BEHIND EMERALD EYES
The Second Hand Rose
"What do you think of this one?" Hermione asked him, as they stood in the middle of the bare Living Room. The apartment was quite large, with three bedrooms, kitchen, toilet and bathroom, Living Room and even a balcony that ran the length of the outside. It was on the fifth floor of a tall apartment block in the outer edge of the city. Even though it was the third place they had looked at in the last two hours, it was the best by far. Hermione was a little bit edgy because of the height, but she said she could cope because it had a high railing to stop people falling.
Harry nodded and smiled. "I like it. And there's a bare wall there to put a big bookcase!" he said, pointing to the wall opposite them. He glanced at Hermione whose face had lit up at the prospect of a wall-length bookcase.
"I think we should get this one." She said, nodding her head with a grin.
"So you would like to purchase this one?" asked Rebecca Gibson, the realtor for the building. Harry and Hermione looked at each other with a smile and a nod.
"Definitely." They said in unison, while the blond woman smiled, and began writing down on her clipboard.
"So, would you like to rent it or buy it straight out?" she asked. Harry motioned Hermione over, away from the woman's hearing.
"We should rent it for a while, because we have to go to Hogwarts in a month." Harry whispered to her, glancing warily at Rebecca. But she was only smiling, and looking around the room with false interest.
"I know, but we could always come here after classes and during the holidays." Hermione said knowingly, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Can we do that?" Harry asked with curiosity. He had never known that some of the teachers went home at the end of the day; he had always thought they stayed in their own quarters in the school.
"Of course we can. Most of the professors do it; they go home to their own families instead of staying in their rooms at Hogwarts." She said with a smile, as Harry shook his head.
"Do you know everything?" he asked with a chuckle. Hermione only smiled and tapped her nose, as both of them straightened out and walked back over to the witch.
"We would like to buy it, please."
...------------...------------...
A taxi pulled up at the curb after Harry flagged it down. Climbing in and shutting the door, the driver turned and looked at him. "Where to, mate?" he asked in a thick Scottish accent.
"Erm–" should he say the name of the day care centre or what? "–you don't know where Hippogriff's Heart Child Care Centre is by any chance?" Harry asked with a thumping heart. The cab driver's eyes squinted at him through a thick fringe of charcoal hair.
"Is that the red place in Lachlan Way?" he asked, scratching his bushy eyebrow with a sausage-like finger. Harry was completely baffled.
"Is it on the right?" he asked stupidly, feeling that Ginny's directions were incredibly bad. The cab driver smiled, giving view to a row of brown teeth.
"Sure is. But I think it closed down years ago; the windows are all boarded and doors falling off. Do you still want to go there?" he asked and when Harry nodded absently, he turned and put the engine into motion –– then they were off. Building after building passed Harry by in a hurried blur. They were stopped by two red lights, but all the others were green. The roads were not as bust as they usually were at this time of the day, but it still took them nearly three quarters of an hour to reach the end of the city.
Harry turned his attention to the right side of the taxi, and kept his eyes peeled for a red building. Finally, as they turned into Lachlan Way, Harry spotted a small, red cottage, with a thin stream of smoke snaking its way from a skinny chimney.
"A weird name isn't it?" the cab driver said as Harry pulled out his wallet. "I'm not too sure what the hell 'Hippogriff' even means. Do you?" the burley man asked as Harry handed him the correct money.
Shaking his head with a laugh, he said: "Nope, sorry. Thanks." And with that, Harry climbed form the car and shut the door behind him, not bothering to turn as the cab sped off. A small sign sat beneath the letter box, with gold letters spelling the name of the centre. It was have an illusion on it for the muggles. Harry thought with a chuckle, stepping through the gate with a soft squeak.
He walked up the cobbled path, hearing sounds of laughter and screaming coming from behind the tall, brown door. A sign hanging on the door said Enter, so that's what he did. A bell rang through the place and Harry almost stumbled in shock at what he saw. On the outside, the place looked incredibly small, with no more than two rooms. But inside was another story. The place was huge. The ceiling was at least three times as high as the cottage roof, and it was longer by more than four times.
Children were running around wildly, screaming and laughing in joy. Others were sitting on the floor, playing with colorful toys, or else listening to adults reading books in the corners. On one side of the room, were many bed rolls for when the children had to sleep, and in a separate room on the opposite side, was a kitchen with many small tables and chairs.
