Monday, July 6, 1998

'I'm home!' Harry called as he entered The Burrow's living room through the open back door.

'Hello dear, you're right on time for dinner' Mrs Weasley answered him, and sure enough a very pleasant smell drifted towards him from the kitchen. Harry had just finished another day of work as an Auror. He enjoyed his career tremendously, but with the war still fresh in his mind the thought of coming home to an empty house every day was not at all appealing to him. Therefore, the Weasleys had so kindly allowed him to live with them for the foreseeable future, an offer he had been very happy to accept.

'How was work today?' Mrs Weasley asked, offering him a bowl of soup.

'Quiet, but that's all right, just how I always liked it in my life' Harry said with a slightly cynical smile. Mrs Weasley returned his smile and then called the others. Mr Weasley was still at work, but Ron, Hermione and Ginny were more than happy to enjoy dinner. Ron was an Auror too, while Hermione and Ginny would go back to Hogwarts in September to finish their last year. Hermione could not bear the thought of not finishing her education, while Harry and Ron had not really seen the point of it now that they already got their desired jobs. Immediately after the war, Hermione had gone to Australia to restore her parents' memories and bring them home. They resumed their lives as dentists and Hermione lived with them, but this week she was staying at her boyfriend's place. Everyone felt very happy, but Harry still had something to do, something that he had put off for a while. He had decided to finally get it out of the way, though.

'I'm going to Privet Drive tomorrow afternoon, to pick up my last belongings' he said, after gulping down his pumpkin juice. It was true, he had not taken everything with him when he left last year.

'Do you want us to come with you? You know, for support' Ron asked, referring to himself and Hermione.

'It should only take a few minutes' Harry said.

'You don't need to do that by yourself' Hermione said kindly.

'All right' Harry said. He was still a little reluctant to accept help, that was a character trait of his that would probably never change, but he really did appreciate it. He was feeling so happy right now he really did not want the Dursleys to ruin his mood and they would probably be nicer, or at least less rude, to him when he brought his friends.

'Are you ready?' Hermione asked Harry quietly. They were standing in front of four Privet Drive. It was a sunny afternoon, but Harry did not pay any attention to that. It was actually amazing how unpleasant memories could so fiercely come back to haunt a person just by seeing something, in this case the Dursley residence.

Harry sighed, then nodded. 'Let's go.'

He stepped forward and rung the doorbell. There was no response for a bit and for a few seconds Harry did not know whether he should feel relieved or not, until he realised that he had better just get this out of the way. 'The television's on' Hermione said, carefully peeking through the living room window and then someone opened the door.

For about three seconds Harry and Julie just stared at each other, but then a wide smile spread across the latter's face. 'Harry! Oh my goodness! What an extremely pleasant surprise!' Julie said happily.

'Hi, Julie' Harry said calmly.

'Hi! And you must be Ron and Hermione' she said, smiling at Harry's friends.

'That's right' Ron said.

'I've come to retrieve my remaining belongings' Harry said, while Julie shook hands with Ron and Hermione.

'Of course, by all means, come on in' she said, stepping aside. 'I'm home alone, by the way' she told them while closing the door.

'That's all right' Harry said, actually quite happy with that. He had nothing to say to his uncle and aunt; he did not at all feel the need to try and tell them exactly what they had done to him, because he preferred to live in the now. For a few seconds they were all standing a bit awkwardly in the hallway, but then Julie spoke.

'Would you maybe like a drink?' she asked them politely.

'Sure, thank you' Harry said. He could not help but feel a little impressed with her friendly reception, and while she went into the kitchen to make them some tea, his eyes were inadvertently drawn to the cupboard. Without really thinking about it he opened it and peered inside.

'Wow, I didn't remember just how small it was' he said softly. Hermione gently touched his arm, while Ron looked a bit angry.

'How could those people do that to you…' he said quietly, so that Julie would not hear him. Harry got on his knees, reached out and grabbed two toy knights.

'These little guys and the spiders were my only company in there' he told his friends.

'The tea's ready, guys' Julie said, appearing in the hallway. 'Oh…' she said, when she saw what was going on, and she quickly went back into the kitchen, feeling guilty and embarrassed. When the trio stepped into the kitchen as well about a minute later, she was glad that Ron asked a completely unrelated question.

'What's that delicious smell?'

'Ah, I had just finished making brownies,' Julie said with a warm smile, 'would you like to try some?'

'Are you sure that's okay, we wouldn't want to…' Hermione started, but Julie reassured her immediately.

'I'd be sad if you didn't! Oh, let me turn this off.' Julie turned off the television, then looked back at the trio. 'You can sit down if you like, anywhere's fine.' They sat down while Julie brought them the tea and brownies on a tray. She was extremely happy to see Harry and would go to great lengths to make him feel as comfortable as possible.

