Author's note: I'd like to have written something screamingly funny here, but that part of my brain that controls my sense of humour seems to have congealed (Partly because of exam tension and partly because it is a very late hour of the night at this moment)
To my reviewers- thank you for taking the trouble to review-it means a lot to me.
Elphie73: Wow! You're really instilling some confidence in me-thanks!
Alex: You're the best!
Kateya: I'll try my best. Keep reading and reviewing! And thanks for those encouraging words.
tonksss: Hi lizz! I didn't think V and G would get together either! I'm glad you like the story-I hope you continue to enjoy it!
I have a sudden and horrible suspicion that my story is a huge failure and that all my reviewers are just too nice to be flamethrowers…
Chapter 5: The Date
Part 1- A Bakery and a Mystery Boyfriend
10.00 a.m., Thursday
Ron Weasley was depressed. The past two days hadn't particularly been a bed of roses for him. More like an inferno from hell sent specially to torture him…
After he'd walked out of his flat fresh from his argument with Hermione, he'd spent the rest of Tuesday alternating between wallowing in self-pity and seething impotently at popular quidditch players.
On Wednesday, he'd pulled himself together just enough to surprise Harry by attending the day's combat training session. Harry, predictably, did not refer to Hermione at all and Ron was damned if he would do it either.
Consequently, two whole days went by without Ron speaking to Hermione and she hadn't done anything on her part to remedy the situation. The only think Ron wasn't complaining about was the fact that his mum hadn't asked any questions. (He rightly supposed that Harry, with his usual tact, had conveyed to her the delicate nature of his present relations with Hermione.) He couldn't help thinking, however, that everyone but him seemed to think that all would be as right as rain in no time.
Ron shuffled his feet moodily along the cobbled path, brooding on his countless misfortunes. He looked up ahead and across the street listlessly, then brightened imperceptibly. He had come to a standstill right opposite one of his favourite haunts.
Cakes and Bakes (A.N: Not the most imaginative name, but doesn't matter) was the best bakery for miles around. Its warm smells, equally warm service and wonderful baked goodies made it a delightful habitat for connoisseurs of gastronomy. Cakes and Bakes alsohad the double distinction of being popular in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. It achieved this popularity by the simple expedient of being situated in a very convenient position.
To a muggle entering its front from Eagle Street (which was a muggle street, by the way) it appeared that the owner or one of her several associates stood behind the delicacy-laden counters with a mirror (in the place of a wall) for a backdrop. But wizards entering from Blindgate Alley (which ran parallel to Eagle Street), saw a spacious outlet with a transparent wall for a backdrop through which they could observe their unsuspecting muggle counterparts on the other side. The magical portion of the bakery had something else that the muggle portion lacked- a provision for customers to sit and eat there at their leisure if they wished to do so.
A real anti-depressant if there ever was one.
Ron crossed the street, dodged a parcel-laden individual and darted into the bakery's welcoming interior.
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Morgan added the finishing touches to her last batch of cookies and paused to admire her handiwork. Satisfied, she banished the trays with an expert flick of her wand to their rightful place behind the glass counters. Then, pulling off her apron, she opened the door that connected the baking area to the bakery adjacent to it.
Walking in, Morgan spotted a familiar head of flaming red hair making its way to table number 2. Weasley, she thought. Our most frequent and esteemed customer. She grinned as she thought how Weasley considered his coming here a big secret. Apparently his mother would feel insulted if she knew her son frequented this place when he refused to accept her weekly offering of baked goods. Morgan doubted if even Weasley's more famous best friend knew of this place. (Even if he did, she supposed that he was too busy fighting evil to accompany Weasley on his jaunts.)
"Hey there, Finley," called Ron on catching sight of the assistant manager (whose culinary skills went into a good chunk of the bakery's creations.) "D'you have anything new for me to try, today?"
"You're in luck, I do," replied Morgan smiling. "May I present- a yet-to-be-named cookie delight." The plate she conjured bore a sample from the tray she'd just baked. "It's simply delicious," she stated, setting the plate in front of him.
Ron bit into the cookie and closed his eyes while he savoured it slowly. She was right. It just went down with the most sinful ease. He demolished the rest of it with obvious relish, then flashed his lopsided grin at the cookie's auburn-haired creator.
"Your magic touch at work here again, Finley?"
"If that's what you call it, yes," replied Morgan, pleased that her morning's work hadn't gone unappreciated. "I suppose you'll go on to have your usual then?"
"Yep."
"Right." She tapped the star-shaped badge on her collar and spoke briefly into it. "Naina, you there? Yeah…Table 2. Mr.Weasley.The usual. That's right." She looked at Ron and smiled apologetically. "I'll leave you to enjoy your snack in peace and come back for a chat in a little while from now, if you don't mind."
