So sorry for such a late update,I was rewriting this chapter. The first two sections of this chapter were just recently written, because originally this chapter was soooooo flipping short. And becauseI got so many wonderful reviews. A HUGE thanks goes out to all of you. THANK YOU!
Warnings: I started this story before I read the sixth book. So in here, Draco became a spy for the Order, and joined the good side, before the end of voldemort and helped bring him down.
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Chapter three:
A Date Not Worth Mentioning
It was dark, unreasonably dark. A darkness that only came right after the light had been snuffed out. Harry looked one way and then the other. He didn't feel alone and yet that was all he could see. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Spinning on his heels, he looked behind him.
Something fell from high above and splashed across his nose. Looking up Harry frowned. "Bloody hell," he whispered. Another drop of rain fell from the heavens and landed on his glasses.
"Is that all you have, Potter," a voice somewhere from his side crooned.
Harry dropped his gaze to look, but instead of replying, he said, "Lumos." His wand, which laid several feet away, flickered to life. The tip flared, the light spreading all around him.
On the edges hidden barely by shadows, stood Voldemort. "Wandless magic," the older wizard chuckled. "Impressive."
Harry didn't take his eyes off the treacherous snake. Didn't dare loose sight of him again. Keep him talking, his mind urged him. The others will be here soon. "I've learned a lot during my journey this past year," Harry snarled in return. A weight that had settled upon his shoulders over the years, pressed down a little further. I will not let my friends fight my battles, he argued. I wont let anymore of them die. "While I searched for a way to destroy you," he shouted. Throwing out his arm, he sent a banishing spell at the older wizard.
Voldemort threw up a protective spell and Harry's measly attack faded away. "Pitiful! Avada Kedavra!"
The green light hit Harry full in the chest, sending the boy back a step.
For eighteen years, Harry had been considered the boy-who-lived. For eleven of it, he had no idea what was in store for him. Neither had he known what his future would hold, or what kind of destiny would lie on his shoulders. For six years, he learned. And for one, he taught himself how he would face that destiny and that foretold future of his.
"And, I learned how to protect myself from that," Harry said with a smirk.
Voldemort, pulled back in surprise. His aim had been true, but the boy stood before him, slightly slumped though, holding the spot where the killing-curse had hit him. And then before his eyes, the image molded, and turned to fit the shape of a small mirror.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort whirled around just in time to see the green light blind his vision. "How?" he gasped, before it struck him in the chest.
Harry stepped out of the darkness. One hand held a spot over his chest, while the other was still raised, mimicking a hold of his wand, which lay discarded near his feet. He'd lost it earlier in the battle, before the darkness, before the rain.
Stumbling back, he tried to straighten, but the tightness in his chest made him double over in pain. Grimacing, he allowed himself to stay hunched over. At least till he regained his breathe. Over, his mind told him. It's over.
"Harry?"
----
Harry sat up in bed with a sharp gasp. He wanted to scream, to release the pressure that filled his chest, but all that came out was a strangled groan. So he sat there in the darkness of his room, breathing hard in the silence, while his fists held firmly onto the sheets that covered him from the waist down.
"Not again," he groaned. He wished the dreams would leave him, if only for one night. Just one night.
With a small sigh, Harry got to his feet and stumbled towards his bathroom. Stopping at his mirror, he looked at his rumpled reflection. His dream came surfacing then and by habit, he looked down at his chest. Now, four years later, the mark resembled nothing more than a burn.
Where the killing curse had hit his mirrored reflection, had left its mark on him. A permanent one.
Even after all this time, Harry could remember that night with such clarity that it haunted his dreams. During his seventh year; Hermione, Ron and himself had gone on a journey to finish what Dumbledore had started. It had taken months and many miles, but he'd gained the strength, the knowledge, and the courage to face his demons. While he was away, Voldemort and his followers attacked Hogwarts again in an attempt to bring him back.
Harry returned to find many of his friends gone and Hogwarts in ruins.
Wrenching himself away from the counter, he made his way to the shower. He set the water on hot, needing it to bring him back, to drag him from his own misery.
Voldemort had boasted with what he had done and indeed accomplished what he wanted. Harry returned, with intentions of not running away this time.
