Chapter 26 
That evening, Harry collapsed into a chair near Hermione, completely exhausted and mad at himself. 

"Oi, I'm glad tomorrow's Friday..." Ron said, digging through his bag for his Astronomy assignment. Harry
was deep in thought; Hermione glanced at him worriedly. 

"Harry, did you and Rachel get into a fight?" she asked.

"No!" he said defensively. "Well, maybe," he admitted. Hermione smiled knowingly.

"You know, you're not the only one who has bad days. Or family problems, for that matter." Hermione added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Rachel got an owl today during lunch. I'm not sure what it was, but she was upset about it. Maybe you
should ask her about it," she suggested.

"Ask her about it? She's mad enough at me right now! So I'm just supposed to go up to her and say, 'Hi,
I know you're mad at me, are you mad at your family too?' That'll help loads, Mione," he muttered, 
swinging his legs over the side of the chair. Hermione shrugged again.

"Just trying to help... You need to talk to her sometime, Harry." Harry ignored this comment and continued
his homework. Hermione yawned. "It's getting late, I think I'll go off to sleep. Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight," they chorused. After she was gone, Harry turned to Ron. 

"Ron, what am I going to do? I have to make it up to Rachel, somehow..."

"Hmmm," Ron said, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Do something nice for her... romantic, you know? Girls 
love that stuff." Harry sighed.

"I guess. I'm not very good at the romance stuff, but I'll try." Ron grinned and slapped him on the back.

"That's my boy. Now let's go to bed, I'm exhausted."

"Me too," mumbled Harry, dragging himself out of the chair and up the steps to his comfy bed.

*********************

Friday had been a less eventful day for Rachel Wheaton than the day before had been; she had not returned
to Quidditch try-outs and had not written back to her father after the latest owl. Instead she spent the
afternoon, when not in classes, studying quietly in the library. She glanced at her watch and realized it
was almost time for dinner. Maybe I'll head upstairs and wash my face before I go to the Great Hall,
she thought to herself. Shaking herself mentally to get rid of that tired feeling that homework always
gave her, Rachel walked quickly back upstairs and into her dormitory. After splashing some warm water on her
face, she seemed to have woken up a little. She was searching for her other pair of shoes when she heard
a sharp tap on the window. Looking up suddenly, she spied a white snowy owl just outside. She went to the
window and undid the latch; the bird came in and landed regally on her bedpost.

"Who are you here for?" she asked kindly, spying the letter tied to the owl's leg. She reached for it and
pulled it off, then read the untidy script on the outside: "Rachel". Glancing at her watch, she realized it
was nearly time for dinner to begin. She threw the envelope onto her nightstand and went to eat.

When she returned, she had forgotten all about it. Not until she was getting ready for bed did she remember
she had not yet read the mysterious letter addressed to her. Quickly, in the privacy of her own bed, with
the curtains drawn, she opened the envelope.

Rach,

Hope your day went a little better today. I'm sorry about
being such a jerk yesterday. Will you forgive me? Meet me
tomorrow night in front of the Great Hall at 5 PM if you 
do. 

Sweet dreams,

Harry


She smiled as she laid in her bed, fluffing her pillow to make it more comfortable. She was happy that Harry
had decided to work things out with her, but most of all she was relieved that the letter hadn't been from
her father.

********************

Harry stood nervously outside the Great Hall, glancing at his watch. 4:48. Two minutes. What if she
doesn't come? he worried. He felt a soft tap on his shoulder and spun around, startled. It was Rachel.

"Hi," he said, relieved. 

"Hi," she answered, grinning. Harry stared at her, amazed. She wasn't wearing her normal Hogwarts robes,
but muggle clothes: a casual but beautiful flowing dark-pink dress and nice black shoes. 

"You look, er, nice," he managed to stutter. She laughed. 

"Thanks," she replied, looking deep into his eyes. He was wearing cologne, she was close enough to where
she could smell it. "You smell nice," she told him. He blushed and they both laughed.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Rachel asked awkwardly, looking around.

"I thought we could go for a walk?" Harry said uncertainly.

"Sure!" Rachel agreed. "Sounds like a great idea." The couple walked off hand in hand out of the huge oak
door. A red-haired boy stopped to watch them on his way into the Great Hall.

"Ron, what are you looking at?" Hermione asked, mystified. He grinned.

"Nothing, Mione. Let's go have dinner."

*******************

"Harry... how much further?" Rachel asked, panting. I shouldn't have worn these shoes, this is insane...
she thought to herself.

"Just a little bit... Ah, here we are," he replied as they came to a clearing. Rachel was a bit wary about
what they would find; she, unlike Harry, had never been in the Forbidden Forest before. She gasped as she
saw the sight.

"Harry... it's beautiful!" she said, her eyes wide with amazement. The clearing was lit up with tiny glowing
faries, each of them shining like white Christmas lights; the darkness of the forest and the setting sun
made them shine even brighter. There was a soft blanket stretched across the ground and a picnic basket full
of food in the middle. The entire scene was surrounded by dark red roses. "This is so romantic!" she 
squealed excitedly.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Do I like it? It's gorgeous!" She laughed. They sat on the ground near the basket. 

"Rachel, I just wanted you to know I'm sorry I was such a jerk... I know I can't control my temper sometimes,
and I'm trying to work on it."

"Harry, it's okay. I forgive you," she said softly, smiling. "We'll work on it." He smiled back and opened
the basket of food. "That smells delicious!" Rachel exclaimed. "Where did you get it from?"

"You know me... I know all the secret passages around the castle," he replied nonchalantly, silently thanking
Dobby for the work he had done. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Harry Potter, mischief maker extraordinaire," she said laughing. They began eating and talking. 

"Hermione said you looked upset at lunch the other day," Harry brought up suddenly. "Was anything wrong?"
Rachel looked down at the blanket, studying it as if it held the secrets to the universe.

"No... just a letter from my father," she replied, attempting a smile. Harry's eyes stared into hers,
his brilliant green orbs full of concern. 

"Rachel," he asked. "What's wrong?"

******************

Yay - another chapter. What is Rachel's secret? What is her family like? Wait until the next chapter!!