what a VCR is!" Cassie was laughing.

"Yeah. I know what one is." Dudley had gotten one for the last birthday Harry had spent with him - the infamous day of the zoo and the snake and the disappearing glass. "My aunt had one - but she only used it for taping television programs that she missed." This was a fairly minor lie. It had always been Dudley who was addicted to television programs.

"Well, that is one reason to have one. But you can also sign up at a rental place and rent videos of movies and shows and stuff. They usually don't cost much and then you keep them for a day or two, watch them at home, and take them back."

"So, kind of like a library except not."

"Well, yeah." Cassie noticeably slowed her steps as they got closer to the Underground station. Harry looked over at her concerned.

"Is something wrong?" He hoped that his ignorance on this one aspect of Muggle life had not convinced her finally that he wasn't worth the effort. Maybe she felt like he really was an alien. He also automatically started scanning the people around them. Were they stopping, too? No. Everyone else looked happy and unconcerned.

"No. Are we in any hurry to get back to my house?"

"I'm not." Harry realized as soon as the words were out of his mouth that actually he probably should be because it was almost 11 and he had been away from his house for almost six hours. By the time he got Cassie home and walked the rest of the way back to his house, it would probably be after midnight. He hated to imagine the fit his doorbell would be throwing when he finally showed up. But then, he looked down at her and realized that he could handle anything the doorbell threw at him and he was willing to, just to spend some more time with Cassie.

"My curfew is 11:30 in the summer, so we don't need to go back quite yet. We could get the train that leaves here at 11:10 and be fine."

"All right." Harry was not quite sure what to make of this exchange. What was she suggesting? "What do you want to do for the next 20 minutes then?"

"Coffee?"

"Sounds good." They made their way into a nearby café and sat down at the crowded bar. Harry wanted to get a booth but that did not seem very likely, so he just double-checked that his hair was covering his scar and tried to relax.

"Anyway, Harry. I feel like it is my duty as a good friend of yours to make sure that you are suitably corrupted by movies with no depth and no good moral message." They ordered as the waitress noticed them, and Harry was pleasantly surprised at how good the coffee was. He hadn't had it for a while.

"You do, huh?"

"Yes. So I'm afraid that an evening full of old Bond movies is called for at this point."

"Oh, please! No! The torture! Are you sure this is necessary?"

"Absolutely. That way if you are an alien you can take the worst aspects of humanity back to your planet and convince them that we are not worth invading." She laughed quietly, sipping her coffee. Her blue eyes sparkled and Harry thought it was possible he could drown in them.

"Actually, I think it might convince them that your planet would be too hard to invade. They would realize that if everyone fought like that, they would have no chance to win!" They both laughed at that.

"Seriously, though, Harry. I'm busy tomorrow night but the night after that I think my parents wouldn't mind having you over to watch a couple of videos."

"Are you sure, Cassie? I don't want to impose."

"I'm allowed to have friends over without getting permission. If they're busy, we'll just watch them ourselves. I should warn you, though, that the boys would probably be watching with us. You saw how much Matthew loves James Bond."

"Well, that's okay. I will probably need to play at least one video game with John, anyway. I owe him." A very embarrassing thought crossed Harry's mind at that point. "I have to ask, though. Does every movie have a scene as, uh . . ." Harry stammered a little bit. "As, well, revealing as that one in tonight's . . ." His voice trailed off and he began to feel self-conscious about being so uncomfortable over the "love scenes." He wondered if he would have been as embarrassed if he had not been sitting next to a very pretty girl to whom he was very attracted. He tried to control the blush he could feel starting under his collar.

"Most do, but that's the beauty of a video, you can just fast forward through those parts."

"That's good." Harry couldn't imagine having Matthew sitting there next to him while they watched another scene as suggestive as the one in tonight's movie had been or Cassie's parents, for that matter.

"I want you to come with me and pick the movies. At the video place. That way, we can both decide and you can't blame me if you don't like it."

"I trust your judgment. I'm sure you can pick better than I can." She was insistent, though, that she wanted him to come with her, so it was arranged.

"Seven, then, at the grocery store? Right?" They had both finished their coffee and were heading back onto the street.

"Yeah. Sorry I can't invite you for dinner that night. Chances are my mum wouldn't mind having you, but I better not promise. Maybe I could call you, though, if she says it's okay?"

"Um, no. Sorry. I don't have a phone. I'll just grab something myself before I come. Maybe I'll even grab some more of those great fish and chips that evening. You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay. You don't have a phone?"

"No." Well, that was a lie and Harry felt bad as he had just this evening promised her that he wouldn't lie to her, but he felt a little justified as it would be hard to explain that he had a phone at the house but didn't know the phone number.

They arrived at the Underground station which was fairly empty. Harry thought this meant that they could probably get a seat on the return journey. Not that standing had not had its advantages earlier, though. When the train arrived and they got on, they were easily able to find seats. They talked for a few minutes about what snacks he wanted to have while they watched the movies, and then she fell silent.

"Is something wrong?" Harry reached up and tugged gently on her ponytail, loving the way her hair felt. He let his hand find the back of her neck and he rubbed the nape of her neck gently, massaging the muscles there. .

