Chapter 29 – The plan

A few hours later the situation wasn't changed, James was still closed in his room and Albus had taken again his position on the corner of the window.

Harry was trying to distract himself doing some workout on the rug while Albus was updating him of everybody coming and going.

At one point he exclaimed excited 'Dad, I think that girl of the Ministry is there'

'What girl of the Ministry?'

'Do you know that Regina one' he said blushing slightly.

Harry crouched on the floor beside him not to be seen and true it was. A bunch of groupies was sitting against the gate, all with Witch Weekly in their hands, riffling through it and chatting animatedly. In the centre, like a queen bee, there was Regina. They hadn't knocked at the door, surely Regina had forbidden it, she actually had a scowling expression eyeing an old witch who had just knocked and was retreating disappointed; she knew he valued his privacy.

Slowly an idea started to form in Harry's mind. He suddenly remembered about the tiger-like scratch on the Law's enforcement bloke and the girl pinned down on the floor. Perhaps she could help him somehow. They were enough and overall fierce enough, to dissuade people from getting to the door. Didn't they write in every single letter that they were ready to do anything for him? Well, the moment to be useful had finally arrived.

But how to talk to Regina? He couldn't just let her inside; the uproar would have been huge. Reporters were outside just waiting for a sign of life, he certainly couldn't run the risk to be photographed while letting a girl, and not any kind of girl but that kind of girl, inside the house while everybody else had been shunned.

'Albus, go to your room and take everything you have got from Uncle George's shop' he said suddenly to his son as another idea struck his mind.

Albus bolted upstairs while Harry was in meditation peeping from the window.

He was back a minute later, a big box in his arms. Harry started to go through it looking for an item that could help in putting his plan unto action. Finally, at the bottom of it, he found it.

'Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder!' he exclaimed 'Brilliant!'

Albus was looking at him quizzical. Harry filled in him quickly about his plan making Albus' eyes sparkle with excitement.

Five minutes later they were ready in front of the door, everything had to be swift. Especially because no muggle had to spot anything; they were already, as it was, drawing attention with all those people gathering in front of the door.

Albus was ready under the cloak he had retrieved from James' trunk under the stairs. Harry had tied a rope around his waist, and he was keeping the other side in his hand.

'Everything clear, Albus? I open the door you sneak out quickly, when you are close to her you throw the powder, you whisper to her who you are, and you take her here following the rope. You won't see a thing once you let the powder down so you must be careful'

'I'm ready' a steadfast voice came from nowhere.

Checking that the way was clear, he said 'Ok then, go' he opened the door silently just enough to let him pass and half closed it behind him. After a few seconds, he heard a commotion outside, shrieks and shouting. Soon later he was back inside, invisible with Regina tailing him.

Harry closed the door quickly as Albus was reappearing from under the cloak.

'Nice one' Harry said grinning and patting his shoulder 'now go to your room'

Albus, glancing curiously at them behind his shoulder, made his way upstairs slowly and Harry, beckoning a beaming Regina to follow him in the living room, closed the door behind them.

'Oh Harry! I'm, like, so excited to be here! I cannot believe it!'

Harry smiled uneasy 'Please, sit down' gesturing toward the sofa 'I'm sorry to bother you...'

'As, like, you could ever bother' she interjected sitting down and crossing two very long and very much naked legs.

Harry cleared his voice 'Since you are here, you are aware that spells on this house have been broken'

'I know, innit?! We were, like, very surprised ourselves, innit?! We just found out this morning! Agnes' mum told her the address; she actually discovered it from a friend who…' she started recounting excited tossing her long silky hair behind her shoulder with a confident swing.

Harry interrupted her 'Yes, right. I'm sorry but as you can see this situation is creating us some hardships'

'I so, like, completely understand; we know you don't like to be disturbed' she said chewing her gum and looking around the room with curiosity.

'Exactly. I was wondering if by any chance you could help me…' he said hesitantly starting to think that this idea of him wasn't probably the best of ideas considering that Ginny could return home any time and considering the young age of the girl who seemed even younger all of sudden.

'I'd do anything for you, Harry. Whatever you want' she said cheekily, blowing a bubble out of her gum that changed several colours before to pop and disappear again behind her cherry glossed lips.

'Ok…' he cleared his throat again '…right.' He stammered suddenly feeling hot around the neck and backing up few feet as a safe measure 'I'd like you and the other gr… ehm… friends to keep away people from my door, just for a couple of days until we don't move away. Do you think you could do that?'

