Warning: Moosh alert! Some kissing and generally just fluff! Sorry if it's too sappy for some of you.



Chapter 23

Fun and Games

After the wild adrenaline rush of the early morning, Harry sat quietly on the couch in the cool morning light, his heart beat and breathing slowing as he absorbed Dumbledore's calm words. He would stay in again today. There was a very slight risk that the small spell he had used to send Sir Lionel would mean that he would be discovered.

However, if someone hadn't found him by tonight, they weren't going to find him. He would just wait to see if anything happened. Dumbledore had not been worried at all and that fact went a great distance in helping Harry feel better.

By 5:00 that afternoon, Harry had given up any pretense of trying to remain calm. He only had two more hours before he could see Cassie again but could think of absolutely nothing to do until he could leave the house. He had done everything he could do and was bored beyond belief. He had cleaned the house thoroughly and gotten laundry ready to do the next day as he was wearing his very last set of clean clothes. He had eaten a rather large breakfast and lunch as he had lots of time to cook. He had watched a few shows on television and had watched the early news which had just ended, mainly so he could keep up a conversation tonight with Cassie's parents if necessary. He had decided at some point today that it was not really his job to keep track of the Ministry of Magic. He could focus on other things. And one of those things he wanted to focus on was Cassie.

He started pacing around, feeling like a caged tiger in a zoo. He was really looking forward to tonight. He was not exactly sure how everything was going to play out this evening, but he knew that he would be with Cassie.

By 5:30, he had decided it was time to leave. He combed his hair as carefully as he could, despairing at the persistent cow lick that made the back stand up. He grabbed his usual stuff he had to take with him: his wand, tucked securely into the front of his jeans, the address of the house, and his wallet. He contemplated for a minute how much money he had spent and how much he had left. He had barely touched the large amount of money Dumbledore had left him and if he was only going to be here another two weeks, he really could go wild with what was left if he wanted to. Not that he wanted to. He did, however, decide that he would splurge and get another outfit or two. Even just a different shirt or something so that he was a little more dressed up than when he was just wearing a T-shirt.

He decided that he was going to pick something up for dinner tonight rather than cooking at home. He planned on going back to the fish and chips shop where he and Cassie had stopped that afternoon and headed in that direction. He was supposed to meet her right in that area, anyway. However, part way there, he noticed a little shop selling sausage rolls, a very greasy but tasty meal. He bought three of them along with a bag of crisps and a drink, sitting outside on a bench while he enjoyed the food. He thought Cassie would probably not be too pleased with his choice of dinners but he didn't let that bother him too much. She didn't realize how much energy he expended on a daily basis when he was living his normal day-to-day life. In fact, Hermione was usually nagging him that he needed to eat more. Usually in the summer, he basically lived on a bare subsistence ration of food as Petunia and Vernon resented the fact he stayed so thin when Dudley was so huge. Harry did not really know what was going to happen this year. He did know, however, that he was not expected to have to go to the Dursleys. He was sure that they would be just as broken-hearted about that as he was. Of course, at this point, they thought he was dead. He wondered briefly if they had stopped celebrating yet.

He watched people as they walked by on the street, not meeting anyone's eyes and keeping very close track of what his hair was doing in the light breeze. He did not see anyone unusual and no one paid any attention to him. He finished his food and threw away the napkins, heading again to the grocery store. He got there very early. It was only 6:30 according to his watch and he knew he would have to find something to do with himself for a few minutes. He found the rack of magazines and newspapers inside the store and contemplated buying a paper. He finally settled on one and purchased it. Then he went back outside and leaned against the wall as he read the headlines. The afternoon sun had warmed the cement wall, and Harry felt very comfortable standing there waiting. He got absorbed in a funny article and so was surprised when Cassie was suddenly there, grabbing the paper out of his hands. "Hey! It's good to see you!" He looked up and caught his breath. She was absolutely beautiful. She hugged him quickly, kissing him on the cheek, and Harry held her close for a minute before she stepped back out of his arms.

She was wearing light blue today and it made her eyes, already so blue, stand out even more. Harry just stared at her for a few minutes until she actually blushed. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?" She reached her hand up and touched her hair, which Harry now noticed was done in some sort of braid thing.

"No, I love it. I'm just amazed at how fantastic you look."

"Stop it. You're embarrassing me." Her bright smile took any real censure out of her words. And Harry thought that if she really didn't want to be looked at she wouldn't have worn the outfit which consisted of long shorts ending just above her knee and a buttoned shirt which left her arms bare. The color made her skin look more tanned than it naturally was and everything about it made her look very touchable. And touching her was something he was certainly not going to fight.

"Sorry." He felt a creeping warmth on his face and looked down at his watch so he would have something to look at besides her. It was only 10 minutes to 7. "You're early."

