Chapter 11: Kiss the Girl

Although he was regularly being slapped, punched and kicked at home, with occasional, more frequent, lashings of uncle Vernon's trusty belt, Harry tried to carry on as if it wasn't happening. This wasn't the best way in the world but it was Harry's way. Just carry on, tell the world you're fine and fake a smile. Of course it didn't work on everyone. The one who knew what went on behind closed doors, the only person Harry Potter confided in. Georgie Flynn. Because of her being the only one knowing about the beatings that took place at the hands of his uncle they started to grow closer to each other. They often met up in the park without the others, this was when he usually confided in her about the abuse and when she offered her support. But mostly they would talk about whatever was in the air, their friends, his old friends, school and just anything else that popped up. And it was obvious there was chemistry between them. When they were alone there were times he had to fight the urge to go up to her and kiss her so much so it was like there was a war going on inside his head.

The thing was Harry was desperately trying to stop himself getting involved with her, for several reasons. One, he was likely to be killed by his uncle and he knew how much death hurts to those left behind, two, if he did survive this there would come a day he would have to go away and kill Voldemort, which could also result in his death. And if Voldemort tried to get to him by using things he loved, her death too. He'd done it before with Ginny Weasley. He wanted her to protect her from all of that. Because he was very attracted to her and that really got him, he really did like her, cared about her, though he was certain she did not know that. He was also certain there would come a time when he would have to tell her what he was and he was pretty certain she would laugh in his face. But then again you can't help you fall in love with can you? And sometimes you just have to go with your heart. Maybe it was time to go with his heart.

One night they headed to the park to revise together as the weather was beautiful for April. The found a spot out in the middle of the park and sat themselves down. For the next hour straight they revised mainstream subjects like science, maths and English. Eventually they stopped for the day. "Who's coming back to mine for videogames?" asked Patterson shoving his revision books into his bag.

"I'm in" said Bobby wrestling his books into his already over-packed bag. "But only if there's a massive bottle of cola and a big bowl of popcorn involved"

"Always my friend" grinned Patterson "Kyle?"

"Yeah definitely. But can we at least play the one we all like this time?" replied Kyle

"Of course dude" said Patterson "You two?" he turned to Harry and Georgie. Harry had this burning desire to be alone with her, though videogames sounded cool, he just liked the idea of them being alone today.

And it seemed she may be feeling the same. "Nah I don't feel like them tonight, I want to get through more of this stuff" she replied pulling herself to her feet and dropping her bag over her shoulder.

"Ok, you're well boring now Georgie cause of all the exams. Can't wait till they're done" said Patterson, smiling. "What about you Harry?"

"No I have a curfew problem, aunt and uncle want me revising at all hours of the day and night" he replied, which was half-true "They don't want me staying out late and not doing it"

"Ok cool, maybe next time" he shrugged "Come on you two suckers. I'm going to thrash you!" they headed off through the park. Harry and Georgie remained where they had been with the other three and watched until they disappeared from sight. "Nice excuse" she grinned turning to him.

"Excuse?" he asked, grinning too "What excuse"

"You know what excuse" she smiled "Lovely, very good. I guess you're good at lying through your back teeth. But that was very neat"

"How did you know that was an excuse?" he asked, smirking slightly

"I've got very good in the art of reading you Harry Potter" she smiled "I can read you like a book, I know when you're lying to me and to everyone else, and when you're telling the truth"

"Ok. What about yours?" he grinned

"Yeah I know" she smirked "Looks like we read each other's minds"

His eyes widened, did she feel the same? "You wanted to…"

"Spend time with you?" said Georgie "Yes. Duh! Let's go find somewhere else to sit" so they went on through the park talking as they walked.

"I thought you liked Patterson" he said

"I've known him way too long to like him in that way" she laughed slightly "I've known Patterson since I was four. He's more like my brother!"

"What about Kyle and Bobby?" he asked

"No, jeez they're great but no. again more like my brothers" she shook her head "And they have girlfriends remember"

"Yeah, Kyle's always got his tongue down that girl's throat." He laughed "Didn't know Bobby did though"

"Oh yeah Leanna, 11FK" she replied "He's keeping it quiet only I walked in on them snogging in the girls changing rooms a few weeks ago. By accident of course"

"Of course" he grinned "Have you ever…"

"Kissed someone?" she asked "Yes. That boy was not worth it though. I don't know why I dated him."

"Who was it?" he asked curiously

"Malcom" she replied "In our year. I broke up with him after he took me to watch him and his friends from school and these other two beating up some kids"

"You must've met Dudley!" he thought out loud.

"Dudley?" she frowned.

"Big, fat. Very, very fat and blonde" said Harry.

"Yeah him, I remember he did most of the beating on that kid." She replied "He reminded me of a pig"

"Yeah he certainly is" Harry nodded in agreement "He's my cousin. You know the one I talked about at Christmas. He is a pig."

