When Harry arrived to his Arithmacy class, Shane could tell something was wrong...something had happened. Harry didn't say two words the whole class. Shane noticed that Harry wasn't even taking notes. When the bell rang, Harry stood and collected his things. He turned to go, but Shane grabbed his arm.
"Harry..." He said quietly. Harry looked at his friend. Shane looked worried.
"I'm fine...I just need to blow off some steam." Harry said calmly. Shane nodded and released Harry's arm. When Harry needed to blow off steam, he went to the gym...
Harry walked down the crowded street and pushed open a glass door. He flashed the membership card he had purchased the day before, and headed for the locker room. Harry twiddle the combination lock on his locker and opened it. Inside was a pair of runners, shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Harry removed these things and shoved his bag into the locker. He stripped down to his boxers and pulled on his shorts and shirt. He threw his other clothes in with his bag and slammed the combination lock down. Harry tied his runners up and went through the 'Members Only' door. There were several people there. Some with a build, some on their way to a build and some that were trying to lose weight. Harry made his way through the people and the equipment. He found an empty treadmill and climbed on. Harry set the computer to 'Extreme' and ran his heart out. His knee wasn't bothering him. Harry was so angry, he could get hit in the head with a steel pipe, and not feel it. Why was Sirius all over the place? Why couldn't he just be honest and explain what was going on? As Harry thought about this, he became angrier and started to run even harder. A few guys had stopped to watch as Harry ran his heart out. After forty five minutes, Harry slowed the treadmill down and climbed off. To him, exercise was a drug. He did it when he was angry, when he was sad or even when he was happy. It was supposed to bring him satisfaction, but it never did. He always wanted more. Harry found himself doing chin up, leg presses, lifting weights...everything. Three hours later, Harry was bench pressing two hundred pounds when some delicate hands wrapped around the bar and set it back on the rack. Harry looked up. Meagan was standing over him. She shook her head.
"Come on sweetie..." She said quietly, moving around the bench and taking Harry by the hand. She led him past all the equipment he had spent hours beating himself with, and into the locker room. Meagan waited patiently while Harry had a shower and changed into his normal clothes. Then, they left.
"How'd you know where I was?" Harry asked quietly. Meagan sighed.
"I know what you do when your emotions run high." She said quietly, squeezing his hand. Harry sighed.
ONE WEEK LATER
Harry hadn't gone home to Sirius after his encounter at the gym. Meagan had written a letter to Sirius explaining that Harry was staying with friends. Harry had refused to even speak his godfather's name. He was furious. Harry had all right to be mad, but he was angrier than anyone would have thought. Harry was staying at Meagan's Aunt and Uncle's cabin up in the hills. Meagan was staying with him, to make sure he was okay. Harry was mad, but slowly calming down. He was even able to speak Sirius's name...to a certain degree. The rain lashed outside as Harry sat in the kitchen of the cabin, staring out across the hills. Meagan was sitting in front of him.
"I have to talk to him..." Harry growled. Meagan nodded.
"Yeah, you do." She said quietly. Harry sighed. He grabbed his jacket off the hook and sighed.
"I'll be back in a bit. Even if I've sorted things out with him, I need to get my stuff." Harry sighed. Meagan nodded and stood. She kissed Harry gently.
"Do you want me to come?" She asked softly. Harry shook his head.
"If I'm not back in an hour though, you might wanna come get me..." He said quietly. Meagan nodded as Harry disapparated.
He appeared in the living room of his house. Sirius was standing in front of the fire, just staring into the flames.
Harry cleared his throat. Sirius whirled around. He smiled when he saw Harry. Harry's facial expression did not change. He just stood there, staring at Sirius.
"I want to know everything. Everything that's been going on and I want to know about 'Operation Relocation'...there's more to that then you're telling me." Harry said coldly. Sirius nodded. He was anxious to end this feud.
"There have been several battles lately with the Death Eaters. The latest one was in France. They blew up a load of buildings and hundreds of people died. I had to go and sort it out, try and round them up. We don't know why all this is happening, Voldemort's gone." Sirius explained hastily. Harry nodded. Sirius talked for another fifty five minutes about all the missions he had been doing. Finally, he came to 'Operation Relocation'.
