AN: Sorry I took so long with the holiday season my job has been keeping me busy. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy
I do not own HP or Star Wars, both of these are owned by J.K Rowling and George Lucas.
Chapter 3:
What the... who is she. Harry lets out a startled gasp and jumps back a foot after staring for a moment at her. He had been here with Revan for over a year without human contact, and suddenly this girl pops out of out the woodwork. He starts looking around him to make sure there is nobody else, paranoia encroaching upon his mind. He did NOT want his new home to be found by someone. There was still the fear that people could make him do something he didn't want. He had enjoyed his freedom from the Dursleys, and he was damned if anyone ever put him in that situation again.
"Sorry," the girl calls out, "I didn't mean to frighten you."
Harry looks her over cautiously, searching for any signs of danger. He notices that she is about his height, just a tad over 5 feet, with a slender build. Her hair seems to have lustrous qualities in the sunlight, and the deep brown worked quite well. The most noticing feature was her chocolate brown eyes, and if he wasn't so cautious at the moment for imminent threats, he knew he could get lost in her penetrating gaze. Harry shakes his head and releases his emotions into the force, quickly calming himself, and in an attempt to gain a firm handle on the situation; he talks to a real person for the first time in a long while. "Who are you, where did you come from, and how did you find me?" Harry queries the girl who was fidgeting under his gaze.
Padmé nervously plays with the hem of her dress, but all the training she received as a youth legislator starts to kick in. With a false confidence, she looks him straight in the eye and proceeds to address his questions. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Padmé, and my family and I are vacationing for the summer. We live down that way," she points off to the direction she came from, "and I was just exploring. It's sort of an accident I found you. Could you tell me your name? I would like to know what to call you," Padmé nervously asks while her fingers begin to twine together.
"I'm Harry. Sorry, it's just I have never met anyone here before."
Padmé proceeds to stick her hand out to shake his hand, but Harry quickly proceeds back. I wonder why he is so skittish, she ponders. "Oh I just meant to shake your hand Harry."
Harry gives her a shy grin. He was quite abashed by his actions; he slowly walks up to Padmé and shakes her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I was just meditating when you snuck up on me." His stomach grumbles loudly mid speech while his face turns a fluorescent red in embarrassment.
Padmé could only chuckle at their situation. She quickly darts her hand inside her pack and brings out some fruit and crackers. "Would you like to eat lunch with me? Hiking here takes a bit of energy; I am starving also." She gives Harry a timid smile, hoping he won't turn her down. To her delight, Harry nods back in response and quickly plops himself down right where he is sitting, gesturing over to her to join him. The two of them happily conversed about how beautiful Naboo is, what her family was like, and how long he has been in the Lake Country. She notices that he avoids mentions of his family, but just makes a mental note to find out more later. They share silly jokes and enjoy each other company immensely. The odd thing was how comfortable the two are with each other after their awkward introductions. Harry never made friends before this point, but now without the influence of his cousin, he is realizing how pleasant company of someone else could be.
A chirping from Padmé communicator interrupted them. She quickly excuses herself and after a brief conversation, she comes back to Harry with a sad look. "I have to go home for Dinner Harry. But could I come out and meet you tomorrow?"
"Of course Padmé. It was really fun talking with you. The food was really good too! I'll see you tomorrow." Giving her a wide grin, she quickly responds with a hug. This startles Harry for a few moments, but eventually just gives in to the sensation. She isn't going to hurt me.
The two of them began to meet on an almost daily basis, spending quite a few lunches and afternoons together throughout the summer. The two of them got to know each other quite well and their personalities seems to mesh well. She was the outspoken one and he was a little timid, but their opposite personas worked. They share almost everything about each other, except his previous home life. As their friendship begins to grow, the evidence is clearly present on their faces. Their faces have taken upon a certain glow that reflects their contentment.
The daily ritual of Padmé disappearing or the cheeriness she exudes was not lost on her parents. Of course, it was her nosy sister Sola who would point things out first…
"What has got you smiling so much lately sister? Your mouth has had that smile framed to you for the past couple of weeks. What's up?" Sola asked pointedly.
"Oh it's nothing," Padmé responds, but she couldn't hide the rosy red blush sneaking up on her. She decides to completely stonewall her sister and responds, "I've just been enjoying the weather and being free from my responsibilities."
Sola adopted a knowing smirk on her face. She always knew when her sister was telling a lie. "That's a boldface lie Padmé. You can lie to the people in your legislator, but you can't with me. Now spill, that's an order princess!"
"Well… you know…" Padmé couldn't help but fidget under the steady gaze of her sister but continues on, "I was hiking and I sort of met this boy along the lake…" Padmé trails off.
