11/11/03: Here's a shorter chapter, but still longer than my average ones.
3. Making Small Talk
George was right; the party was in full swing by the time they arrived through the fireplace. "Hi Harry! So good to see you!"
Harry turned to see who had greeted him. "Hi Megan, good to see you too." Megan Jones was a Hufflepuff from their year. Harry didn't really know her that well while at Hogwarts (actually, he didn't really know her that well right now, either), but Neville's unassuming demeanor and overall likeability made him popular among the Hufflepuffs. There were quite a few here today.
"Harry, meet Jennifer Molloy. She works with Ginny."
Harry turned to the dark-haired witch standing beside Megan. "Hi Jennifer," he said, extending his hand.
"Hi Harry, nice to meet you," she said somewhat breathlessly, her eyes meeting his own after they had examined his scar. She gave his hand a squeeze. "Did you come here alone?"
Harry nodded. "Yup, flying solo today," he said, inwardly groaning when he saw Jennifer's eyes light up. This was why he hated going to these things. They talked for a few minutes, Megan leaving them once she realized that Jennifer wasn't paying her any more attention. Harry did his best to be polite, she was a nice witch after all, but he had never really developed the patience for things like this. It was with great relief that he heard his name called.
"Harry! Harry! Glad to see you could make it!" Harry turned to see Ron Weasley making his way towards him, dragging Natalie MacDonald by the hand.
"Ron, thank God! I mean, nice to see you!" Harry said.
"Hi Jennifer," Ron said, turning towards her. "Do you mind? I have to show Harry something."
"Oh, not at all. I'll see you around then, Harry," she said, lightly brushing her hand across his chest as she walked away.
Harry groaned. "Thanks for the rescue."
"My pleasure. Fred and George said you were accosted the second you floo'ed in."
"Ron! Jennifer is a perfectly nice witch!" Natalie said with a slight rebuke. "Hello Harry, nice to see you."
"Hi Natalie. Did you two go shopping?"
She nodded. "Ron was rather clueless, but we had a good time," she said, taking hold of his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. Harry smiled at Ron, who was grinning.
"Hullo Harry!"
Harry turned to see Molly Weasley walking up to him and they shared a quick hug. "I'm so glad you could make it! We've really missed you around the Burrow."
Harry nodded. "I've been busy, that's all."
"Well, don't work yourself too hard Harry. Oh, I have to run. Ginny needs me to pick up some things at the store. Drop by the Burrow when you have a moment Harry. I'll cook you something nice."
"Alright Mrs. Weasley; I'll owl you," Harry said somewhat stiffly. Satisfied, Molly left towards the front door. Harry grimaced, then shrugged sheepishly when he saw that Ron had noticed. "Sorry Ron," he said.
Ron shrugged as well. "Don't worry about it," he said somewhat sadly.
Natalie looked between them, confused. "What?"
"It's nothing Natalie. Let's go get some refreshments," Ron said, steering her towards the patio door, but not before throwing a disappointed glance over his shoulder at Harry. Harry sighed, wishing life could be different. For almost ten years of his life, Arthur and Molly Weasley have been surrogate parents to him. They provided him with a welcoming home to come to, and Molly in particular protected him as fiercely as if he were her own son. All of that changed, though when Harry arrested Percy Weasley.
As long as Harry had known him, Percy had always been a pain in the behind. At first, when he they were at school together, Percy was simply an irritant: a bit overbearing and very enthusiastic about his duties as Prefect and later, Head Boy. But later, under the influence of Cornelius Fudge, Percy had tried his best to defame Harry, even going so far as to tell Ron to keep away from him. After Voldemort was confirmed to be alive and Fudge was thrown out of office in disgrace, Percy became sullen and withdrawn from the rest of the Weasleys, apparently blaming Harry for most of his problems. Then, on one of Harry's first cases as an Auror, Harry had stumbled upon a political scandal linked to the murder of a young Squib. Working feverishly, Harry had untangled the web and uncovered a conspiracy that involved Percy. He was sent to prison for only ten years, as he could not be linked to the murder itself. During the investigation and trial, Arthur and Molly turned their back on Harry; in fact, of all the Weasleys, only Ron, Ginny, and the twins talked to Harry. As the years went by, Arthur and Molly tried to pretend as if nothing had happened, and gradually returned to inviting Harry over for dinner. But Harry could never forget – never forget that they weren't his real family, that he had no family. Blood was, indeed, thicker than water, and there was no blood ties to the Weasleys, as the Percy incident proved. Although the logical side of Harry could understand their reaction, Harry never recovered from the event. He hadn't been to the Burrow ever since.
Harry spent the next hour wandering Neville and Ginny's home and backyard, making small talk. Harry was never any good in large crowds, having become used to the solitude and privacy afforded by a small cupboard. But he learned to put on a good face; after all, he was the famous Boy-Who-Lived, Defeater-of-Voldemort, Famous-Auror, and he often found himself the center of attention. It was either avoid people altogether or adapt, and Harry was good at adapting. Fortunately, people tended to enjoy hearing the same stories over and over again as they gazed at him with awe, making polite conversation easier. There were, of course, people he did want to see and talk to, like Angelina, Katie, and Alicia, who had all played Quidditch both with himself and with Ginny back at Hogwarts. Lee Jordan was fun to talk to, and it was nice to see Dean and Seamus again. Lavender and Pavarti were still rather giggly, but they had definitely matured, and talking to them was more enjoyable. But Harry had still not talked to the hosts of the party, and he went out looking for them.
