12/22/03: Whoa, where the heck have I been? Two weeks since my last update? Gah! Apologies, but here's a nice long chapter to make up for it.
13. Mending Fences
Although Harry had gone to bed with a pleasant attitude, he woke up the next morning in a foul mood. In the harsh light of the morning sun, Harry could see that his case was going nowhere. Despite all the progress made thus far, the discoveries and the leads, Harry was up against a brick wall without any idea how to get past it. Added to that, tonight was the big dinner for Cedric's memorial; without any leads to work on, Harry wouldn't have an excuse to avoid going.
Harry arrived at the bullpen an hour later and found Robert, as usual, already at his desk, scratching away at a parchment. "Morning Robert."
"Morning Harry. Have a good night? I heard you went out on a date with the boss' daughter last night," Robert responded, a mischievous grin on his face.
Harry rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a date. We just had dinner with a guy we went to school with from the DAC (A/N: the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes). It wasn't anything big."
"Oh," Robert said, and he surprised Harry by looking genuinely disappointed at hearing that Harry hadn't gone out on a date.
"So, any word from S&I on Tway's owl?" Harry asked quickly, hoping to change Robert's mood.
"None, and I don't expect there to be for awhile."
"Huh? Why not?"
Robert rummaged through the piles on his desk until he found the parchment he was looking for and handed it to Harry. Harry recognized the Tonk's handwriting and started to read her report as he listened with half an ear to Robert.
"After leaving Tway's office, the owl headed west towards the Atlantic. S&I tracked the owl for about an hour after it went over the ocean, and then it disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Harry asked, looking up from the parchment.
"Yup. Transatlantic owl posts are a tricky business, as the little beasties seem to use different methods to get across the water. S&I is trying to figure out what method this owl used, and after that, they'll try and find out where it popped up at the other end and trace its route. Tonks is very confident that she'll have an answer to us within a couple days."
Harry nodded absently as he finished reading Tonk's report, inwardly marveling at how antiquated so many of the wizarding traditions were, owls in particular. Muggles had telephones, computers, and next-day mail. Wizards had fireplaces and owls, both of which took so much more time and trouble (scraped knees and a sore back came to mind) then their Muggle equivalents. Harry knew that the mobile he wore on his waist was one example of the wizarding world catching up, but those examples were few and far between. Harry remembered reading about apparating post boxes that instantly delivered letters, but the cost and simple wizarding tradition was slowing down its development and widespread use. Harry finished reading the parchment and handed it back to Robert. "All right then. So, what now?"
Robert shrugged. "I'm honestly stymied. I have no idea."
Harry slumped into his chair. He had, of course, had many cases where he had reached a dead end, perhaps waiting for the results of a test or surveillance, or just hoping a clue would fall into his lap. But in the past, he had always had a backlog of cases that would keep him busy. Not today. With the seemingly grand scale of this case, he and Robert weren't given any others, which left them with nothing to do. Harry reluctantly reached over to his Inbox and started his least favorite task: paperwork.
After filling out a seemingly endless stream of reports and responding to various owls, Harry threw the last parchment into his Outbox. Looking up at the clock, Harry saw that only half the day had passed; it was enough to make a grown man cry.
"Stop sighing like a little baby, you're starting to bug me."
Harry glared at the older man. "Well, this whole thing is bugging me! I'm not used to sitting around and having nothing to do; it's usually the problem of having too much to do!"
Robert leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I know what you mean kid. All I have to say is, enjoy it while it lasts."
Harry snorted. "Enjoy it while it lasts?"
"I can always ask the Captain to find something for you to do. I'm sure there's a stray kneazle stuck in a tree somewhere."
Harry raised his hands in surrender. "No thanks, you win. No more sighing." The rest of Harry's day went in much the same way, slow and laborious. Both Harry and Robert would look up whenever someone entered the bullpen, hoping for news on Tway's owl, but news never came. As the end of their shift approached, Harry began to feel desperate to find something to do, but for a different reason than boredom. Robert stood and began to organize his desk. "C'mon Robert, I'm sure there's something we can do. Maybe we should take another look at the file? Another trip to Imagery? How about we go to Magical Solutions again?"
"Harry, there's nothing for us to do. The entire day was a waste," Robert said as shrugged into his Auror robes.
Harry stood quietly for a second. "Maybe there's a kneazle that needs my help somewhere," he said hopefully.
"Go home, Potter. They'll let us know when they find anything. I'll see you Monday, if not sooner."