'Easy' she said looking at him meaningfully 'As I said you can, like, ask anything from me' an alluring pucker of lips plus another bubble followed her declaration.

'Ergh… Good. Thank you'

'Harry…' she said standing up and moving one or two bold steps toward him.

'Yes?' he said backing up one or two steady steps from her.

'I could, like, do even more…'

Harry stared at her for an instant and sighed in dismay. Doomed in not having any innuendo free interchange. But perhaps it was naive of him to expect otherwise from a girl that made her mission in life to follow him wherever he went and that made perfectly clear in her letters her wishes. But how wrong it seemed to receive it from one so young.

'How old are you, Regina?' he asked beckoning her to sit down again and sitting on the armchair in front of her.

'Eighteen'

'I'm thirty-five, thirty-six in a week'

She interjected 'I know. I know, like, everything about you'

Oh no love, you don't know anything about me.

'I could almost be your father…'

She interjected once more 'You look nothing like a father, innit?!'

'But I'm a father and a husband'

Once again she tried to interrupt him, but he didn't allow her to 'I'm married and happily so, and notwithstanding that I'd be anyway too old for you'

'It doesn't matter; I've been with older guys before. I didn't love them though, but I know I love you' she said keen 'I'm collecting stuff about you since I was five! (That is yesterday) I read, like, everything about you and I always thought we'd be perfect for each other, innit?!'

Right, creepy. Very creepy.

'You don't love me, Regina. You love what you think I am which is not real'

'Is it not real that you fought You-Know-Who?' she smirked playing with a lock of her hair.

I swear, If I hear this sentence again, I'm gonna puke.

'It is, but there is not only that'

'I know' she said letting her hair go, smiling naughtily 'I'm, like, truly convinced of it'

Harry sighed again. It seemed such a lost battle. He decided to try with another technique. He stood up and took one of the family pictures hanging on the wall showing it to her.

'Look. This one is me. I go to work every day, I get back home and I've dinner with my family. We do excursions on weekends if the weather is fine and that's all really. I don't go fighting dark wizards everyday...' he halted reflecting for a moment on his last sentence that wasn't exactly truthful 'Actually, I do' he admitted 'But this is not the point!' he resumed eagerly 'The point is: I'm not a kind of hero or something. I'm just normal, nothing special really'

All this confused rant was spoke in earnestness, but she seemed not to listen, intent in looking curiously at the picture.

She took it from his hand observing it.

Pointing at a freckly Lily sticking out playfully her tongue at the camera, she said 'This was your daughter, innit?! The one who died'

Ouch!

Why everybody was so willing to forget that he had sentiments too? Only because everything about his life was published and talked about like if it was only another piece of gossip to spread, it didn't mean that it hadn't any importance. People were prone to forget they sprung from something personal and sometimes, like in this case, very painful. As though he was only an immaterial creature without wishes or feelings that existed with the only purpose to entertain the magical community.

Trying to ignore the sudden ache in his chest, he answered in the affirmative.

'She was proper cute'

'Yes, she was cute'

She gave him back the picture but seeing his expression, faltered.

'I'm sorry' she said contrite and perhaps only at that moment she grasped the notion that he was actually a person like any other.

'It's all right' he answered, with the always present knot in his throat when Lily was mentioned and put back the picture on the wall avoiding to glance at it.

She looked at him her mouth quivering, probably wanting to add other excuses for her insensitivity but he continued before she could speak 'I'm asking for your help as a friend; my wife is pregnant and needs some quiet. You have showed devotion and respect for my privacy and for that I'm grateful, if you can be of some help, as a friend, I'll accept it with pleasure, but it cannot be under any other pretence'

She didn't say anything for a bit but then she smiled, a sweet smile this time, not flirting not alluring, a smile from an eighteen-year-old girl just out of Hogwarts 'Ok! I'll help you alright. You can, like, count on me'

He smiled back 'Good girl' he said stroking her head.

'Can I have an autograph though?' she let out eager.

Harry laughed 'Sure you can'

She took from an almost invisible pocket, part of some almost invisible shorts, a square paper that unfolding turned out be a page from Witch Weekly with the famous picture and extended it to him.

Harry smiling made appear a quill and signed it.

'You look, like, great, you know' she said taking back the page and, folding it again, made it disappear carefully in her tiny pocket 'Thanks, I can't wait to see Agnes' face. She is, like, so into you'

'No problem'

'I'm still, like, your biggest fan, you know'

'You certainly are'

She looked again around the room 'It's a very beautiful house' she said walking around and looking at the pictures and painting on the walls.