Harry stripped from his clothes, shedding the constricting barrier. Pulling the curtain aside, he stepped beneath the hot spray. Tensing at the scolding water, he paused momentarily, before sliding the curtain shut.
During his seventh year, Harry had learned many things, just as he had told Voldemort. Wandless magic had been tough, but not nearly as tough as learning how to cast spells without speaking. It was dangerous, since your thoughts could easily hurt someone by accident. Ron knew that all too well.
The thought brought a sad smile to his face, and it was that memory that propelled him to move. He reached for the bar of soap and washcloth, and then went to work on scrubbing his reddened skin.
When Harry arrived at the top of the astronomy tower, he found Voldemort waiting for him there. And unfortunately for Harry had been prepared. The first attack had come before any words could be spoken, and Harry had found himself thrown from the tower to the ground below by a simple disarming spell.
Setting aside the soap and cloth, Harry ducked beneath the spray and let the soap slide from his flushed skin. The water was beginning to cool, but he didn't mind. The contrast felt good. Made him feel alive.
With the help of his broom, Harry had arrived to the ground safely, but his wand was nowhere in sight. The air around him had filled with a black fog, and the sky overhead had turned to night. Knowing he was in a disadvantage, Harry used that moment, to withdraw the mirror he had collected on his journey. Staring into his reflection, he felt his body grow faint and slightly dizzy, before something stepped out of him. For a moment, Harry stared at his double, wondering if this plan would work. And then the second Harry nodded sadly, as if knowing what he was to do, and the real Harry took his cloak, which he had hidden beneath his robes, and disappeared from sight.
By the time Harry had finished washing his hair, the water was icy cold. He shivered beneath the spray, remembering that moment, when his soul had stepped away from his body. It had left him weak and defenseless, but it had worked. Even though he wasn't sure the mirror was real, his plan had worked perfectly. Voldemort had fallen into the trapped, and perished for his foolishness. He'd underestimated Harry, believing him to still be that cowardly boy who relied on his friends for help.
An hour later Harry was dressed, fed, and ready for the day ahead of him. Leaving his apartment through the front door, he made sure to lock it behind him. He had much to do, before his date that night.
----
Harry arrived at Usagi's apartment building at seven o'clock on the dot. He wasn't sure which window was hers, so he waited outside, to allow him some time to think, and prepare himself for the questions he knew would come. It probably been a bad thing showing the girl what he was capable of, but he couldn't have just let the shelf fall on her.
If he hadn't been so distracted, he might have been able to react in a more muggle fashion. But it was too late to change that, so Harry stood outside Usagi's building, wondering what he could tell, and what was best to be left unsaid.
It wasn't long before Usagi came out of her apartment, looking as lovely as she had at the restaurant. But unlike at the restaurant, Usagi was dressed more casual, in a pair of white jeans, and an off-the-shoulder pink top. Her hair though, was as unusual as he remembered.
Just a pair of buns on the top of her head, with pigtails to reach her calves in length. "You look nice," he commented when he caught her eyes.
Her smile glowed, and she twirled around in front of him. "Why thank you. But now that I'm outside, I think I'll go back and get my coat. It isn't that warm out." She turned to head back in, but he stopped her.
"Here take mine," he offered. He slipped out of his jacket, and helped her into it. "Domo artigato," she said with a warm smile.
They started walking then, taking to the street, and following it to the park. He had decided to keep the 'date' simple. But more importantly private. He couldn't well discuss what he knew she wanted to talk about at a movie or at a dinner.
"So how long have you been a wizard," Usagi asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them during their walk. Since the sun had set an hour ago, their only light was the occasional street lamp and the moon overhead.
"All my life, but I didn't know what I was, till I turned eleven," he answered. They were following a well-used path and matching their pace to one another. Crossing her arms over her chest to fight off a chill, Usagi looked over at him. Dressed in a sweater and jeans, Harry hardly felt the cold, but he did keep his hands hidden within his pockets so that they wouldn't go numb.
"My parents had magic," he relented, feeling that this was safe to tell. "But they died when I was only one, so I grew up in a family that weren't so keen on anything not normal."
As he spoke, Usagi listened; her head tilted enough to hear him, since he spoke low just in case anyone was around. "When I turned eleven I was invited to a school that a lot of people like me, went to. It was when I went to Hogwarts that I learned about who I was- I mean what I was."
