The One Who Had The Clearest View

Chapter Seven – Reminiscent

Disclaimer: Anything you recognise isn't mine.

A/N: Sorry about the long gap in between updates. I tend to go off my stories and then take a while to find new enthusiasm for them.

Reminiscent

Evan knew he was watching Harry through beer goggles but he was still thinking straight. Ish.

There were five of them in the trendy Soho bar, each almost thoroughly drunk. Evan, Harry, Ashley, Kate and Caz had been friends for a few years and were embarking upon their annual December 23rd – 24th Royal Piss Up. Work had finished, gifts had been exchanged and it was approaching 2am. Kate was an old girlfriend of Harry's that never really was. They had met through work, dated for just over a month and decided that they liked each other better as friends. And so they were. Caz was Mr 'My name isn't shortened, my name isn't a girl's name – my parents were hippies' and a member of the team who had started work with the others about 6 weeks after Harry had. Caz and Ashley were often the subject of office gossip because of their notorious on/off relationship. One week they were together, the next they were just friends and so on.

Harry, at that moment in time, was sat slouched in his chair peering into the bottom of his glass; oblivious to the drinking contest Caz, Ashley and Kate were having and Evan's gaze. Something was wrong and Evan knew it. He could pin point it to his revelation about the famous Hermione Granger, but he didn't know why it had caused it. Nearly a month had passed and Harry had mysteriously dropped the subject of the trainer job and thrown himself head-first into their next idea. Evan had expected more scheming aimed at getting the job for himself, it would have been just what they'd needed, but Harry had just left it, instructing his team to move onto their next aim.

Hermione Granger meant something to Harry. That much was obvious. But what? It was driving Evan mad. However, he knew, and he wasn't sure how, that he couldn't just ask him outright. Evan knew from the media that Harry had lost a lot of people close to him when he was at school, but nothing had ever been mentioned about Hermione Granger. He couldn't really ask the woman herself because that would 1. Give him away and 2. He had pulled out of the training programme. He didn't need to be there and was only pretending to be a candidate to find out the information Harry needed. The information that had turned Harry as pale as death for a moment. Seeing Harry look up, Evan looked away.

"Tequilas all around?" suggested the raven haired man rising to his feet, a completely normal and, slightly drunk smile across his face. Only then did it hit Evan that he was the only one sober. Well, sobered up.

***

'December 24th. 11pm.' Harry thought to himself. This was one of the several nights of the year that he was glad he lived alone.

Harry was sat on his sofa, in front of a roaring fire (growing up at Hogwarts leaves one with a thing for real fires) with a glass of brandy in his hands, completely lost in thought.

It was exactly ten years ago to the hour that he was sat in the Griffyndor common room in Hermione's arms. He could remember every single thing from that night. He could remember the house elf interrupting his and Hermione's chess game to call him to Dumbledore's office; remember how the walk there seemed to go on forever; remember Dumbledore's face when he told him about Sirius. Sirius. Sirius had been the closest thing to a father he ever had and one of the scarce remaining links he had with his family. He could remember how long the walk back to the common room had been; remember Hermione's face when he cam through the door, how she'd taken his hands in hers when he sat down next to her. He could remember choking out the word 'Sirius' before completely breaking down. He could remember how Hermione had wrapped her arms around him as she cried silently with him.

'Hermione, everyone I hold dear to me dies. I hate this. I'm fucking cursed. Everyone I love dies. It would have been better if Voldemort had got it right the first time round.'

His own words still haunted him. He remembered how much he had meant what he'd said to her. The intensity of the feeling still scared him to this day. He knew Hermione had been scared as well. The way she tightened her grip on him as he began speaking told him, as did what she'd said. She pulled back from him, had taken his face in her hands and said 'Don't you ever say that again. It's not true and you don't really mean it. I'm still here. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Stop thinking like that this instant Harry.'  As she finished her last word the clock had chimed for eleven and she pulled him back to her as he cried. He wouldn't admit it to any of his friends now, but he cried more than he thought he ever had that night. Sirius had been his last connection with the family he'd wanted so much and his death had brought everything into perspective for him.

Loosing Ron had been just as bad and for him was the final straw. He didn't think he could take it if anyone else was killed. That day it had been his turn to hold Hermione as they cried. While she went for a bath he used his invisibility cloak to sneak down to the potions store room and took the first jar of poison he found. It kicked in immediately and the pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt. The next thing he knew he was awake in the hospital wing with Hermione asleep next to him, half sat in a chair, her head resting on the side of his bed.

Harry missed Hermione. He always did on the anniversaries, although he didn't have the courage to contact her after six years. She had moved on with her life, left all of that behind. They both had. But he didn't really want it to be left behind. He wanted his friends back but he knew it could never happen.

Harry stared at the letter from Molly Weasley inviting him down for Christmas sat on the mantle piece. She invited him every year and every year he made up an excuse not to go. He couldn't face it. He didn't want to face the family he cost a son and a daughter. But he had to. It had been too long. Harry made up his mind. He was going to the Weasley's for Christmas.

***

A/N: Sorry its been so long and turns out to be so short and rubbish!

Thankyou to everyone who reviews and has done previously.