"They aren't sending me to a Ministry house. I have to lay low for a while. Move from place to place. All of us are doing it. We're targets now and we can't be in one place for too long or else.." Sirius trailed off.
"I'll start out in Ireland, then head to Rome...next is China, then Iraq...head to Canada then stay in America. Go round Alaska then slowly make my way back here." He explained.
"I knew you'd hate me so I hid everything from you. And, I did want you to come home. More than you'll ever know..." Sirius choked. Harry stared at Sirius. This one person had so many secrets. Should Harry just...forgive him?
Harry ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't know what to do. Sirius was supposed to leave in two days. Harry covered his eyes. Sirius could tell he was thinking. Just then, there was a light knock on the door. It opened a little and Meagan stepped inside. She bit her lip as she glanced at Sirius. Meagan rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"You told me to come and get you in an hour..." She said quietly. Harry gave a nod and lowered his hand.
"Can you give us a few minutes babe?" He asked quietly. Meagan nodded and headed into the kitchen. Harry stared after her, then turned to Sirius. He was very pale.
"Yes, I've been staying with Meagan." Harry said coldly. He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. Harry ran another hand through his mess of black hair.
"Sirius, from now on you are going to have to me more honest with me." He said wearily. Sirius nodded vigorously...did these mean Harry had forgiven him? Sirius bit his lip anxiously. Harry stood up.
"I'm not horribly mad at you anymore...just a little peeved." He said, his hands on his hips. Sirius sighed out of relief and rushed forwards. He wrapped his arms around Harry and squeezed him tightly. Harry hesitated and then hugged Sirius back. When they separated, Sirius had to wipe away tears.
"I hate fighting with you." He laughed. Harry nodded. Sirius sighed.
"I'm sorry I have to go." He said quietly. Harry shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. We'll keep in touch." He said quietly. Sirius nodded. They hugged one last time before heading into the kitchen. Meagan was eating a muffin at the table. Harry sat down beside her and took part of the muffin. Sirius disappeared into the den...or so they thought.
"Are you okay?" Meagan asked softly. Harry nodded.
"Yeah..." He said quietly. Meagan sighed and kissed his cheek.
"Good, because I hate seeing you so unhappy." She said wearily. Harry smiled.
"I'm sorry I put you through all this babe..." He said quietly. Meagan shook her head.
"No, I'm glad I could be there for you." She said firmly. Harry smiled.
"You know I love you Harry..." Meagan said softly. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I love you too!" He laughed. They both shared a kiss and finished the muffin.
Sirius was leaning against the wall just outside the kitchen, smiling. Finally Harry had found someone he deserved. Sirius shook his head and continued on to the den.
THREE DAYS LATER
Harry sighed sadly as he sat in front of the crackling fire. Sirius had left the day before for 'Operation Relocation'. It was hard for Harry since he didn't know when he'd see Sirius again. The apartment hunt wasn't going so well. Harry and Shane only had one place left to look. Harry had to find somewhere to live, fast. Sirius was renting the house out to some of his American wizarding friends. Places like Harry and Sirius's bedroom would be bond locked so no one could get in, but everything else would be accessible. The people were moving in at the end of the week. Harry ran a hand through his hair and glanced at his watch. Noon...he was meeting Shane in half an hour to go look at that place. Harry stood and slumped his shoulders. He wasn't mad at Sirius anymore...just a little disappointed.
"Pull yourself together!" Harry said outloud. He disapparated with a loud pop.
Harry appeared down an alley. He was about ten blocks from Insomnia, where he and Shane were meeting. Harry hurried onto the main sidewalk and joined the crowd. He walked slowly, window shopping and listening in on 'private' conversations. He never meant to, his ears just seemed to pick up interesting comments. Harry made his way down the road. Five blocks...four blocks...three blocks...two blocks...
