Call Me 10
Disclaimer. Still working on growing out of the back of JKR's head, until that time I am not her.
x
Susan kept glaring at the pair across the breakfast table. Harry refused to meet her eye. Lisa didn't have that problem.
"I thought we had all agreed to adult about this situation. Like when we heard you and dad."
Susan just sighed and drank some coffee. After breakfast the pair headed out. Harry called the Knight Bus he retraced his steps from Tuesday. Although nothing had changed he enjoyed the day more when he had someone to share it with. They pointed and joked and walked hand in hand and generally just enjoyed being together.
Susan was still working when they returned to the house so Harry set about cooking tea. Lisa wrapped her arms around him as he cooked.
"You're going to make someone a fine husband one day."
Harry noticed her choice of words. "Someone?"
"Me, hopefully. I want it so bad at some moments, at others I'm so scared."
Harry turned and kissed her. "Lisa that proposal was heartfelt but maybe..." He drifted off he didn't want to hurt her.
She kissed him. "Maybe it better that you don't talk to my dad just yet. I'm still getting the tattoo though."
He kissed her before turning back to the cooker both relieved and disappointed.
Simon arrived mid afternoon on the Friday. Lisa and Harry were curled up on the sofa. Harry was trying to get into the book Luna had given him. Strange was not the word.
"So Harry, ready for a big weekend?" Simon asked him.
Harry sat up a little a straighter forcing Lisa to move her head much to her displeasure.
"Ah, no one told you then? Bowling and juke food tonight. Tomorrow you get to give that suit a test drive. We're going for a more formal meal."
Harry glanced down at Lisa. "Yes I knew but I thought you might like the surprise, now go back to being a good cushion and stay still. "
Harry messed up Lisa's hair in response.
That evening at the bowling flew by. Harry had thought he was competitive until he met Simon. Every point was a triumph and ever miss a disaster. They played three games, two against two swapping bowling partners each time so everyone got to play against Simon and with him. While they played a constant stream of snacks were consumed so Harry was a little surprised that they went into a themed restaurant straight after. Harry settled on a burger and coke leaning back in a booth seat with Lisa sat tight against him. Harry tried to recall a moment that felt so right.
Simon placed a small glass in front of him. It had a finger measure of a brown liquid in it.
"Harry, time for an important life skill." Simon nodded at the glass in front of him. "That's a single malt whisky. Not the best but the best you can get in a place like this. First things first. You don't drink whisky to get drunk. That's what vodka is for. Whisky is to be savoured.
Don't gulp it. Don't throw it back like you're scared of the taste. Sip it. Take the smallest amount onto your tongue." Harry followed Simon's instructions.
"Now hold it there. Savour it. Let it move back and forth, different bits of your tongue have different taste buds. Get all the different flavours. Then and only then can you swallow. Then you can repeat the process. Take your time with it. If I get a good whisky I tend to nurse it longer than a pint."
"Some people add ice or water." Harry began.
"Harry, you are living in my house and sleeping with my only daughter. I'm fine with that but if I ever see you add anything to a single malt that isn't that exact same single malt. Well, there shall be consequences."
Harry sipped a little more under Simon's watchful eye. "Master this skill and I might let you try the good stuff."
Harry could tell Lisa was daring to say something about this but was resisting the temptation. He knew that she'd have said something to Susan but was more restrained around her dad. It was something he was grateful for. Later that night in bed he asked her what she wanted to say.
"I don't know, he's so bloody precious about his whisky it drives me nuts. I had all sorts of thoughts going round my head. Probably best I kept them to myself. Besides you'd have gone crimson if I'd brought up our sexual habits in front of him."
Harry reached for his wand and cast silencing charms around the bed. "Speaking of which."
The next morning Simon pulled Harry to one side. "Next time don't forget to silence under the bed not just the walls. The floorboards creaked."
"Um..."
"It's not like I didn't know what you too get up to, just be a bit more discreet. It's a little embarrassing."
Simon turned to leave before Harry called him back. "I asked Lisa to marry me last week." He watched Simon's face. He seemed a little surprised but not angry. "After a day, we both agreed that it was a little too early to do that. How do you know? When would be the right time to ask?"
Simon sat down opposite Harry. "There isn't one Harry. In some cultures and countries, people only meet on their wedding day. Arranged marriages work as well as our western version. You love Lisa right?"
Harry nodded.