This instantly brought forth the attention of Sola. Even her mother's ears were perked up who was listening from the background.
"Well, go on!" Sola demands while her hands gesture in a waving motion for her to continue on.
"His name is Harry, and is the same age as me. He has jet black hair that is just a tad messy, but his eyes... they are so green and shine like emeralds when he laughs…" Padmé continues to gush on while Sola squeals at the information she is taking in. Her mother on the other hand raises an eyebrow in confusion. There isn't a home for miles nearby us. I wonder where he came from.
"Padmé dear, where is he from? I don't think there is a settlement or home anywhere close to us…" Jobal voice drifts off.
"He says he lives alone in the forests. I haven't seen his home yet, but I know he lives alone." Her previous smile started to transform into a sad frown. "His parents died a long time ago in some accident. He won't talk too much about it, but he said he has been living on Naboo for a year now." Padmé clasped her hands together like in prayer and proceeded to plead to her mother, "Mom, could we please invite him over? He is so nice and polite. You would love him!"
"That is fine dear. You may invite him over for dinner tomorrow. I'm sure we are all excited to meet him."
Padmé squealed and ran out to meet him. Her mom shrieked out after her that she hasn't even had breakfast yet, but the remark was lost on her. She was running out to where she always met Harry at top speed, and nothing in her path would hinder her. Upon reaching the beach site, she was treated to something that she hadn't encountered before: Harry practicing his katas with a lightsaber. Padmé was bowled over. Since when does he have a lightsaber? I thought only the Jedi use those. Is he… her mind trailed off as she quickly yelled out, "HARRY!"
He winced at the voice; instantly jumped and turned the weapon off. He faced sheepishly towards Padmé. The time he has spent with her, he knew a stern lecture was heading his way. She was mighty curious about anything about him, and he knew this omission would become a topic of contention right away. He decided to give her a shy smile and hoped for the best. "Hi Padmé, I didn't expect to see you so early in the morning. What's up?"
"What's up? Is that all you can say? Since when have you had a lightsaber? Why do you have one? I thought only Jedi had those. Explain, now." She demanded as she pointed a finger at a spot for him to sit down.
Revan knew Harry couldn't keep his training to becoming a Jedi a secret forever from this new friend of his. He was glad his new student was socializing with someone at last, and this consequence was inevitable. He whispers to Harry, "You may tell her about your training, but just keep me being your mentor out of it. I wouldn't expect her to understand a spirit being your teacher. Quite contrarily, she might believe clinically insane." Revan chuckled. "Have a pleasant conversation Harry," and proceeds to fade out of sight. Harry mutters something unintelligible before turning his attention back to Padmé.
"Umm, well, you see Padmé…"
"Stop stuttering and just say it Harry," Padmé commanded in a regal tone.
"I guess you could say I am training to be a Jedi." Harry decided to improvise his story about Revan pointing him towards this goal. "I had a teacher before coming to Naboo that gave me a bunch of stuff to start my training. Holocrons, or holographic chronicles, are what I study from and you've seen me meditating and all." He decided a short demonstration is the quickest way to show her. Lifting his hand up and pointing to the right, he concentrated and drew the force into him. The multiple boulders around him lifted off the ground, a couple meters high and began to rotate around him like planets around a star. She gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Harry allowed all the boulders to drop with a large thud. "I've been teaching myself for the past year or so. My teacher explained I'm not the traditional Jedi, and I am happy for it. Their lives seemed so constricting," Harry grimaces, "but hopefully, I can become decent enough to do some good in the world someday."
"Wow, that is amazing Harry!" The conversation between them soon continued on about what his training was like. He explained he meditates, physical activities like running, practices force techniques, and his lightsaber forms. Padmé queries about every possible detail she can come up with, and she was completely entranced by the topic. She had yet to meet a Jedi before, and even though Harry wasn't a formal one, it was still something new to be learned. Her child-like curiosity would not be satisfied without all the nitty gritty details. They conversed for hours, and Harry even showed her his home, the Ebon Hawk. It was in disrepair and couldn't fly anymore without repairs, but it had adequate power for environmental controls to be a proper home. Harry was surprised by how comfortable he felt sharing his life with this girl. He never really had a friend before to compare this experience with, so all he could do was thank circumstances and the force.
After countless hours, Padmé finally remembered why she had come out here for. "Oh! I almost forgot Harry. I was wondering if you wanted to visit my home and family for dinner tomorrow evening." She could not help the blush that encroached upon her face. "I told them I met a friend and they would be happy to meet you. Would you want to come?"
Padmé had on her brightest, hopeful smile. Harry did not want to let his friend down so he agreed immediately. They decided on a time where she would come pick him up to show him where she lived. They parted ways, both eagerly anticipating what the next day would bring them.