Harry held his breath, hoping she hadn't caught his slip. He didn't want to tell her anything about him being the Boy-Who-Lived, or about Voldemort.
The girl walking next to him sighed loudly, her face set with a serious expression. He feared what her mind could be thinking about. "I was fourteen when I met Mamoru," she said, her brows drawing together. Harry stumbled at the sudden turn of the conversation. But then after his initial shock, he started to wonder if she knew, somehow knew that he felt uncomfortable talking about himself. Maybe something in his voice had told her to change the subject?
"He was a jerk. He used to call me names, and make fun of me because of my poor grades. But then it didn't help I always pelted him with my test grades or my shoe- or even with myself, for that matter.
"Called me Odango atama because of my hair." Harry looked at her hair then, trying to place the words with what he saw. Usagi fingered one of the buns with a small sad smile on her face.
"We started dating nearly a year later. Broke up and got back together several times over the years," she continued, the smile quickly fading. "But at the restaurant, I had enough."
She nodded her head, the seriousness reappearing again. "Do you know what he had told me?" she asked at last, her eyes turning on him then. Harry flushed, wondering if she had noticed, he had been eavesdropping from his lonely table. "Uh," he managed to say in his defense.
"He told me that I either had to move to America with him, or he would call off the wedding. He wants to follow his dreams and become a great doctor.
"It's great, it really is great that he's going to follow his dream, but why couldn't he do it here? How could he expect me to just pack up and leave everything I know, behind?"
Harry shrugged, unsure if whether he was supposed to answer or not. "I told him that I couldn't go to America with him. And I asked him what I had done wrong," she said sadly, her voice trailing off as she remembered their argument. "I'm sure you heard what he said, what he told me right before I had thrown my soda in his face."
Biting the insides of cheeks, Harry fought back his growing smile. That had been a comical scene, one he wished he could see again and again.
Usagi came to a sudden stop, forcing Harry to pause next to her underneath a tree with low branches. "Isn't it a beautiful night," she whispered, her eyes staring off at the scene before them. He could only nod in reply, his breath caught in his throat at seeing her form shaded by the tree, and yet still glow beneath the moon's light.
"My dad was thrilled when I told him about calling off the wedding. He never did like Mamoru. My mom on the other hand, well, she was disappointed, she was looking forward to seeing her only girl get hitched." Usagi sighed, sounding wistful.
Harry shifted uncomfortably at this conversation. Talking about family was something Harry didn't have much experience in. But he had at least more of it, then he did have of relationships. Cho had been the closest he had ever gotten to, as for dating.
"Would you like to come over to my parent's for dinner tomorrow night?" she suddenly asked. She had turned to him, her head tilted up to see his face.
Looking away, knowing that going over anywhere with someone else, was a bad idea. Going over to Usagi's parents house, was not something Harry should even consider doing. It was too personal, and too out of his element.
At Ron's it had been okay at first. They had been the family he never had. But he didn't fit in, and couldn't get comfortable staying there no matter how much he wished he could. Could he- no would he want to do that with Usagi's family? Try for something that was futile.
Harry was about to say no, when Usagi cut him off. "I told my mom about you." She started walking again, her eyes not lifting any higher than the pathway. He wondered if maybe she had seen the answer in his eyes and didn't want to believe it. "My dad overheard and said he would like to meet the man who saved me from Mamoru," she added as an afterthought.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, Harry let her lead him along the pathway once more. He did though, chanced a glance in her direction, and caught a hopeful look in her eyes.
He sighed in frustration and he unconsciously touched his forehead as if seeking solace from something that wasn't there. "Why aren't you scared of me," he asked at last.
"What do you mean?" she asked in return, and they came to another stop, but this time in the middle of the walkway. "Usagi, yesterday I stopped a shelf from flattening you. I used wandless magic, and that doesn't worry you the least bit?"
Usagi took a step back, and he wondered if maybe something had happened during his small explosion of anger. "Do you want me to be afraid of you?" she fired back. Harry shook his head.
Nodding her head, she placed her hands on her hips, and looked at him. He watched as her eyes drew him in, going from his feet to his head, and back again. "I'm not exactly innocent, you know," she said finally. "Ever heard of the Sailor Senshi?"
