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 Eighteen – Putting the Pieces Together
Harry continued to tell his two best friends everything he could about the girl from his dreams. He told them about when his dreams started and when Elaine found out. Harry went on to explain how that date with Cho Chang sparked the seemingly endless string of dates that followed. He even told Hermione and Ron about how the dreams stopped when he started dating Ginny and how they returned when she went away for break. Sighing to himself, he told his friends about his latest dream.
"I knew it!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up from her stop on the bed.
Harry and Ron stared at her with wide-eyes.
"Excuse me?" Harry remarked. "Hermione, what are you talking about?"
Hermione grabbed Ron by the shoulders, suddenly excited for her discovery. "Ronald, do you remember that day in the Great Hall a month or so back? When I asked where Harry was and Elaine got defensive? Oh! Or just earlier, when she mentioned that she and Harry had a misunderstanding about Mary Poppins! It all makes sense now!"
"Wait, what?" Ron asked, still confused. "Hermione, I'm not sure I understand where you're going with this."
Turning to Harry, Hermione crossed her arms and said, "I knew something was different about you!"
Harry looked at Hermione with the same look of confusion that Ron had. "Hermione, I have to side with Ron on this. I really don't understand what's going on… okay, well I sorta do, but I don't understand why you're so bloody excited about it."
"Harry," Hermione said with a bright smile, "don't you see? Your dreams… the dream girl… everything you just told Ron and me. Oh Harry, how can you be so dense! Please tell me you get where I'm going with this. Harry, please!"
"Hermione, I'm really at a loss right now," Harry admitted as he ran his hand through his hair for he umpteenth time since waking up. "Besides, why are you getting so worked up about all of this? … they're just dreams…"
"Oh no, Harry," Hermione explained, looking at Ron who was just as lost as Harry. "They're not 'just dreams'; they're anything but that now. Don't you see?"
"Hermione," Ron said, "I think if he saw what you saw – if either of us saw what you do – we'd probably be as ecstatic as you… but the point is, we're not. You have a bit of explaining to do."
Hermione let out a sigh before sitting beside Ron once again. "Harry's dreams started a little after our sixth year started, right?"
The boys nodded on cue as Hermione went on.
"Who came back from the summer break with a completely new makeover?" Hermione asked, not expecting a verbal answer to her question. "Obviously, you're still not seeing it, huh?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other and then at Hermione. They both shook their heads.
"Is the answer to your question really that simple?" Ron wondered. "I mean everyone comes back from the summer holidays looking a little different from how they did the year before."
"Yeah!" Harry agreed. "I mean, right off the top of my head, I remember Elaine came back with really long hair – the longest it's ever been since we met her. That and she learned how to apply makeup properly so that she could bring out her eyes…"
Hermione smirked at Harry's explanation. "Okay, moving on to the next fact: when your dreams stopped occurring. Care to explain what happened then?"
"I told you already, Hermione!" Harry replied. "The dreams stopped after my first date with Ginny and they started again after you guys left for winter break."
Ron slowly caught on to what Hermione had hinted at from the start of the conversation. "In other words, mate," he said to Harry, "your dreams stopped the night of your date with my sister… that same night you and Elaine had a huge fight that led to her ignoring you…"
"Ignoring you until the day we went off to spend the holidays with our families," Hermione said. "Do you see it now? Harry, please tell me you see it now."
Harry sighed sadly. "Hermione, this is hopeless. I feel so stupid."
"So… do you see it?"
"No! That's why I feel completely daft. What am I missing here?" Harry groaned, burying his head under the pillow once more. "I'm missing something though, right? UGH!"
"Harry, you said that in your last dream, the dream girl recited familiar words," Hermione reminded. "Tell me something: why are those words so familiar to you?"
"Because those are all the same things that Elaine would always tell me," Harry said, miserably from under his pillow.
Hermione and Ron looked at each other; their best friend was not completely dense, was he? How could Harry still not see what was being laid out in front of him perfectly?
"… because my dream girl was quoting Elaine!" Harry remarked, throwing the pillow in Ron and Hermione's direction. "But… why?"
"Harry, do you remember the day in the Great Hall?" Hermione asked. "That day when you told Ginny that she was saying things the same way the girl of your dreams would say?"
"Yeah, but Hermione," Harry said, "this isn't about that. This is about the girl of my dreams quoting Elaine."
"Exactly," Ron said. "Do you understand it now?"
"Harry, this whole time," Hermione stated, "your subconscious was really trying to tell you something!"
Harry put on a faint smile as he sat up to face Hermione and Ron. "Guys, I don't think you get it: my subconscious is an ignoramus!"
"Couldn't agree more," a voice drawled from the entrance of the dormitory. "You're just as bad, Potter."
"Elaine!" Hermione said gleefully. "It's so good you're here! Harry has something to tell you!"
"I do?" Harry wondered as Hermione forced him Elaine's way.
"About what we were just talking about!" Hermione pressed on. "Don't you have something to tell her, Harry?"
"Actually," Elaine interrupted, "if you don't mind, I'd like to have a couple of words with Harry alone."
Before Harry could utter another sound, Elaine grabbed his wrist and dragged him down to the Gryffindor Common Room. Eventually, she led her fellow Gryffindor out to the Black Lake. She released her hold on him and then plopped herself on the log just near the shore of the Black Lake.
The whole way from the Gryffindor Common Room to the Black Lake was silent. Harry said nothing to Elaine and she said nothing to him. What was there to say? It was not like he could just tell Elaine what he recently discovered. After all, he was still having a little trouble understanding what Hermione and Ron were trying to say; well, he understood, but he couldn't get why… not completely.
"So…" Harry began. "What-?"
"You. Shut up!" Elaine remarked, rubbing her temples. "I'm trying to think."
"Can I just ask you something though?" Harry said. "How much of the conversation did you hear?"
"I said: SHUT UP!" Elaine bellowed, rubbing her temples a little more violently. "What does what I heard matter? Besides, all I heard was you admitting that your subconscious is just as idiotic as you are."
"Elaine…" Harry said, the awkwardness of the situation hitting him. "… are you okay?"
"You seriously need to get your priorities straight, Potter," she hissed, running a hand through her light brown hair. "Your girlfriend is in her dormitory, crying her eyes out or something and you're asking me if I'm okay."
"You're my best friend," Harry said with a sigh. "Of course, your wellbeing does matter to me. As for Ginny, I know… she and I had a little… spat before Hermione and Ron came to see me.
"But Elaine, that's besides the point: what did you want to talk about?"
"The girl of your dreams…"
Author's Note: This chapter of the story was written and published on March 2, 2014.
I hope these constant updates makes up for my absence. Because for the first time in forever, I finally feel good enough to write a story. I actually hope to complete this story by the end of the month. (Honestly, I don't think it's gonna take that long to finish it, but it's just a time frame I'm setting for myself.)
I think I said this in the last update, but this story was originally only supposed to have eight chapters. But… what the damn hell? We're already at chapter eighteen! YAY!
What did you think of this chapter? LOL I really hope you all liked it and I'm glad to see that all the favorites that this story is getting! Thank you so much to those of you who have done that for me; it really does mean a lot. Also, an even bigger thanks to those of you who have left reviews for me. They really make my day and they motivate me to keep updating as often as I have been.
Don't forget to leave a review for this chapter of the story! Thanks so much in advance. And thank you for taking the time to read this! :D
- May