A/N

Whooooo! Longest chapter yet. And this is the last timely update you'll get for at least a couple days. I expect I'll have the 4th chapter done by the end of the week. If I don't post it by at least Saturday feel free to bother me about it. Anyway, let's get on with it. And if you spot any really stupid typos would you please point them out to me because I don't have the time to read through and look again tonight.

The Day Harry Potter Disappeared

Chapter Three:

No Whipped Cream Please

Harry looked up from his paper and morning coffee. The sun streamed through the window above the sink as the birds chirped merrily outside. He chuckled at his son and daughter as they fought over the syrup. His wife bustled around the kitchen, and every once in awhile, she sneaked a glance at him. She smiled and rubbed her swollen belly lovingly before going back to her work. He smiled at his very pregnant, beautiful wife.

As he turned his head the room started to tilt slowly. Harry shook it as he frowned. The room became hazy.

Dad, his son tugged on his shirt, Can we go to the baseball fields after school and hit some?

Noooo! Daddy! You hit with Jason yesterday, his daughter whined as she pulled on his shirt too, You promised you'd take me to the beach! He shook his head trying to make the room stop spinning.

Daddy...are you okay? Jason asked worriedly.

His wife laughed, You two are gonna drive him crazy. The bus will be here any minute! Go! she said playfully, Make sure you have everything in your backpacks, She smiled and handed him a brief case, and if you don't hurry we won't have the money for three of these crazy children. She patted her belly smiling down at it. The little boy and girl came running up with their backpacks. Harry felt dizzy. His head was heavy. He stood up trying to clear his aching brain.

Bye, Daddy! his daughter ran smack into his middle and hugged him tightly.

Yeah, bye Dad, his son latched on to the other side of his middle. The world stopped spinning for a moment. His children grounded him. They ran off giggling. He turned to see his wife smiling widely at him as she wiped a frying pan clean. The world spun in a giant lurch.

Wait!-

Harry woke with a start, again. He opened his eyes and stared at the invisible black hole in ceiling. Children, a wife, was that his future? What happened to the drying woman in his arms? He had been having the same dream about her until now.

But, he realized, he had been very happy in his dream. He had felt really loved for the first time in his life. However, he could not remember what his wife's face looked like.

Just like the dying woman, he thought.

"Gahh..." he groaned and rubbed his eyes, "I must be going mad..." Catherine picked just that moment to pop her head in the door.

"What do you mean going mad?" she scratched her head for a second then answered her own question, "Oh, you mean going crazy. We're all a little insane here," she disappeared but returned almost immediately.

"Breakfast is ready, by the way," she dashed away chuckling to herself. Harry sighed and sat up as he put his feet over the side of the bed. The sun shone in from the two large sliding glass doors to the left of him. The ocean crashed quite audible even from across the street. He looked at the paintings that covered the walls of the spacious room. Most of them depicted the ocean or a crowded beach.

A few, here or there, were of two little girls laughing and smiling together. One was clearly a younger version of Catherine. Though she was a little paler and more freckly, the little girl's laughter and sparkling gave her away instantly. The other girl only smiled serenely at him. She had long, brown, wavy hair with freckles everywhere. She was paler than Catherine. Her eyes seemed so familiar. Where had he seen her eyes before...

Harry shook himself and shrugged off his shirt and shorts. He pulled on a polo shirt and a pair of jeans and he walked barefoot into the kitchen. As he walked in Catherine bustled around as a strange, young woman sat at the table.

"I hope you like scrambled eggs," Catherine called from the counter.

The young woman at the table scoffed, "What she means is, 'I hope you like scrambled eggs because that's all I can make.'"

"If you don't like them you could always do some of the cooking," Catherine said as she brought a plate full of eggs, bacon and grits to the table, "And don't you start on my grits. Just because I make them doesn't make you have to eat them."

The woman rolled her eyes, "She just loves grits."

Catherine sat down and motioned to Harry to do the same, "You'll have to excuse her. She's a bit grumpy in the morning." Harry looked bewilderedly between the two of them.

The woman said, "And you'll have to excuse Cat's manners," she held out her hand, "I'm Jo Riis." She had long, brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was paler than Catherine and she had freckles everywhere.

"I just got back late last night from an assignment. I work in the department too." He shook her hand, "Fantastic! You both seem too young to be fully qualified

Aurors."
Catherine laughed, "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or insult!"

"We're just special like that," Jo said without further comment. She placed her hands around her cup of tea and bent down over it.

"As you can see, Jo's not the morning person in the family," Catherine snickered as she started eating.

"You're related?" asked Harry over his plate of eggs and bacon.

"Yeah," Catherine said through a mouth full of grits and Harry was forcibly reminded of Ron, "But technically only half. Jo's my half sister."

Jo rolled her eyes and whispered to Harry, "She just loves telling people that."

