Dancerrdw – thank you I hope this didn't take too long

Awwwww – I am glad that you see the pattern. Everything I write as a reason. It is just my manner of writing.

Phoenix rulz – Thank you in two words

Robster639 - here is the update

Ginny278 – thank you so much and here is more for your pleasure

Alinis – I knew Harry had to have a romantic bone somewhere. I decided to exploit it.

gilmoreAholic – I hope this satisifies

carolquin – just a few more chapters. I promise there will be a reunion.

littlenosedbookworm – here is more for you

Chapter 6

Harry woke up early. He had become accustomed to Doc sleeping later than what he did.

Trying to be quiet he walked over to the table and sat down. He would wait a bit before cooking some breakfast for the both of them.

On the table Harry was saw the pad of paper. Doc had said if he wanted to draw or write in it at any time he could. He picked it up unsure of what else to do.

He drew a few lines at first. They weren't in any particular direction just lines. He drew a few more to those until the whole page was covered in lines.

Harry then turned to the next page and started drawing circles in the same manner. Some of the circles were complete some were just half circles. They just continued on and on.

After a while he gave up and threw the book on the table. He then started on some eggs for breakfast. Ms. Katie had given him some tips the other day while she was cooking dinner for Doc and him.

"Oye your awake there Harry." Doc said stepping out of his room.

"Yes" Harry answered. "This should be done soon."

Doc took a seat at the table. That was when he saw that the sketch pad was opened. "I see you decided to use the sketch pad."

"I used a couple of pages."

"I see. He doesn't look too friendly does he?"

"Who doesn't?" Harry had asked bringing the eggs to the table.

"This face you drew." Doc said showing the page of circles.

Harry looked at the circles he had drawn. They had indeed looked like some kind of face. It was very snake-like in appearance. The eyes were slits and the expression looked like pure malice.

"I wasn't too sure what I was drawing. I just was." Harry said sitting down. He was starting to lose his appetite.

"That's quite alright. People in your condition take to that habit of remembering things in small bursts." Doc answered scoping up some of the eggs.

"I would like to think I never meet a person who looked like that." Harry said swallowing some of the eggs that had come out just at the editable line.

"I certainly could live the rest of my life without meeting him." Doc agreed. "I wonder if that explosion as anything to do with him. This other picture." He said referring to the pictures with lines on it.

"I don't know." Harry answered looking at the lines. It did indeed look like an explosion. He wondered if that's what caused the scars across his face.

They sat in silence for the rest of the breakfast. Afterwards Doc insisted that they step outside to the public garden for a while.

Harry agreed to the idea of being outside for a while.

"You remember more than just that face and that explosion don't you?" Doc said.

Harry looked at Doc like he was accusing him of something.

"Ms. Katie told me that you also remember a girl talking to you. She says your name, does she say anything else."

"No," Harry answered. "All she says is Harry. I think her name may be Jenny. I'm not too sure."

"Tell me about her." Doc asked taking a seat on the bench.

"I tried drawing her yesterday, but I can't seem to focus on an image of her."

"What do you think about her?"

"I think I might have hurt her." Harry said.

Doc nodded. "If she were to come over that hill right now how would she react to you?"

"I don't think she would welcome me." Harry answered. "When I concentrate on her she makes me feel ashamed."

"How does she say your name?"

"When she says my name she just says it. I don't feel anything when she says it."

Doc smiled. "Maybe you loved her."

"You think I might of." Harry was curious.

"There is a very fine line between hate and love. It is only those who we truly love that can hurt us the deepest. There are those who can injury us, but to be truly hurt is by someone we love."

Harry looked at Doc oddly.

"You do understand what I am talking about."

"No," Harry answered.

"You do understand. You just don't realize it yet." Doc answered. "Our pain is brought by the caring that we have. When we care for someone what ever happens to them effects us. Even what we do affects them. That is why we have a tendency to be careful with feelings of others."

Harry took a seat next to Doc. He wasn't too sure why but he felt he needed to hear what Doc was going to say.

