Erased But Not Forgotten

Chapter 13

Last Minute Heartbreaks

Two weeks later…

Harry was sitting on the couch in his flat, the one he'd moved into as soon as he'd turned 17, staring into space with a grim look on his face. His jet black hair was messier than usual, emerald eyes dark, clothes wrinkled; it was as if he'd stopped caring. The dark circles under his eyes spoke of his long nights; he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep for over a month now. The only thing that looked vaguely normal for a teen just out of school was the MP3 player tucked into his pocket, the white headphones contrasting with his dark hair.

"Hey mate," Ron said as he plopped down beside him on the sofa, unable to stop grinning. Tomorrow was the wedding and he was definitely looking forward to the bachelor party. With the prospect of three nervous brides and three anxious grooms, tomorrow was going to be hectic and the distraction was welcome.

"Hey Harry," James said, collapsing into the armchair across from them. He too was smiling, ready to go have fun with the guys one last time before marrying Liz. "What are you listening to?" he inquired curiously.

"Daughtry," he replied indifferently, gaze never shifting from that particular spot in space. James and Ron both knew what song he was listening to: "It's Not Over." Their grins faded as they looked upon their utterly heartbroken friend.

"Harry, you have to get over her. You have to let her go," James said to him, as he had many times before. Harry just turned those emerald eyes to him. As empty as they were a moment before, they now betrayed the hurt that never went away for him; the hurt that came with remembering her.

He knew she was with Jul, his suspicions had been confirmed after the first week, when Ron and James had tried the first time to get him to move on. Ron, James, Hermione, even Liz had tried to convince him that he needed to let go; Rose was happy and he should be too, but it was all in vain. It wasn't that Harry didn't want to let go, it's that the pain lingered and he knew it wouldn't go away. He loved her.

"Please, Harry, at least don't show it tomorrow," Ron added, "She's getting married, don't ruin her wedding day." Harry's eyes snapped over to glare at him.

"What did you say?" he asked in disbelief, jumping to his feet. James and Ron shortly followed, rising also. "She's getting married? When did this happen?"

Ron's eyes got wide as he realized what he'd done. James just stared for a moment before smacking Ron upside the head.

"You didn't tell him!" he yelled. Ron's ears turned red.

"I'm sorry!" he retorted, "He was just so…well…depressed, I didn't think it would be the best thing to tell him right about now!" James just glared at him.

"So you figured we'd tell him at the last minute that the love of his life, shortly after breaking up with him, is going to marry another guy! That very same guy that we're going to go out partying with and whose wedding he'll have to attend! That he's going to be forced to watch his former fiancé get married to some other man without even time to prepare?!" James ranted, red-faced and obviously furious. "How in bloody hell was this suppose to help him?"

"Guys," Harry interrupted quietly. They both turned to look at him. "Is she happy…with him?" he inquired softly.

"Yes," James answered gently, all fury gone from his voice.

Harry just looked back at them, blinking back treacherous tears before replying, "Then that's all that matters."

Harry stood under her window, just staring up at it. It was just after sunset, the diminishing light painting the sky amber and rose, fading to lavender and violet. She leaned against her window, the breeze dancing around her form, brushing over her cheeks, her face, her lips…. Harry wished for a moment that he could be the wind, just so he could reach up and touch her face one last time.

As he remained there, unable to look away, a cat meowed by him, startling him out of his daze. He was thankful he had his invisibility cloak on when Rose looked down suddenly. He silently cursed the cat as it came closer to him, purring and just begging to be petted. Even after his numerous encounters with the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, Harry still had no idea if the invisibility cloak worked on cats. Once, he asked Rose and she just replied that cats were unusual like that.

Harry thought she'd continue to look for the intruder, but instead she settled back into her position leaning out of the window.

"Romeo, Romeo," she said quietly, "Where art thou Romeo?" Thinking quickly, Harry silently cast a spell, lowering his voice, disguising it.

"I think you mean, wherefore art thou Romeo," he corrected her in his masque voice. She didn't even look up.

