Chapter Nine

'On Guard!'

Harry shifted his weight nervously as he stood outside a quaint-looking yellow house. Dudley and his aunt and uncle were in front of them, walking slowly. Out of the blue a day after the Globe, Jack suddenly suggested a barbecue at his house. 'Just a small get-together of friends.' was his light-hearted statement. The Dursleys thought it was a great idea until River insisted that Harry came. They blocked their displeasure well but it was obvious the very idea of him 'intruding' on their family time was revolting.

They knocked on the door and Harry held back, holding a few bottles that were filled with soda that River had asked them to bring. The door opened and Harry felt his jaw drop slightly. River had opened the door with a flourish but he was more in shock at what she was wearing.

She had a pair of faded jean shorts on and held a dishtowel in her hands. Instead of a shirt she had on a navy blue checkered top that looked like bra until Harry realized it was the top to a bathing suit. She has a pool! His thoughts exclaimed as she grinned brightly at them, ushering them in. Her hair was pulled into two loose braids and hung over her shoulders. Her smile was bright as she shut the door behind them.

"Dad's out back with the grill, he's just getting ready to put the meat on. The others are in the back." She gave Dudley a quick kiss on the cheek. "Your friends are in the parlor that way playing my Game Cube." She pointed. Dudley kissed her on the cheek (his face basically engulfing hers) before hurrying off to find his friends. "Vernon, Petunia, do you mind if I borrow Harry for a while? I need help with the vegetable platters,"

"Be my guest, darling." Petunia said with a sweet smile.

"If he gives you any trouble bop him upside the head." Vernon said with a forced smile.

River laughed and pointed towards a closed door. "If you want to change into your swim suits the bathroom is right there but only a couple people are in the pool right now."

Harry watched the Dursley's reaction and they didn't seem surprised. Oh how like them. Don't even bother to tell me there is a pool. He thought as the two adults wondered outside. Not that it would make much of a difference, you don't have a swimsuit. His thoughts shot back.

River turned to him. "I hope you don't mind helping me, its just…" she lowered her voice as they walked past the living room (which was filled with beautiful woods and plump green chairs and couches). "Peter is outside with my dad and I don't want him picking on you."

He snorted, touched by her concern. "Its all right. My aunt and uncle probably don't want me anywhere near them at all. So outside is out of the question."

She gave him a comforting smile. "I'm sure that's not true, Harry." The kitchen was gorgeous, he had never seen cabinets with such a design on them. On the jade counter tops there were two cutting boards and a variety of fruits and vegetables. "Do you mind cutting up the carrots and celery? I have to start on the fixings for the burgers."

"No problem." He set the drinks down and began to cut without a second thought.

"Did you bring your bathing suit? The pool just got finished a day before the Globe." She said as she peeled an onion. "Dad gave it to me as a surprise. I'm still shocked that we had enough room for a full-sized pool."

"I didn't think the backyards of these houses were large enough." He commented.

"Technically the aren't but dad did some haggling and got the house with the biggest backyard on the block."

He frowned. "I thought you said you moved back into the house you lived in before."

She froze slightly but continued to peel the onions. "No, we're next door to our old house. But I don't mind. The house is big enough for…for the two of us." She said pausing, obviously thinking of her mother. "Anyway, we we're done with the healthy stuff I'll show you the pool. It's amazing. You can help me throw people in." She started chopping up the onions, her eyes watering from the smell.

"Just don't throw me in." Harry said laughing.

"Oh, take away all my fun. Why not?"

He laughed again. "Don't have a bathing suit."

She looked at him surprised. "Vernon and Petunia never mentioned that." He shrugged, wishing she would change the subject. "It's all right though, my dad will let you have his new trunks. He bought them when we were going to go to California with my mom." She stopped suddenly, sorrow filling her face. "The trip was canceled when she died."

"I'm sorry, River." He said feeling her pain. "If it helps I know how you feel," Shit, great going, Harry. Now you'll have to tell her. What if she asked the Durselys! His thoughts shouted at him.

"You do," she sniffed, blinking at the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah…my godfather died recently." He said turning his back to her.

"I'm sorry."

They were both silent for a moment, probably bottled in their own pain. "The pain never goes away, does it?" he whispered softly.

She looked at him and then avoided his gaze, a tear escaping her soft brown eye. "Hasn't for me." She said softly.

He sighed, wiping his hands on his pants. "Come here, River." He pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have keep this conversation going on."

She snorted into his shoulder. He had hugged her on an impulse more than anything else. He had only comforted Hermione and maybe Ginny but here he was comforting his cousin's girlfriend over her mother's death. "Yeah, well, sometimes we just need to talk about something…I just…" she trailed off.