"So do I, I also love Susan and I love Leeds United. I don't love them all the same way, but it doesn't diminish the feelings. The way I love Susan my wife is different from the way I loved Susan my girlfriend. Can I be honest with you?" Harry nodded. "We were careless, Susan was pregnant when we got married. I might not have made that commitment if that hadn't happened. Now our first child miscarried. By then I was committed. I was a Hufflepuff. I never walk away from my commitments. A marriage involves you falling in love with the same person over and over again. Are you and Lisa ready to make that commitment? Maybe you are maybe you're not. It's what marriage is Harry. Not a romantic feeling. But a hard and fast decision. This is the person I will live with until death. Can you make that sort of commitment?
Now you have to love the other person too because just being with someone you can't love is the worst thing you can imagine. So your question, how do you know? You don't really, you just make the best judgement you can. Now if you're asking my advice I'd say you are a little too young. Not that you haven't been together long enough because as I said arranged marriages work. The fact you asked then you both changed your minds say to me you aren't ready yet. Can you answer me this though? What would you do if you misjudged when to take the potion and Lisa was pregnant?"
"I'd marry her if that's what she wanted. I think she'd be even more inclined to say no then."
"That sounds like Lisa" Simon agreed chuckling. "But you wouldn't hesitate to make that commitment. Give it a term and ask me then. Not that I'm going to say no, if the two of you are sure. One thing I know, with James money you can provide for her, that is for certain."
Harry left Simon with his head spinning. For once Simon hadn't planned a trip out. The main family activity was to be a meal that night. Harry practically dragged Lisa into the city. Sitting against what he thought of as their tree near the Minster he told Lisa about his conversation with Simon.
"You told my dad?" People turned to look as she'd shouted the question.
"Yes. I wasn't asking permission, I wanted advice and I didn't know anyone else to ask."
"It's true about Gryffindors all reckless bravery. So what did he say?"
Harry recounted the conversation to Lisa. They both sat thinking it through. Finally, Lisa turned and looked at him. "In a years time, ask me then and I'll say yes. In the mean time make sure you are taking the potion regularly. I'd like to pass my NEWTs and I don't think morning sickness and revision would go well together."
Harry pulled her close and kissed her but any talk of the future worried him. Every year in school had brought something bad, would this one be worse? Still this moment and Lisa kisses pulled him away from an uncertain future.
They returned home early afternoon. Simon had them pack their clothes into the car and they headed to Leeds. Simon had rooms booked at Quebecs Hotel in the city centre. They arrived at four thirty. "We have dinner reservation at seven ladies, so please rush."
Simon and Harry Headed to one room and Lisa and her mum took the other. "You and Lisa will have this room tonight but it's better if they share a room while they get ready. Nothing good comes from a man standing around watching women get ready."
Harry and Simon sat and watched the football results on the TV
"Right Harry, time for a shower and a shave. Tie your hair back too. Then get booted and suited. I imagine the ladies will only be another hour."
Harry felt like it was the Yule ball all over again. Standing around waiting for his date. Eventually the phone rang to let them know that Lisa and Susan were ready. He stood and pulled at his collar he wasn't used to a tie and had to ask Simon's help to make a proper knot.
He was wearing a black shirt and an olive suit. The collars and labels of his suit were narrow as fashion dictated. It liked similar to the suits the Gallagher's had worn to Downing Street receptions. Harry felt he looked reasonable in it even if he kept pulling at his collar. Standing in the hotel corridor he had to do a double take when he saw Susan.
Susan was wearing a black cocktail dress. It was the very embodiment of a little black dress. He heard Simons breathing next to him. It was Harry had to admit a very sexy outfit. Susan stepped to one side and allowed Harry to see Lisa. She was wearing gold sparkling dress. It came to mid thigh with a floaty-layered skirt and a tighter strapless bodice. The whole thing sparkled in the light. Across her shoulders she had a light wrap with golden threads running through it.
Simon nudged him. "Breath Harry. "
They had dinner reservations at the Sous le Nez en Ville, which while part of the same building was not part of the hotel. Harry barely noticed what he was eating although it was some of the best food he had ever had. He kept getting caught by Lisa's radiance.
She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Fuck."
He blinked and was dragged back to reality. "What."
"I thought some vulgarity might get through." She still spoke quietly in his ear. "I'm still me, you've seen me naked, lots. Yes I'm dressed up a bit but this worship is getting annoying although it was cute at first. So keep it together, interact like normal or their won't be any hot hotel sex tonight."
Harry kept himself focused after that. Lisa allowed her wrap to drop allowing her ankh to be seen.
"How did you manage that at your age? Her mum asked.
"Harry and I have fake passports. A little transfiguration and we got passports with different ages."