"So were you. I thought I'd beat you here." Harry thought that her light blush had deepened just a little more.

"I came early. I couldn't wait at home anymore. Besides, I ate on the way here and it didn't take as long as I thought."

"What did you have?" Her eyes narrowed slightly and she glanced across the parking lot at the awning of the fish and chip shop as if expecting a sign to be standing there saying "Harry Evans ate here!" When such a sign failed to materialize, she turned back to look at him.

He laughed at her expression. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you. I'd hate for you to worry about me. Cassie, I . . ."

He was just about to tell her that she worried too much about his food when she said, "I'm sorry. I'm nagging you too much, aren't I? I don't care what you had for dinner! Honestly." She smiled at the expression of surprise on his face. "I wanted to get here early, hoping you might be here. I missed you so much."

Harry was surprised at the jump his heart rate gave at the completely open look on her face. She missed him. Maybe she liked him as much as he liked her. He hardly dared hope this could be true but she slipped her arms around his waist again and pressed her head against his shoulder and he thought he would have been perfectly happy to stand there all day.

A few moments later, she drew back again. "I guess we better go. We've got a lot to do before we can even go home." She headed toward the entrance of the grocery store and Harry followed. "I promised Mum we'd pick up a few things while we were here and I also thought we'd get some snacks for tonight. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Twenty minutes later they left the store and Harry was carrying a grocery bag with a few snacks for the evening as well as the things Mrs. Robinson had wanted them to get. Harry used his free hand to grab Cassie's hand as they walked in a different direction than they had ever gone before.

"On to the video place." She led him to a brightly lit storefront on a street nearby and they stepped into what felt to Harry like a different world. Televisions were all over the place, showing different previews for movies Harry had never heard of. The store was full of people although Harry didn't feel too panicked as he was fairly positive that no wizard would have set foot in this place. He checked his hair again out of habit and looked around with amazement. The colors of the various boxes on the multitude of shelves were bright and garish, almost overwhelming to him. There was music blasting through loudspeakers throughout the store, and Harry's eyes widened at the noise.

Cassie seemed to know where she was going, though, leading him to a shelf in the back of the store. "Well, they don't have all of them, of course, and some will be checked out. But I bet we can find at least one or two that appeal to you." Harry looked at the titles on the small boxes.

"How do I know what they're about? The titles don't really give much of a hint."

"Oh, Harry. You're so funny." She picked up a box and flipped it over.

"Ah, I see." Harry quickly read through the plot summary on the back of this first back and squinted a little at the small pictures. Then he flipped the box back over, studying the scene carefully. "I don't see James Bond here."

"Well, this is Roger Moore. He played Bond for ages." She went on to explain that Pierce Brosnan, the man who had done such a fantastic job (in Harry's opinion) in the movie he had seen the other night, had not played the role for long and that he was the latest in a line of leading men who had tackled the role of 007. Harry carefully read through several of the boxes while Cassie offered her opinion on the pros and cons of each. They finally settled on two and headed back to the front of the store to pay. She pulled out what looked like a credit card as they headed to the register.

"I'll pay, Cassie." She laughed.

"I was counting on it. This is our membership card. You know, like a library card. You have to have one of these to rent the movies."

"Oh." Harry felt a little stupid, but she didn't tease him or anything, just explained. Harry thought that she probably had accepted the limitations on his "real-life" experience and had just accepted them. They rented the movies quickly and Harry was pleasantly surprised at how cheap it was to get them.

"Now we have them for five days if we want them that long." She took the bag with the movies as he was still carrying the groceries and they walked toward her house. "Harry, I've noticed that you have commented a few times that you don't have much to do at your house." Harry nodded. She spoke a little hesitantly. "Maybe you should consider buying a VCR for yourself. I mean, then you could watch movies when there was nothing else going on." Harry thought about that for a few minutes.

"Yeah. That's actually a really good idea, Cassie. Are they really expensive?" He had no idea how much one would cost.

"Not really. I mean, you don't exactly seem like you're counting every penny, if you don't mind my saying so." She named a price which Harry was actually pleasantly surprised at. Then he realized something.

"I wouldn't be able to rent movies, though. I don't have any identification or permanent home address or anything. I'm sure you need that sort of stuff . . ."

"My mum and dad already said you could use our account, if you wanted." She said this quickly, in an embarrassed rush and it pleased Harry that she had thought that far ahead for him. In the next 10 minutes, the two of them set up a date for the next day where she would go with him to pick out a machine and get him the first couple of videos - not James Bond this time. "There are so many great movies out there you would like, Harry. It'll really help you pass the time, if you feel like you have to be home a lot of the time." Harry realized that it was probably a stupid idea to buy something like that just two weeks before he left but he could afford it, and when he left, he would give it to her. Then, the money just wouldn't be wasted. He would make sure to pick one out that she liked.

