Strawberries

Strawberry

Harry was staring out the window. He watched as the children ran around on the playground he had built. He had built this building with the help of his friends, away from the wizarding world, and away from his fame, his legend. He just wanted to be finally rid of it. He had done his deed, and it was over; he wanted to be normal.

"Harry, here's you're coffee." An elderly man with a bald spot on top of his head smiled at him holding outa steamingmug ofcoffee.

"Thanks Roger." He took the coffee and sipped it slowly. He turned and walked through the crowd of people in the room. He was greeted at all sides by many different people. He said his hellos, but did not stop to talk to anyone. He walked through glass door and walked past the receptionist.

"Morning Mr. Potter."

"G'morning Victoria."

He turned right and to a brightly colored window. Across the top read the words in bright paints, "The James Potter Day Care Center." Many of the letters were backwards and there were drawings all along the words. He walked in and was greeted by Pavarti.

"Hey Harry, the kids are outside on the playground."

"Thanks Pavarti."

He walked out and onto the deck. Outside there was a girl identical to the girl inside.

"Hello Harry."

"How are the kids today Padma?"

"A little hyper, but other than that, same old same old. There's a new kid here today. Name's Aaron. Over there." She nodded with her head to a small blond child in the corner, sitting by himself with his chin in his hands. Harry walked over to the kid.

"Hey there," he said, sitting next to the drooping child.

"'lo,"the little kidmumbled.

"What's you're name?"

"Aaron," he said, and he whipped his nose on his sleeve. "What's yours?"

"Mine? I'm Harry." And he stuck out his hand. The boy took it rather timidly.

"Come on, let's go join the other kids, huh?"

"Okay." He nodded and followed Harry to the playground.

"Hey guys!" Harry called and he was greeted by a mob little kids stomping and gathering around him.

"It's Harry Potter!"

"Harry!

"Hiya Harry!"

"Hey everyone." There were 20 of them total. "This is Aaron." There were greetings shouted at him, and Aaron smiled.

"Let's play a game! Aaron, what's your favorite game?"

The little boy thought for a moment. "Hide and Go Seek," he said with a nod.

"Who wants to play Hide and Go Seek?"

"Me!"A chorus of kids were shouting, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Who wants to seek?"

"I will!" Shouted a dozen voices. Harry closed his eyes and spun around, his arm pointing out. And when he stopped spinning, it rested on a raven haired girl who's hand was eagerly raised, standing on her tip toes. She squealed with delight and ran to the tree near the middle of the playground. "Base!" she proclaimed. Then she turned to the tree and covered her eyes, she started counting in a loud voice, "1, 2, 3..." The kids squealed and ran around the enclosure, looking for places to hide. Harry went over to sit with Padma on the bench as the watched the kids scatter.

"…28, 29, 30!" She whirled around excitedly and proclaimed, "Ready or not! Here I come!" And she ran around. Harry chuckled at the little girl. He felt something poke him in his back and he turned around. In his seat. A little girl with bright red hair stared back at him.

"Hi S-"

"Shh!" She silenced him with her finger, her two missing teeth making it hard for her. And she ducked back down behind Harry again. The raven haired girl ran passed him, giggling. Suddenly the little red haired girl shot out from behind the bench and ran to the tree.

"Base!" she yelled and suddenly a flock of kids were running toward the base. After the kids had all made their runs at the base, they decided to play on the playground again. But the little red haired girl walked up to Harry and crawled into his lap.

"Daddy!" she squealed.

"Hello Strawberry, did you have fun playing Hide and Go Seek?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, bouncing in his lap. Serena Bethany was an odd sort of girl. He reminded him of his mother. Her hair was a bright vivid red, but her eyes were a stormy gray. There was something familiar about her. She had started coming to the center every day from 8:30am and left around 4:30pm. Harry didn't know how she got there, she just showed up there every day. And then Harry told her it was 4:30 and she would walk back out, only to come back the next day at same time. The first day she was there she had been a small, frightened child. She had kept to herself even though Harry had tried several times to get the other kids to play with her. So Harry had stayed with her and kept her company, just talking to her. She had listened, but hardly talked. And when he told her it was 4:30, just before she left she asked Harry," Will you be my daddy?"

"Don't you have a daddy already?"

"No."

"Alright, I'll be you're daddy, as long as it's okay with you're mother..." he chuckled. The next day she was less timid, and the day after that she was accepted as the 'leader' of the pack. Yes, Serena was a strange little girl. He gave her the nickname 'Strawberry' because of her red hair and her initials, S.B.

"What's up Strawberry?"

"My mommy was crying this morning. I don't know why though, she wouldn't tell me."

"I'm sure she'll be okay Strawberry. Why don't you make her a get well card, so she'll feel better?"

