FULL SUMMARY: Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?
DISCLAIMER: Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
STORY DEDICATION: To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.
Chapter Five – Don't Let Them See You Cry
It was nearing wintertime at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Elaine was curled up by the fireplace as she read her favorite book from the Muggle World, Through the Looking Glass. She sighed as she looked out the window nearest her; it was past curfew and Harry was still out on his date with Ginny Weasley.
Elaine rolled her eyes at the though of her best friend going out with Ron Weasley's baby sister. She bore no ill will toward the red-haired fifth year, but Elaine could not help but to think back to something Harry had said when he first mentioned the girl of his dreams to her.
"She's like a little sister to me… just like you. You know I don't date family."
Grumbling to herself in the not-so-empty Gryffindor Common Room, Elaine looked over toward Hermione and Ron. She sighed once more as Hermione and Ron cuddled in the corner near the fireplace. Shielding her eyes behind her long, dark hair, Elaine thought about all of Harry's dates before Ginny; he never stayed out this late and he certainly never dared risking detention for those small dates.
"Hermione," Elaine asked, standing from the armchair, "do you have any idea where Harry would be now?"
Hermione pulled away from her boyfriend and looked toward her friend. She shook herself with a sigh; Hermione knew all too well what Elaine was feeling and she knew that there was no way to stop the ever-growing pain Elaine was starting to feel.
"Room of Requirements is my best bet," Hermione replied with a faint frown. "I really don't know though, Elaine. I do wish I could tell you otherwise and I do hope Harry comes back soon; it's well past curfew."
Elaine blinked before smiling at Ron. "I honestly don't know what time Harry might be back, but Ron, do you think you could give him a message for me?"
Ron looked at Elaine and shrugged. "I think that'll depend on the message itself."
Elaine smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. "Just let Wonder Boy know that-."
"Let me know what?" Harry's voice rattled through Elaine's ears.
Elaine whipped around to see that Harry was now in the Gryffindor Common Room with his arm around Ginny's waist. At the sight of this, Elaine looked carefully between Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione; everyone was perfectly paired up with someone and once again, she was alone.
She locked eyes with Harry long enough to come up with a lie. "I was just going to tell Ron to tell you… that I hope you had a great date with Ginny."
Ginny's eyes lit up as a grin formed on her face. "Thank you, El! Harry, I'm going to head up to bed now."
With that, Ginny planted a soft kiss on Harry's left cheek. She turned to hug her older brother and Hermione. As Ginny retreated back to the fifth year girls' dorm, Harry began to turn a brilliant shade of scarlet. Elaine noticed this change in Harry's face and immediately grabbed his wrist, dragging him up the stairs to his dorm.
"Woah, Elaine!" Harry remarked, trying to escape Elaine's death grip. "What's got your wand in a knot?"
Elaine did not reply to Harry's question. She stormed into the boys' dormitory, not minding that Seamus, Neville and Dean were having a simple chat with one another. The three boys looked at Elaine with a look of confusion; it was common for them to see her act temperamental toward Harry Potter, but now and then, they would dread her moody ways.
"Hey…" Seamus greeted steadily. "How goes everything, Elaine?"
"OUT!" Elaine snarled loudly. "Longbottom, Thomas, Finnegan! Leave! NOW!"
Without hesitation, the trio of boys raced out of their own dormitory, knowing that the last person to upset Elaine Port ended up in the Hospital Wing. Harry glared at her as the other dashed out the dorm; he still did not know the reason for her random burst of rage.
"Elaine, what is your bloody problem?" Harry wondered, still trying to escape from her hold.
Elaine, once again, did not bother to respond. She roughly tossed Harry aside on his bed and began her rant.
"Harry James Potter, what the bloody hell where you thinking? Do you know how late it is?"
"Elaine, look… please let me explain!"
"Oh," Elaine shouted, "let me guess: you and Ginny were enjoying yourselves so much that you completely let time escape you."
"Well… yeah…"
"Oh! Come off it, Potter! You cannot honestly tell me that you think that Ginevra Molly Weasley is that loon that runs through your dreams!"
