AN: For those who were wondering about Nada's story, you will get some answers in this chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3

His image, standing there, his hand hanging in midair with the money as if not sure what to do with it, his eyes wondering from her to her dad, his brows knitted in confusion, his mouth open then closed quickly in lack of words, his image- was burnt in the insides of her eyelids.

Several days have passed, and she'd peek every now and then towards the Dursley's front lawn in her morning walks, sometimes her evening walks, and sometimes she'd just walk by pretending to "have a walk" hoping that she'd see him, hoping she could explain-but he just seemed to disappear.

It is true, she thought, that sometimes we have to stop searching for things to find them, they eventually find us, for she wasn't really thinking about the boy next door, when she sat alone in the play park near her house.

She sat there on a bench in her short silky dress, smoking a cigarette and gazing pensively at the empty park. Looking completely out of place, nothing she's not used to though. She was always out of place.

"You didn't look like the smoking type" a voice said from behind.

She didn't have the chance to panic as the owner of the voice quickly appeared in view. Harry.

"You didn't look like the lecturer type" she said, not looking at him.

He continued however as if she said nothing "such a pity- to waste a lovely summer evening in a playing park" he sat next to her "shouldn't you be in some kind of a ball or something?", he said eyeing her dress.

"Fine!" She said standing up "apparently this is your little hiding place- I get it- it is taken," she was about to leave when he held her wrist.

"It's ok- you look like you need a little hiding place for the night"

She didn't have the energy to leave, so she just sat again on the bench, inhaling a long breath from her cigarette.

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"I am not the lecturer type" he said, taking the cigarette from her now limp hand and putting it between his own lips, he inhaled.

To her surprise, he didn't go into a coughing fit like she did the first time she nicked a cigarette from her father, he merely grimaced "that was horrible- it doesn't even worth it"

"I am sorry about the other day" she said dejectedly.

Something in his face has changed slightly, his mask of indifference has almost slipped "It's okay," he said "I have seen much worse, trust me".

Then again silence.

"May I ask you something?" She said tentevley.

No, he thought, please no, "sure," he said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you tell my father, that you didn't work there?"

He wasn't expecting that, so he merely shrugged "I don't know," he said "I was taken by surprise I guess"

" I know that I may sound biased, but he didn't mean to offend you at all," she said surprising herself despite what she just heard, she was still defending him "he was genuinely thankful".

"With all due respect, but I didn't save you from falling off a cliff" he said throwing the now dead cigarette on the ground and squashing it with his foot.

She looked at him as if in conflict to say something, when she finally spoke her voice was near a whisper "my mom- she fell off a cliff" she swallowed and continued "it was an accident, supposedly, she lost control on her car- and .." she didn't continue.

Harry was stunned in to silence

" ever since, he became paranoid- too protective - too suffocating" she mused, as if talking to herself "that's why for him, it meant a lot- I know it doesn't make any sense.." she said finally her voice a bit louder

"I am sorry," he said interrupting her.

"It's okay," she said, "It happened years ago- and believe me or not sometimes I feel proud of her," she said quickly answering the confusion etched on his face "it wasn't an accident"

"wasn't it?" He replied tonelessly just to keep the conversation flowing.

"No," she said, pausing for a second then continued with a sigh "long story short, she was a journalist- she didn't mind her own business for a living," she then laughed bitterly " -she believed that knowledge was a responsibility- and "enlightening the public" was her duty. But she knew too much, some people didn't like that, so.."

Harry nodded in understanding, sparing her from going further in a story he knew too well how it could end.

"The sad part is, that "public" believed latter on that she was drunk driving" she said, bending to take off her strappy sandals "the less decent part of the public believed that she killed herself" she said kicking her sandals away, not meeting his eyes "Dad once told me that the people deserved corruption, manipulation, ignorance," she paused and continued in a barely audible sound "that she died in vain"

Harry gazed thoughtfully to the ground, touching subconsciously the scars on the back of his hand- he knew all too well what she was talking about.