"Never expected to be talking about it with me." He finished her sentence, not venomously or hurt, just stating a fact. He never expected to be talking about Sirius with River.

She nodded pulling away, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry. I can't even talk to my dad about my mom anymore." She lifted herself onto the counter and sighed. "It's hard sometimes, Harry. When she first died I pushed everyone away, swallowing myself in my own pain. I cut off all my friendships, ignored my father, I basically just existed. A shell without a soul was what my friends compared me to."

Harry listened in silence as he went back to cutting the vegetables. He knew what it was like. She went on, her voice far away. "The thing that snapped me out was revenge. I wanted revenge."

"On the person that crashed into your mother's car?"

"Hm?" she looked at him, the dreamy look in her eye gone. "Oh, yes. I went after the person in court, and the jury took pity on me. He was killed by accident on his way to jail."

He looked at her. "Did it help? Did it help to know that the person who killed your mother was killed?" he knew he looked hopeful but he couldn't help but wish that the death of Bellatrix would take away his pain.

"No." she whispered. "It was still there, eating away at me. But you just have to move on. Remember that they wouldn't want you to live like this."

Tears sprung to Harry eyes. He suddenly had the overwhelming urge to write to Ron and Hermione. She smiled at him and wiped at her eyes, hopping down from the counter. They both went back to working. She suddenly grabbed one of his celery sticks. "On guard!" she said laughing, waving it around sporadically.

"What?" he said jumping back as she lunged at him with it.

"Defend yourself!" she ordered tossing him a celery stick.

He fumbled with it. She's either lost it or trying to lighten up the mood. He thought as she lunged at him again. He jumped back laughing. "Brat!"

"I'll defeat you sure as I stand!" she shouted joking as he backed away from her.

"NEVER!" he exclaimed as they began sparring with the vegetables. He grabbed a handful of carrots and began tossing them at her, running away. "You'll never catch me!"

"Scoundrel dog!" she exclaimed dogging a flying carrot. "I'll make you walk the plank for that!"

"Not if I make you do it first!" he shot back laughing as the sparred out into the backyard. Harry barely noticed the people staring at them as they fought with celery sticks.

"No rutting way!" she said jumping over someone's drink as she continued to lunge and attack him. Harry tossed a few carrots at her and one hit her arm. She grabbed her arm. "AH! I'm hit!" She shot fake glare at him. "I'll get you for that and cut off both your arms!"

"I'll poke out your eyes first!"

"Oh dear me, who ever heard of a pirate with an eye patch!" she joked lunging at him as he backed farther away.

He laughed as she jumped onto the diving board and started backing up as he continued to advance on her. "You're walking the plank for your foolish attack."

"Never! I'll knock you in first!" she exclaimed, laughter ringing in her eyes.

"Ah, both of you get in!" a familiar voice shouted and suddenly the board vibrated hard enough to knock both of them into the pool.

They let out a cry and sank in the water. He let himself sink for a moment, releasing the celery, before fighting for the surface. He broke through the water and River was kicking in the water, laughing. He glanced at who had vibrated the board and saw Jack, apron on with a spatula in hand. He started laughing to and swam towards the edge as River lifted herself out. He climbed up the later and stared at his soaked clothes.

"Harry," River said laughing insanely at him. Dudley came up behind her. "You're all wet."

He snorted and sloshed towards her. Dudley glared at him. "What were you two doing?" the pig asked.

"Dueling with celery sticks." River said giggling.

"Why?"

"Why not?" she shot back and he could see a tiny bit of annoyance in her eyes. She looked at him and smiled. "I guess you're gonna have to change anyway."

"You planned this."

"Me!" she gasped unable to stop smiling. "Never."

"Right." He said sarcastically.

"River, do we have the big serving platter for the meat?" Jack asked suddenly.

She frowned. "I, I don't think so, dad. Didn't it break when…" she glanced at Harry. "When my old friends and I were roughhousing?"

Jack then nodded. "Right. Forgot." His eyes focused on the embarrassed and slightly enraged Durselys. "Do you happen to have a meat platter? I forgot about that necessity when I planned this."

"Yes. Boy, go home, for god sakes change, and bring it back." Ordered Vernon. "And don't touch anything else."

"I'll go with him," River volunteered. She planted a chaste kiss on Duddley's cheek and then skipped towards the door. She stopped looking back. "Coming, Lord Wetness?"

Harry smirked and sloshed after her. While he changed he would write a quick letter to Ron and Hermione, apologizing for ignoring them. River really made a person think at times.