In answer to Ron's questioning look she gestured to the window-wall behind him. "Muggle customers and everyone else too busy." She grinned again and walked away unhurriedly.
Ron watched her go, then turned to drown his freshly resurfaced sorrows in swirls of chocolate and dollops of cream.
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"Super. As usual," proclaimed Ron to Morgan a while later.
"Glad you enjoyed it," said Morgan politely, knowing that her duty was to be friendly but not over-friendly, warm but impersonal. (A bundle of contradictions really, but that was business.)
Ron broke the silence first- he was in the mood to talk. "Let me ask you a hypothetical question, if you have time, that is." He went on when Morgan nodded her assent. He really needed to get this off his chest. "Um…let's say I have this friend, you know, who had a fight with his…err… fiancée, about an old flame of hers. They're not talking to each other (not the flame and fiancée…I meant my friend and his fiancée). He's really depressed. What should he do? All hypothetically speaking, of course."
Morgan chuckled inwardly. "Well, you said they weren't speaking. That's the root of the problem, if you ask me. Half the trouble in any relationship stems from all that misunderstanding that comes from not talking, you know…"
Ron looked hopefully at her. "Really?"
"Really. I'm not kidding."
Ron got up to leave, determined now to talk to Hermione and set things right. "That really clarifies things. I'm…I'll tell my friend, he'll be grateful…"
"No problem. And don't worry; I'm sure you and Hermione will work things out. Just talk to her, you'll see."
Ron froze. "Hang on, who said anything about 'me and Hermione'," he demanded, wondering if he'd been too obvious.
Morgan schooled her face into its most serious expression. "I was speaking hypothetically, of course…" she replied politely!
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8.00 p.m. Thursday
Harry was flipping idly through the pages of Quidditch!, lounging on his bed and trying hard not to think of the 'Dreaded Date'( as he dubbed it) which he would have to face the day after tomorrow.
He looked up, becoming alert and still at a sudden noise. Listening intently, he realized that what he'd heard was the sound of two people apparating into the adjacent bedroom.
Harry relaxed, smiled to himself and continued his lazy perusal of the colourful magazine.
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Sometime in the evening, Friday.
They were standing in the street outside the gate that led to her apartment block.
His hair fell alluringly onto his forehead and Sheena couldn't resist reaching out and pushing the errant lock away from his face.
"Why won't you come in? Morgan won't mind once she realizes that you work for Dumbledore…"
"For one thing, it wouldn't do to spread word that I'm a spy and for another, your friend won't believe me whatever you or I say," he replied softly. Then suddenly diffident, he spoke up again. "You do believe me, don't you?"
Sheena felt her heart melt at his tone. The light from the street lamp fell onto his hair, making it look like a halo. He's been so misunderstood, she thought with a pang.
"Of course I do, Draco," said Sheena reassuringly.
"Thank Merlin for that! I have to go darling, some important work to do."
"Be careful, Draco," said Sheena worriedly.
"I will, don't worry."
Sheena leaned in for a kiss and then pulled back and walked into her home, a slight frown of worry creasing her smooth forehead.
Malfoy stood looking after her, his loving smile fading into a self-congratulatory smirk. I'd hate to be in your place now, Morgan, he thought, his gray eyes resembling chips of ice as he disapparated after checking around for any muggles.
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Morgan looked up from the book she'd been reading as Sheena walked into their living room.
"Where've you been?"
"Somewhere." Sheena shrugged her pretty shoulders noncommittally.
"Aha! I take that to mean you were out with The Mystery Boyfriend." Morgan raised her eyebrow in amusement before adopting a pleading look. "Why won't you tell me who it is?"
Sheena sighed. "Because he's…he's just shy, that's why. Okay look, I'll tell you after your date and everything. I'll even invite him over for lunch on Sunday if you like. But till then, no questions…please."
Morgan cast a speculative look at Sheena. Once the latter had made her mind up, there would be no changing it. Out of respect for her friend's privacy, Morgan decided to ignore a vaguely nagging feeling within and give the matter of the Mystery Boyfriend a rest.
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Part 2- The MeetingHarry smoothed the front of his trademark bottle-green robes with a nervous hand. He was at least forty-five minutes early, but there was nothing he could do about that. Ron and Hermione (who had resolved their argument and had now reverted to their old 'we're in love' mode) had packed him off in a hurry citing umpteen reasons for doing so.
"You're not even sure of the place, Harry, and if you land up getting late because of difficulty in locating it, the girl may not be too pleased." Hermione had looked positively forbidding when Harry tried to tell them that he would have no such problems.