"All right," Harry said dejectedly. "I'll see you Monday." Harry slumped back into his seat, until he realized what he just said. He sprang out of his chair and chased after Robert, who was halfway to the lift. "Waitasecond! Monday? What about tomorrow?"
"Potter, not only do we have nothing to do, but we've been working everyday for two weeks straight! Even House Elves get a day off!"
Harry thought a moment. "They do?"
Robert gave Harry a frustrated look. "Of course…well…I mean…damn Potter, that's not the point! It's just a saying! Now, go home! Enjoy the weekend." Robert stepped on the lift and waved at Harry.
Harry stared at the spot where Robert had just been before turning on his heels and heading back to the Bullpen, feeling that life was, once again, conspiring against him. While two days off normally would sound good, it meant he didn't have an excuse to skip out on the memorial, or on dinner tonight. After moping pointlessly for a few minutes, Harry snapped open his mobile. A small green fire ignited, and Harry said "Ronald Weasley" into the flames. Harry had to wait a few seconds before Ron's tiny little head appeared in his mobile.
"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed immediately. "You know I hate it when you call me on this thing!"
Harry chuckled as Ron's head spun about, getting his bearings. "Sorry, I'll do voice-only next time."
"Thanks, appreciate it," Ron said. "What's up?"
"We still going to the dinner tonight?" Ron's head nodded. "Where do you want to meet up?"
"Why don't you come by here? Dinner's at a restaurant over here in Hogsmeade since a lot of the guests are staying at Hogwarts for the weekend."
"Not at Michael's Corner, I hope," Harry groaned.
Ron laughed. "No, and I hope it's not at some Hufflepuff-themed restaurant either! You know Hufflepuffs - I'm sure it'll be a nice, normal place."
Harry grinned. "All right, I'll be over in half an hour or so?"
"Sounds good. See ya then," Ron said before disappearing. Harry closed his mobile and stood, getting ready to leave for the day.
*********************************
Ron was correct in his guess – the restaurant that would host the dinner was very nice and very normal. Harry saw that the entire place had been rented out just for them. When they entered, a kind of cocktail hour was in progress; white-shirted waiters drifted about carrying trays of appetizers while the people mingled. Harry and Ron handed checked their robes.
"Hmm, not a lot of familiar faces," Ron said quietly as he looked about the restaurant.
Harry had noticed it too. As expected, Hufflepuff alumni dominated the room. Though there were a good number magicals from the other houses sprinkled here and there, all of the non-Hufflepuffs were a few years older Harry and Ron. It did make sense, as students at Hogwarts generally stuck to those in their house and in their year. Harry noticed a small ripple of recognition roll over the crowd as he was noticed. Some small part of Harry was afraid of their reaction, that they would blame Harry for Cedric's death, but he was relived to see no outwardly show of recrimination.
"Oy, there's Fred and George! And Lee too!" Ron said happily, pointing towards a small group of Gryffindors, most of whom were in Cedric's year. As they made their way over to them, Harry briefly wondered why Ron had been invited in the first place. He could somewhat understand his own invitation; after all, Harry was the only living witness to Cedric's murder. But Ron and Cedric didn't know each other at all, so Harry figured that he was invited because of their well-known friendship. But if that were true, that would also mean that-
"Hi Ron," he heard her say.
"Hermione!" Ron said happily, giving her a big hug.
"Harry," she said coolly, after Ron had put her down.
"Hi Hermione," Harry said uncomfortably. All the people had obscured her, and Rick, from view. Looking at her now, Harry was filled with a twinge of guilt at how their last conversation had gone and at how terribly he had treated her. "Rick," he said evenly, looking at the man.
"Harry," he said. Although Rick tried to his best to appear indifferent, Harry didn't have to use his legilimency skills to see that he was definitely uneasy at Harry's presence. That pleased Harry. Despite the obvious tension between Harry, Hermione, and Rick, the small group of Gryffindors exchanged small talk, an easy task as Fred and George had a number of interesting stories to tell about the unexpected results from experimenting new products. After a few minutes, someone that Harry vaguely remembered as a Hufflepuff three years ahead of him announced that dinner would start shortly. With that, many of the Gryffindors left the group to claim a few tables, Rick included. Harry took his opportunity.
"Hermione, wait," he said, gently taking her arm as she was about to leave.
"What?" she asked, without a trace of warmth in her voice.
Harry hesitated slightly under her stare. "Er, can we talk? Somewhere private, I mean?" For a moment, Harry was afraid she would refuse him, but to his great relief, she nodded. "Perhaps outside?" Harry asked, and led her to the outdoor patio, currently deserted as everyone was inside the building. Harry gestured towards a table, and they took seats opposite of each other.
