AN/ thank you all for your reads and reviews. As always I own nothing but the idea. All Harry Potter characters belong to JKR.
Harry walked into the classroom a few days after Christmas to find Andie with her knees to her chest, staring out the window over the still-frozen grounds from the last snowfall. She rested her chin upon her knees, and her long brown hair hung in soft curls over her shoulder. Harry approached her quietly, not taking his eyes off of her. There was just something about how she looked with the light of the evening sun behind her from this view that struck something in him.
He shook off the odd thoughts as he approached her and noticed small tear tracks running down her cheeks. He could see that her beautiful violet eyes, which usually sparkled with joy, were dull and bloodshot. He could see some lingering pain in them... hate even. He very gently placed his hand upon her shoulder, and she jolted. She wildly looked around before her eyes landed upon sapphire, and she relaxed for but a moment. Then she quickly looked away and wiped the tear stains from her face.
When she looked back at him, she had a small, fake smile on her lips. "Oh, hi, Harry. I didn't expect you to be up here today," she greeted him as if nothing was wrong despite her bloodshot eyes.
Harry stared into her eyes for a long moment before he just reached out and pulled her into a gentle but tight embrace. He felt her stiffen in his arms for a moment but then relaxed. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You don't have to do that for me, Andie. You don't have to be strong all the time. I can be strong for both of us and if you ever need or want to talk about ANYTHING, you can come to me. Even if it's just for a shoulder to cry on, I will be here for you."
Andie didn't say anything as she just sat there and listened to him. No one had ever shown her this kind of care before. Sure, her sisters cared for her, and so did Sirius, but they weren't willing to be the strong ones. That role had always been laid at her feet. Bellatrix had never really cared for touchy-feely things, always preferring to beat problems into submission rather than talk about them or simply listen to others talk about their issues. Cissy found it too hard to support others emotionally, having been discouraged from showing emotion by her father for so long. So it was up to Andie to support them as they couldn't support their emotions, and no one else would be there for the times when it all became too much and either one of them broke down.
However, no one was ever there for Andie when she broke. No one cared when she was vulnerable and had no one else to turn to. Over the holidays, her father had verbally berated her for hours. He had been told by other Slytherin parents that their children had suggested that she was not very Slytherin-like and would even talk to the occasional half-blood. It took everything she had not to snort at that. If only he had known about the friendship she had started with Lily.
He had ended his rant by accusing her of being a disappointment and backhanding her across the face. She had held out for the remainder of the holiday, refusing to allow herself to shed a tear. It wasn't until she was here and could get away from her sisters and housemates that she finally let it all go. She truly hadn't thought anyone would come here today. She figured that she could be alone but at least in a spot where she felt truly accepted and could be herself.
But Harry had come up here today. She couldn't help but wonder what had caused the sapphire-eyed boy to come up here. In the end, though, she didn't care. For one of the few times in her life, she felt safe here... in his arms, like nothing could hurt her. Like her father couldn't hurt her. She didn't need to be strong anymore and could instead let it all go.
She raised her hands shook just a bit and wrapped them around his neck. Before she knew what was happening, she let out a muffled sob into his shoulder. They sat there for nearly an hour as she let out all the pain that she had been holding in for so long now. Harry didn't say anything as he simply held her in his arms and let her cry it out. After a time, she finally stopped crying and simply let out dry hiccups, still not letting him go.
When this died down, she just laid her head on his shoulder before she whispered softly, "Thank you, Harry... for being here."
"Always, Andie," he whispered back. Neither one of them realized that something between them had changed that day. They had become closer than ever before, but neither wanted to ruin it with words.
(A month later)
Harry was sitting at the edge of the lake, watching as the giant squid rolled around at the top of the water. It was an okay day, if a bit cold. However, with warming charms, it wasn't too bad at all. The sun, while not casting too much warmth, shone brightly overhead and glittered off the surface of the lake.
He felt a presence come and sit next to him and smelled the now-familiar scent of lavender and cinnamon. He smiled a tad as he looked over. "Hey, Amelia. How are you today?"
"Cold..." She grumbled.
Harry chuckled and took out his wand. He cast the warming charm on her and put it away. However, he didn't stop there and reached over put his arm around her and pulled her closer into him. He didn't notice the blush that crept up her face as he looked back out over the water. "Better?"
Amelia fought down the blush and nodded a bit, not pulling away. "Yes," she replied and cuddled a little closer to him without realizing it. She placed her head on his shoulder and watched the squid with him.
"Amelia, I have a question for you," Harry asked.
"Oh, and what is that?" She asked, not pulling away. It felt too good to move. It simply felt right to her to be in his arms. Any other boy that had tried this would have been visiting Madam Pomfrey.
"What is it that you want to be when you graduate? Like, what are your plans for the future?" He asked.