'Er, Julie?' Hermione asked.

'Yes?' Julie responded curiously.

'How did you know our names?' Julie sat down before answering.

'Ah, yeah. Well, when I was in hiding, I learned a lot about the wizarding world and associated with magic folks. I heard that you were like the brain of the group' Julie told Hermione with a smile. Hermione returned the gesture, while Harry suddenly realised Julie had said words like 'wizarding' and 'magic' without wincing.

'You learned a lot about the wizarding world?' he asked her, feeling impressed with her again.

'Oh, yes, sometimes I'd spend entire days in the library, just absorbing as much information as I could. It's truly a fascinating world you live in, Harry. Then Justin and Colin would fill me in on what happened at Hogwarts. I know about the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets for example, and Dumbledore's Army of course.'

They all looked at her in awe. 'Julie, that's amazing' Harry finally said, actually smiling.

'Yeah, pretty cool, huh? I really wanted to make the most out of my stay at the safe house, and went the extra mile to understand your world better. We listened to Potterwatch a lot, and I was so mighty proud of you when you won the war' Julie said.

'Thanks, Julie' Harry said. He felt a bit stupid, but he did not know what else to say. He had not expected this at all and could barely believe what he was hearing. 'What about your parents?' he asked finally, more to keep the conversation going than anything.

Julie shrugged. 'My mother has some cleaning jobs now, at people's houses. After being in hiding for almost a year she really wanted to do something rather than sitting at home. She's working right now, in fact. My father's got his old job back, which is good. We had to get new furniture after all, since Death Eaters don't really contribute to your property value.'

'I'm sorry about that' Harry said.

'Don't be silly, Harry, you never asked for this to happen. The most important thing is that we're all okay, you included. My father, however, does blame you for it, unfortunately.' Those last words earned her angry looks from Ron and Hermione, and Julie sighed before continuing. 'Well, Harry, you know how he is. He'll never change. For most people, wisdom comes with age, but unfortunately he is not most people.'

Harry nodded. 'Right. Well, I guess we'll go to my room now.'

'All right. I'm afraid it's still a mess. My father never cared, but my mother and I didn't want to go there. We felt that would be intruding.'

About fifteen minutes later Harry had collected his things, of which the most important to him was the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts. Julie came into the hallway to see them off. Ron and Hermione had already stepped outside when Julie touched Harry's arm. 'Harry, er… it was really good to see you again' she told him.

'It was actually good to see you too, Juliebee' Harry said.

'Yeah, don't do that' Julie said, but with a smile, before continuing. 'Harry, could we maybe meet up some time? I have some things to tell you, and even though your friends are really nice, some things are best said privately.' Much to her happiness, Harry agreed to meet her next week.

'That went well' Ron said when Julie had closed the door.

'She was actually really nice' Hermione said.

'Yes, she has come a long way' Harry said. He suddenly realised that Julie was a typical example of someone who probably would not have been a bad person if she had only had a different kind of upbringing.

Exactly a week later Julie stood on Charing Cross Road in London. She was a tad early; it was a quarter to eleven, and Harry had agreed to meet her at eleven. She watched other people go about their day, sometimes smiling or nodding at people she made eye contact with. She always enjoyed watching people. She would fantasise who they were, and what they did, and why they were here on this specific time. Every person on this planet had a unique story to tell after all.

She was nervous to meet her cousin. Even though their last meeting had been very pleasant, there was still an open wound between them and she was not at all sure whether that could ever be fully healed. 'Hello Julie' a voice said. She looked up and smiled at her cousin.

'Harry! Hi! I'm so glad to see you!' She wanted to hug him, but did not dare to.

'Well, Julie, I must say I was quite impressed with some of the things you told me last week.'

'I'm glad to hear that' Julie said.

'Er, shall we go inside?' Harry asked.

Julie looked behind her. 'Inside? There's nothing here.'

'The Leaky Cauldron's a magical building, that's why you can't see it. But if you hold my arm I can take you with me.' So she did, and a few seconds later she found herself in a cosy pub. The light came from candles on wooden tables and there was a crackling fire coming from the fireplace.

'Mr Potter! What an honour!' the host said.

'Hello, Tom. Two Butterbeers, please' Harry said.

'Sure, coming right up.' Harry and Julie sat down at a table rather far from the others, so that they could speak privately.

'Thanks' she mumbled when the host put down the drinks for them.

Harry looked at her. 'So, what did you want to talk to me about?' Julie took a breath; this was it. It was going to happen here and now. She looked her cousin in the eyes.