That's when he spotted her, arriving by floo with him. Harry paused by the patio door, frozen in place while he watched him helped brush the soot off of her. It was such a simple gesture, a small gesture of affection, but it was something that Harry should have been doing. For a moment, Harry allowed a crack to form in the wall around his heart, and he felt the pain and hurt flow through his body. But then she spotted him and said something to her companion, and they walked in his direction. Harry straightened, and the walls came back up, solid and impenetrable.
"Hi Harry," she said, slightly nervous.
"Hi Hermione. You look nice."
"Thanks."
"Um…I hear you've been working hard."
Hermione nodded. "MSARS has been taking a lot of my time."
"Don't overdue it; don't forget what happened in our third year when you tried to take on too much." Harry said, concern showing in his voice.
Hermione nodded, a slight smile at her lips. "How could I forget?"
Harry looked over at the man standing next to her, his arm casually draped around her shoulders. "Rick," he said, nodding at the man.
Rick smiled. "Good to see you mate! C'mon Hermione, let's go find the food – I'm famished."
Hermione smiled at up at Rick, then looked back at Harry. "Alright then. We'll see you around Harry?"
"Sure thing." Harry watched as Rick led her away from him. Oh, how he hated that man; he could barely say the name aloud without spitting. Rick Nelson was a friend of Charlie Weasley, a fellow dragon-keeper that he had worked with in Romania. He was big, burley, outgoing, and loud. He told outlandish stories and reveled in the attention, eagerly showing the scars and burn marks from dealing with dragons. He was Beater in school and very popular. Rick was a man's man, or, in other words, the complete opposite of Harry. Harry walked over to the bar set up in the main room and poured himself a shot of firewhiskey; it would have to do until he got home.
"Harry!" he heard a squeal, and turned around to see Ginny Weasley, make that Ginny Longbottom, smiling happily up at him. They shared a quick hug, and Harry shook hands with Neville.
"Ginny! Neville! It's good to see you! Nice tan! I see the Caribbean has been good to you," Harry said with genuine warmth.
"Thanks Harry," Neville said. "It was definitely hard to come back."
"I'm so glad you could make it Harry," Ginny said. "Ron said you might have to work late."
"Oh Ginny, I wouldn't have missed your return for all the Chocolate Frogs in the world. Besides, Fred and George were waiting for me."
Ginny laughed delightedly. She and Neville told him a bit more about their honeymoon before Bill Weasley came up to them. "Hi Harry, good to see you," he said with a smile. "Neville, do you have any more steaks? We're running a little low."
"Sure, follow me," he said, leading Bill away after sharing a quick kiss with his wife.
Harry watched Ginny as she watched Neville walk away, a smile at his lips. "Married life treating you well, I see," he said dryly.
Ginny turned her attention back to Harry and nodded happily. "It's great…and the sex!"
Harry flinched, covering his ears with his hands. "Stop! I don't want to know," he cried to Ginny's peals of laughter. Then she leaned in and dropped her voice.
"What about you, Harry?"
"What about me? You want to know about my sex life?"
"Ew! No, Harry! I saw you talking to Hermione. How're you doing?"
"Fine," Harry said, tight-lipped.
"Don't lie to me Potter," she said firmly.
Harry regarded Ginny. The Ginny Longbottom standing before him was a far cry from the young, flustered and blushing girl he knew at Hogwarts. She had really come into her own in fifth year, suddenly transformed (at least in Harry's eyes) into a strong, independent young woman, and, like her brothers Ron, Fred, and George, a loyal friend time and time again. That cynical side supposed that saving her life when she was eleven could have something to do with it though. He let his shoulders slump. "It was…difficult. Seeing her move on, I mean."
"Oh Harry," Ginny said sympathetically. "She still loves you, you know that, right?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe back then, but it wasn't enough, was it?"
Ginny said nothing and just hugged him. Harry allowed himself a moment to feel comforted before breaking away. "Anyways, this is your day, a happy one. Let's talk about something else," Harry said, a slight note of pleading in his voice. Ginny must have noticed his quiet desperation, for she nodded and led him over to a group of people, where the small talk began again. Finally, Harry was able to feign fatigue and make his goodbyes, much to everyone's disappointment. He then floo'ed home and slipped into bed, truly exhausted after a full day. Harry never did see Hermione again that night.
Facade1: Wow, one review for each chapter! Note to self: chastise Facade to get more reviews. Sequel will come out after this one's done.
liseli vanida-kateb: I think you like it 'cause everyone loves a good angsty fic :) I'll try and put more of the twins in, but I fear that I won't do them justice. Have you given up on your Slyth!Harry fic? I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
JT: I think it's the subliminal messages I put in every other sentence about sending me money via …
HeeroTomoe: Thanks for the compliments, and sorry that I don't update on weekends, no computer. Hey, maybe it's like breaking a dam; now that you got two paragraphs, the rest will come flooding though!
Risty: stop reading and get back to studying! No updates for you! After your exams you can come back and read to your hearts content (of course, this coming from a guy who watched Alien and Aliens the night before midterms instead of studying…)