Harry stood by the entrance for a complete ten minutes, eyes wide and staring. He couldn't imagine Ginny working in a place like this. Even though she had been incredibly patient and good natured in Hogwarts, she didn't seem like the type to spend every day chasing after squealing children, or cleaning up accidents. Harry knew she liked children, he did as well, but it would be hard looking after so many of them, day after day.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed a small girl run up to him and start tugging on his pants. "Excuse me, mister, who're you?" Harry looked down at her voice, and grinned broadly. The girl didn't even reach his hips. She had brown hair parted into pigtails and bright blue eyes. Her face was coated in freckles, and she was holding a bright pink, plastic broom. Harry knelt down to her level and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"My name's Harry, what's yours?" he asked softly, as she giggled.
"Lucy. What are you doing here?" she asked directly, poking him in the chest. Harry smiled and looked around, searching for the red hair of his girlfriend.
"Do you know a lady that works here, with bright orange hair? Her name's Ginny." He asked her, as she smiled and took his hand, nodding quickly.
"Yes! Ginny's my favorite lady here, she's real nice. Do you know her?" Lucy said tugging him to his feet and dragging him towards the back of the long room.
"Yes, I do. She's a very good friend of mine." Harry said; the little girls hand so small and fragile in his large one. Lucy nodded her petite head, her pigtails flopping up and down on either side of her face. She lead him through the many playing children, over toys, around slides and plastic forts, finally pulling him over to where a group of children were sitting on the carpet, listening to a woman reading a book. Lucy pulled him to the ground, where she sat next to him. Her little finger pointed to the reader and she smiled.
Harry looked over at Ginny, who was reading a tale about a bother and sister who were lost in the woods. Harry vaguely remembered the story from when he had heard his aunt reading it to Dudley when they were young. The walls had been thin between their rooms, and Harry had managed to listen as the story of Hansel and Gretel came to life.
Ginny continued to read from the book, completely oblivious that Harry was listening from the crowd of youngsters. Lucy had climbed onto his knee so she could be higher then everyone else, her hand still clutching Harry's. The story progressed, with the children laughing and gasping in all the right places. Harry was finding himself having fun in a strange way; he had missed his own childhood, and this was a way for him to catch up with everyone else.
It was fifteen minutes before Ginny looked up to show the children a colorful picture of a gingerbread house on one of the pages. Her eyes landed on Harry and she almost dropped the book.
"Harry!" she said in a loud voice. "What are you doing here?" Harry grinned before answering.
"Listening to your story!" he said, as all the kids turned to stare at him.
"How long have you been here?" she asked, her cheeks turning red.
"Since Hansel and Gretel were taken into the woods the first time. Now, keep reading, I want to know what happens!" he said with a chuckle as all the children shouted out their agreements. Ginny shook her head in amusement, before clearing her throat, and continuing with the story.
Harry gained another friend on his other knee. His name was Benny, and had blond hair and blue eyes, a younger sister and a pet dog named Charlie. The boy was a talkative one and was now telling Harry what his grandfather's name was when Lucy turned around and told him to be quiet. Harry chuckled and patted them both on the head, mentally thanking the little girl.
...------------...------------...
"Did you enjoy the story?" Ginny asked him sometime later, as they wandered around the vast room. Harry had left Lucy and Benny back in the reading area, fighting over a stuffed dragon. They reminded Harry of another couple always bickering, which made him grin. Though Hermione and Ron hardly ever fought anymore, they still had their minor squabbles, which meant the old flame was still lit between them.
Harry turned to Ginny and smiled brightly. "Sure did. I can't believe how much stuff I missed out on living with the Dursley's." He said with a laugh while Ginny's eyes grew dark.
"Let's not ruin the day with talk of them. C'mon, I'll show you the TV Room." Harry nodded and followed her to the right side of the room, and through a door he hadn't seen before. The TV Room, rather than having a television, had a wand stand opposite a blank white wall. Apparently, a wand was positioned in the wand stand and a spell was spoken, which projected the movie of your choice onto the white wall.
"Like a over-head projector." Harry said with a grin as Ginny gave him a curious look. "Muggle stuff." Was his answer. Looking around the room, he found it quite dark and bare apart from the two of them. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he turned to Ginny and drew her to him. Their lips locked together, joining them in a fierce, passionate kiss. Harry found them up against the wall, his body pinning Ginny against it with force. She didn't seem to mind, as her hands ran along his chest and his became tangled in her hair.
