The rain caught him suddenly, drenching him within seconds as he stepped out with his uncle, Remus's, usual assortment of sweets. Remus had a sweet tooth that was entirely unexpected when you first encountered him, or so his father and godfather, Sirius, often told Harry.
Remus had been the one to urge his father and godfather into the kitchens for him at their old school. Those stories were some of the few that brought an amused smile to his mother, Lily's, face every time Sirius regaled him with another tale that was wilder than the last.
Making sure to keep the small bag safely tucked under his jacket, Harry trotted to the nearest bus stop for some shelter – making sure not to walk to quickly so he could enjoy the feeling of the rain and his slowly dampening clothing. His mother would be a little upset, but trusted Harry enough to believe that he wouldn't go on a wild adventure like his father would have.
There was another person waiting beneath the shelter when Harry reached it. The man held himself with a regality that Harry had only seen in Severus, a close friend of his mother's, even though he looked to be barely a year or two older than Harry.
A timid smile was all Harry managed as their eyes met. The man made no motion to reciprocate, and Harry quickly sat down as far away as he possibly could without getting wet. For a lack of anything better to do, Harry stared at the raindrops hitting a puddle of water on the far side of the road.
The puddle engulfed half the road, and Harry was sure that any car that drove fast enough would send the water spraying up at them.
"Caught you by surprise?"
Harry jerked violently. He had expected to sit in an awkward silence with this stranger until the rain let up, and it took him a moment to find his voice.
"What?" Harry nearly kicked himself at his response.
The man chuckled in response. "I was talking about the rain, but I think I surprised you more than the rain has. I apologise."
"No, no. I was just lost in thought," Harry said hastily. "I can't say I was expecting it, but I wasn't completely surprised either. My mother did tell me to take an umbrella before I left."
"I wasn't supposed to be out at all. Decided to take a break from studying, walked a few blocks, and ended up running for the nearest shelter. I usually don't leave the library until it closes. I'm hoping to get a scholarship out of this place for college."
Harry could barely believe the other male was still studying: he was tall, probably standing about a head higher than Harry, and held a weariness he sometimes saw on his parents after a particularly long day. His eyes, though, were sharp and Harry got the feeling he didn't miss a detail.
"I don't think I would want to leave," Harry said.
"Sometimes we can't choose whether we stay or go, so it's best to prepare for both."
The pair sat in silence, staring at the building opposite them, and finally the rain slowed to a light tapping on the roof of the bus stop shelter.
"Ah, it's slowing down. I should probably go get my stuff before the library closes and the librarian dumps all my stuff into a box again. She likes skiving off early on Fridays, probably because barely anyone's there to complain. I'll see you around."
Harry returned the wave, watching the black jacket disappear around a corner, before sighing. He would have to get home soon himself.
Hogwarts Assignments [Ravenclaw]: Gardening Task 3 - write about someone being caught in the rain