Susan scowled "I'm not really into the whole tattoo thing. At least that one is easy to hide. It's not like you have love and hate across your fingers. It might be a bit premature but think about what sort of wedding dress you want before getting any more done." As Susan spoke, Lisa blushed and Harry coughed and spluttered on his drink. "What? Something to tell me?"
Harry took Lisa's hand. "We've talked about get married. I think the current position is, if I ask on my next birthday then Lisa will say yes."
Susan rolled her eyes. "If you don't mind me saying that's bollocks. Either you are engaged or not. You can't be engaged to be engaged. Harry just buy her a ring and set the wedding date for when you're nineteen." Susan looked round the table at the stares coming her way. "What, you thought I was going to object? Of course I'm totally happy letting the two of you sleep together every night but object when you want to get married."
Harry took a napkin ring off the table. Took his wand out of his jacket pocket and concentrated. Gold was practically impossible to transfigure but reshaping a silver ring and adding a stone was something he could mange. To Susan's gasp as he magically altered the napkin ring to an engagement ring, he turned to Lisa. Meeting her eyes which affirmed him but were also welling up. With ever increasingly shaking hands he picked up the ring.
"Lisa Turpin, will you marry me?"
With tears in her eyes she answered "Yes, you daft sod I will."
"Waiter. Champagne." Simon called. "Make it a good one."
Harry had to slightly resize the ring before Lisa slipped it on her finger.
"I'd like to say that was unexpected." Susan told them. "That would be a lie. I've never seen Lisa so happy in her life. You two are good together."
The rest of the meal was a blur, Harry kept glancing down at Lisa's hand. He was still in shock that he'd really done that, but he was glad he had. Even more so, that he called that number. Was it really a month ago? It felt like a different life. In one sense, it was a different life. He now had a family. A wife to be. Her parents who treated him as well as they did her. Yet there was still that bigger world out there. A prophecy and a mad man who wanted him dead.
"Er yuck." Lisa had leaned in and licked his cheek.
"You're brooding. I can't flash my boobs in public sitting opposite my parents. Although I'm sure you can see some cleavage if you put your mind to it. Now if you're not paying me attention the only thing I want you contemplating is really hot, hotel, celebratory, engaged sex. It will be even better than birthday sex."
"What are you two whispering about?" Simon asked.
"About how I'm going to fuck Harry into next wee..." Lisa's voice trailed off as she realised what she had just said and to who. She put her hand over her mouth. "No more champagne for me. I think it's gone to my head." Simon just glowered at her. Susan agreed with her.
"Indeed young lady. While it may be true, we don't talk about such things in public or I'll have to tell you about just how you were conceiving."
"Sorry mum." Lisa did have the good graces to look embarrassed. Simon settled the bill and they headed up to their hotel rooms.
As Harry closed the door he turned to see Lisa's dress fall off her.
"Opps." She stood before him in just a pair of satin panties and her heels. She started to unbuckle her shoes.
"Can you... Can you leave those on?"
Later they lay wrapped around each other in bed. "Well that brings out a passionate side of you. We should get engaged every day."
"No." Harry disagreed. "I'm only getting engaged once and married once. It's going to be to you. I still can't believe we did it. In front of your parents too."
"If you even hint one word of regret I will not take it well. I know what you're thinking. There's a bad man coming, I've put Lisa in danger. Let me tell you Harry. I don't give a fuck. Well with obvious exceptions. Voldemort and his prophecy can kiss my arse. It's already be proven wrong. You are living right now, living and fucking and having fun. When the time comes, if it comes I'll be by your side. Any bastard that looks to take you away from me will have me to answer to. Until that day." Lisa yawned. "I want to see if you can manage it one more time, then we can sleep."
They were woken by a hotel porter bringing them breakfast. They ate the pastries and croissants dressed in the hotel robes. They eventually showered and dressed and met Lisa's parents in the hotel foyer.
Harry was in his usual black jeans and shirt. Lisa was in leggings and a baggy t-shirt. Their formal clothes back in bags. Harry kept expecting someone to say something about the engagement, for one of Lisa's parents to forbid it now in the cold light of day. The journey back to York was full of the usual banter between Lisa's parents. Susan was driving and she had Blondie playing on the radio.
When they arrived back Simon pulled Harry to one side. This was it. In the cold light of day her parents had second thoughts. They would ask him to leave. Forbid him to see Lisa again.
"Harry can I see your fake passport?" Simon asked him
"Um yeah." He got it from upstairs and handed it to Simon. Still uncertain what he wanted it for. Simon compared it to his own. Checking photos and watermarks.