They became so lost in each other that neither noticed the TV Room door open and the light be switched on. "I though you were just friends?" came the ringing voice of Lucy. Harry and Ginny sprung apart, looking horrified at the small girl, wearing a look of confusion mixed with something Harry recognized as 'I already knew that'. He had seen the look so many times on Hermione's face, that it had become something he familiarized with.
Harry was staring wide-eyed at the girl, throwing embarrassed looks at Ginny. He felt his face burning, and wouldn't have surprised if it started steaming. Ginny was slightly red in the light, but she seemed to be coping better than Harry was.
"Lucy! What have I told you about barging in on people?" Ginny scolded, smoothing the creases from the front of her shirt, and combing her hair back. Harry started, and ran a hand through his own dark locks, flattening them down while trying to keep from sinking into the floor. It was lucky it had been Lucy that had walked in on them and not one of the other care-workers. Now that would've been embarrassing.
"Not to?" Lucy said innocently, though a cheeky grin had spread across her young face. Harry chuckled despite the circumstances, gaining two looks from the girls. "You said you were only friends! You lied to me!" Lucy said. She pointed a small finger at Harry who held up his hands in mock surrender.
"We are very good friends, and have been for over ten years!" Harry said with a smile. "That will never change. So it wasn't a lie!" Ginny raised her eyebrows at him and nodded her acceptance of his words as Harry grinned, face still blazing with embarrassment.
"Lucy," Ginny said, kneeling to the young girls height as Harry had done earlier. "Harry and I love each other very much and are the best of friends. You understand, don't you?" Lucy's face grew puzzled and she nodded, slowly.
"I love Benny very much, and he is my best friend, but I don't want to do to him what you two were just doing!" she said as Harry almost choked on his own spit. He looked appallingly to Ginny who was gaping at the girl, her face growing beet red.
"NO! You don't have to do that to Benny. Never. We were only...erm –" Ginny looked to Harry, searching for the right words. Harry shrugged and tried to think of someone to tell the girl.
"Lucy," he said, joining Ginny to kneel in front of the girl. "Ginny had something stuck in her mouth and I was trying to – umm...get it out?" Harry said with a thumping heart. Lucy raised her dark eyebrows.
"With your mouth?" she said as Ginny hit Harry upside the head.
"Yes, that's what he as doing. He couldn't use his hands because I had a bee in my hair and he was trying to get it out. If it hadn't been for Harry, I might have been very sick." Ginny said, clasping a hand on Harry's shoulder. A look of understanding came over her face and Lucy nodded with a broad smile spread across her lips.
"Oh, OK Ginny," she said as she started walking back over to the door. Harry thought she was going to pass through but she stopped and looked around. "And I'm not that stupid, Ginny. I am six." And with that, Lucy flicked off the light and shut the door, her pigtails swinging with each of her small steps.
There was silence in the room as Harry and Ginny looked at each other, both their faces identical in humor and embarrassment. At the same instant, they both erupted into laughter.
...------------...------------...
A few days came and went, with Harry spending much of his time in the company of Ginny and the children at Hippogriff's Heart Childcare Centre. Lucy became like the little sister he never had, with her wisdom and knowledge beyond her years, she was starting to remind him of Hermione. She was the daughter of Antonio and Rachel Zabini; Blaise, Antonio's younger brother, had been in Harry's year at Hogwarts, and by the end of sixth year, proved he was not like the others in Slytherin House.
It was nearing Ginny's twenty-first birthday, and Harry had yet to find her a present. He had skived off going to the childcare centre that day, saying he need to get a few more things from Diagon Alley. Ginny had agreed and wished him goodbye with a deep, passionate kiss. Harry was left feeling dazed for a full ten minutes before he remembered where he had to go.
He appeared in the Apparition Point in Diagon Alley, pulling his hood up higher to hide his face. He kept his head bowed to shield his eyes and scar, the first things other's noticed when they looked at him. The streets were full of parents and children purchasing their school supplies for the New Year. He spotted many familiar faces but even more unknown ones. The Wizarding community seemed to have tripled in size since Voldemort's downfall; no one feared that their families would once again be taken away, or killed by the darkness.