"Yeah, mate, especially if she's been waiting all week to know who you are. I reckon it wouldn't do at all to keep her waiting any longer." Ron had given Hermione his unstinting support in getting Harry to start early.
Harry was quite helpless in such matters, and he hated it. He could tackle either Ron or Hermione, but both together…he was simply powerless to resist their nagging.
"I liked you better in the role of 'Help! Ron and I just fought'," said Harry dryly to Hermione. He earned a glare in return. Ron only grinned at the exchange.
"What did you say her name was, Harry?" asked the redhead.
"I didn't say. The second communication I received said that her name was…"
Hermione had interrupted with an irritable "That's enough, both of you. Harry, stop finding excuses to dawdle. Now go."
Harry hadn't had much of a choice. He went.
As a result he was standing in front of a newly painted door behind which his date resided, probably spending her time dressing up and dabbing on tons of makeup. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
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Morgan finished cooking dinner for Sheena (an attempt on the latter's part to cook would have resulted in some form of mild poisoning for the eater), pulled off her tattered apron ("It's my favourite," she would say defensively when Sheena tried to imply she needed a new one) and plonked down on the sofa with a sigh.
A glance at the clock told her that there was still an hour to go for her date to get there. She sat for a while thinking about nothing in particular and then suddenly remembered that Sheena had told her that her boyfriend would come home sometime in the evening. Morgan was suddenly glad that she'd made enough dinner to feed a hippogriff but felt a small sense of disappointment that she wouldn't be there to see the man.
She was suddenly aware that the doorbell was ringing. She went up to it, knowing it couldn't be her date as yet. She squinted through the peephole (which Sheena somehow didn't like but Morgan considered a useful muggle invention). It was a man, no… a wizard with messy black hair and that was all she could make out.
Suddenly, Morgan felt like someone had turned on a floodlight in her brain. If she wasn't mistaken, the man outside was Sheena's boyfriend who was probably under the impression that Morgan had already left for her date.
The doorbell rang again, a little more insistently this time. Excited, Morgan pulled open the door with a smile and looked right into the eyes of one Harry James Potter.
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Harry was getting a little impatient. He was now sure that his assumption about the date dressing herself had been quite right. Sighing and wishing he could get this over with as quickly as possible, he rang the doorbell again.
This time he was rewarded with the opening of the door. A girl, dressed simply in black jeans and a turtleneck shirt that was some shade of blue, stood smiling at the threshold.
Harry promptly assumed that this auburn-haired beauty was Sheena Connelly, the flat mate of his date, Morgan Finley.
"Sheena Connelly?" he asked politely.
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Morgan immediately realized why Sheena had been so unforthcoming about her boyfriend. Harry Potter was known for his allergy to fame and naturally, she thought, he wouldn't want newspapers to gossip about his love life.
"Sheena Connelly?" He was asking for Sheen, trying not to reveal the true nature of his visit. Morgan smiled warmly at him.
"She's having her bath at the moment. Why don't you come in, Mr. Potter, while I check to see if she's done?" Morgan saw to it that he was seated comfortably and then retreated into the hallway to go to Sheena's room. She was really happy for her friend and was relieved that the Boyfriend was really a nice man and not a criminal or anything like it.
………………………………………….
Harry, of course, assumed that the 'she' was Morgan. This Sheena person wasn't bad at all- she'd recognized him but hadn't indulged in daft double takes or gasps of surprise or anything. She'd skipped all painful preliminaries and had tactfully made him feel welcome. If Morgan Finley was half as nice as her…
'Sheena' had re-entered with another young woman. The latter was tall with bouncy blonde curls (he preferred the auburn hair) and was, he felt, a little too overdressed for his liking. 'Sheena' looked a little dazed. He wondered why.
The blonde walked up to him and held out her hand, which he shook politely.
"Mr. Potter, I'm Sheena Connelly and that is Morgan Finley."
Harry was stupefied. What was she saying?
"I think there's been a slight misunderstanding here. Morgan thought you were my boyfriend whom she's never met and who is a mystery to her for reasons that are my own. And I'm quite sure you are labouring under the misconception that she is Sheena Connelly," explained Sheena, her eyes dancing merrily.
"Wha-what? Why did she say she was, then?"
Morgan came out of her daze at this. "I didn't!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I said 'she' was having her bath. You were the one who assumed that 'she' meant 'Morgan'!"
Sheena closed her eyes and groaned inwardly. This wasn't a good time for Morgan to lose her temper and this whole thing had gotten off on the wrongest foot possible.
Harry's head was reeling but he couldn't help noticing that the real Morgan was pretty when she was angry. And she was right when she said that he'd misunderstood the entire thing. Then, suddenly, he smiled delightedly. She was Morgan, not Sheena!