"No. I'm just suddenly very tired." She yawned suddenly and flushed. "Sorry. It's not that you're boring."

"You mean that coffee hasn't kicked in yet, huh?"

"I guess not."

"Well, you can just relax. I don't mind if you're not keeping me entertained."

She leaned against him rather suddenly, arranging herself so that her head was against his shoulder and it seemed the most natural thing in the world for his arm to curve around her waist to hold her in place. She smiled faintly and Harry thought for one brief moment that he hoped the train broke down and they were stuck on these tracks for a very long time.

They were still sitting quietly together at the next stop when four teenage girls entered the train and sat on a bench behind them and to the right. Harry had only noticed them vaguely because they were a little loud and their clothes were definitely very suggestive. He thought it was possible that the blond girl in the movie tonight had been more covered than these four. It was not until a minute or two passed that he suddenly wished he was anywhere but here.

They were speaking in fairly low tones, now, but Harry was close enough that he heard every word. It surprised him that they were speaking so openly but realized that if he were a Muggle, he would have just thought they were nutters and ignored them.

"My mum had a fit when I told her we were going by train tonight. She really wanted me to floo there." "Hate that. You are always so dirty after. It's embarrassing." "Yeah, wish apparation was an option." "Not me. I like the trains. Drives mum batty." "Your mum's already a little batty." "Thanks. She was lecturing me just tonight. . . . ." "Ooh, I can hear it coming." The girl spoke in a high voice, obviously imitating her mother but it was the words she spoke that sent cold water chills through Harry. "With Potter gone, we are not safe anywhere. You don't know what it was like then . . . ., blah, blah, blah." The girls all laughed but Harry knew they were talking about his "death." "He was so cute." "Like you ever met him." "Well, I didn't, of course, but I could sure drool at his picture. Pity I'll never have a chance to meet him now." "Don't you have some clipping from the Prophet hanging above your bed?" "Yeah, I talk to it every night but he just smiles vaguely at me. Wish I had one of him from a match. Then I could watch him fly forever." "Well, I for one will never forgive You-Know-Who for killing him. I had high hopes of becoming Mrs. Potter some day. . . ." "Yeah, fat chance that was going to happen." Harry had, without realizing it, slid further down into his chair with every word they spoke. There would be no question of them recognizing him if they saw his face. How many more stops before they could get off?

"Hey, you all right?" Cassie had sat up and was looking at him concernedly. He was scrunched pretty far down in his seat now. He straightened a little but before she could say anything else, he interrupted.

"Shh." Harry did not want her to draw attention to him. He turned a little more toward her so that it was less likely the girls could see his face and smiled, trying to not cause her too much concern. Fortunately, she didn't push the issue and leaned against him again, also squishing down in her seat a little so her head still rested against his shoulder. He could tell she was not as comfortable and he tried to adjust slightly without being too obvious.



They only had a few more minutes before they could get off, but for Harry it was a very long time. The girls' conversation continued. "My dad says that the Aurors are everywhere trying to hunt down the DE's but that they won't be able to hold You-Know-Who off for long now. I think he's really frightened." "We've still got Dumbledore, though." "Yeah, but since You-Know-Who killed Potter this time, he might be stronger than Dumbledore thought." "I think that grownups are way over-reacting. So what if You-Know-Who takes over the ministry? Like it's going to matter to me." "Ooh, I don't want that. He scares me." "My brother says that it could happen any day now. I guess Fudge is hardly even putting up a fight." "Well, your brother is a complete nutter. Of course Fudge is fighting. He's just a big git. He can't seem to do anything right. That's why the DE's are winning." "So what was Potter really doing to help, anyway? I thought he was still in school?" "Of course he was. But he was still fighting for the ministry. They were hoping he could do whatever he did the first time again."

It was with relief that Harry heard their stop announced. The conversation behind him had scared him badly for two reasons. It was obvious they had seen his picture a lot (above her bed? Unbelievable!) and if they even thought he looked kind of like "Potter" they would all turn and stare at him and they would certainly recognize him. Second, it sounded like the ministry was on the verge of collapse and although Harry had no great love for Fudge, secretly agreeing with the girl who said Fudge was a big git, he certainly didn't want it to collapse completely. His hand went automatically to his wand, pushing his shirt up so that his fingers actually touched the wood. What he was planning on doing with it he did not know. He couldn't really disguise himself with it, couldn't kill the girls (even if he wanted to -- which he didn't), could possibly memory charm them but he was not well-skilled at this and with four of them it would be iffy. Cassie noticed his hand on his wand and sat up, turning to look around to see what he was nervous about. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don't look around. I don't want anyone to notice me here." Her eyes got a little wider at this, but she turned toward the window as they approached the station, not saying anything.

As the train stopped, Harry stood up quickly, not daring to look back at the girls, who were still giggling and talking. He took Cassie's hand. She tried to go out of the door right by where they had been sitting, but he tugged her rather urgently toward a door further along the train. Cassie's eyebrows knitted together with a questioning look, but Harry just strode quickly to the door and exited with her right behind him. Once on the platform, he went immediately over to a train schedule, concentrating hard on it as the train picked up speed and left the station. Once it was gone, he turned to Cassie, who now was looking at him like he had seriously lost his marbles. He glanced quickly around the platform, making sure that the girls had also not exited here. No. There were only a few people down here and they all looked to be Muggles.