It made Harry's heart ache at the thought of another war. Many people were only just recovering from the last one, and any more deaths and battles were bound to push them over the edge. People believed that they were safe, that there was nothing else to harm them and their families. None new of this new Dark Lord and those that did kept quiet the information.
As Harry looked about at the many free and joyous faces, he made a vow to stop the war from growing any larger, if not to stop anymore fear, but to give the children a chance at a clear and safe future. He would not let any live through the middle of war as he and so many others had done. The pain and torture of watching so many families be split and torn apart, was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
It was the day of the eleventh; Ginny's birthday. They would be throwing her a party when she came home from work at around three, and it would stretch deep into the night. Scores of people had been invited and agreed to come, and would be meeting at one-thirty to make the preparations and set everything up. Harry was meant to be the one to take her there after meeting her at Hippogriff's Heart.
It was almost noon and Harry had not found anything suitable as a gift to give Ginny. He gave up looking in the magical alley, and stepped back into the Leaky Cauldron. He skulled down a steaming Butterbeer, enjoying the warm feeling as it settled in his stomach. He paid old Tom for it, and journeyed into London, his pockets full of muggle money. The concrete streets snaked around the looming buildings, packed to the brim with hurrying muggles heading to a busy day at work.
Harry joined the mob of scurrying businessmen and women, his cloak long since shrunk and stuffed into his pocket. He kept his wand tucked into the waistband of his leans, a black shirt covering it from view. He looked like any other young man walking the streets, dressed in noticeable good taste, but with enchanting emerald eyes.
Women looked back at him as he passed them, his eyes only set on a present for Ginny. The muggles parted for him as he walked, for he contained a look of strength and power, though Harry barely noticed.
The roads were packed with smoking automobiles, their engines calling out in the humid summer air, as fumes escaped into the lightly clouded sky. He had been looking in clothing stores, jewelers, and even pet shops; for what, he did not know. Time was growing late, and Harry was heading back to the entrance leading into the Leaky Cauldron, deciding to have one more look in Diagon Alley. He had just passed a café, the smell of coffee and cakes wafting across his nose, when he spotted a small store across the street.
It was a dark building, much smaller and worn than those around it. A small sign hung at the front.
Antiquities
Th muggles paid it no heed, and Harry briefly thought it was magical, but when he spotted a woman exit the shop, he realized they only ignored it because it looked so tatty and old. His curiosity peeked; he jogged across the street, weaving between the puffing cars and buses. Walking up to the door, he tried to look through the window; it was so caked with grime that all he spotted were hazy shapes upon the floor.
Looking around and only seeing hurrying muggles, he pushed open the door. A faint bell tinkered in the far reaches of the room, bumping into odd objects and becoming lost in the high shadows of the ceiling. Cobwebs hung from scarred rafters, and across the handlebars of ancient bicycles that sat like metal skeletons in semi-darkness along the wall.
Harry almost coughed on the thick air, but pushed it back down his throat. The silence was so strong that he dared not make a sound, and he feared moving in case his footsteps made noises. The shop was bare from customers apart from him, and he couldn't blame people for walking straight passed the building. But he had always been fascinated with history (not including his History of Magic class with Binns) and he finally made a move to look around.
His fingers made clean tracks though the thick dust coating almost everything lining the shelves. He inspected a few old cabinets, dark and grotesque. He opened them with cautiousness, fearing a Boggart might pounce out and take the form of a Dementor. Luckily, none did.
Many clocks made a chorus of ticking as he made his way to the back of the store, the objects becoming smaller and more delicate. When Harry was just wondering where the owner was, he spotted a long desk at the back of the room. Beneath the wooden counter sat a long glass cabinet, containing speckled utensils, goblets, and costume jewelry. Harry's eyes grew wide as the broaches and charms became more exquisite and ancient. His reflection looked up at him from the glass as he paused in his browsing. Something caught his eye in the cabinet.
A velvet pillow sat cushioning a sparkling silver necklace. It was small and shining, a strange contrast to the heavy metal neckbands sitting just along the row. The chain was thin and was occasionally dotted with diamonds. In the middle sat a charm. It was of a flower, with the chain connecting to each side and changing into delicate silver leaves. The stem wove down a little, inlaid with miniscule emeralds set at equal distances apart; around a millimeter. The head of the flower was beautiful. It seemed to be an opening rose, with the petals pure ruby. A lining of the smallest diamonds ran along the edge and into the middle, showing where the petals ran and where they ended. It glittered in unnatural grace and beauty, and Harry sat mesmerized with the glittering jewels.