'Yes, it is. That's why we are so sorry to move'

'Can't you find another way around?'

'Like what?'

She shrugged 'I dunno. You could, like, move the house, for example.'

Harry looked at her quizzical 'The whole house, you mean?'

She shrugged again 'Yeah, like, why not?'

Harry didn't answer meditating on her words. People born in a magical family were more open about impossibilities than those born in a muggle context; he had noticed that many times before. They were always ready to think that almost anything could be solved by magic, and it just needed to find the right spell and be skilled enough to perform it. And most of the time it was actually true.

He didn't know if move the house could be done; he was inclined to think not but then he had always considered impossible to stop time and Hermione had done it just a few days before and in all these years there were so many things he thought impracticable at first and turned out to be not any such a thing, that maybe, and just maybe, this could reveal to be one of them. But how to find out?

In his mind a vivid image took shape: a teenager Hermione hunched by a bag full of books saying, "I'm going to the library".

While accompanying her to the door, James made down for the stairs, seeing Regina he startled and stopped in his track.

Regina greeted him warmly, commenting about his growth. He stammered some indiscernible gibberish and didn't come any forward.

Harry, with some more powder on his hand, addressed her 'Ok I'll throw some more to let you out. Are you ready? Try to be discrete'

She nodded and a second later she was disappeared in the black fog. Harry closed quickly the door behind her.

'What was she doing in here?' James attacked him aggressively as soon as the door was closed.

'None of your business' Harry answered irritated by his tone.

As James was ready to retort angrily, a noise from the kitchen announced Ginny's return who found them in the corridor glaring crossly at each other.

'What now?' she blorted out annoyed.

James, without taking his eyes from Harry, replied 'Regina was in this house'

Harry rolled his eyes annoyed. He would have preferred Ginny ignoring what he had done not sure of her approbation. Actually, almost sure of the opposite.

'Who is Regina?' she asked frowning but only for a second as her head turned toward Harry so quickly that a crick could almost be heard. Her expression was ferocious.

'That girl was in here?'

'Yes, she was in here but for a reason I can explain…'

'You cheated on mum!' James bellowed outraged.

'For heaven's sake! I didn't cheat on anybody!'

'You did!'

'I didn't, look James, go to your room…'

'Why was that girl in here?' Ginny interjected fulminating Harry as James was answering him 'I don't go anywhere.'

Albus attracted by the commotion came down the stairs 'What's going on?'

'Dad cheated on mum with Regina'

'I didn't!' Harry repeated exasperated.

'He didn't!' Albus blorted out indignant.

'He did!' James affirmed belligerent.

'Bloody hell! James, would you stop this nonsense?'

'SILENCE!' Ginny boomed loudly covering their bickering.

And silence fell immediately.

She turned to Harry 'Why was she in here?'

'I asked her and her friends to stop people from knocking at our door'

James snorted but Ginny threw him such a savage look that he clammed up instantly.

'Why did you do that?'

'Because it was starting to be e serious grievance and….'

'It's true mum! This morning was a nightmare...' Albus interjected but receiving a similar stare to the one James had been subjected to, adopted the same behaviour as his brother.

Harry continued '...being them many and always ready to… well… comply. I thought it could be a good idea'

'If you believe him…' James murmured darkly.

'James, what in the name of god are you thinking?' Harry exploded again while Albus sprinted up 'He is telling the truth, I know it's the truth!'

'How do you know?' James retorted 'You don't know anything!'

'I do!'

'SILENCE!' Ginny shouted again 'In the kitchen everybody!' she ordered.

They preceded her meekly shooting each other murderous glares.

'Sit down!' she ordered them. They took each a chair in a complete mutism.

'Don't you think it's hazardous to let one of those teenage girls in here?' she asked turning to Harry with an expression that make one understand that the question is not as much as a question but a sound affirmation in full form.

'Nobody saw! Albus helped me…'

'You asked Albus to help you in this?!' she interrupted furiously.

I'm digging myself a tiny cosy grave.

'Mum, it wasn't anything bad! We used Peruvian powder…'

'Did you use George's merchandise to do that?' she hissed looking now to both reprovingly.

Simultaneously they lowered their gazes.

'I'm sure he cheated on you mum!' James said sprinting up.

'He didn't! He didn't!' Albus interjected thrusting his elbow in James' ribs.