"That should do for going into Europe. I wouldn't want to try the USA but European border controls are pretty lax. We're off to Spain end of August. Shall I upgrade Lisa's room to a double?" Harry blinked as he tried to process what he was hearing. A smile broke over his face. "I best ask Lisa but yes please. Do you need me to pay for it?"
"The room? No. I'll see how much flights cost and let you know." Harry headed back into the living room a smile on his face and a lightness to his steps. He plonked himself on the sofa next to Lisa and asked her about the holiday choices.
Her response was to give him a kiss and to run off to find her dad. "Thank you dad. Yes please double beds are fun. She returned to Harry and sat next to him on the sofa, before swinging her feet over the arm and putted her head on his lap.
"I was hoping my dad would invite you but I was concerned about the passport thing. A week of sun, sea and stuff." She altered her phrasing as her mum worked into the room.
Susan rolled her eyes at Lisa's comments. "Personally dear I'm looking forward to a week of sex. It'll be nice not to know you're not in the next bedroom listening to us." Susan watched the pair fidget at her bluntness. "I told you last night if you're going to talk about sex I'll join in. We all know what each other gets up to behind closed doors, it's just polite not to talk about it. On that subject Harry I need to ask you a personnel question?"
Harry tried to calm his embarrassment wondering what Susan was going to ask. "We are going to a private villa, it's not overlooked and I have been known to sunbath topless. Would that embarrass you?"
Harry took a deep breath and put all of Lisa's training to good use. He carefully though his way through the answer. "Honestly, yes it probably will at first but it's your holiday and you shouldn't alter for me. I'll have to get over it."
"That was a very mature and honest answer. After all you're sixteen, I wouldn't have believed any other answer. Besides Lisa will probably be topless too so you won't be looking at me." Harry nodded and wondered if he'd ever stop blushing this morning. He could tell Lisa was put out with her mum embarrassing her and was expecting her to say something else. Surprisingly she held her tongue. They enjoyed another one of Simons cooked lunches and settled into a relaxed Sunday afternoon.
Monday saw them head into the city centre. Lisa had dyed her hair red again and was dressed much as she had been when Harry first met her. Short skirt, high boots with the metal buckles but a sleeveless t-shirt showing off her tattoo.
"You're looking particular gothy today."
"I want to buy the ring off the right sort of shop keeper. We're going to be judged today. Lots of people will assume we are too young. Or that we'll want something from the budget range. Well I'm making it easy for them. If they start looking down their nose at me for what I'm wearing I'll find a more deserving shop."
Harry just shrugged at that. He had all his available cash on him and was feeling self conscious about it. He'd never had money to lose before and was constantly checking his wallet. They browsed from jewellery shop to jewellery shop. As Lisa had predicted they were not welcomed in many of the shops they saw.
"I know it's not a traditional idea but I can pay toward the ring." Lisa offered. Harry was about to refuse but felt fingers on his lips. "I know exactly how much money you have on you and I want something as close as possible to the ring you transfigured. We have another month of holiday to go. So if we see something nice I'll pay towards it." She whispered in his ear." You're a bloody millionaire Harry but it's not like I'm poor. Why skimp now just because you can't get your full founds. I don't want to seem greedy but I never want to buy another of these."
Harry conceded the point. Once he looked for rings and not the price tag it became easier. They found a small independent jewellers. The shop keeper reminded them both of Olivanders in his slightly eccentric ways. His only comment on their choices was that Lisa may wish to consider rubies if she was going to stay that colour. They returned home with Lisa wearing a white gold ring set with diamonds.
Susan oohed and aahed when she looked at it and readily agreed to visit the bank with Lisa to allow her some extra spending from her trust account. They were settling down for food when they were disturbed by a banging on the front door. Susan answered but called Lisa and Harry.
They were met by the site of Susan reluctantly holding Megan. The girl was in floods of tears, her face a mess of tears, snot and heavy massacre. Susan handed her over to Lisa and Harry retreated to get paper tissues. After some time they found out she had broken up with Sophie and it was somehow Harry's fault. The last they put down to Megan being drunk as well as distraught.
It took most of the evening but they eventually calmed her down. Harry and Lisa walked her home and ensured she was safe.
"I'm going to have to ask my dad to bail us out now. There's no way we can get to Knebworth with Megan. The knight bus is out."
"Will he mind?" Harry asked.