Amelia didn't reply right away as she thought it over. "I don't really know. I haven't given it much thought, really. Whatever it is, I want to help people. Try and make our world a better place."
Harry nodded his head a bit as he thought over her words. "Well, I believe you can definitely be that person that does that one day. You are an amazing person, and I am sure that one day you can make that a reality."
Amelia looked up at him a bit as he spoke. Sure, other people had told her that they believed she could before. Her parents for one and her grandmother when she was still alive a few years ago. But coming from Harry, it felt different somehow. Maybe it was due to the conviction in his voice that it seemed so much more sincere, like he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would manage to do just that.
She smiled a bit as she returned her head to her previous position. "Thanks, Harry... What about
You? What do you plan on doing?"
Harry seemed to think about this for a moment before she felt him shrug. "I don't know yet, really. Perhaps I'll put my name and vote to good use and help you with your dream within the political sphere. You know, help make the laws that will help turn your dream into a reality."
She felt her cheeks heat up a bit but forced it back. "You would really do that? Help me with my dream like that?"
Harry turned to her with a smile that caused his sapphire eyes to sparkle in the midday sun. "Of course I would, Amelia. You mean the world to me, and I want to see your dreams come true."
She stared into his eyes for a long time, looking for any lies or ulterior motives. Finally, she smiled back at him and put her head back down. "Thank you, Harry."
Harry just nodded his head, and they went back to watching the lake. However, their silent moment was interrupted by a snowball hitting the back of their heads. Amelia shrieked and jumped to her feet to see who threw it. Harry turned around as well, only to see Edgar rolling on the ground, laughing with a few of his buddies. Amelia pulled her wand in fury to send a hex at her brother, but Harry reached out and lowered her arm.
She looked over at him angrily, but he shook his head. He pulled out his own wand and quickly made a large stack of snowballs of their own while the other boys still laughed. Amelia got a large and wicked grin on her face as she saw the fresh ammunition at her feet.
Edgar seemed to sense danger and quickly stopped laughing to look up. His face went white as he watched Harry lift up about ten snowballs in front of his sister, and her wand slashed forward, banishing them in their direction. He let out a shriek, drawing his friends' attention as the frozen water struck him in the face. The others quickly went down with their leader. Amelia smirked and didn't let up as Harry levitated more snowballs for her to banish. Soon, they were chasing the group of fourth-years around the grounds, pelting them with snowballs and laughing. Harry smiled over at Amelia's red face, her eyes shining with amusement. He was glad that she was lightening up a bit.
(Two weeks later)
Harry was setting up the chessboard for him and Remus in the classroom. Last week, Potter had played a pretty mean joke on Snape. He had hit him with a Body-Bind and banished his clothes down to his underpants. He had then floated him up and stuck him to the wall of a busy corridor. Harry had felt sorry for the scrawny Slytherin a bit. He may have been an ass to him as an adult and wasn't kind now, but no one really deserved what had happened.
He had heard that Lupin had been trying his best to get them to stop, but none of them would listen. They said that it was actually Remus who had quickly got him off the wall as soon as his friends had left the corridor, laughing at what they had done. He had apparently tried to apologize, but Snape had nothing of it and stormed off.
Harry heard the door open and noticed Angry Larry lift his head before putting it back down on top of Dopey Larry. He glanced back and noticed Lupin shuffling into the room. His face was downcast to the floor. Harry could tell he was depressed by something but walked around the table and sat in his usual chair. Remus didn't even look up as he took his seat.
Harry watched him over the desk for a long while as the other boy simply stared at the chessboard in front of him. Finally, after some time, Remus spoke up. "I guess you're my only friend now, Harry..." He said softly, his eyes starting to brim with tears. He still didn't look up.
"What do you mean, Remus?" Harry asked softly, getting up and moving around the table to sit before him.
Remus still wouldn't look up at him. "They ditched me, Harry. Said that I was too soft on dirty rotten dark wizards like you and the Slytherins to be their friend... Well, James did anyway. Peter just agreed with him. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't say anything. He came up to me the next day and told me that he still wanted to be my friend. I told him that we should probably not be seen together often, or Potter would probably see him as being dark too or something."
Harry sat back in his chair a bit. He was stunned that his father would stop being friends with Lupin for something as simple as telling him he was going too far. "He really did that, huh?"
Lupin nodded his head. "Yeah, said that I wasn't a real Gryffindor or friend if I defended those that would turn Lily against the light and against him."
Harry sighed. "I'm so sorry that this happened," he said sincerely.
Remus nodded again, still not looking up, as small tears started rolling. "I just... I had hoped that they would be different, you know. That they would accept me for me, that we would be the four musketeers from now until the end... like Sirius would say. But James and Peter turned on me for something so stupid. I just couldn't sit around anymore and watch as James humiliated Snape over and over again. And they just keep getting more humiliating and even dangerous, you know."