Harry chuckled as he took another sip of his coffee, So she's the little girl from the paintings...

"So, what's the schedule for today?"

"Well, since it's Sunday, absolutely nothing!" Catherine laughed at Harry's bewildered expression, "You just got here. You didn't expect to start working right away, did you? We take laziness very seriously here." She laughed some more at his expression.

"Stop scaring him, or he'll start to think we're beach bums," Jo said over her tea and paper.

"That's what we are today. So as soon as you finish, James." Catherine clapped a hand on his shoulder as she stood up, "I'll take you to see the ocean. Hope you brought your bathing suits."

He glanced over at Jo, who was still sipping her tea and reading her paper, "Will you be joining us?"

She looked up, "No, not today. I have a lot of unpacking to do and some follow up paper work," Harry opened his mouth to ask but she cut him off, "I've been gone for two weeks. Catherine's just so hyped up she fails to mention little details like that. She's always almost hyped up like that. Don't know how she does it myself. But anyway, you have fun today for me." She returned to her tea and paper.

Three hours later Harry was lying on a towel in the hot sun feet from the crashing waves.

Catherine plopped down next to him, "I'm surprised you lasted this long. The water tires a body out."

"It's great," said Harry, "The ocean, I mean."

"Yeah..." Catherine laid back and closed her eyes.

"Hey, CatherineWhat?" he stopped as she laughed at him.

"No one's called me Catherine in awhile. It sounds funny," she said.

"I'll stop if you want."

"No, no. It's okay. So what were you saying?" she turned over to face him.

"I was going to ask who painted all the paintings in the room I'm in?"

"Jo did."

"Oh, I thought she might've," said Harry setting down on his own towel.

"She seems the type, doesn't she? She's normally a bit nicer in the morning but she's been traveling all night," said Catherine closing her eyes again, "It's nice to have her back. An empty house can be terribly boring," she rose up and opened her eyes as she smiled at him, "But now that you're here that won't be a problem anymore."

Harry smiled, "No, I guess not but wait. Am I taking Jo's room? I can sleep on the couch or even get my own"

Catherine smacked his head, "Stop worrying about it. Jo isn't sleeping on the couch. She's sleeping in a bed and trying to get your own place nearby would be dreadfully cumbersome and difficult, not to mention extremely expensive."

Harry vaguely noticed that she managed to avoid answering his question before he retorted, "Money's not a prob"

"I know it isn't for you."

Harry stopped, "lem. Wait. How do you know money isn't a problem for me?"

But Catherine smoothly continued unruffled, "I studied your profile. I'm not just a pretty face! I have to work sometimes, too."

"Fine. Fine," Harry said exasperated.

He wondered what else in his profile was true. Had they just changed his name and left it at that? Any intelligent, busybody in the department could figure out that he was Harry Potter. What if they did? What would happen to him? Would the whole fiasco happened again? Screaming girls and reporters at his door day and night. He would not be able to go anywhere alone again. He'd have to wear his invisibility cloak for the rest of his life. The world would not believe it if he tried to disappear again.

"James...JA-AMES!" Catherine shook him lightly, "Are you okay? I've been yelling at you for five minutes. Jo should have lunch ready by now."

"I thought she didn't cook?"

"No. She doesn't cook breakfast. Now come on! I'm starving!"

Harry stood and shook the sand off his towel. He flung it haphazardly over his shoulder and followed Catherine up the beach and across the street to her condo. The entered the house to find Jo sitting at the table pouring over a mass of papers that covered half the table.

She pointed to the stove as they entered the kitchen, "Hotdogs are in the pot. Buns, plates, and condiments are on the counter."

"Hotdogs! It's James' first day and you made hotdogs?" Jo glared at Catherine, "Okay, okay. I'll back off, but only because you're tired and got a mountain of paperwork."

"Hotdogs are fine," Harry said, "I don't think I've ever had one anyway." Jo continued to focus on her papers. When the two of them had gotten their food and sat down, Catherine fixed him with a beady eye.

"Normally, we take turns making lunch but since you're here you can make it. And don't try the 'Men don't cook excuse,'" Jo snorted and Catherine scowled at her, "Well, he's gotta work at least part of his share around here." Jo shook her head not looking up from her work.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" said Harry as he bit into his hotdog. It was...interesting.

"No," she said without looking up, "I've already eaten." Harry tried to engage her in conversation but gave up after all he could get out of her were one-word answers. He turned to find Catherine smiling at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," she stuffed the last of her hotdog into her mouth. Several swallows later she said, "That was a nice morning wasn't it? Your hair is nice and messy now, too."

He had forgotten that his hair and more importantly he had forgotten about hiding his scar. She laughed at him as he frantically reached up to feel his hair and make sure his scar was securely hidden. To his relief his hair seemed to have a mind of its own and covered the scar automatically. He sighed and watched Catherine take her cup and plate to the sink. He would have to remember to check every once in awhile so Catherine would not have a chance to notice. He looked down at his half eaten lunch as Catherine left the room, and Jo looked up for the first time.