Harry sighed as he stepped into the coffee shop. He looked around at all the mismatched tables and chairs. They had a vibe to them. Harry made his way to his usual table and sat down in the checkered chair. The waitress came along and took Harry's order. When she left, Harry looked around the café. He noticed a few people and then his eyes fell on someone he knew. Heather McKinnon. Heather noticed Harry as well and crossed the room. She smiled at him, clutching her coffee cup.
"Where's Sean?" Harry laughed. Heather rolled her eyes.
"Went out with Adain and Aaron." She said, shaking her head. Harry nodded. Heather was really nice.
"Shane told me you guys are moving into a flat..." She said kindly. Harry nodded again.
"Yeah..." He said, smiling to himself.
"Heathy!" Someone called from across the café.
"I'll see you later, Harry!" Heather laughed, hurrying off towards her other friend. A minute later, the waitress returned with Harry's coffee. He thanked her and sipped the steaming beverage. A few minutes later, Shane appeared. He looked disgruntled as he ordered his coffee.
"If we don't get this place, I'm moving onto the street!" He said angrily. Harry laughed. Shane and his Dad fought...a lot.
Harry and Shane appeared in the heart of town. The tall apartment building was brand new and on a fairly quiet block. They stood nervously for a moment, then went inside. Harry had a few words with the doorman and then went to the front desk.
"Um...we're here to see the apartment for rent." Harry said nervously. The young girl smiled.
"Mr. Habib is waiting for you. Nineteenth floor, apartment 21C." She said with a smile. Shane nodded and he and Harry stepped onto the key card elevator, clutching their 'visitor' pass. Once the elevator doors closed, Shane laughed.
"Pretty heavy muggle security." He laughed. Harry gave a nod. After a minute, the doors opened at the nineteenth floor. Harry and Shane stepped out and walked down the hall to the open door. They saw in gold numerals 21C on the door. Harry knocked lightly and a short man appeared. He smiled and led them around the surprisingly large apartment. There was a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a deck. Harry really liked it. He and Shane conversed for a moment in one of the bedrooms.
"It's in our price range..." Shane said, looking around the large room. Harry gave a nod.
"And anything we don't like, we can change with a flick..." He said, speaking of his wand. Shane agreed.
"It's close to everything. Market, gym, school..." He said, waving a hand. Harry bit his lip.
"Let's take it." He said quietly. Shane nodded. They left the room and started conversing with Mr.Habib.
After half an hour of haggling...
"Fine! First month rent free and damage deposit on top! Fine!" Mr. Habib cried, exasperated. Shane and Harry weren't willing to pay rent for the month of April since it was half over. Habib caved and told them they could move in whenever. They were each given key cards and keys, along with their lease. Harry smiled and smacked hands with Shane.
"And we got a flat!" He laughed.
Next day
Harry and Shane stood, in the middle of their new apartment, curtains closed as they redecorated.
"Red living room..." Shane said as he waved his wand. The walls were instantly a vibrant red.
"Tone it down a bit!" Harry laughed. Shane waved his wand again and the red darkened a little.
"Hmm...beige furniture." Harry said, thinking of his favorite outfit. He waved his wand and a comfy beige sofa and arm chair appeared. They were decorated with red and black pillows.
They continued on like this for a while, until the whole apartment was painted. There were pictures on the walls, everything. Harry was just 'painting' his room. He considered the walls and tried to think of a good color.
"Try a stormy gray..." A voice from the hall said thoughtfully. Harry spun around and saw Meagan standing there.
"Hey baby..." He smiled. Meagan grinned and stepped into the room. She waved her wand and the walls were a stormy gray, as was the ceiling. A couple more flicks of her wand produced a large desk and a muggle computer, a dresser, and a double bed. Meagan considered the bed carefully. She waved her wand and a grey and white striped bedspread appeared, along with grey and white decorative pillows. The room was a little gloomy, so she brightened it up with some lively pictures on the wall. Harry looked around at his girlfriend's handiwork. It looked excellent.
"You should be a designer!" He laughed, hugging her tightly. Meagan blushed and smiled.
"Not too bad yourself. I saw the living room and dining room." She laughed. Harry rolled his eyes. He laced his finger's with Meagan's and kicked the door shut.