"Lovely, isn't it?"
Harry was so startled that he jumped back, knocking into a cast iron corner shelf that had been sitting against a tall cabinet. A blue, porcelain vase, that had been sitting atop the first shelf, teetered, than fell. Harry, from years of Quidditch Training, spun around and grabbed the vase before it could shatter on the scratched wooden floorboards.
"That is a two-century old vase used by the first tenants of London to hold their drinking water." The man said, quickly snatching the vase from Harry's hands and positioned it back on the iron shelf. Harry's heart was beating frantically in his chest and he shook his head to rid it from the momentary flash of fear.
"Then why isn't it in a museum?" Harry asked, finally getting his pulse under control. The old man looked at him through a pure white fringe, his dark eyes shining with pride mixed with faint insanity.
"How can it, when it's already in here?" he said with a grin, tapping Harry's head with a gold walking stick, before turning back to the desk and walking behind it. Harry stood still, fazed by the old shopkeepers strange nature. He shook his head with mild amusement, turning back to look at the enchanting necklace.
"Can I have a look at that?" Harry asked, pointing at the bare cushion. He looked up in confusion to find the old man already holding the necklace out to him. With a puzzled expression, Harry took it carefully from him. The pendant sat perfectly in his palm, the chain draped through his fingers to sway with the steady beat of his heart.
The light hit the gems and reflected into his face, leaving it shining with red, green and white strokes of color. He ran a finger over the opening rose, imagining it clasped around Ginny's long, creamy neck, as if it belonged there. Harry looked up at the storekeeper, the dancing colors lying reflected in his emerald eyes.
"I'll take it."
...------------...------------...
It was almost three, and Harry and Ginny had just watched the last of the children go. The place was in much disarray, but with a quick flick of both their wands, the toys returned to their respectful places as did any other objects littered upon the floor. After making sure everything was off in the kitchen, they made their way to the front door, locking it and after switching the light of, blanketing the room in darkness; they disappeared with two reverberating cracks.
They reappeared in the very silent Burrow, with both of them laughing at nothing in particular. "Where is everyone?" Ginny asked as Harry took her hand and started leading her through the home. "Harry? What's going on?" she asked with a smile, the twinkle in her eyes telling Harry she already knew.
They paused at the kitchen door leading to the backyard. Harry kissed Ginny squarely on the lips, enjoying the way her hands automatically went to his hair. Pulling away, he grinned. "Happy Birthday." He said while pushing open the door as a roar of the same words rolled through the house.
Ginny's mouth spread wide in a grin and she placed a hand to her chin. Harry clasped her tightly around the waist, leading her out into the yard where many people had started to sing Happy Birthday. Many of the same people who had come to Harry's Welcome Home Party were present at Ginny's party. As the afternoon progressed, Harry found himself being introduced to more and more new faces. It was just when the sun was starting to set when Hermione came hurrying out of the house, making a line straight for Harry.
"What is it? What happened?" Harry said when she stopped in front of him, a worried look on her face.
"This! This is the problem." She shoved a copy of the Daily Prophet into his hands. Harry groaned, already knowing what this was about. He opened the paper to the front page where a huge photo of himself and Hermione in the alley sat atop an article.
THE BOY-WHO-LIVED! BACK AT LAST!
The Legendary Harry Potter, who triumphed over You-Know-Who at the age of one and again at seventeen, is back from his five year absence. After the final battle against the Dark Lord, in which many people were killed including Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter stood alone defeated. With his haunted emerald eyes looking down at the still form of his parents' murderer, he was free at last. But that freedom was not enough to stop him from fleeing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his dear friends and the ones that loved him.
One may ask why Harry fled, as he was a hero and savior to us all. He would have been honored and awarded with the highest awards of bravery, chivalry and heroics. But, his school friends say that the Boy-Who-Lived did not ask for the fame that was brutally landed on him as a small child, and that he only wished to be a normal boy, struggling with exams and girls.
Of course, the normalcy he so wished for was not granted, and he continued to fight the evil plaguing our lives at no thought for his own life.
Also, we all may wonder where Harry Potter had been hiding for five years. Some say he traveled to Bulgaria to join the circus. Others say he disguised himself as a Ministry worker, living under a noses all along. One may wonder where he has been, but will we really know?