"Well?" Hermione asked impatiently.
Harry took a deep breath. "I…I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said, looking at his hands. "I was a complete and utter git earlier."
"No argument from me."
Harry looked up. "Listen, what I said before, outside Ginny's, was not true at all. Your friendship, the years we spent together at Hogwarts and after, were the happiest times of my life." Hermione looked unconvinced, so Harry plunged forward. "You know all about my life Hermione, I won't bore you with the details; hell, you were there for most of it. At Hogwarts, with everything that happened, you saved me Hermione. Not just my body, you saved my soul." Harry saw Hermione's face soften a fraction, and he decided to switch gears. "Back at Ginny's, I…I was in a bad place that night." Harry heard what he said and gave a sardonic chuckle. "Hell, I was in a bad place that night and every night for the past four years. I was just angry Hermione, and I took it out on you."
"But why, Harry? Why are you so angry? Why have you pushed me away all these years?"
Harry found he couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. It was hard, what he was doing – admitting weakness. The Great Harry Potter had always been seen in a certain light by the wizarding world, and after a while, it became a part of the real Harry. Ever since his introduction to the wizarding world, Harry had struggled to show only strength, never show weakness. But here and now, to Hermione, he had to show weakness. "I…it's because…it hurt, Hermione, seeing you with him."
"Him who? You mean Rick?" she asked, surprised.
Harry nodded. "It hurt seeing you with him."
"Harry-"
"No, let me finish. I…I'm sorry for pushing you away all these years because I couldn't get over it, over us. But this week, well, this week has been crazy, and I've had a few things pummeled into my head. I'm not saying I can change overnight, but I promise you I'll be better, and maybe someday, I hope we can be friends again." Harry let a deep breath, relieved that he had gotten it all out. After a long silence, he began to fidget slightly, and wondered why she wasn't saying anything. If it weren't for the fact that he could see her shoes under the table, he would have sworn that she had left. Hesitantly, Harry looked up.
"Harry Potter, you are a bloody, daft git of a prat!" she said furiously. "All these years you've been ignoring me, avoiding me, and now you think a few pretty words will make everything all right?"
"I-"
"No! Just forget it Potter! Sorry just isn't good enough!" she cried, standing up and angrily walking back inside the restaurant.
Harry sprang from his chair and went after her, grabbing her by the arm. "Wait Hermione, please-" he began, but stopped when she turned to face him.
"Get your hands off me!" she yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Please Hermione," Harry said desperately, his mind unable to think of anything to say that would fix what he had done over the past four years. Hermione tried to free herself from his grasp, but Harry's grip was firm. She began hitting in the chest, hard, and Harry did the only thing he could think of – he pulled her into a tight embrace even as she struggled against him. After a moment, she stopped fighting against him and simply cried in his arms, while Harry repeated, "I'm sorry" over and over again. Harry felt a stinging in his eyes, and with great surprise realized he, too, was crying; Harry hadn't cried since she left him four years ago. All the pain, bitterness, and anger that Harry had suppressed over the years seemed to break out all at once, overwhelming his senses. As Harry cried, Hermione seemed to respond by crying even more herself, which only served to make Harry cry harder, creating a cycle of tears. He wasn't sure how long they sat there crying in each other's arms (and he couldn't remember how they ended up on the ground), but finally the two had no more tears to shed.
Finally they broke apart, though still sitting on the ground facing each other, and wiped at their eyes. "Don't think this means I forgive you Harry," Hermione sniffed.
Harry shook his head. "I don't. I know I have a lot to make up for." Hermione nodded, and an awkward silence descended on the two. "Look at the two of us," Harry finally said, "sitting here on the ground crying like a bunch of teenagers."
Hermione chuckled. "Better hope no one from the Daily Prophet is around. I can just see the headlines: 'Boy Who Lived has Nervous Breakdown in Hogsmeade!'"
Harry joined in her quiet laughter. After their laughter subsided, he looked at her. "Listen, I know thing's aren't fine with us, but at least…I mean, are we…"
"Maybe," she said. "Maybe someday, we'll be fine. Now come on, everyone's probably wondering where we ran off, probably think we killed each other or something."
Harry smiled at her, relieved that she was willing to give him another chance. He stood and offered her his hand, which she used to pick herself up off the ground. Harry rubbed his eyes. "God, look at us, we're a mess! We can't go back in there looking like this."