They walked to her house under the warm light of the summer evening, and Harry felt inordinately happy at the way things were going. He was having a great time and he got the impression that she was enjoying the evening also. They arrived at her house fairly quickly, and both John and Matthew came out to meet them as they stepped up onto the porch. John came running and grabbed Harry around the legs. "You owe me a video game because you said you would last time and then you didn't and you didn't come home before I had to go to bed and I got out my favorite game and I hope you like it." Harry laughed, disentangling the seven-year-old from his legs and walking into the house.

"John, it helps to breathe once in a while. I know I owe you a game." He squatted down and looked the little boy in the face. "I felt bad about last time. I should tell you, though, I really don't know how to play any video games. So you'll probably win."

Matthew spoke up after that comment. "Great. I was going to say I'd play the winner, but I want to play you, Harry. Especially if you're really bad."

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, then. You'll be very happy, I'm sure." Ten minutes later, Harry was sitting in front of the television, back against a chair, holding a little paddle thing that was supposed to allow him to play the game. Harry had no idea what he was doing, but he decided it probably didn't matter. John would be happy to win and Matthew would probably be ecstatic to beat an older boy. Apparently everyone in the family agreed that although Cassie was fairly decent at this game and she was older, beating a girl did not give anyone bragging rights. The first game against John went along fairly close to how Harry had imagined it although by the end he felt like he was getting the general idea. John won convincingly and ran off to brag to his parents as Matthew took over. Harry also lost the second game, although this time it was a lot closer in score and everyone agreed that Harry had improved dramatically. Harry thought that his snitch-hunting ability and very good hand-eye coordination allowed him to play as well as he was. But when Matthew willingly handed the paddle over to Cassie, Harry decided that he really wanted to win this round. She sat down next to Harry and stretched her legs out next to his. He caught his breath and smelled the perfume she wore. This was a very good idea, he thought.

"How about a little bet?" Harry said.

Cassie laughed. "I am going to beat you so badly, you'll wish you had stopped after playing John."

"We can see about that. What do you say to a bet?"

"What would we bet?" Cassie was breathing a little faster now, and Harry imagined that she thought he was going to suggest something physical. He was tempted.

"Hm. Biscuits."

"What?"

"You said you would make me chocolate biscuits someday. If I win, you make the biscuits for tomorrow. If you win, I have to buy you a package of the dessert of your choice."

"Well, I'll take you up on that bet. But, if I win, you need to make me biscuits."

"Okay." The terms were set, and the game began. Harry had a bit of a difficult time concentrating as she was sitting very close to him -- but he played hard. His three opponents agreed that he had improved dramatically, but Cassie's familiarity with the game served her well and toward the end, she pulled ahead. In desperation, when it was obvious to Harry that he had no chance of getting chocolate biscuits the next day, he threw the paddle over to Matthew so he could finish the game, and Harry started distracting Cassie by tickling her feet. She kept laughing and tried to kick away his hands. She managed to pull out a victory despite his persistence, and jumped to her feet, advancing on him with what he thought was supposed to be a menacing look although she actually was close to laughing and her eyes were sparkling. "So, Mr. Evans, you think you can tickle me with impunity? You don't know what you are in for now." Harry thought with a little thrill of anticipation that she was going to tickle him back and he thought that this might turn out to be a very pleasurable punishment. However, she did not suddenly pounce on him. Instead, she turned to her youngest brother and said, "John, I think Harry wants to wrestle." The little dynamo suddenly slammed into his chest and it took Harry about 15 minutes of laughingly wrestling with John and Matthew who joined in afer a few minutes before he could extricate himself and throw himself down next to Cassie on the couch.

"All right. All right. You guys win and I guess I owe your sister here some biscuits."

Cassie didn't let the boys start wrestling with Harry again, which he was grateful for. They had a lot of energy and he felt worn out which was saying a lot, considering he could endure a two-hour Quidditch practice without problems. "We better get started, everyone, if we are going to try to get through both of these movies tonight," Cassie announced loudly and her family members gathered into the living room where she was putting in the first movie, "Goldeneye."

As had happened with the movie in the theater, Harry was drawn into the movie within the first few minutes and really enjoyed it. He decided though, about halfway through the movie, that he much preferred watching a video to seeing a movie in a theater. There were several reasons for this. First of all, he liked the fact that everyone could laugh and joke and make comments about what was happening without being shushed by anyone else. Second, he liked the fact that there were all sorts of (albeit healthy) snacks being passed around. But mostly, he liked the fact that he was sitting with his arm around Cassie and there was no hard arm rest in between them. Her fingers were linked though his and she was turned a little so that her back was pressed against his heart and when she moved, he could press his face against her hair. It was still in the braid and Harry found himself spending quite a bit of time studying it when he probably should have been watching the movie.