"You must be pretty sandy and sticky and gross," she smiled at him as he ran his fingers through his hair cautiously, "Your room has a bathroom with a shower in it. You can use that. There should be some towels and soap in there; if there isn't any come tell me and I'll find some for you."

"Thanks," Harry breathed, "I need a shower." Jo waved off his thanks and continued with her work.

Harry shook his head to rid it of the last drops of water. The shower had felt wonderful. He found, however, that the shower had left him exhausted. He ambled into the sitting room to find Catherine sitting on the floor surrounded by a sea of papers. She had also showered and her hair curled a little even when it was damp.

"So this is your idea of doing nothing?" Harry said playfully.

"Well, Jo really has a lot to do and I owe her a couple favors so I thought I'd get rid of one of them by helping her out," Catherine shrugged ignoring his playful manner.

"Can I do anything to help?" said Harry as he learned over the papers.

She shook her head, "Nope. Technically, all this is classified and since you haven't officially started work. You can't even look at these documents."

"What's the big deal? We're on the same side."

"Hey, you're really not even supposed to be in this room," she pushed him playfully, "Go savor your last day of freedom because come tomorrow you're working for me."

Harry shook his head and walked out of the room. He wandered throughout the condo exploring the different rooms. After he ventured into every room in the condo at least twice, his feet led him to the kitchen and he plopped down at the table. Jo did not look up from her scattered papers. She had tied her hair loosely back in a low ponytail and a few tendrils had fallen out of place framing her face. He watched her reading the documents and making a few notes here or there. He watched her for several minutes before she finally looked up from her work.

"Did Cat give you the whole spiel about how you aren't even allowed in the same room as sensitive documents!"

"Yeah, but"

"Obviously, you didn't listen because your hovering is driving me crazy! But ya know, I need a break," she laid down her pen and straightened up, "I want ice cream. Let's go. There's a great little place down the street."

"But I don't want to"

Before he could finish she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him out the door.

"Waitwhat about your shoes?"

"I don't need shoes where we're going. Now, come on!" she dragged him along the sidewalk.

They walked almost a mile south of the condo before harry saw the sign for a small, walk-up ice cream place.

"They have the best sundaes here," said Jo eagerly as he walked up to the window.

"What can I get you?" said an employee named Sue.

"I'll have a strawberry sundae without whipped cream or nuts," Jo said brightly. She paid for her sundae and turned to Harry, "Are you going to get something, James?"

"Err...I'll have...uhh...I'll try a M&M hurricane," Harry forked over the money for his ice cream and indiscreetly checked in the window that his hair still hid his scar.

Shortly after, their desserts appeared and they sat down at one of the tables surrounding the small place. They ate in silence as the cars rushed pass on the two-lane highway before them. The ocean roared and the seagulls squawked in the background. Harry looked around to check that no one was about. Sue had closed her window at the counter (probably to keep the cold in) and no one else stopped to eat.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you," Harry started in an undertone, "You live in a muggle residence, right?"

"Yes," Jo said after she had swallowed her last strawberry, "My mom isn't a witch but our dad is. Both Cat and I grew up in this area."

"Oh. So, are your parents divorced?"

"No. Our dad married Cat's mom, a witch, because his family wanted to keep the line pureblood. But just before Cat's first birthday her mom died."

"Oh," said Harry sadly, "my mum and dad died around my first birthday, too."

Jo nodded slowly, "I'm sorry. Anyway, our dad took it pretty hard even though he was forced to marry Cat's mom. When you live with someone for over a year you start to have affection for her. So, he moved to this tiny, unheard of town to get away from it all, ya know?" Harry nodded understanding more than she realized, "And not long after he fell in love with my mom and had me. You wouldn't think Catherine would remember her mom when she was barely a year old but magic works in mysterious ways. She did remember her mom and still does. She used to resent mom and me because our dad couldn't survive on his own with just her. She knew our dad was only a man and needed a wife but when you're young emotions leave no room for logic. And we put up with her jealousy and resentment until she finally came to her senses about five years ago," she stopped suddenly, "Wow, that's more than you'll ever want to know about me."

But you didn't really talk about yourself, Harry thought to himself.

However, outwardly he just shrugged and said, "It's okay. I don't have a file to read on the two of you so I have to get my information the hard way. Good old-fashioned curiosity."

"Well, you better be careful. Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

A/N

and as chapter three ends the lights dim and the curtains lower and I walk out onto the stage to a silent crowd who start throwing tomatoes at me! Ahhh! Then I run off the stage and go eat ice cream that's yummy.

lol

I just felt like painting that picture for you. another lovely chapter filled with laughter. Anyway, I'm off to do my homework or just procrastinate some more.

tootles