Hermione just gave him a smile, as one does to a small child. "Oh Harry," she said in that familiar tone of hers. She pulled out her wand and cast a spell. Though she used an incantation he had never heard of, there was no mistaking the effects of the spell – instantly their tears dried and disappeared, and their eyes lost the red and puffy appearance.
Harry put his hands to face, amazed at the sudden change. "How…what was that spell you used?"
Hermione laughed and gave him a smile. "I wouldn't expect you to know it because you're a boy. It's sort of a facial cleansing spell commonly used to remove make-up, but it has other handy uses as well."
"Yes, it certainly does," Harry agreed as they re-entered the restaurant. Most of the wizards and witches were already seated at the many tables, and Harry spotted Rick's burly figure waving them over to his table, where the Gryffindors sat. As they approached the table, Harry changed his initial assessment: Rick was waving Hermione over, not Harry. There was only a single seat open at the table.
Hermione must have noticed at the same time, for she stopped suddenly and looked at Harry. "Oh…Harry…" she began awkwardly. Ron had apparently realized what was going on as well, for he was starting to rise from his seat. Harry moved to quickly diffuse the situation.
"Don't worry about it guys, I'll find a seat somewhere else. I mean, who wouldn't want to sit with the Boy-Who-Lived?" he said jokingly.
"You sure?" Ron asked, and Harry nodded. Hermione looked at him uncertainly, but he waved her into her seat by Rick. Harry exchanged some meaningless small talk with the twins before turning to find another table.
Harry weaved in and out of the tables, smiling and acknowledging the various wizards and witches who greeted him. Although he would still prefer to be a normal wizard, Harry's fame at least ensured that he would never be lonely in any social gathering, as a number of people called out invitations to join their tables. Harry just passed a Hufflepuff table, where he spent a few minutes talking with Susan, Ernie, and Justin Finch-Fletchley (who was now a lawyer), when his stomach gave a sudden, small flip.
She was sitting amongst a mixed table of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors. Cho Chang, with an empty seat next to her. Even after all this time, she still affected him, even if only in a very small way. There was just something about a first crush; probably it reminded Harry of a more innocent time, before Cedric's death, before he knew about the prophecy. At that moment she turned from her conversation with the person next to her and spotted Harry, giving him a broad smile. Harry found himself smiling back as he approached her table.
"Hi Harry," she said brightly.
"Hi Cho," Harry said cheerfully, and then greeted the others who sat at the table. "Is this seat taken?" he asked.
Cho shook her head. "Please, join us."
Harry sat down and was immediately the center of attention, as usual. It wasn't too bad though, and Harry was able to entertain the table for a few minutes until people turned to their normal conversations. Harry spent the rest of meal holding a rather enjoyable conversation with Cho, very different than their previous ones. Before, Harry had been too nervous to talk properly, and then Cho had become to emotional to hold up a conversation. But now, they were both adults with their own lives, and they spent a lot of time catching up. Cho co-owned a little beauty shop in Harrogate, a city in northern England, catering to both Muggles and magicals. Surprisingly, she co-owned the shop with Hannah Abbott of all people; Harry didn't even know that the two knew each other. Throughout their conversation, Harry found himself occasionally glancing over at Hermione. A few times, she caught him, and they shared a small smile, but usually he would look at her for a second before turning away, as if just to make sure she was still there. As dessert was being passed (a cheesecake liberally topped with strawberry sauce), Harry felt his mobile buzzing at his hip.
Harry excused himself from conversation and opened up the mobile. As he did so, he spotted Hermione miming the act of looking into a compact and putting on make-up, obviously mocking his clamshell-shaped device. She looked at him and winked, and Harry chuckled. Looking at his mobile, he noticed there were no flames, which meant whoever was on the other side wanted voice-only. Harry put the mobile to his ear like a Muggle phone. "Potter," he said in his official voice.
"It's Robert."
"What happened?" Harry said immediately. He knew that this was no social call, seeing as how they saw more than enough of each other during the day.
"Tway's dead."
"Shit!" Harry said quietly. He noticed Cho glance at him in surprise, and he quickly adopted a carefree attitude to avoid any questions. "What happened?" he asked Robert in a light tone, a smile plastered on his face.
Robert chuckled over the mobile. "Not alone, are we? Anyways, the initial report looks like a car accident. Price and Clarke are at the scene now investigating. I can't believe this is a coincidence, a fatal accident just days after we bring him in."
"I agree." Harry, still in a pleasant tone of voice, got the location of Tway's accident from Robert and snapped shut his mobile. He looked apologetically at Cho. "I'm sorry, that was work; they need me somewhere now. Some piece of paperwork that needs my signature," he said, rolling his eyes and trying to look as if it were all one big inconvenience.