When "Goldeneye" ended, everybody in the family stood up. Harry thought this might be a sign that it was time for him to go home, and reluctantly stood up. He hadn't kissed her yet, really, and he wanted to very badly. However, after a few minutes he realized that his leaving did not seem to be on the agenda. Mr. Robinson explained that he had an early meeting and he was going to turn in. The boys were begging to stay up but their mother was insisting they get into pyjamas and brush their teeth before they got into bed. And no, they couldn't stay up to watch the other movie. Mrs. Robinson explained that she was going to be reading in the other room. Harry sat back down on the couch. He didn't want to go home yet and unless they told him that he had to leave now, he was going to stay. Cassie came back from the kitchen a few minutes later with a bowl of popcorn. "Mom won't let the boys eat this stuff. They make such a huge mess with it. But she thought we would be all right." When she went back into the kitchen for drinks, Harry followed her. He had kind of hoped that the opportunity would present itself to kiss her but she was hurrying around getting ice and soda and he abandoned the idea for the moment.

Cassie started the next movie a few minutes later, one of the older ones, she said. Harry could definitely tell. The film quality in this movie was not as impressive as in the other two he had seen. However, it was still as action-packed as the others and he enjoyed the opening sequences. Even so, after a few minutes he began to pay more attention to the girl curled up against him on the couch than the movie on the TV screen.

Harry again noticed how beautifully Cassie's hair was braided. He touched her hair and enjoyed feeling it under his fingers. He could smell her shampoo and again was reminded of fresh sunshine. Harry's hand slowly slipped down the back of her head, feeling the neat plaits of the braid. As he did so, the back of his hand lightly brushed the back of her neck.

Cassie started a little and asked, "Is my hair coming out of its braid?"

"No," Harry answered a little self-consciously, "I just wondered how you did this. It looks really nice." He could almost see her smile widen and she snuggled a little more closely to him. Harry continued to trace the patterns in her hair and every so often brush the back of her neck.

After a little while, Cassie laughingly said, "Hey, you're going to pull my hair out of its braid."

"That wouldn't be so bad," Harry responded and gently tugged a little at her hair to emphasize his words. "I like it down, too."

Cassie moved and turned a little to look up at him. His hand was still in her hair and he spread his fingers so that he was holding the back of her head. She was smiling and her eyes were twinkling even more brightly than usual. Harry looked down at her and felt his stomach jump. He knew the moment had come to kiss her. He leaned down to Cassie and at the same time pulled her toward him. He felt her breath on his face for just a second. Their lips met and Harry tasted salt from the popcorn she'd been eating. He pulled back quickly, unsure how she would like kissing him. Her eyes were closed but then snapped open. Incredibly, Cassie's eyes were sparkling even brighter. She smiled at Harry. "That was nice." He flushed a little and leaned down to her again. She didn't pull away and Harry's hand pressed her head closer to him.

The second kiss was longer and sweeter. The warmth Harry had tasted on Cassie's lips spread through his body and his heart beat faster. His other hand came up from his side and touched her cheek, stroking the soft skin there before tracing down to her jaw. He pulled back again. "Did you like that?" He was speaking softly, his lips only a breath away from hers. She started to nod and he narrowed the gap again, this time moving the hand from the back of her head to her shoulder and tilting her head a little to allow him better access to her mouth by pushing gently against her jaw. She responded this time by putting her arms up to his shoulders and grasped his T-shirt as he tried to move back again. This time, she followed him and after a second, he relented. They moved apart after a minute or two, and his rapid breathing matched hers. He closed his eyes against the intensity of her gaze and then opened them again as she leaned against him, saying, "Oh, Harry. That was really nice." He put his arms around her and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, feeling very warm and secure.

Before they realized it, the movie was ending and they both laughed about their having missed just about the whole film. Reluctantly Harry rose to leave, knowing it was after midnight and that he really needed to get back home. Cassie, too, got up and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her gently on the forehead, not wanting to start kissing her lips again in case he couldn't stop. Harry loved the feel of her against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Cassie looked up into Harry's eyes and said a little breathlessly, "Thanks for coming and watching the videos." He just leaned down and kissed her again before moving toward the door. He turned and smiled at her saying, "Tomorrow morning at 11:00 am, right?" Cassie smiled and nodded yes.

As Harry left the Robinson's house, he felt like he was flying. In fact, he decided he had found something as good as being on his Firebolt. All the way home he kept replaying in his mind the feelings and excitement of kissing her. What made him the happiest was that she had seemed to enjoy kissing him, too.