"I pity you for having to live with that" she said.

"He goes to boarding school so he's not there all of the time." He replied.

"So" she smiled "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"No" he admitted "Never really gotten the chance. Plus the girls where I used to go school either hated me or were my best friends. Tough one"

"I guess things can change" she replied "Hey that tree looks good" she gestured to a tall, rather grand and old oak tree that stood by itself. He nodded in agreement and they made their way over to it. Chucking their bags down, they sunk down to the grass and rested against the tree. "So why did you give Patterson that crap excuse?" she asked

"I… I" he wasn't quite sure what to say to her. He knew it had been because he really wanted to spend time with her but he wasn't sure if he could actually admit that to her. "Same reason as you I guess. I guess because of you"

She smiled at him, with a smile that lit up the already bright evening. "I like it when we do this, you know just the two of us. It's good to have a friend who isn't obsessed with talking about videogames, sex and talking dirty all of the time."

"I lived under a rock" he said jokingly "I'm not used talking about those things, with anyone. Besides it gets boring after a while. I don't think they're really my thing"

"What do you like then?" she asked

He thought, quidditch was probably his favourite thing. But he couldn't tell her this. So instead… "Reading, it keeps me focused and I learn new stuff… what about you?"

"Well I'm a total bookworm" she giggled "I love writing stories, especially for my little brother and sisters. They love my stories. And I'm a goner for athletics, running is my favourite. Mysteries, they're good too"

"Mysteries" he nodded, yeah he'd had a few of those in his life. Especially last year, the mystery of who'd put his name in the goblet of fire. And why. "Yeah they're good, I like them too."

'You're different to other boys, I like different" she smiled "You're like a riddle I've yet to figure out"

"You're different to other girls, you're really simple" he replied, smiling at her. "You're a good different, the perfect kind of different"

She smiled at him then rested her head gently on his shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled. They sat there quietly for a few minutes neither of them saying anything to the other. It was serene. Harry's mind whirled, he never wanted this moment to end. It was a moment he wanted to last forever. Slowly, and carefully, he slid his hand into hers and held it gently, she looked up at him with her eyes and smiled even more. "If you could, would you stay in this moment forever?" she asked softly

"Yes" he replied, smiling "Forever with you". Now was one of those moments he was fighting off the urge to kiss her. It was like his conscience was having a real fight inside his head, it was giving him a right headache. 'Just do it already!" a voice inside his head hissed "Kiss the girl!"

They sat for a while, not saying anything. Her head still on his shoulder, his hands still wrapped around her hand. He was starting to think she might've fallen asleep. He watched the sun start to dip lower, realising his curfew was going to kick in very soon. "We should probably head home now" she whispered

"Yeah" he nodded. Their hands fell apart and they pulled themselves to their feet. They boy picked up their backs and dropped them over their shoulders. She looked around before looking back at him and smiling. That voice spoke inside his head again, this time it was louder. "Kiss the girl!" They looked into each other's eyes, searching deep inside of them. They, rather unconsciously, moved closer to each other. They continued to search in each other's eyes until finally it happened. They moved their heads closer together and soon their lips met. It was such a sensation he had never felt before, warm and incredible. They pulled apart after a few seconds and smiled at each other. Before they knew it they had moved their heads together and were kissing each other again.

They kissed each other for quite a while before pulling away again. She smiled at him, her big brown eyes making him feel like a normal person for once, making him feel like he was worth something in this world. They made him feel very warm inside. "Going to walk me home then?" she grinned

"Of course" he smiled. She held out her hand, signalling for him to hold it. Which he did without having to think. Holding hands they walked through the park to the gates and exited. "Did that really just happen or was I daydreaming again?"

"No it really happened!" she giggled "Did you… like it?"

He nodded. "Yeah… it was like nothing I've ever felt before."

He walked her back to her house and said goodbye to her before heading home to the Dursleys. He walked home, grinning and thinking about her more than ever before. His head whirled with thoughts about her. He'd kissed her, at last. He'd finally listened to his heart and his head, he kissed her. It had been like an explosion of fireworks inside his head. It was a sensation he wanted to feel again, with her. Smiling he walked back to Privet Drive.

Hoping he would be able to sneak in and go straight upstairs he walked up the path to the house and pushed his key into the lock. He couldn't wipe that grin off his face. But someone else did. Uncle Vernon. He went inside the house and he could hear someone pacing angrily in the kitchen. Then the pacing stopped and footsteps headed in his direction. He froze momentarily but started moving again when he saw a furious uncle Vernon coming out of the kitchen and panicked. He had a face full of thunder. He came after him and Harry bolted up the stairs but he followed him, into his bedroom. "WHERE'VE YOU BEEN BOY?"

"At the park" Harry replied "I got back before my curfew!"