"Yeah!" She jumped off his lap and tugged him by the hand back into the day care. She sat Harry down at one of those really small tables and went around collecting supplies. And when her arms couldn't carry anything any more she dumped everything out on the table and started drawing. Harry grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing random things on his paper as well.

Soon the kids came in too and they asked what we Serena was doing, and she told them that her mom was sad and that she was making her a get well card. And soon she had the whole gang making cards for her mother. She was one of the few kids who could say 'I'm not afraid of anything,' and mean it. She was a leader, but it puzzled Harry why she was timid she first came here. When they had and meet with other people she wasn't scared at all.

It was almost 4:30, and they were all back outside again, the pile of get well cards tucked neatly in her little cubby hole.

"Strawberry?" he called on the playground. She suddenly appeared, zooming right by him. Another blond boy was running after her with a stick in his hand, giggling. "Strawberry! It's almost 4:30!" he called after her.

She was crying as she ran, the boy behind her didn't seem to notice, he thought they were playing 'chase.'

"Go away! Go away!" she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Serena was running towards him again and she jumped into his arms, "Up, up!" she tugged desperately on his arms. He lifted her up and the little boy clawed at her feet, making roaring noises.

"David, stop. She doesn't want to play that anymore."

"Okay." And he ran off, carrying his stick.

She was hysterical, and Harry was unsure why. She was not one to cry.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, you're daddy's here," he cooed. She gave a small hiccup but continued crying. Harry sat down on the bench and cradled her in his arms. "Shh! It's okay my Strawberry," he comforted her.

"Did you want to tell me what happened?" She shook her head into his neck.

"If you would, it might help?" She pulled back and looked up with a tear stained face.

"I can't," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because then the Dragon will come get me…" And she buried her face into his shoulder again.

It was already 4:45. Harry took her over to the day care center and picked up her things from her cubby hole, making sure that the pile stayed nice and neat with a rubber band. He carried all her things out the door she usually exited by, but didn't know where to go from there.

"Where does you're mom pick you up?"

"She doesn't."

"You walk here from home?"

"Yes."

"Where do you live?"

"234 Poland Drive, number 3."

"Okay." He walked down the block, carrying her. It was only a couple of blocks away. They reached a shabby, run down apartment complex and he went up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

"She's not there," she whispered. Harry was shocked, it was illegal to leave a child at her age alone at home.

"She comes home at 5:30," she said in a timid voice.

"Do you have a way of getting in?"

She pulled a pink key chain out of her pocket, and on it was a solitary key. Harry slipped it into the key hole and opened the door. To the right was a small living room and to the left was a even smaller kitchen. In the corner of the living room there was a hall way, where Harry assumed there was a bathroom and a bedroom.. Harry set her down on the couch and he sat beside her.

"Did you want me to stay here until you're mum gets home?"

She nodded, and wiped her nose with her sleeve. Harry handed her a tissue and she took it, blowing her nose.

"Do you have any food in the kitchen?"

"Mom usually doesn't cook, there's usually take out in the fridge."

"Are you every hungry?"

"No, mommy makes sure of that. She says she never wants me to be poor."

"Why don't I surprise you're mommy and make a home cooked dinner?"

"Yeah!" Her mood suddenly brightened. "Can I help?"

"Sure," he said and she rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands. She was eager to do anything. Harry started cutting up tomatoes and things and he let her dump it into the pot. As he was finishing the cooking up, she set the table.

There was a sudden jingle of keys.

The door creaked opened, but not all the way.

"Who's there?"

"It's me mommy... and daddy!"

"Oh, Merlin," she breathed, and there was the sound of a clicking, and then she stormed in, a gun raised, pointed at Harry.

"Holy-"

"Dra-" she cut her word short when she saw Harry standing there.

"Put that thing down! There's a 6-year-old child here!"

"She witness worse," shesnapped sharply. Harry couldn't really see her face, it was obscured by a black hood. Harry didn't have a choice, he raised his wand.

"Now, I don't really want to have to perform magic here..."

"A Wizard, eh? Well I find that wands can be quiet useless when it comes to killing people."

"Well, that's true, I mean, I would know, technically I've been killed twice in my life time. "

"That's not what I'm talking about." She took a step closer, pointing the wand at his forehead, where his hair was plastered onto his foreheadwith sweat. "You see, the Ministry can track you down when you've used a killing curse, but the muggle police, well... They're just too stupid."

"I'm sorry I'm in you're house, I was just taking Serena home and she said that you usually have take out so I thought that-"

"Serena, who is this person?" She said interrupted, never taking her eyes off of Harry.

"Daddy," she answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

She fired the gun.

-x-
I'm going through this story again, so just slight revisions are being made-- nothing big. I'm noticing how choppy and unrealisitic the speech is though... But again, I'm not making any major revisons...

patronus