'Harry, I'm really very sorry about my behaviour in the past. About how I always bullied you, how I got you in trouble with my parents, how I always shoved my presents in your face, that I was easily the worst cousin in the world and that you never had a real childhood. It was all wrong, completely wrong, and I consider it the biggest mistake of my life. I'm sorry that you were never treated as a member of the family, and for all the neglect and abuse that you had to endure. It's not like you had ever chosen to live with us. And… if you never want to see me again, I'd understand. I really would. But I'm more sorry than I could ever put into words, no matter how much I'd try.'

Harry did not say anything. He was probably too surprised; she would have been. After what seemed like an eternity he spoke. 'Thank you, Julie, that means a lot. I forgive you.'

Now it was Julie who was somewhat surprised. 'That easily?' she said faintly.

'Well, it's like you said that night you departed from Privet Drive to go into hiding. I don't want to lose the only cousin I have.'

Julie smiled. 'Harry… I don't know what to say. Thank you. And if there's ever anything I can do for you, just ask. I want to be a good cousin from now on.'

Harry nodded. 'Not only are you one of the few relatives I have, but it's not entirely your fault. It's your parents who spoiled you so much and never set boundaries, and always allowed you to do whatever you wanted.'

'Yes, I guess that's true. But I don't want to deny my own responsibility. I should've behaved better, no matter what. By the way, I know why my parents raised me like that.' She told Harry what her mother had told her in The Lair. How she wanted Julie to be the special one, so she would not feel jealous like her mother had felt towards her sister. 'But,' Julie concluded, 'that's not your fault and not a legitimate reason to make you sleep in a cupboard.' They finished their drinks. 'By the way, I have something for you. When I told my parents I was going to meet up with you, my mother wanted me to give you this.'

Julie handed him a small package, that Harry carefully unwrapped. A tiny blanket fell on his lap. 'It's the blanket you were bundled in that night you were left on our doorstep. It was your mother's, so my mother felt it's right that you have it now' Julie said. Harry was in total shock, and so Julie gave him a minute, stepping away from the table. When she came back, Harry had safely tucked the blanket away.

'Shall I show you Diagon Alley? It's right behind the pub. It's basically a wizarding shopping street and we can talk some more' Harry said.

'Sure, that sounds nice' Julie said with a smile.

They walked through Diagon Alley (where literally everyone greeted Harry) and did a lot of catching up. Julie told Harry some more about her time at The Lair, while Harry told her about his new career. Julie felt a little sad to talk about Justin, but did so anyway. '…and when Hestia told me, I just broke down.' She showed him her watch. 'He magically repaired this and gave it back to me just before he left for battle. It reminds me of two awesome guys now.'

Harry looked at her. 'You'll find true love someday, Julie.'

Julie just smiled. 'Well, for now I'm just happy that I have you in my life.' They stopped at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Barely had they stepped inside or they were greeted enthusiastically by Fred and George.

'Harry! Julie! What brings you here together?'

'Oh, I was just showing Julie around Diagon Alley' Harry said casually. He would not mention her apology to anyone but Ron and Hermione, because he felt that was something personal between him and Julie.

'Hi guys' Julie said, genuinely happy to see them again. The twins gave them a tour around the shop and Julie loved every second of it.

'Business has been booming, now that You-Know-Who's gone!' Fred said, patting Harry on the shoulder. Harry smiled awkwardly; he would never be the kind of person who was comfortable with constant praise.

'Well, it was a little rough when you were still recovering from that explosion' George said.

'Only because we had so many orders' Fred said with a wink. When Harry and Julie left, the twins told her that she was welcome anytime, which she was happy to hear. When Harry had shown her every shop, they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.

'I guess I'd better get going now' Julie said.

Harry looked at her. 'We could Apparate if you like, that'll save you some time' Harry offered.

'Sure' Julie said, smiling at him. She did not enjoy that sensation, she had felt that during her arrival and departure at The Lair, but she really appreciated his gesture. When they appeared on Privet Drive that evening, Julie looked at Harry a final time. 'Harry, I… Thank you for, you know, being so forgiving.'

'Don't worry Julie, I had a great time with you today. We should do that again some time' Harry said kindly.

'I'd love that' Julie said, and then they hugged.

In the following years, Harry and Julie kept working on their relationship. Julie still felt a little guilty towards him at times, but Harry genuinely liked how she was now and made sure that she did not feel bad, never bringing up the past. Eventually there was practically no more awkwardness between the two of them and they enjoyed a very healthy relationship. Harry also found her a very useful contact in the Muggle world. After finishing high school, Julie enrolled in culinary school, eventually working her way up to owning several restaurants. Harry was happy to invite her to his wedding with Ginny, and Julie returned the favour by inviting them when she married a Muggle. Harry and Julie were in frequent touch and fully trusted each other. Life was really great sometimes.