Harry sat in the arm chair in his living room, staring at the bulky brick known as a mobile phone in his hands. His eyes drifted from the device in his hands to the clock directly opposite to him.
14 more minutes.
His leg began bouncing in anticipation. He couldn't wait. What if he did something stupid? What if she didn't want to give him a chance? What if he said the wrong thing? His throat was closing up.
12 minutes.
Merlin he couldn't do this. This was torture. He couldn't, he needed more time! He wasn't ready, she was perfect, and beautiful and happy and he, what was he? Expect a relic of past gone by, a hero who would only be remembered by history texts whose greatest achievement would be vanquishing Voldemort. God he was brooding again, he didn't have time for this!
7 minutes.
He jumped up, the antsy energy in him unable to let him sit still. He wished he had enough time to drain some of his excess magic, unfortunately he didn't. Was it hot? It felt too hot. Striding across the room, he shook his hands, slight sparks escaping and landing on the rug. With an annoyed look he waved his hands, repairing where his magic had burned the rug slightly. A sudden ring made him jump, his wand coming up into his hand, his heart settling into the soft state of battle, a curse already on his lips, just to realise that it wasn't an intruder but his alarm clock.
Which he had set to 2 PM.
Which just rang.
Which means that it was time to call Lia.
A very high pitched screech left his throat, his wand pointing at the alarm clock, blowing it up accidentally. A crack signified a very disapproving Kreacher who with a crack took away the remains of the alarm clock and himself from the room.
"Okay, calm down Harry, you can do this. You killed Voldemort at 18, you have been fighting him since you were 11, you killed a fucking Basilisk at 12, one of the deadliest creatures every know to man. You can call a girl and ask her out, even if she's the most beautiful woman you've ever seen and she surely must have a line full of suitors. Okay no, this is exactly why you need to call her, I cannot let her slip away without even fighting for her."
So, with a deep breath, at exactly 2:02 PM on 8 June, 2001 Harry Potter made the very first and most important phone call ever, to the love of his life.
It took a couple rings before the voice that had been stuck in his mind since yesterday picked up. It was groggy and not completely there but it was perfect. It made his soul settle and made all his anxiety vanish. This. This was what he wanted, to hear that voice everyday, not over the phone but from right beside him.
"Hello?" A much more alert and confused voice pulled him from his dreaming. Shit, shit, he had to speak. Okay deep breaths Potter. You can do this.
"Hello, is this Lia?" Yes, he had masked his nervousness perfectly. Okay, he could do this.
"Yes, this is her. Who is this?" Right words. He needs more words to make this work and get a chance.
"Hi, I don't know if you remember but we met last night, your friend gave me your number…" Oh Merlin, what if she didn't even remember him? He didn't even know her friends' name to convince her he wasn't some stalker.
"Green eyes.." he could hear her mutter. She remembered him! SHE REMEMBERED HIM! Well, his eyes, but she did call them beautiful so that was good!
"Excuse me?" He enquired politely. He didn't want to yell and scream in happiness and scare her even though that was his first instinct.
"Nothing, I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name?" She asked.
"Harry, I'm Harry Potter." Why did he say it like that? He always introduced himself normally, but now why was he trying to be so pompous?
"Well Harry, Harry Potter. I am Cecelia Campbell, but I go by Lia. What can I do for you?" She sounds happy, she was teasing him. That was good! Wasn't it? This was good. For sure, she was teasing him. Of course it had to be good.
"Iwaswonderingifyouwantedtogoonadatewithme?" He was supposed to speak normally! Not squeak and have all the words come out weird. He cleared his throat and spoke again, clearly.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?" Yes, that was good. It was clear and concise and sounded confident. Yet all he heard from the other side was silence. Did he get cut off? He pulled the phone from his ear, looking at it in confusion, no the call was still connected. Did he say something wrong?
"Hello?" He ventured tentatively.
"Yes, hi. Sorry, A date, you were saying?"
"Yes." He said decisively. He could have asked to meet as friends first, but what was the point? He didn't want to be just friends with her, he wanted her.
A few more seconds of silence in which his confidence began to trickle away.
"Of course why not?" She said suddenly. Thank Merlin!
"Great!" He actually jumped up in happiness, his face splitting into a huge grin. He did it! His emotions made his magic run away from him, causing more sparks to form around him, although rather than burning his rug like before, they just sparkled in the air around him, almost like tiny fireworks.
"Are you free this Sunday?" He would have asked for Saturday, or today, he desperately wanted to see her, but he did want to make it special. Their very first date, it had to be something that would convince her that they were meant to be forever, or at the very least to give him a second chance.
"Yes I am, what did you have planned?" She asked expectantly.
"Um…" Shit he hadn't begun planning yet, what would he do now? Is she going to cancel? He had to think of something! Think Potter, think!
An amused laugh broke his panicking again. How did she do that? He began to overthink and just one word or laugh from her had his mind settling and heart singing.
"I'm just kidding, here's my address." His attention turned back to her as he noted down her address, even though he didn't need it. He had it already memorised.