Harry nodded his head and put his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I understand, Remus, but hey, you have me, you know. If you are comfortable with it, I can even introduce you to my other friends. I'm sure you would love them."
Remus looked up into his eyes and seemed to search them for a while as if looking for lies. "You mean it?"
Harry smiled at him. "Of course I mean it, Remus. You're my friend, and I'll stick with you no matter what."
Remus smiled at his blond friend before he reached out and took him into a brotherly hug. "Thank you, Harry."
"Anytime, Remus," Harry said. "Now, come on, we have a game to play."
Remus chuckled lightly at that, and the two started to play. It wasn't long before they were talking about summer plans and schoolwork. Before long, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Remus couldn't help the small smile that came to his face. Maybe things would be alright after all.
(Two weeks before summer)
Harry walked through the library in search of red hair and emerald eyes. Exams were over, and yet he hadn't seen Lily in almost a day. She had apparently secluded herself in the library shortly after exams. Finally, he found her deep within the huge dusty shelves. She was bent over a large tome and reading intently.
Harry smirked to himself and snuck over to her. When he reached her side, she had still not noticed his presence. He reached out and gave her side a soft prod. She jumped with a squeak and whirled around wide-eyed. When her eyes met him, she relaxed.
"Harry, don't do that," she hissed while smacking his arm.
Harry chuckled softly. "Come on, put away the book, and let's go for a walk. It's beautiful outside."
She shook her crimson hair. "No, I'm going to hang out here and study some more. I won't have access to this stuff over the summer."
"Come on, Lilly. You have five more years to comb through these shelves. For now, let's just enjoy each other's company and this fine day," he told her.
"No, I need to learn as much as I possibly can," she said, going back to her book.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, Lilly? It almost sounds like you have a reason for wanting to learn so much." She didn't say anything, but he could tell that she wasn't paying attention to her book again. "Come on, Lills. You can tell me, you know."
She started to bite her lower lip. Finally, she mumbled something he couldn't hear. "What was that?"
"I want to prove that I belong here. That I deserve to be here and be friends with you..." She said softly.
Harry scrunched up his brow. "Lilly, what do you mean? Of course, you belong here, and why wouldn't you deserve to be my friend?"
Lilly still didn't look up from her book, but he noticed a few small drops of water hitting the table below. "They said that a Mudblood like me shouldn't be here... that I didn't deserve to be here. They said that they didn't understand why you would want to be around someone as filthy as me and taint your Pureblood." She whispered.
Harry gritted his teeth, anger filling him. "Who told you this, Lilly?"
"It doesn't matter... I'll show them that I do deserve to be here..." she whispered.
Harry sighed and took a breath. Now wasn't the time to allow his anger to get the better of him. "Lilly, I don't think anyone deserves to be here more than you do. You don't need to prove anything to anyone, not to me, not to Amelia or Andie, and certainly not to those bigoted assholes. You are smart, clever, and prettier than just about any Pureblood. The only ones that could match you are Amelia and Andie. Screw them, Lills. They're just jealous of your obvious superiority in a field they were raised to believe themselves the masters of and don't bother to study."
Lilly looked up at him, her emerald eyes red from the tears that slowly crawled down her cheeks. "So you wouldn't leave me if I wasn't the smartest?"
Harry dawned a look of hurt. "Lilly Evans, I would not leave you if you were the dumbest person in the world. You are my friend, and that's all that matters to me. You don't have to get top marks on everything and know it all. I just want you to be you. The pretty redhead who has a love of books and learning, who is kind and caring, who loves her family and friends and would protect them with her life. I really don't care how smart you are, Lilly, or how powerful you are. I don't care about how you were born or what family you come from. All I care about is you. Just because you are Muggle-born does not mean I care for you any less than I care for Andie or Amelia."
A small smile came to her face at his words, and more tears spilled from her eyes. She had been concerned for a while now that Harry would one day leave her behind because she wasn't a Pureblood. She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered in his ear.
He just smiled and hugged her back. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Now come on, Lills, let's go outside and enjoy the day."
She nodded her head against his neck. She reluctantly pulled away and dried her eyes. Harry helped her put back the book she had been reading, and they both left the library side by side. She looked over at him from the corner of her eye and couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. She was so happy she had met him that day in the alley. He had become so important in her life, just as important as her family to her. He had even helped her make more friends with Amelia, Andie, and now even Remus.
Remus had started hanging around Harry in public a few weeks ago, and he had apologized for his role in his old friend's pranks. He seemed so genuine that she couldn't help but accept it. Since then, they have found a common interest in Potions and Charms.
She let him lead her down to the Black Lake, where they sat down by a large rock to watch the giant squid. She sat rather close to him and laid her head against his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, as he didn't say anything, so she just allowed herself to get comfortable. "You were right; this is beautiful," she said softly after some time. Harry just nodded and continued to look out over the lake.