"Do you believe so? - that it was in vain I mean," he asked, not moving his eyes away from the ground.

"No," she said with a louder, defiant voice "she didn't die in a Colosseum seeking the cheering of the crowds- she didn't even want to die, nobody in their right mind would want to die, it is just- she chose to do what is right over what is easy" she paused then continued looking at him "the public, the people, the crowds will always be waiting for a hero- a savior, to do the right thing for them, while they slept and worked and made love to their wives," she said smiling bitterly " It was never about the number of supporters harry- they come and go- what is right though, what is just and ethical- doesn't change, she did die for that, and in my opinion she won, they had to kill her to get rid of her for God's sake !-because they knew, they knew altogether that she wouldn't give in" she paused for a moment to compose herself, then added more calmly "I am proud of her choices, I am proud that she chose.."

"What is right, over what is easy" he said more to himself.

She nodded

"Were they caught? " He asked, and at this she laughed.

"they rule a country Harry, those people don't get caught" she said after composing herself " I know we'd like to believe that in the battle of good and evil, the good always wins- but this is rarely the case in real life"

By that, he felt shivers down his spine. It was true, Cedric was good and that wasn't enough for him to win, Serius was good, his parents were good, and it wasn't ever enough. His heart ached at the idea, it wasn't fair but it was true. He knew that this applies to him too, logically speaking he is not enough, logically speaking he doesn't stand a chance, but he couldn't bring himself to lose hope. He knew that he doesn't have this luxury, and if he dies, when he dies, he has to go down fighting. Not because he wants to be noble or brave, but because it is the right thing to do.

"Nice hiding place," she said changing the subject, and dragging Harry from his thoughts.

He smiled at that "well, it worked out well for me since- well since forever" then continued looking around "when I was little, I'd stay after all the parents and children leave, and the gates are closed. Then I'd pretend that the whole park is my kingdom" he snorted "I would play with all the swings, all the slides- not the see-saw though it needed a partner" she laughed at that "No one would bother me, no concerned parents, no disapproved looks, just me and my kingdom- I'd get punished of course when I get home, but it was always worth it"

She felt a shiver, that has nothing to do with the weather.

"You can play with the see-saw now," she said getting up "you have a partner"

She padded to the seesaw and sat awkwardly on it, he just looked at her with disbelief "What?" She said "are you coming or what"

He barked with laughter "you are insane," getting to the other end of the see-saw, she rised a bit to let it go lower for him to sit on it.

And they started moving, up and down.

"How long have you been living here" he asked, pushing the ground with his feet.

"six long weeks," she said, raising her feet completely off the ground and lying them in front of her on the extended metal rode, tilting her head slightly backwards "and you?"

"15 long years" he said, pushing the ground again

"You were born here?" She said, more focused now.

"No," he said pushing the ground harder this time "My parents -died when I was one, I have been living with my aunt since then"

She was looking up at him, hanging in midair, apparently expecting her to make her move, both with the see-saw and the conversation. She lifted her weight slightly moving them in to a more balanced position, looked him in the eyes and genuinely said "I am sorry", he merely shrugged.

They sat idly, balanced for a moment.

"Bring me down," she said quite suddenly.

Harry didn't even ask, he just lifted his weight a bit to get her down, she got up immediately sending him with a loud bang back to the ground.

"Ow, that hurt!" He shouted in protest.

She just giggled, and ran towards the swings, leeping on one of them, the force of the sudden contact with the swing sent it too high, but she masterfully coiled her arms around the chains, bending her knees slightly forward to keep the swing moving.

For a moment, Harry just stared at her in awe as if he was watching a magical creature, her full graceful figure moving with the swing, sending her flowing dress dangerously up her thigh, the street light creating an eerie glow around, and through her silk Champaign dress.

"Can you do this?" She giggled, bringing him back to his senses.

He grinned "watch me!" He copied her but with a greater force, sending his swing even higher than hers, for a moment he could have sworn that some of his magic was involved, because he felt like he was literally flying.