"YOU'RE AN UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SOD!" He spat. Harry couldn't figure out why he was angry, he hadn't done anything wrong, that would provoke him recently.

"Why are you mad?" Harry asked slinging his bag down on his bed "I haven't done anything"

"MY BUSINESS DEAL FELL THROUGH!" He raged "AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"You what?" Harry spat "How is it my fault?"

"YOU'VE BEEN CAUSING ME SO MUCH STRESS LATELY!" He roared "IT'S YOUR FAULT"

"It's not my fault" Harry seethed, of course it wasn't his fault. He had nothing to do with uncle Vernon's work. "Don't blame me for your failings"

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THAT?" Uncle Vernon thundered

"It wasn't an insult" Harry retorted "It was a point. I'm not responsible for what happened!"

"DON'T GIVE ME ATTITUDE!" He bellowed "I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR YOUR GAMES!"

"What games?" Harry spat "I'm not playing games!"

"YOU'RE TESTING ME BOY!" He raged

"Well get out of my room then!" Harry hissed. Within seconds Uncle Vernon's hand collided with his face

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO IN MY OWN HOME!" He exploded "YOU INSOLENT LITTLE SOD!"

"Why do you think I'm insolent?" Harry retorted "Look at who raised me. Look at how I was raised. Then you'll know why I'm insolent!"

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE WAY WE RAISED YOU?" He roared

"How? Easily. You treat me like crap" Harry let all of his emotions of hatred fall from his mouth in a rather insolent tone, that he didn't care about.

"WE RAISED YOU THE BEST WAY WE COULD. A COUPLE OF BEATINGS AS A CHILD WOULD'VE KNOCKED THAT DANGEROUS CRAP OUT OF YOU. SHAME I NEVER DID!" He hollered

"You did" said Harry "I remember the times you hit me as a child, when I was a defenceless little kid."

"YOU WEREN'T A DEFENCELESS LITTLE KID!" He roared. He went for Harry again. Harry ducked and ran for the door knowing he had lost it and was going to beat him again. He shot through the door but the corpulent man was on his tail. He grabbed the back of his blazer and yanked him back but Harry quickly wriggled his arms out of the arm holes and fled towards the stairs. Chucking the blazer down Uncle Vernon went in pursuit of Harry as he tried to flee down the stairs. Grabbing the back of his shirt he pulled him towards him again then shoved him, sending him flying headfirst down the stairs. Instinctively Harry put his arms out in front of his face to protect him from the fall. He landed hard on his left arm, hearing an almighty crack as he hit the floor. Uncle Vernon loomed over him, taking his belt from his trousers and rose it above his head before raining it down on his body. The pain was indescribable, as it always was and he could feel the immense hatred his Uncle had for him with every single blow. Unlike before he didn't cry, or scream. He gritted his teeth and worked through the pain, even though all he wanted to do was let out a blood curdling scream.

Finally his Uncle stopped hitting him and stormed into the living room. Harry scrambled to his feet and pulled up his sleeve, his arm was twisted. It was bent at a horribly funny angle that freaked him out. He didn't dare touch it because there was a very good chance it was broken. He knew he was going to have to go to hospital. So he grabbed his blazer from the top of the stairs and carefully put it on. Then he went to the front door and slid out. He pulled the door shut and headed down the path, away from the house. Frustrated and in agony he walked himself all the way to A&E. Pain cruising round his body.

He went into the A&E and up to reception. "I think I've broken my arm" he said to the receptionist.

"Take a seat, I'll get someone to come and take a look" she replied. So he took a seat. The pain really started to sink in. Harry knew what pain felt like. He remembered what it felt like to be under the crucatis curse, which was the most indescribable pain he'd ever been in. And ever since he'd been whipped repeatedly. Pain was something that came naturally to Harry Potter, he was used to it now.

It wasn't too long before he was taken through and a doctor came to look at his arm. "That is nasty" said the doctor feeling his arm and looking at it "That definitely feels broken. How did you do this?"

"I fell out of a tree" he shrugged. He'd wanted to tell the doctor the truth about how it had happened. But he couldn't, the things Uncle Vernon would do to him if he did.

He was sent up for an x-ray in radiology. Afterwards he was sent back to A&E where the doctor told him the results. "It's definitely broken" he began "Badly too. It's what we call a commuted fracture. The radius and ulna bone have snapped in two. We'll need to realign it then set it with a cast."

Harry stared at the doctor. Great his own Uncle had broken his arm, just another injury to add to the list. The nurse assisting the doctor gave him some anaesthetic. Then she at the doctor took hold of different parts of his arm. Then they pulled and twisted. He screamed at the indescribable pain. Finally they had realigned the bones. The doctor left the nurse to bandage up his arm.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Ok it doesn't hurt too much" he replied "But that realigning thing was agony!"

"I know, I'm sorry" said the nurse "We had to otherwise it never would've healed."