"Got my own place now...no one to disturb us..." He said quietly, kissing Meagan passionately. Right on cue, the door swung open. Shane blushed and raised his eyebrows at the snogging couple.
"No wonder Sirius freaked!" He laughed. Harry blushed and stuck out his tongue in a childish way. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad...
1 WEEK LATER
Harry wearily opened his eyes...soon after, he was shielding them. Sunlight was pouring through the curtains. Harry grabbed his wand and muttered something. All the light was instantly blocked. Harry put his wand back down on the night stand and sighed. Meagan was lying next to him, in one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts. The shirt was by far to big and Harry could see the strap of her bra. He kissed her bare shoulder and then brought the blankets up, over her. Harry climbed out of bed and pulled a shirt on. He glanced at the clock. Four thirty. Harry sighed and found a pair of shorts. He put a light jacket on, and his runners. Harry went into the bathroom and ran a comb through his hair. He cleaned his glasses and brushed his teeth. Harry rinsed his toothbrush and put it back in the holder. As he was heading into the kitchen, he saw Shane quietly closing his door, as not to wake Anna. Harry smiled as he saw Shane's hair standing up everywhere.
"Nice knickers." He whispered, his eyes wandering to the polk a dot boxers. Shane rolled his eyes.
"Need to fill the laundry card." He said, before heading into the bathroom. Harry put out two bowls of cereal and grabbed himself an apple. He and Shane had become a modern day Ozzie and Harriet. Harry bit into his apple just as Shane came in. He was wearing his tracksuit.
"Wimp." Harry laughed as he glanced outside and saw frost on the window. Shane forced a shiver and sat down to eat.
"You and Anna were pretty loud last night...had to put a silencing spell on you." Harry laughed. Shane blushed.
"Didn't hear anything from you and Megsy." He said quietly. Harry's face fell.
"Yeah, maybe cuz we weren't doin anything." He muttered. Shane looked up.
"What?" He asked. Harry rolled his eyes and gave Shane a pointed look. Shane started to choke on his cereal.
"You guys haven't...?" He asked. Harry shook his head. Shane just stared at him.
"I don't think I could sleep in a bed with Meagan and not..." He trailed off. Harry's expression changed.
"You watch what you say." He said warningly. Shane knew not to cross a certain line with Harry. He rose his hands in forfeit.
"I just don't understand..." He said, thinking about it. Harry shook his head and went into the kitchen with his dishes.
"She's not ready..." He said, before going to rewrap the tensor around his knee. Shane stared after him. He only had one thing to say.
"Wow..."
Shane was breathing heavily as Harry unlocked the door to their apartment. They made their way inside and Shane went into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Harry laughed at him. Harry wasn't breathing heavily, he was hardly sweating. A two hour run was nothing to him now.
"You're pathetic!" He laughed. Shane rolled his eyes.
"Just - cuz - I'm not - the incredible - hulk..." He trailed off. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled as he saw Meagan emerging from the bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around herself and her wet hair was resting on her shoulders.
"Hey baby..." Harry smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Meagan scrunched up her nose.
"Ew...you smell! Get in the shower!" She laughed. Harry rolled his eyes and then smiled.
"Wanna come?" He asked. Meagan smiled and shook her head.
"I just had one...but thanks for the offer." She laughed, heading to Harry's room to get dressed. Harry groaned and went into the bathroom. He peeled off his clothes and hopped in the shower.
About fifteen minutes later, Harry hurried down the hall with a towel around his waist. He opened the door, stepped inside and clothes the door. Meagan was doing her makeup at Harry's dresser. She smiled when she saw his towel.
"Want me to go?" She asked. Harry raised his eyebrows.
"No need for that!" He said, grabbing a pair of black boxers from the top of his dresser. He turned around and dropped his towel. Meagan felt her ears burn as she glanced at Harry's bare bum. He pulled on his boxers and turned around.
"Nice tush..." Meagan laughed. Harry smiled and pulled her away from the dresser and into a tight hug. She was dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a button down white blouse. She squealed as Harry held her against his wet body.