"Are you planning on getting back on the train?"

"What?" Harry had no idea what she was talking about.

"Why are you looking at the schedule?"

"Oh, uh, just . . ." She was looking at him fully now and Harry realized that he really did owe her an explanation. He had just three hours before promised her that he wouldn't lie to her. And since then, he had lied twice, once about the VCR and once about the phone. Now, she deserved to know.

"Cassie." He took a deep breath and they started to walk toward the exit from the station. "I thought someone on that train would recognize me."

"Recognize you? What do you mean?"



"Well, I mean, know it was me. Those girls . . . well, they may have seen me before." This was more complicated than he had realized.

"And this is bad because . . . why? I thought you didn't know anyone here in town."

"I don't. They would have recognized me from seeing pictures of me."

"Pictures?"

"It's all very complicated. Anyway, I need to get you home." He felt a vague pounding in the back of his head. His scar wasn't hurting, but practically everywhere else was.

"Wait." He had been practically pulling her along in his anxiety and she planted her feet and refused to move. "Stop, Harry. I need to know what you are talking about."

"I can't explain. It's just too . . ."

"Complicated. I know, Harry. Your life is extremely complicated. And I couldn't possibly understand, I'm sure. But seriously." Her eyes narrowed slightly at him. "Are you in trouble? Like wanted for a crime or something? It's not mug shots you thought they might have seen, is it?" Harry's first instinct was to laugh. Him in mug shots! But then he realized what she was actually asking.

"You think I might be a criminal? Like a crook?" He started walking, not taking her hand this time, toward her house. She followed a few steps behind, trying to keep up with his longer stride.

"Well?"

"I'm not a criminal, Cassie. How could you even think that?" He felt sick inside, like somehow her thinking that about him made it possible. His head was pounding now and he walked a little faster. He needed to get home.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" Her voice was tight now. "But what am I supposed to think? You're not making sense!"

"I know."

She ran a few steps to catch him and grabbed his arm. "You're frightened. You were terrified on the train. You think I didn't notice? Your heart was racing a mile a minute. I could hear it. You were scared. I was scared."

"I can protect you."

"I wasn't frightened for me! Don't you understand? I was frightened for you!" She was talking loudly, now, and Harry glanced around nervously at the dark houses nearby.

"I'm not a criminal." He tried to speak calmly although he really felt like hitting something. Not her, but if a Death Eater had been around, he would have very easily been able to summon enough anger to do a really great Cruciatus curse.

"Fine, then, you're not a criminal. Tell me what it was that frightened you." She stopped suddenly, like something had just dawned on her. "Oh. Oh. That all makes sense." She turned toward him again. "You're hiding because someone is trying to hurt you. You're in that witness protection program thing, aren't you?"

"I . . ." Harry desperately wanted to say yes. Then she wouldn't think more bad things about him.

"I, well. It's kind of like that, although not exactly. It's a little bit complicated, Cassie. I know I keep saying that, but it's the truth. You're just going to have to be mad at me if you want because I -" They had arrived at her house, which still had lights on. It was 11:30 exactly, and Harry was relieved that he had not gotten her into trouble although she seemed in no hurry to go inside.

"I'm not mad at you, Harry." She was speaking softly now, standing very close to him. She reached out and put her hand on his arm again and he felt her warmth. "I trust you, Harry. I do. I'm sorry about saying you might be . . . Well, I just . . . I don't know." She was silent for a minute, and then she leaned against him in that way she had that completely endeared her to him. It always made him feel like she was trusting him completely and he liked that feeling. He slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer. She very quietly asked, "Are you still going to come over?"

"You mean for the movies?"

"Yeah."

"I want to Cassie, desperately." He didn't quite know how to say the next part. "It's possible I may have to leave before then. I don't know when I'll have to go away. Just know that if I ever go away without saying good-bye to you, it's not because I don't like you, okay. Do you understand that?" She lifted her head off his chest, nodding a little. Her face was very close to his and Harry thought that her mouth looked very soft. He bent his head a little, thinking that if he could just kiss her once, maybe he wouldn't mind so terribly much if he never saw her again. She moved a little also and Harry thought with sudden joy that she wanted to kiss him, too. Then the porch light flicked off and on, and she pulled back suddenly.

"Darn. They know I'm out here. Probably looking out the window at us. I better go in, Harry. I'm sorry about everything."

Harry thought he might die of embarrassment to think that her parents may have been looking out the window at them, but then at the same time had the thought that they could have at least given him two more seconds. He wanted to give some great good-bye speech in case it was the last time he saw her, but the only thing that came out was "It's okay. I'll see you soon." And then she was gone. And Harry, who should have been practically sprinting for the safety of his invisible prison, wanted to do nothing more than stand there on her curb and wait until she came out again. He forced his feet to turn toward home and walked with a determined gait back to the reality of his life.