Sorry for the lateness and then the mess up (not too sure how that happened)
Song belongs to Kelly Clarkson...
Hermione had been in a sorry state since seeing Harry in the café that afternoon. She didn't mention it Ron, in fact she felt sick, her stomach was knotted and she hadn't wanted Ron trashing the café with his famous temper after she casually mentioned, Hey Ron isn't that Harry over there? Not knowing how to handle the situation she had kept quiet, complained of feeling ill and they left the café soon after. When they had returned to their shared home, Rom had flooed over to his mothers' home to whinge about Ginny to someone who would listen and Hermione had curled up on the sofa wondering what to do about Harry.
If she told Ron he would accuse her of going crazy like his younger sister, if she told Ginny, Ginny would get mad at her for not believing her in the first place. Instead she resolved herself to visiting the café the next morning before she went to work. Disbelieving of the fact they had been so close to Harry for so long, yet never seen or heard of him. Satisfied she started to read a book, but from the exhaustion of the night and days events she fell asleep on the sofa, which is where Ron found her 3 hours later picking her up with ease he looked at his wife and put her into their bed before returning to the living room to see on a piece of parchment and doodle of different names, with the word Harry, prominent in the centre of the parchment, he sighed through the parchment in the fire and returned to bed curling himself round his wife and fell into a peaceful sleep despite the madness surrounding them.
Hermione woke early the next morning, confused as to her being in bed but smiling slightly when she heard her husband snoring softly next to her. Writing a quick note she stuck it on his forehead before quickly getting herself ready and leaving in the direction of the café. She had decided since it opened at 9am (as she had noted yesterday) Harry would have to be there at least an hour earlier than that to sort the shop out, she had sneakily asked who the manager was to confirm her suspicions 'Harry Evans' confirmed she wasn't going round the bend (he had used his mothers surname) and had 'Just left, I'm sorry'. He'll be in tomorrow though' the polite girl had informed her before busying herself with collecting dirty plates from vacant tables.
At 8.15am Hermione walked through the door of the café, it was open she hadn't broken in and looked around, on one table was a pile of paperwork and she could hear clattering in the kitchen. Her breath caught when the door opened and the tall figure of Harry emerged from the kitchen.
"Hey Janie thanks for yesterday but you're half an hour early." he said not looking up and settling back to his table of paper and taking a drink from his mug. When Hermione didn't reply he looked up and into the eyes of his former best friend. "Hermione." he whispered in a strangled voice, fear flashed in his emerald eyes and he stood up as she flung herself at him.
"Harry." she whispered as if assuring herself he was there as he awkwardly hugged her. He had only ever felt comfortable hugging the youngest Weasley and he wasn't too sure why. "We thought you were dead." she said pulling away from him tears tracking their way down his face.
"So I've heard." he muttered gesturing towards the chair opposite where he had been sat before and offering her a tissue as they both sat down. "I'm sorry Hermione. How did you know where I was? Ginny doesn't even know but she never wants to talk to me again."
"What happened with Ginny?" Hermione sniffed not taking her eyes off the boy, now man, she thought had died. "I haven't seen her since she saw you a couple of days ago. Ron was talking about sending her to St Mungos but then I saw you yesterday and I thought I had to find out if it was you. I didn't tell Ron. He's going to beat you to a pulp. Why did you leave Harry?" She was talking quickly and with a slight hiss to her voice, Harry smiled as he slipped back into memories of Hermione lecturing him and Ron at school.
"I just thought it was safer. I now realise if it was going to cause me beatings I shouldn't have bothered." He said with a small smile and he turned his face slightly, Hermione gasped when she saw the light bruise on his cheek.
"What-?" she began.
"Ginny, the resident Firecracker at Alexander's." He laughed bitterly remembering his old name for her. "She didn't take too kindly to me showing up last night." he said with a small smile.
"Really? She was so happy when she had caught that glimpse of you… she had some hope again. She really loved you Harry." Hermione said. "She lugged your guitar round for months, plays it all the time and everything. I think you might have just surprised her." She watched Harry as her took all this in when he looked up there were small tears rolling down his cheek.
"She really loved me?" he whispered. "Didn't seem like it yesterday - she told me to never come near her again." he said his emerald eyes flashing with hurt.
"She really did." Hermione confirmed. "She'll come round. But what about Ron?" She asked raising her eyebrow and glaring at her old best friend who now had a worried look in his eyes.
"I'll deal with Ron, and the rest of them when the time comes." Harry sighed, there was no way he could get out of returning to the wizarding world. "So… married huh?" he laughed as Hermione grimaced.