"What are you smirking for?" Morgan's petulant voice broke into his reverie.
"I'm sorry," he said apologetically. Then he grinned again and held out his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you Morgan Finley."
Morgan was surprised at his ready apology. She'd been preparing for a row with him (now that he wasn't Sheena's boyfriend, she could go back to thinking he was an arrogant prat) and was quite ready to battle with him. She looked consideringly at his hand and then at his face, which had a hopeful look behind the charming smile. She relented and took his hand.
" I'm not sure if I can say the same of you, Mr. Potter, but I accept your apology," said Morgan, looking her snooty best. But she burst out laughing the moment she saw his expression for his smile had slid off his face and had been replaced by a look of acute consternation at her words.
Harry was first bewildered, and then recovered enough to feel relieved. He couldn't help laughing as well; laughing along with a girl who had the most infectious laugh he'd ever heard.
They were still chuckling at their ridiculous misunderstanding when Sheena, satisfied that things had turned out quite well in the end, crept out of the room unnoticed.
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Part 3-Dinner for two"You know, I keep thinking I've seen you before somewhere," said Harry bringing his face close to Morgan's and squinting absurdly.
Morgan laughed. "Well, I was in Hogwarts, so I s'ppose you saw me around then and in spite of being so busy remembered my haunting face and eyes..."
"Ha, ha, very funny, lady…" said Harry then looked down and tugged at his bottle-green shirt. Morgan had transfigured his robes for him because they'd decided to go to a muggle restaurant. "I suppose you were in Ravenclaw?" He continued when she inclined her head. "I'm not surprised."
" And I'm really surprised now that you were in Gryffindor," she replied sarcastically, "I'd have thought the Sorting Hat would have put you in Slytherin…" She stopped and looked at Harry, who had an odd expression on his face. "Oh no, it did want to put you in Slytherin, didn't it?" she said softly, her eyes reflecting her sympathy. "Well, join the club…" she ended rather bitterly.
Harry looked at her in surprise. "You too? Then how…?"
"Well, McGonnagall wasn't too pleased with me when I went down on my knees during the Sorting and begged to be put in Ravenclaw…"
Harry chuckled, reminded of his own plea to the Hat. "I don't remember seeing anyone do that, though."
Morgan grinned. "If I'm not mistaken, that was the year you and Ron made a dramatic entrance in that flying car. I remember Sheena telling me in hushed tones that the Great Harry Potter was faced with possible expulsion. She was one for gossip, was Sheena…"
Harry smiled reminiscently. "Ah, so you knew Luna Lovegood, I suppose."
"Yeah, and Ginny Weasley was also in my year." Morgan's expression suddenly became wicked. "I also knew Cho Chang, by the way…"
Harry shrugged. "Yeah…well…first crush and all that…how did you know her when she was two years your senior?"
"Quidditch," replied Morgan simply.
"You play?"
"I was on the team after Davies left and Cho was dropped."
"Seeker?"
"No, beater. I was a really frustrated soul at that time. It was a good outlet for my frustration. We played only one match against Gryffindor that year, if you remember, and when you're busy seeking, you don't tend to notice the team's beaters," said Morgan, anticipating his next query.
"Yeah, I suppose…Pity, though, if I had noticed…"
"You wouldn't have done anything about it."
Harry couldn't help noticing that this girl was extremely perceptive, understanding him in a way no one had before. For the millionth time he thanked Ron and Hermione mentally for having forced him into this date. Morgan was perfect.
Morgan was taken with Harry's simplicity and strength even after all he went through. She had breathed a sigh of relief when their conversation's first topic had changed-she didn't want anything from her dicey past resurfacing. She quickly tuned into what Harry was saying at that moment.
"To be honest with you, I wasn't keen on this whole blind date business when Ron forced me into it," began Harry.
"I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere in this," teased Morgan.
Harry smiled. There was a time for cheeky retorts but this was not it. "But," he continued, "I'm really glad I came on this date after all."
Morgan gave him a warm look. "Me too, Harry, me too." Her expression became solemn. "There's just one more thing I need to ask you, Harry."
"What's that?"
Morgan's eyes danced mischievously. "Can I have your autograph?"
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Important,please read this
A.N: Phew! Done typing at last! Please review. I need a lot of confidence boosters…
Conversation between author and author's mum:
Mum: Why are you spending so much time on the computer?
Author: I'm looking for some info on 'nif genes'-it's an important question in my Microbiology exam.
Mum: Am I imagining it, or is your nose longer?
Author: You're imagining it…
Mum looks skeptically at author and author flees the scene.
So, dear readers, before my nose grows any longer, I fear I must stop updating for a while. I'll be back on the 13th of May and I expect to see the number of my reviews reach at least 50 if not a 100!