"You're getting me all wet!" She laughed. Harry sighed and released her. Meagan looked down at her shirt and sighed. She grabbed her wand and waved it. Her hair was dry. Harry pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and ran a brush through his hair. He straightened his glasses and slapped Meagan's bum before going into the living room. Shane was still lying on the couch.
"Ya better get going there mate. Class in an hour!" Harry laughed. Shane wearily lifted his head and groaned. He rolled off the couch to go wake Anna up and get ready. Harry started packing up his bag.
FOUR HOURS LATER
Harry sighed as he and Meagan walked through the park. Their classes had just ended and they wanted to relax a little. Shane and Anna were a little ways behind, talking quietly. Harry's fingers were laced with Meagan's. He looked up at all the people around them. Some were walking through the park, others were chatting happily. Harry smiled. He noticed something odd though...there was a man in a black cloak with his hood up, hiding behind his tree. Harry furrowed his brow. Strange thing to be doing really...
As Harry looked around a little more, he saw other people in black cloaks with their hoods up, hiding behind trees or sitting at stone tables. Something wasn't right. This wasn't right at all... Harry's grip tightened on Meagan's hand.
"Ow - Harry..." Meagan said quietly. Harry shook his head quickly. Meagan noticed his eyes darting around.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Meagan asked quickly. Harry put his free hand into his pocket, gripping his wand. He slowed down, so Meagan did also. After a minute, Shane and Anna were right behind them.
"Shane..." Harry whispered, his lips barely moving. Shane, as usual, could tell something was wrong.
"What's going on?" Shane asked quickly.
"Get the girls out of here." Harry said quickly. Shane was staring at Harry and then, he looked around. He too noticed all the people in black cloaks with their hoods up.
"Oh Jesus..." He said, his breath catching in his chest. They were coming up to a small buildings where the toilets were.
"Take them in there and disapparate." Harry said. He slowly passed Meagan's hand off the Shane. The girls were starting to get freaked out. As they came closer and closer to the door of the building, the people in cloaks started to move. In one quick motion, Harry pushed his three friends into the bathroom. Shane was dragging Meagan away. Harry heard a loud pop echo in the empty bathroom and knew they were gone. Slowly, the cloaked figures started to emerge. People realized that something wasn't right, and ran away, screaming. Harry pulled his wand out... the odds were not good. One man against fifty...
Harry looked around. These weren't Death Eaters...or at least they didn't look like them. Suddenly, curses flew at Harry from every direction. He laid flat on the ground, listening to all the curses zoom by. Harry briefly thought about disapparating, but the he realized he didn't want to run. Harry stood up. He was waiting for Ministry wizards to appear. Harry was growing tired as he used every spell he knew to block the curses. A couple got through though and hit him, hard. Harry gasped with pain as his stomach started to bleed. He heard a loud pop and Shane was standing next to him, unaware of what was going on. Harry saw a curse flying towards his friend and did the only thing he could think of. Harry pushed Shane to the side and took his place. Harry took a blow to the stomach and fell backwards, smacking his head on the ground. He groaned as he grabbed his head. He heard several loud pops and then yells. Someone grabbed Harry under the arms and was dragging him out of the crowd. Harry opened his eyes. Shane was helping him up. Harry swayed as his stomach bled. Shane grabbed Harry around the middle and they disapparated. Ministry wizards had arrived and Shane just wanted to get Harry out of there.
Shane appeared in the living room of the apartment, holding Harry up. Meagan and Anna were sitting on the couch. Meagan screamed when she saw Harry. She rushed forwards to check on him.
"Oh my god...oh my god... She whimpered as she grazed the blood from Harry's stomach. Shane left to talk to the Ministry wizards. Meagan and Anna managed, with much difficulty, to get Harry into the bathroom. Anna hurried to write an owl to someone she didn't know, named Sirius. Meagan stripped Harry of his clothes, except his boxers. He was sitting on the edge of the tub, slipping out of consciousness.
"It's okay...it's okay..." Meagan sobbed as she wrapped bandages around Harry's stomach. She mended the large cut he had on his head from when he fell. Harry was slipping out of consciousness. Meagan helped him into his room and into his bed. Harry slowly passed out...