'Hush!' Ginny exploded again 'James, sit down!' and as he was taking back his sitting position glowering to Albus she continued 'Why do you say that?'

'Oh, come on! Did you see her?' he blorted out mimicking with his hand a huge bulge on his chest.

'What's that supposed to mean?!' Harry burst out outraged 'She is four years older than you, James! Do you realise of what you are accusing me of? Do you seriously think I'd do something like that in here, with an eighteen-year-old girl and with you in the house?'

'They just talked. She wanted to, but he didn't!' Albus burst out sprinting up from his chair.

Harry looked at him inquiringly 'How do you know?'

'Did she want to do what?' Ginny asked to Albus at the same time.

Albus stood with his mouth half open a few seconds and then sat down without adding another word.

'Albus, how do you know?' Harry asked again while Ginny was repeating 'Did she want to do what?

Albus, gaze on his knees, extracted from his pocket a pinkish string and left it on the table sheepishly. Extendable ears.

'You eavesdropped?!' Harry bellowed and it was his turn now to stand up towering on Albus who was trying to halve his size crouching on the chair.

Ginny shot him a patronizing look as to say "A bit rich coming from you!" surely referring to his eavesdropping on James, to which he replied with an offended one as to answer "He is my son, it's different!".

While this silent conversation was happening between them, Harry suddenly realised that it was literally that. Silent.

No sound was coming from the outside, no knocking of any kind had disturbed their quarrel. He strained his ear but couldn't hear a thing.

He beckoned the other to follow and went to the living room crouching down on the floor peeping outside the window. Straight away everybody imitated him, James and Albus pushing each other to make themselves space and Ginny cuddling up close to Harry.

Sitting on the stairs in front of their door there were seven girls with a very forbidding expression aimed to a reporter who seemed inclined to get to their door. Regina was the only one standing on the highest step, her arms folded. An exchange of words was going on and from the offended look on the bloke's face it was easy to understand who was winning the battle.

'They look quite scary…' Albus said awestruck.

'It seems to work after all…' Ginny patted Harry's shoulder as to compliment him, backing away from the window 'Finally we can have some quiet…'

'That's all? I've fixed the situation egregiously and that's all the merit I get, a pat on the shoulder? Not even a "well done for coming out with this amazing plan"?'

'Harry, it could hardly have been called a good plan. A silly teenage girl in here. Seriously. Sometimes I don't know what you are thinking of…' she said puffing and sitting on the sofa stroking her tummy.

James and Albus asked leave to go and check on the situation from the above window, in their room and as Ginny gave them permission, they dashed out keeping pushing each other and bickering.

Harry sat on her side 'How's it going? How was it at the office?' he asked kissing her.

'Tired, and I haven't been to the office' she answered and as Harry looked at her enquiringly, she eased out an envelope from her bag 'I have been to Hermione and Ron's, this is for you'

He took it hesitantly. It was closed with a red seal but didn't report anything on it.

'Is it from Hermione?' he asked shiftily. Nothing from that house was safe for him and if indeed was from Hermione another possible argument could come out of it.

'It's from Ron' she said closing her handbag and staring at him.

'I'm not gonna read it!' Harry hissed between his teeth, trying to give it back to her.

'You are' Ginny replied sternly not taking it 'It's only a letter, don't be stubborn'

She stood up supporting her back 'I'm going to take something to drink to those poor girls. They are doing us a great favour after all and it's boiling hot outside' she walked out of the living room leaving Harry alone with the letter still in his hand, fearing for the life of his groupies despite Ginny's olive branch offering speech.

Then he looked at the envelop undecided for a few seconds, different feelings clashing. On one side he didn't want anything to do with Ron and was very irritated by all these continuous interferences to make him change his mind, on the other side there was curiosity. What did he want to tell him? Apologise? Try to explain himself somehow?

He was sure that nothing he had to tell could change his opinion and could only provoke him further. But the irresistible attraction of a closed letter it's difficult to ignore. One must open it. And he did.

He read it through and when he was done, he rested his chin on his hand pondering on the content.

After some minutes lost in meditation, he walked to the window and peered outside to check how many groupies' lifeless bodies were adorning their front door.

None.

Ginny was sitting cosily between the girls, all gathered around her hanging from her lips. She had a copy of Witch Weekly on her lap pointing something on the magazine and chatting gaily. At one of her affirmations, they all started giggling, Ginny included.

Women… Harry thought smiling.