Harry shot up from his bed and began to inch toward Elaine with fire burning in his eyes. "Elaine!" he shouted. "What is your problem? Ever since I told you about my dreams, you have done nothing but insult me, taking every crack you can at me when I go on these dates!"
Elaine was taken slightly aback by how Harry reacted to her. It was common for her to see his fits of rage from time to time, but they were never directed toward her. Even during their fifth year when Harry hit a weird stage, causing him to last out at his best friends, Elaine never experienced the wrath of Harry Potter.
Harry was now inching toward her and she was backing away with every step he took toward her. Soon enough, she cowered in fear and collapsed on Ron's bed. Elaine noticed there was a twinkle in Harry's eyes that had not been there for a while; maybe he really had found the girl of his dream in Ginny…
"Ugh!" Elaine grunted, coming back to her senses. "What the hell, Potter? Don't you see! This 'dream girl' of yours has you running around the halls of Hogwarts like some womanizer! If she really wanted to be with you, don't you think she would have revealed herself to you by now!"
Harry and Elaine were now facing each other. Each had their hands curled up into fists and both were fuming with anger.
"She said that she wanted to keep things mysterious!"
"You act like this stupid girl is real! And yet, you don't even know her name, Harry! What the heck is wrong with you?"
"My subconscious-."
"How many times do I have to tell you that your subconscious is a numbskull!" Elaine laughed harshly. "It is most definitely not trying to tell you anything!"
"Why are you so… so… emotional about this girl, Elaine?" Harry asked, for lack of a better word.
"Emotional? I think it is you who is emotional about this girl, Potter! I have never in all my years of knowing you, ever seen you chase after a girl you didn't even know!"
"For just this once, do you think you could just shut up, let me go my merry way and do what I please?"
Elaine almost gave up. "Harry, I just want to make sure that you're all right; I don't want to see you get hurt if and when this girl turns out to be fake! You're my best friend! The last thing I want to do is see you get hurt!"
"Some best friend!" Harry scoffed. "If you were really any good at being a best friend, you would have supported me, no matter how crazy the idea was. If you really my best friend, you'd understand the problems that I'm dealing with in trying to find her! If you were really my best friend, you wouldn't always yell at me when something doesn't go your bloody way! You're not a damn princess, okay? If you were really-."
"If I were really any good at being a friend," Elaine exhaled, finally giving up, "you wouldn't have so much to complain about, right? Harry, I'm sorry I'm not the girl that you want me to be, but I used to think you were better than that and had a big enough heart to look past my outer shell…"
Harry instantly knew where Elaine's speech was going. Her attitude had changed in a moment and from what Harry understood: Elaine was tearing up. He did not know if it was a trick of the room's light or if she was really going to cry. After all, in the time that he had known her, Elaine never cried. She was always the stronger one.
"Elaine, please don't-."
"I actually thought that you were better than that, Harry," Elaine repeated, softly. "I'm sorry that I'm not the girl that you want me to be."
Elaine slowly dragged herself out of the boys' dormitory. Harry grumbled to himself as she left, not wanting to cause a scene in the Gryffindor Common Room by following her. He collapsed face-first on his bed. In frustration, he shouted into his pillow.
To his knowledge, Elaine never cried. When her grandmother passed away during their first year, Elaine did not shed a single tear at the break of the news or at the funeral. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer in their third year, she showed no sign of anger or frustration or depression. When Death Eaters killed her father last year during the battle at the Ministry, Elaine did not cry. No matter what problem Elaine seemed to face, Harry noticed that she never cried or used it as a handicap. And yet, Elaine Port had just fled his dorm, crying over a little quarrel they just had.
Author's Note: This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on October 28, 2013.
So… it's only like six forty where I live and I know I already updated the last chapter of this during my morning break, but I thought I would give you guys this because of the break from the weekend. So I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of the story! I always want to say thank you for reading it. By the looks of it, Harry and Ginny are together now; hopefully that answers your questions – if you had any. If it doesn't I hope it raises more. Reviews are love, duckies! Thank you again! See you in the next update, dears.
- May