"Don't even start Harry. You knew as much as anyone else it was going to happen after school. It's just your own stupid death that stopped you from being there." She said pointedly. Sniffing in a way that reminded Harry of Hogwarts and made him smile, Maybe things haven't changed too much. "I've got to go to work though Harry, here…" She handed him a card with an address and phone number on it. "Give us a ring, or drop in. Ron still yells a bit on the 'felly tone' but he knows how to use it. Just stay a good distance away from being grabbed if you go round, Weasley temper and everything." she laughed, kissed him on the cheek and hurried off to work past the girl she assumed was Janie who had a confused look on her face.
"Who was that?" she asked walking into the centre of the café.
"Old Friend." Harry smiled before turning back to his work a grin fixed on his face for the first time in a while.
Harry's smile had stayed on his face for the entire day, it was infectious his work friends were happy, customers were happy and time was going a lot quicker than usual, by the time Harry finished, 8pm, a full twelve hours after he had began, seen Hermione and been put in what appeared to be a permanent good mood, he was ready to drop. Harry had again been practising magic again - learning that despite the queasy feeling it still gave him he could still apparate amongst many other things he thought he had forgotten. He had spent the past few evening curled up in his chair (which he had managed to transfigure to resemble his favourite chair by the fire in Gryffindor common room) reading over the many books he had saved from his Hogwarts days. He even skimmed over 'Hogwarts a History' but remembering he had vowed never to read it and Hermione probably still had it memorised he tossed it aside in favour for a Defence Against the Dark Arts book he had received from his Godfather in his fifth year. He also had been rummaging through his possessions finding amongst other things a chocolate frog that had lost its spring from being stuck in his trunk for 2 years.
Ginny herself was spiralling into a small pool of depression, she had no idea why she had told Harry to stay away from her, she had absolutely no clue what had been going through her mind except for her stupid temper getting the best of her. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! she thought smacking her head with the palm of her hand and kicking a chair out of her way as she walked through the bar to set up the stage for Open Mike Night. It had only been a week since she had seen Harry and her life had already been turned upside down by that stupid boy. He had done as she had asked and stayed away from her, not had any contact - he had as good as vanished again and with no-one in her family believing her (to her knowledge) she didn't know what to do. She refused to go see Ron or Hermione because they thought she was crazy - as did the rest of her family - but she didn't want to become lonely because of Harry Potter.
"Not again." she hissed moving back behind the bar. The open mike night at Alexander's was extremely popular and she regularly sang, including tonight. Working hard and not thinking about anything but her performance that was coming up in a few hours time she drifted off not noticing Harry enter and hide himself in a shadowy corner to watch her sing again. Hours passed by and he just sat watching the fiery red-head work quickly and quietly until her name was called.
"Ginny Weasley!" and the redhead walked onto the stage quietly without his guitar, Harry noted, as she positioned herself in front of the microphone.
"I'm singing unaccompanied tonight." she whispered staring at a spot on the back wall instead of looking into the crowd where she would have seen Harry sitting staring at her with wide emerald eyes.
What you sees not what you get
With you there's just no measurement
No way to tell what's real from what isn't there
Your eyes they sparkle that's all changed
Into lies that drop like acid rain
You washed away the best of me
You don't care
You know you did it
I'm gone to find someone
To live for in this world
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight
Just a bridge that I gotta to burn
You are wrong
If you think that you can walk right through my door
That is just so you
Coming back when I've finally moved...on
I'm already gone
Ginny had been singing to the wall for the first part of the song and finally beginning to move she cast a gaze around the room, it was as if she had felt Harry's watchful gaze upon her. With a smirk she met his eyes, and continued. This one's for you Harry Potter. She thought reproachfully. This one's for you.
Sometimes shattered
Never open
Nothing matters
When you're broken
That was me whenever
I was with you
Always ending Always over
Back and forth Up and down like a rollercoaster
I am breaking that habit today
You know you did it
I'm gone to find someone
To live for in this world
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight
Just a bridge that I've got to burn
You are wrong
If you think that
You can walk right through my door
That is just so you coming back when I've finally moved...on
Harry saw the smirk come across Ginnys' face when she finally noticed him. It was a Weasley trademark - seen frequently upon the twins faces and upon Ginny when she had a 'twin moment' - it meant trouble. Trouble for Harry.
There is nothing you can say
Sorry doesn't cut it babe
Take the hint and walk away
Cause I'm gone
Doesn't matter what you do
It's what you did that's hurting you
All I needed was the truth
Now I'm gone
What you see's not what you get
What you see's not what you get
You know you did ii
I'm gone to find someone
To live for in this world
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight
Just a bridge that I've got to burn
You are wrong
If you think that
You can walk right through my door
That is just so you coming back when I've finally moved...on
Ohh I'm already gone
Ohh Ohhh I'm already gone
Ohhh I'm already gone
Ohh Ohhh I'm already gone
Already gone I'm gone
Harry made to leave the bar as the song ended. Ginny wasn't having any of it, she knew his movements before he did and was at his side before he could even blink.
"Oh no you don't Harry Potter." she hissed. "I've got a surprise for you, and you're staying right here until I finish."