They were flying, ecstatic, the air around them vibrated with their laughs and shouts, with raw happiness that their young hearts longed for, as if there was no ounce of injustice in the world.

"HEY!" a voice came from a distance, an old security guard striding into view.

Harry jumped immediately off his swing, Nada copied him but with a rougher landing. He grabbed her hand and guiding her to the gate. She jumped unfeminenly over the gate and he followed, and they ran as fast their feet could carry them, not exerting any effort in controlling their laughter.

"I guess we lost him," she panted slowing down.

Harry slowed down his pace as well "That old fool- I didn't know that he was still alive"

She laughed at that, then stopped abruptly "Ouch!-wait" she said "I guess I stepped on something"

He looked down at her feet, and was stunned to realize that she has been running bare footed.

"Here," he said stepping out of his trainers without even bending over to un-tie them, it was her turn to be stunned.

"What?" He said, "at least I have some socks on" she snorted at that.

She hesitated for a moment then stepped in to them "I don't know if it the culture differences, but last time I checked, boys took off their jackets for girls, not their shoes"

Harry blushed a little, scratching the back of his head, apparently looking for some kind of retort.

Nada was distracted however, as her eyes fell on a long white scar that started nearly from his wrist and ended at the crook of his elbow. He must have noticed where her eyes had averted for he quickly lowered his hand.

"So do you like it here?" He said, avoiding eye contact, in an attempt to distract her from a very legitimate question, he didn't know that she wouldn't ask anyway.

"It's quiet," she said with a shrug "good for the walks- but pretty boring, better than London however"

"I like London," he said thinking about The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon's Alley, 12 Grimauld place, London was the closest he could be to the magical world.

"I will go to school there, so I will have to like it anyway," she said with a sigh.

They walked in silence for a moment, then she started talking again.

"Have you ever felt like a pawn, on a chess board? - that everyone has a say in where you should be, what you should do, even what you should feel-except you?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh.

She paused for a moment, running her fingers through her hair in frustration "nobody even tries to understand- like walk a couple of steps in my shoes for God's sake!"

"Well, I won't even wish that on anybody" he said pensively, looking to the ground lost in his thoughts.

Then he noticed her feet, in his trainers- she seemed to notice them too for they both barked with laughter at the same time.

He noticed that she had a quirky, boisterous way of laughing.

"Pun not intended," he said finally with the remains of laughter in his voice.

"Good one though," she said stepping out from his trainers "Thank you"

"What? You can still walk in them, they are not that bad, are they?"

"Well, they are definitely not- but I don't need them anymore" she pointed to the house they stood before "That's me"

She could have sworn that a ghost of disappointment has crossed his face.

"Well, If you need any little hiding place- you know where to go"

"I will bear that in mind,"

"Good night then," he said awkwardly

"Good night" she smiled "see you around," she said more loudly, as an afterthought.

He reluctantly started to walk away when she called for him.

"Hey Harry! - thank you," she wasn't thanking him for the trainers, and she had the impression that he understood that.

He smiled, that genuine smile of his, like one would smile for a child "No problem," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away.

"Why did you leave your shoes on the front door?" Her father asked, he was on his way out when he stopped apparently glad to find something to talk with her about.

She just gazed at him in confusion, then strode to the front door sending him the nastiest looks she could manage, sure enough her strappy sandals were placed neatly on the front door's mat.

"I took them off, the heels were killing me" she told him distractingly.

He tentevily touched her shoulder, when she didn't protest he pulled her in his embrace and kissed her forehead, eventually she relaxed.

"Have a blessed day," she spoke finally, releasing herself from his embrace, he didn't want to push his luck- so he just patted her back, smiled and left.

When she lifted the sandals in her way in, she found a piece of folded thick yellowish paper under them. Confused, she unfolded it- and smiled at the squarry hand writing and -was that real ink, she wondered.

"I tried to walk a couple of steps in them, but failed miserably. The trick was in the size off course not the heels.

H. "