With a few more words of pleasantries he cut the call and with a sigh collapsed into the armchair he had been sitting in, a satisfied smile on his face. He had done it, he had a date with her. He had a date with Lia.
He had a date with Lia.
He had a date with Lia!
Oh Merlin, He had a date with Lia! And in one second his happiness morphed into anxiety. He had a date with the most perfect woman ever and he had no plan! And he had only two days to come up with the perfect date idea. Shit, shit, shit he needed to talk to Hermione.
God she could not even feel her head, why, why did she drink so much? Oh that's right because it was Elsa's bachelorette and she had the superpower of drinking as much as wanted without ever getting a hangover. Ugh, she felt like puking.
"Good, you're awake." The voice of the cruel, cruel bride to be who had caused her hangover interrupted her. A tiny lift of her head showed her already dressed and perfect and looking down on her with an amused smile.
"Ughhh" was her only reply as she buried her head in the pillow again. Elsa rolled her eyes used to Lia's light weight tendencies.
"Alright sleep, but you will be getting a call soon and you will be accepting his date offer." Elsa sat down on the edge of the huge bed, crossing her legs and looking at the watch on her wrist.
"What?" Lia mumbled while still being buried in her quilt and pillow.
"D-A-T-E. Date Lia. You need to get out of the house Lia, you're 20 you need to live and be free and have fun." Lia turned her head, squinting up at her friend.
"What on earth are you even talking about?" She asked, looking at her friend weirdly.
"All you need to know is that you will be getting a call soon and you will say yes. Understand?" Icy blue eyes which would intimidate anyone glared at her but Lia only rolled her eyes, she was used to her best friend's unnerving glare and it didn't work on her anymore.
"And why should I?" Lia mumbled burrowing into the warmth more. She didn't want to leave the bed or even talk to some guy, she just wanted to sleep. Her eyes began to droop and she snuggled in more. Just as Elsa opened her mouth to reply to her, a piercing ring ruined any hope of peace. She threw a triumphant smile and her phone at her.
"Well at least he's extremely punctual, I told him to call after 2 and it's 2:02. Now Pick It Up Cecelia Cambell!" Lia winced, she could actually hear the words be punctuated with capitals in Elsa's voice.
She sighed as she pushed herself to sit in the bed before picking up the call. If whoever that person wanted a date he could damn well wait for her for a few seconds.
"Hello?" She asked, her voice still tinted with sleep, her hand came up to cover a yawn. Silence was the only answer, wondering if she had cut the call instead of picking it up she pulled it from her ear. It was connected. Her eyebrows creased as she concentrated on the curtains opposite her rather than the inquisitive and impatient face of her best friend.
"Hello?" She asked rather than answered this time.
"Hello, is this Lia?" His voice sounded familiar, but she didn't remember where she had heard it. "Yes, this is her. Who is this?" she replied as she tried to remember where she knew the voice from.
"Hi, I don't know if you remember but we met last night, your friend gave me your number…" She sucked in a breath, now she remembered. They were dancing yesterday night, and she had seen this really attractive man sitting in a booth, her eyes had strayed to him multiple times but he had never seemed to notice her. But, when someone had tried to pull her towards him, that same man had appeared suddenly as if by magic and had put himself between her and that creep, and when he had turned to her, she had been mesmerised by his eyes.
"Green eyes.." He had the brightest, most beautiful eyes.
"Excuse me?" she flushed despite him not being there to see her. How embarrassing! She couldn't believe that she had said that out loud.
"Nothing, I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name?" She hoped he wouldn't push her on it. Unable to sit still on the bed, she jumped to the floor, her feet landing on the plush rug beneath. She began walking around, her hand trying to untangle the mess of her hair, a wince forming on her face as she came across a particularly hard knot. Elsa began following her, trying to press her ear closer to the phone to hear what was being said.
"Harry, I'm Harry Potter." God how was his voice so smooth?
"Well Harry, Harry Potter. I am Cecelia Campbell, but I go by Lia. What can I do for you?" She tried teasing(flirting) him. Elsa gave her a funny look, her eyebrows quirked up, she knew it was very uncharacteristic of her.
"Iwaswonderingifyouwantedtogoonadatewithme?" She spun around, her eyes wide as her hand came up to cover her mouth. Did he just-? He was nervous! It was so cute! She sounded like a pre teen girl, she wanted to squeal in happiness but she didn't want to scare off Harry or make him think she was weird. She heard his throat clear before he spoke again.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?"
She pinched her mouth shut to prevent herself from screaming before jumping up and down. 'He asked me out!' She mouthed to Elsa.
'Oh my god! That is so amazing!' Elsa mouthed back, joining her in jumping.
"Hello?" The tentative voice brought her back to ground, shit she hadn't even replied to him. Moving to sit on the coffee she replied and finalised her plans for the date. As soon as the call was cut she threw it in the arm chair, her hands coming to cover her face which she was sure was red as she screamed in happiness.