Under a strange twist of fate late last week, Harry Potter was spotted walking through Diagon Alley with his eleven years best friend, Hermione Granger. Both now older and wiser, they looked the perfect couple strolling through the crowds with their hands interlocked. Many may remember an article I wrote many years ago, revealing the two's relationship for the first time. It seems that love withstands all as is shown in this wonderful pair.
This reporter was at the head of the crowd when Potter and Granger entered Qulin's Quills Stationery Store, where the couple proceeded to buy equipment for their new teaching occupations at Hogwarts, their former school. When I politely asked for an interview, the two tried to escape from the store by a back alley. The other reports and I just arrived in time to see the Boy-Who-Lived disappear with his only love wrapped up in his arms.
Reported by Rita Skeeter
For a full story turn to page three.
The Life of Harry Potter page five
The Final Battle page nine
Those that had read the article over Harry's shoulder remained speechless, as Harry silently fumed. He heard Ginny's laughter ring across the lawn and he looked up to see Fred and George talking to her with large grins. He stuffed the under the table and forced a smile onto his face. He wasn't going to let Rita Skeeter ruin Ginny's happiness, or the love he felt for her. He turned to Hermione to see her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"I'm sorry you got dragged into this again, Hermione." Harry said putting an arm around her shoulders. She looked startled but shrugged, a true smile gracing her face.
"You get used to it being friends with the Legendary Harry Potter!" she said with a grin, laughing as Harry pulled a disgusted face.
"Even five years out of Hogwarts I can't shake the titles. It sucks!" Harry said as many people overheard and laughed. The article lay forgotten beneath the table, as Harry relaxed in the good old times.
As the moon became a large glowing orb in the night sky, it was time for the gifts to be opened. Ginny was given not even half as many books that Harry had received, but she still got quite a lot, especially muggle ones. Hermione had bought her an extremely nice, slinky black dress that contrasted brightly with her red hair. Harry fantasized about seeing Ginny in it, causing a goofy grin to cross his face. Ron seemed to understand what he was smiling about and hit him across the head with a mock glare.
Soon, it came for Harry's gift, and the audience remained silent as Harry removed a long black velvet box from his pocket. Ginny's eyes widened as he opened it in front of her.
"Merlin, Harry!" she breathed, reaching out a shaking hand to pick it up. The many jewels glittered in the magical light surrounding the large yard, shining up upon Ginny's freckly face. Her eyes were shining with tears of happiness as Harry took the necklace from her and clipped it around her neck, letting his hands rest on either side of her neck.
"Do you like it?" he asked nervously, his smile breaking slightly. Ginny swatted him angrily against his chest, before sniffing back her tears.
"It's absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much." she said, drawing his head down to capture his lips in a mesmerizing kiss. All Weasley boys present pretended to gag, turning their heads away as if in disgust. Hermione and all other females wore dreamy looks, staring at the couple, although Luna's face remained the same.
"So you like it?" Harry asked again, wanting to hear the exact words. Ginny grinned sweetly, leaning up to his ear.
"Yes, you git. I love it."
Harry couldn't help the elation he felt from hearing those simple words. And for the rest of the night, he was caught in a dream-like trance, believing he had truly died and gone to heaven. He had never been so happy, even before Voldemort made his presence known in his first year. Harry had never felt as free as he did that night, and if it hadn't been for Ginny's hand holding him down, he thought he would float away into the inky heavens of the night sky.
...------------...------------...
– Disclaimer –
I do not own Harry Potter and never will.
Hey.
Sorry it took ages to come out, but as I said in Battle of Hogwarts, creativity is hard to come by these days. I know the end there was mushy and corny, but oh well. This is probably going to be the happiest chapter for a long while.
Harry and Hermione will return to Hogwarts the next chapter and it will have some of Harry's memories and thoughts about seeing the old school again.
Oh, and about the last chapter. I figured that you can't Apparate in or out of the stores in Diagon Alley for fear of attacks and break-ins. So Harry and Hermione had to leave the store before they could escape the reporters.
Okay, please review and all that and thanks to everyone who has so far!
Later Days...
DW
PS. This chapter is the longest yet I this story! YAY. And I wrote most of it today...whoa, hard work especially since I'm like melting because it's so hot here. I swear, there are puddles of fleshy yukkiness splashed over the keyboard.
Merlin's Honor!