He'd once had no bones in his right arm and madam Pomfrey had grown them back for him, which had been rather uncomfortable. This was even worse.

"I know" he sighed as she wrapped the bandage around the plaster.

"Good" she smiled "How did it happen?"

"I fell out of a tree" he lied.

"Typical boy" she smiled.

"And I was having a good day for once" he sighed "Good day at school, loads of work and revision done and I even kissed a girl for the first time then I went and fell out of that tree and did this".

"When did it this happen?" she asked

"A few hours ago" he shrugged

"Why didn't you come in straightaway?" she asked, puzzled

"It didn't hurt so I thought it was ok" he replied, lying through his back teeth. Of course he had come in straightaway but it was dark out, he wouldn't have fallen out of a tree this late.

"It was the shock that stopped you from feeling the pain" she explained. She finished bandaging him up and disappeared for a moment.

The doctor and the nurse returned to the cubicle. "I've written a prescription for some painkillers" he handed Harry the slip "And a list of exercises to get your arm rehabilitated. Also I referred you to orthopaedics for an outpatient appointment"

"Ok" Harry nodded.

"There's a pharmacy on the third floor" the nurse added "So you can collect your prescription"

"Thanks" he yawned. The doctor signed his discharge form and he left the A&E department. He went up to the pharmacy and collected his prescription. He had to wait around for ages because despite the fact it was early in the morning it was packed. There mostly mums and dads with little kids with broken arms and legs, or adults with the same and elderly people. After two hours his name was finally called and they handed him his prescription.

Yawning he left the hospital. It was five o'clock in the morning and the streets were dead. No one else was walking around, he guessed most people were probably in bed asleep. The occasional car went past him but there was no one else. Finally he reached number four and let himself in. He tiptoed inside and up the stairs to his room. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He barely slept a wink before having to drag himself out of bed at half past seven.

He took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs. He went into the kitchen, hoping to get some food. He covered his arm up with his blazer but unfortunately Uncle Vernon noticed it. "What's up your sleeve boy?" he snapped

"Nothing" he shrugged

"I don't believe you" he hissed before walking over and yanking Harry's blazer sleeve up. "What's that boy?"

"A cast" Harry replied "My arms broken"

"How?" he spat

"You threw me down the stairs you lunatic!" he retorted

"Don't call me a lunatic!" he hissed

"Why not? It's what you are!" Harry hissed back.

"You little!" he was so angry he could barely speak. So instead of talking he slapped Harry round the face. "You didn't tell them how it happened did you boy?

"Do I look stupid?" Harry spat "I know exactly what you'd do to me if I did! But I was tempted to, I don't deserve this crap"

"IF YOU TELL ANYONE BOY. I WILL KILL YOU. YOU'LL MEET THE SAME STICKY END AS YOUR FREAK PARENTS!" He exploded

"You can threaten me all you like and you know I won't tell anyone but do you really think beating me is going beat what I really am out of me?" replied Harry

"YOU TEST ME BOY!" He thundered

"I test you. You make laugh" Harry shook his head with anger "YOU BROKE MY ARM! YOU KNOW MAYBE I WILL GO AND TELL EVERYONE!"

"YOU TELL ANYONE BOY AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE OVER. YOU'LL BE JOINING YOUR PARETNTS!" He roared "YOU'LL REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"

Harry glared at him then left the kitchen. He stormed back upstairs, grabbed some money from his pot and left for school. He grabbed a pastry from the bakery on the way and savoured every bite.

When he got to school he saw Georgie standing by the gate, seeing him she smiled and came over to him. "Hey" she smiled "I barely stopped thinking about what happened yesterday"

His mind was all over the place right now. "It was all so special" she looked at him

"I know" he smiled slightly. Of course his mind was far away from that blissful encounter as he had gone home, been thrown the downstairs, whipped and had a broken arm.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Her eyes fell to his arm and she immediately realised the two were connected. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes… it's broken" he replied.

"How the hell did that happen…?" she asked.

"I fell down the stairs last night. I got out of bed to go to the toilet and forgot to put my glasses on and walked the wrong way down the hall." He fabricated a story that he hoped would sound believable. "Next thing I knew I was tumbling down the stairs"

"Ouch" she winced.

"Ouch indeed" he nodded "It bloody hurt."

She nodded in agreement and they waited for the others as usual. Kyle came into school with his girlfriend, eating her tonsils as usual. Bobby came into school with Patterson and they were laughing and joking as usual. "Hey what did you do to your arm?" asked Patterson

"I fell down the stairs" lied Harry.

Lots of people signed his cast including Dudley's pals, Malcolm, Dennis and Gordon. Well they wrote their favourite name for him on it. It was always the same story. I fell down the stairs.

The more he told the story the easier it became to tell it. Nobody had to know the truth. Not yet at least.