"No, I don't want to know why Romeo has to be named Romeo Montague," she replied slowly, as if she were tired, "I want to know where my Romeo is. The "fore" changes the meaning completely…. I'm not even for sure who my Romeo is anymore…"

"You're getting married tomorrow, are you not, fair Juliet? Is your Romeo not your fiancé or is he merely Paris, whom you do not truly love?" he inquired. He suddenly felt a rush of hope and it was the first true feeling he'd had in over a month.

"No, I do love him," she answered confidently. "But I'm not sure if he's the one I'm actually meant for. I feel as if I'm missing something…I wish I could remember. But I wouldn't leave him…I love him." Harry felt as if his heart was a yoyo, just when he thought he was there, with her, she threw him back away. Then again, just when he thought he was away, free, she pulled him back.

There was a popping sound and her fiancé appeared not but a few feet from Harry. But he had one more question.

"And he makes you happy?" he asked, turning to look at the bewildered Jul, pulling the hood of the cloak back far enough that he could see Harry's face but Rose couldn't.

"Yes," she answered, looking down at Jul and smiling, "you do, Jul." He smiled back up at her, speechless. He looked at Harry with wide eyes, almost begging for assistance.

Harry took the hint, modifying his voice again to sound exactly like Jul's. "I believe I hear your nurse, Juliet. I'll be up in just a moment," he retorted suavely. Rose smiled, backing into her room before leaving to see if Liz, her "nurse", actually needed anything.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Jul grabbed the front of Harry's cloak, holding him firmly.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed fiercely.

"I had to see her one last time," Harry whispered, his voice still mimicking Jul's, emerald eyes shining in the twilight.

"What do you mean "one last time"? Harry, you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Jul inquired slowly, suddenly concerned, his hand relaxed out of its firm grip.

"I'm leaving. I'm going back to England tomorrow after the wedding," he said wearily. "You heard her, she's happy…with you. And that's what we agreed on wasn't it? To make Rose happy?"

"Yeah," Jul replied quietly. It didn't feel right, to just take the decision of whom Rose would spend the rest of her life with out of her hands. But before he could say anything else to Harry, Rose returned to the window.

"So, are you coming up?" she asked, smiling radiantly.

"Yeah, just a second," Jul replied, grinning back at her. As always she took a step back. Now that they were out of her range of vision, Jul frantically turned to Harry.

"Quick, change into me!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Harry retorted, remembering to keep his voice low. It still sounded like Jul and it would sound awfully strange for him to be talking to himself.

"Go, act like me, you'll look like me. Spend one more night with her, it's the least I can do. I get her for the rest of my life, I can stand to let you be with her for one last night," Jul explained quickly. "I'll take your cloak so I can leave. All you have to do is leave in the morning after she wakes up."

"Wait, why after she wakes up?" Harry inquired. "Shouldn't I leave before?"

"No," Jul answered quickly, shooting glances at the window, "I always say goodbye in the morning. Just remember to-"

"Take my shirt off, I know," Harry finished for him. "You forget; I've been in love with Rose much longer than you have."

Harry muttered a spell he'd learned last year and instantly turned into Jul. His hair changed from raven black to light golden brown, eyes from emeralds to sapphires, even his clothes changed to mirror Jul's.

"Jul?" Rose called uncertainly from above.

"Go!" Jul whispered, wrapping Harry's cloak around him, disappearing into the dark.

Looking at where Jul was standing, Harry quietly said, "Thank you," before muttering Rose's flying spell and gliding up to her window.

As she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, Harry couldn't deny what his heart had been telling him all along: she loved Jul, and that was that.

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srry it took me so long, i was way stuck! but now it's finished! yay! the wedding will either be in the next chpt or the one after, i haven't decided yet. but yeah, the whole shirt thing, yeah well Rose likes to hear his heartbeat as she'd drifting off to sleep and i mean really, envision it, isn't it a wee bit romantic? i think so. but anyway, tell me what you think! review please oh please oh please!!!

ps. to any of you who are reading this and haven't read the first one, Hogwarts' Sleeping Beauty, please go back and read it, it just makes things easier though you may know what's going on anyway. just please, i want some feedback on it too.

pps. i also added a new part in chpt 4 so go back and read that, it kinda pertains to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing. srry i just couldn't resist :-P reply!!!