"My mum and dad have brought me up to face my decisions and let me deal with the consequences but they've always let me know I can turn to them. The thing is my dad will impose some consequences himself. He calls it a learning experience."
When they got back to Lisa's house she rung her dad at his hotel and Harry listened in. "Dad I have a problem and I need you to bail me out." Harry could hear Simon's sigh over the phone.
"Explain the situation please." Lisa explained about how they had planned to use the Knight Bus to get to the concert but now Megan had begged to travel with them as she'd split up with Sophie.
"Alright." Said Simon. "Your original plan was sound. You've only had to change it because you are the person we've brought you up to be. That and the statute of secrecy. So yes, I'll bail you out. However it's going to be at my inconvenience I'm going to spend a day in a car driving then waiting for you, then driving back. It'll be four hours each way if we're lucky. So I have to balance, the cost to myself and how much of this you could have avoided." He paused while thinking. "Right, you could have and still could avoid all this by being mean and saying no to Megan so the fact you haven't is to your credit. So I'm going to charge you for the petrol and my time. Is that ok?"
Lisa who had been waiting apprehensively brightened up at this. "Yes thank you daddy."
"I'm still not certain not I just heard." Harry confessed.
"It's quite simple. You know how Malfoy's favourite threat is wait till my dad hears of this. My parents like me to know that everything in life comes at a cost. So if I ask them for help it doesn't come free. It's never arduous or more than I can handle buts in my dad's words it's to remind that in the real working world everything has a cost."
"But they do stuff for you all the time."
"Yes, they're my parents and that's what they do but whenever I get myself into a situation I rely on them to solve rather than myself they impose a consequence." We could get round this. There are trains from York to Knebworth. We'd probably have to travel on the Friday and I doubt we'd get back till the Monday but we could do it" Harry was a little bemused by Lisa's parents ways of doing things but accepted them.
On the Tuesday Lisa dressed slightly conservatively led Harry to Megan's house again. Last night he hadn't really paid it much attention, in the light of day it reminded him of the Dursley's .At least Megan's mum went from polite to friendly when she recognised Lisa. Megan looked awful this morning but was grateful to them for walking her home last night and even more so that they could take her to the concert. They were talking quietly when Megan let out a shout,
"What the hell is that?" Her mum put her head round the door. A faintly disapproving look on her face. "Mum did you see the rock on her finger?" Megan and her mum both examined Lisa's engagement ring. Her mum left bemused but Megan was bursting with questions although her first had Harry scowling.
"Are you pregnant?" "People do get engaged for other reasons than they 've got careless. No I'm not pregnant."
Lisa worked her way through Megan's other questions. Yes her parents did know, yes it really was a diamond, mind her own business, when she asked how much it had cost. No, they hadn't set a date yet or thought about bridesmaids. They left not long after that promising to let her know the exact times they would be leaving on Saturday.
After leaving Megan's they headed down to The Ramps. Harry met the usual crowd. He rather enjoyed their look of shock when asked what was new. He Answered. "Not much, well apart from asking Lisa to marry me." He looked over to where she was showing off the ring to some girls she knew there.
Lisa seemed to spend the next two days doing that. Casually going to places where friends she knew where hanging out and doing lots of things left handed until someone noticed her ring. Harry enjoyed the looks of jealousy this got him too.
He was starting to come to terms with the decision and his happiness with it had almost overtaken his worry over his future. By the time Friday had come around Almost all of Lisa's friends knew.
Even Simon was impressed with the ring when he saw it. "Well someone's got taste. I guess that would be Harry since he picked a ring almost as beautiful as the person who wears it."
Harry marvelled at Simon's ability to cause Lisa to blush with a simple compliment.
"Get an early night you two and let Megan know too. We're going from here closer to night time than day time." True to his words it was still dark when Simon woke them and got them into his car.
Right then I have a full tank of gas but thankfully I'm not wearing sunglasses, Lets drive."
A.N.
Edit FFN ate my paragraphs.
Slightly shorter than usual but I guess you all like more frequent updates than long chapters
. Still the next chapter will be longer than a week
. I need to spend some time watching Oasis in concert. I hate Oasis.
Don't expect the whole chapter to be dedicated to that concert it may well just be sites and impressions.
So Harry got engaged for real? Last chapter that surprised me, working out what happens next is the reason this chapter was turned out so quick.
Two more I would guess till the thing is finished. As usual thanks for reading and an extra special thank you to my reviewers. Btw that's usually only 1 percent of readers review.
Just for once I didn't do a proper check for the places mentioned to see if they were open in 96. As usual real places used in a fictional context.