Harry shook his head, at a loss as to what she was talking about. "Never mind then," she said instead. "So about this dinner-"
"Usagi I-," he began. He wanted to say he could, but he couldn't. If she knew who he was, or at least, what he was, she would look at him just as his friends had that night.
"I'm not safe to be around," he finally admitted.
"Safe," Usagi echoed, her eyes scanning the area around them.
"I mean, it's not safe for you to get to know me," he explained.
"Oh kami," Usagi whispered, her face lifting to look at the heavens. "You know the first time Mamoru broke up with me, he said it was to protect me. If you didn't want to come, all you had to do was say so.
"If you didn't want to hang out with me, all you had to do was say so."
Harry was startled by the annoyance in her voice. "I'm not asking you to be my boyfriend, James," she said, her face set in a scowl.
Thrown for a loop, Harry struggled to catch up with the conversation. "What," he managed to ask.
"I'm just inviting you over for dinner tomorrow night at my parents house. And yes I'll admit they are strange, and my friends can be a little out there, but that is nothing new. So is it a yes or no?" Usagi had turned back now; leading him back the way they had came.
"A strange family," he said aloud, ignoring her last question for now. His head tipped back so that he could see the night sky. He fell into a deep silence, not saying anything more as they walked back to her apartment.
He followed her up to the front door, and even held it open for her.
Usagi turned, her face troubled. "I'm sorry I ruined the night. I should have just kept my mouth shut," she said sadly. Harry shook his head, not wanting to make her sadder than he already had. "No, it wasn't all that bad," he reasoned with her.
"Good night James," she whispered. He nodded in reply, his expression solemn. "Oh Usagi," he called out, stopping her from leaving just yet.
"I think I'd rather enjoy having dinner with you and your family," he said when she looked at him. The smile his words brought erased any doubt on his decision. He'd made her smile again.
"All right, well it starts at six, so meet me out front here tomorrow, around say- five, and we can give walking another try," she offered.
Harry nodded and turned away from the door. He had a lot of things he had to do before tomorrow night, and it would be best if he got a good night sleep.
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So tell me what do you think? Did I overdo it, was it too confusing? Let me know, so thatI can explain myself, or even kick my own ass. SometimesI deserve it.
Thanks goes out to: Usagi Asia Maxwell, Jade Cerise, Keating's Disciple, SachiNyoko, datajana, koldy, LiLSeReNiTiE, Blackrosebunny, Firehedgehog, darkness;-angel, Fire Dolphin, Suuki-Aldrea, Nercia Genisis, Shin, SHannan, Henio41, darknesscomes, Twin Kats.
Usagi Asia Maxwell: I am glad you liked it soooo much. That means so much to me. Yes Harry being under the influence was my favorite, it was so unused.
Jade Cerise: I have to admit, i 've never had a stalker before... But i am glad though that you like my stories. I've got so many more i plan to put out.
Keating's Disciple: TYTYTYTYTYTY thank you for liking it!
SachiNyoko: I'm glad you gave me a second chance. It means a lot to me. I'm curious, but could you tell me what was disappointing about my first chapter. I would love to learn from my mistakes. The Death Eater was cool, i mean i almost forgot about the guy who walked into the store before the girls too, glad i remembered.
LiLSeReNiTiE: I thought the exact thing. i kept rewriting and rewriting, wondering how i could get them together. But i thought Harry would be attracted to Usagi's "bubbily behavior" i guess is what i am looking for. I mean he's been living this nonexsitant life and suddenly a ray of sunshine falls on him, and warms him from the inside out. Usagi on the other hand, would be attracted to him, just as she would be attrated to her friends. they each were outcasts, and yet she made room for them on the inside. Harry is like a wanering soul, lost and alone. She wants to be his friend, make him feel loved, something she believe he lacks. and its not a date really, even though that what i write, what i am meaning though, is an outing. a hang out, but its much easier to write it as a date. She just wants to make him feel happy, but in the preocess, she eventually falls in love.
Fire Dolphin: Well considering the senshi can do magic, i guess they would be considered witches. But in this story there are Wizards/witches, muggles, and the Sailor Senshi. so they do exist as well, but just not as well known about.
Well i've got much still left to do, so please review, and maybe we shall meet again.
LP