"Oh, I'm sorry Harry. Will I see you tomorrow?" Cho asked as Harry stood up.
Harry shrugged. "Depends on what happens tonight. I hope so though."
"Me too," Cho said as she stood and gave Harry a hug. Harry said his good-byes to the rest of the table, then made his way to where Ron sat and kneeled down beside him.
"Hey Ron."
Ron leaned back in his chair and turned his head to face Harry. "What's up?"
"Sorry mate, I gotta go. Work calls, literally," Harry said as he held up his mobile. Ron gave him a suspicious look. "No, seriously Ron. I just got a call and I'm needed."
Ron looked disappointed. "All right. Are you going to make it tomorrow?"
"I'm not sure. Depends on what I find out tonight, but I'll floo you as soon as I know anything."
Ron nodded, and Harry said goodbye to the other Gryffindors. Hermione gave him a small wave, and Harry made his way through the tables to the robe check counter. After giving the witch his token, Harry leaned on the counter to wait.
"Is everything okay, Harry?"
Harry straightened and turned around. "Hermione! What…yeah, everything's fine. Just routine work things, but they need to see me right away."
"Uh-huh," Hermione said disbelievingly. Then, to Harry's surprise, she gave him a smirk. "It's good to know that even after all these years, you still can't hide anything from me. I saw your face when you were on the phone; whatever you heard wasn't 'routine.'"
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She was right, after all. "It's…well, I'm not sure what it is. It's probably bad, but I won't know for sure until I get out there."
Hermione nodded. "Do you…I mean…I worry about you Harry."
Harry smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "I'll be fine…most of the criminals out there are too scared of me to cast a spell properly."
Hermione shook her head. "It's not that…well, not primarily that. Do you…do you have anyone to talk to?"
Harry grew concerned. "Talk to? What do you mean?"
"Well, when we were…together…you could always come home and talk about your problems, about the things you go through at work, all the evil you see day in and day out. You're normally so private with your emotions, I'm afraid that you're keeping everything in now."
"I'm fine. Robert – do you remember him, my partner? – he keeps me sane."
"But do you tell him everything, your innermost feelings? You shouldn't keep-"
"I said I'm fine, Hermione," Harry said firmly. "Please, leave it at that."
Hermione sighed. "All right Harry. But if you need to talk to someone, even tonight, floo me, okay? No matter what the time."
"Okay Hermione," Harry said in a slightly exasperated voice as he turned away and retrieved his robe from the witch, leaving her a nice tip.
"Seriously Harry. Promise me you'll call me if it's bad."
Harry shrugged into his robe before turning back to Hermione, and he saw genuine concern in her eyes. It was something that he missed, more then he realized now that it was back. He gently took her hands. "I promise, Hermione," he said softly. "Now, I have to get going. I'll see you later, okay?"
Hermione nodded. "I'll see you later."
Harry gave her one last smile and then closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them again, the restaurant was replaced by a street corner in a suburb of London.
A/N: Apologies for disappearing into the night. Everyone have a good Holiday and New Years!
Risty: I think Rick means well; I mean, I'd probably act the same way. He's a nice guy, really, but he's just not the one for Hermione.
Facade1: blinks rapidly did you just say Harry/Susan doesn't sound bad? chooses to ignore that bit I am happy you finally got some chappies up; they were great! More more!
Sethro72: I forgot about the perfume, so you have a point, but then again Hermione wasn't at all thrilled with the gift (calling it "unusual"), so it seems to support the fact that Hermione isn't enamored with Ron.
HeeroTomoe: Yeah, I got a little bored with writing angsty!Harry. He's turned a corner in this chapter, and things will start to look up for our hero.
Akuma-sama: Envisions a jello scene with Susan and Hermione
kraeg001: Whoa, relax there. I think you're getting a bit confused there. The comments you quoted were from me to you, so I'm the one who's married. Did you even read my original edit?
Parselmouth Majere: I think overall Harry is okay with his job, but he's unhappy with his personal life. Plus, even though he likes his job, he's a bit annoyed with it because he feels like he had no choice in the matter. Kinda like when your mom makes you go to camp because she says you'll like it, and you go and you do like it, but you sorta resent it anyways just because you're mom made you go. Hope that made sense, and no, it's not a real life example; I never went to camp :)
Calen: The love of Harry and Hermione should be self-evident! But seriously, I think in response to you I'll throw in a few flashback scenes while Harry wanders Hogwarts – always a good time for memories.