"When we came back from the war I went home with Mickey. He invited me because at the time I had no where to stay. I was with him when he told Ms. Katie about what happened. I felt so ashamed, here I was the doctor and I couldn't save him. I saw the pain in Ms. Katie's eyes."

Harry stayed silent letting Doc continue.

"Mickey and I stayed with her until she was calm. We took turns for a while watching her. After some time past I found myself quite taken with her. It was an urge I fought for the longest time. Then my mind tried telling me that Mickey was trying to put us together. But I reasoned that it was only my imagination hoping."

Harry thought about what Mickey had told him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Harry asked.

"I tried to be reasonable." Doc answered. "I thought Mickey might tear me apart for touching his sister."

"I think he seems too kind to do that."

"He can fight like a lion." Doc answered. "There are times I really regret not just trying. I watch her cook sometimes or just sitting outside and I want to go over to her and say that I am sorry we wasted so many years will you marry me. You see Harry I feel I hurt Ms. Katie by not saving William. He was my friend too. I thought I might hurt Mickey by trying to take William's place. Now I feel that I hurt Ms. Katie by not providing her the family she wanted."

Harry felt he was starting to understand. "I'm sure they still consider you a friend."

"I know that they do." Doc said. "I would do anything for either of them."

"Why don't you just ask her how she feels or just marry her?" Harry asked.

"We are old Harry." Doc answered. "I am afraid life for us is not going to be much longer. We ran from life when we came here. Now here we are just wanting to embrace it once before die."

"I really don't think Mickey would mind too much." Harry said. "He said there is no such thing as too late."

They did not speak much except about minute things. Harry took the time to absorb what Doc had told him and what Mickey had told him. He thought when he was asleep tonight he would concentrate on that girl Jenny and see if it was possible for him to remember something more about her.

The next day Harry was sitting outside with Old Mother who had come to check on her pup. As he was sitting there something brushed past him.

Harry was taken aback by the sudden movement.

An owl had landed on the table beside him.

Harry wasn't too sure how to handle the animal. He moved slowly away from it. The owl kept bouncing towards him in an irritated manner. Harry then noticed the something was tied around the bird's leg.

Did the bird actually want him to remove it?

Slowly and carefully Harry moved towards the animal. "It's okay, I'm just going to take this thing off." He said as calmly as he could. "See, I'm not going to hurt you."

The owl looked at Harry quizzically.

He carefully touched the leg to see if the bird would attack. The bird stayed still solemnly. Harry untied the piece of paper from the bird's leg.

Harry was about to throw it away when he saw his name was on the paper.

Unsure of what else to do Harry opened the paper and read it.

He read it about three times. Afterwards he concentrated on the image of the girl he thought was named Jenny. But it wasn't Jenny it was actually Ginny.

"Hedwig, is that your name?" Harry asked the bird.

Did that bird just nod?

Harry thought about the letter. He had never known of anyone who had sent a letter with a bird. But it was his name and it was her name. Maybe he truly would be welcomed back despite what he thought.

"Can you take me to the person who wrote this letter?" He asked the bird.

The bird looked a little annoyed but nodded its head.

Harry went back inside and started packing some of the clothes he was given. He looked out the window every now and then. The bird was still there. It looked like it was waiting.

"Taking a trip." Doc asked.

"I think so." Harry answered. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. But something tells me I should leave now."

Within a few minutes later Harry was standing outside of the village with Marcus, Doc, Mickey and Ms. Katie.

"Good bye Harry, we can't let you go without something." Marcus shook Harry's hand placing a roll of notes in his hand.

"I can't take all of this." Harry said trying to give it back.

"We can't let you leave empty handed." Katie answered. "This is a collection from everyone in the village. And this is from me." Katie wrapped a scarf around Harry's neck. "It gets cold at night."

"Thank you." Harry said again. He shook hands with the three gentleman and accepted Ms. Katie's hug.

"Are you sure you know where you are going." Mickey asked.

"No, but as strange as it sounds I have a guide." Harry said looking back towards the bird. "White as an angel." Harry said to himself. He then turned and headed down the road.

The bird stayed not that far ahead of Harry, at least he knew they were headed south.