There was a knock at the door. Grace frowned at her kitchen table and slowly turned her head to the direction of the front door. That was odd. She thought. No one knocks. The only person who would come over was her uncle, but she always knew when he would come, and he always came by Floo if he came over at all. There was another knock. Setting down her quill as she pushed her chair back, she walked to the front door and listened. Then there came the third knock and curiosity had finally taken over. Grace unlocked the door and opened it, and her eyes widened at the boy with messy dark hair, round glasses and emerald, green eyes.
"Harry...hi," she greeted lamely, blinking at him.
"Hi," he greeted back, shifting from one foot to the other.
"Hi," she repeated, and mentally cringed at her own awkwardness. "What er...what are you doing here?"
"I was hoping your offer was still available?" he asked awkwardly. She frowned and tilted her head to the side, trying to remember what she might have offered him. "On the train home, you said if I wanted, I could come over and do some school work," he added, hoping to refresh her memory. Her eyes widened in realization, and she nodded.
"Yes, I remember I'm-"
"Gracia Venus Black! What have I told you about opening the door!" Grace visibly cringed at her mother's voice. Harry's eyes widened and mouthed 'sorry' to her.
"I'm sorry! It's just Harry, Mum!"
"Harry? Harry who?" Grace's expression dropped and Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. While Grace tended to be a little on the quiet, Harry found that her expressions spoke louder than words ever could. The door opened wider revealing a woman that had long, loosely curled ginger hair, fair skin, with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and hazel eyes. She reminded Harry very much of Mrs. Weasley.
"Mum, you remember my friend from the muggle school," Grace started. "He's also a friend from Hogwarts too, I told you he lives a couple streets over on Privet Drive."
"Right," Grace's mother nodded, her eyes softening as she looked at Harry.
"I told him he could come over and do schoolwork," she continued and her mother nodded.
"Of course, of course, come on in," she smiled at Harry as she pulled Grace aside for Harry to come in. Once the door was closed, and locked, she smiled at Harry again. "It's...it's so nice to finally meet you, Harry."
"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Black," Harry gave her a polite smile as he held out his hand.
"Ms. Prewett, actually, and you can call me Helena," She corrected, taking Harry's hand. "Black is Gracia's father," Grace's uncomfortable expression and cringe didn't go unnoticed by Harry as he let go of her mother's hand. "Where are your books?"
"Er..." Harry paused, looking at Grace and silently asking for help.
"Harry's aunt and uncle don't like magic Mum," she spoke up, her mother frowning and looking from Harry to Grace then back to Harry again. "That's why I invited him over, so he could do it."
"Oh," Harry's neck grew hot under the sad look Grace's mother gave him. "Well, have at it. If you two need anything, just give me a shout."
"Will do, Mum," Grace rolled her eyes as she grabbed Harry's arm and started dragging him away to the kitchen table. Harry sat in the empty chair to the right of her, and she started handing him bunches of parchment and a quill. "I'm currently doing my History of Magic essay on Wendelin the Weird, but all my books are here if you wanted to work on something else."
"I'll work on Potions," he said and she nodded. "I'd like to get it done when I'm with you," Grace's cheeks burned as she stared at him with wide eyes. Harry realized what he said, and he felt his neck grow hot. "I mean, you're really good at potions and if I needed help, you're right here," he added quickly and she nodded in understanding. She looked down at her essay, letting her dark, curly hair fall and cover her face from his view. Harry had seen her do this many times when she felt shy or embarrassed, so he let her be and went to focus on his essay.
Grace liked working with Harry. They haven't really sat next to each other in any of their classes, he usually sat next to Ron, or Hermione and she usually sat next to Neville. However, there were times when she was sitting at her favorite table in the common room doing her school work when he and Ron would ask to join her. She never turned away company, and the three of them would do their homework together. Or she would end up sitting with Hermione in the library and Ron and Harry would join them. She felt that the two of them worked well together when it came to studying, that is
"I can't do anymore; my eyes might bleed if I have to read another word!" Grace sighed dramatically, leaning back into her seat and letting her head hang over the edge of the chair. Harry snorted and tried not to laugh. They had been working for two hours, with a short break for lunch that her mother had made them. "Why do teachers insist on assigning work over the summer holidays? It's unfair."
"Yeah, I agree," Harry nodded as he, too, leaned back in his chair.
"Want to go to the park?" She asked, turning to him with a grin. Harry felt his own smile growing as he nodded. "Let's go!"
They had only just opened the door before they were stopped. "Where are you two going?" Grace cringed again before turning to her mother, who stood in the hallway with her arms crossed over her chest.
"To the park across the way," Grace answered, and her mother raised an eyebrow at her. "Please! We've done two essay's each," she added, in hopes that they'll be allowed to leave.
"Fine," Her mother sighed dramatically in defeat, and for the first time Harry saw Grace smile at her mother. Her mother smiled at them and waved them off. "Go on but be back here with the lamp posts turn on!"
"Thanks!" Grace exclaimed, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him out of the house, and they raced to the park across the street. She ran to the empty swings and instantly started to get herself in the air. Harry smiled as he took the one next to her, swaying back and forth, and just watching her. Her hair flew around her as she got higher and higher in the air, her eyes were closed, and she had a peaceful smile. Harry hadn't seen that look on her face since the previous summer at The Burrow, and before that was before Harry found out he was a wizard.
Grace lived at 13 Magnolia Crescent. She had moved there in September of 1990, and they met at the beginning of Harry's last year of primary school. She started about a month into the school year and was assigned to sit next to Harry as it was the only available seat. Grace was the only friend he had before Hogwarts. He only saw her at school, and rarely saw her on weekends and school holidays but when he did, they always came to the park, and she always chose the swings. He remembered he asked her one March afternoon in year six why she loved the swings so much and she told him: "I like it, it feels like I'm flying".
He was happy when he found out that she was also a witch when she found his and Ron's compartment that first day of September. He was even happier to learn that she and Ron were cousins. However, no matter how much he enjoyed Grace and her company, he felt a little guilty that they weren't very close, unlike how he is with Ron and Hermione. He felt that they should be closer because he'd known her the longest, and she was the first person he called a friend. But Grace was just... different. It wasn't because Harry had a harder time connecting to her, it was quite the opposite. She kept to herself, and always did what Ron did, or she would hang around another boy in their year: Neville Longbottom. Sometimes Harry preferred Grace's company over others because she was quiet. They'd play exploding snaps, or Gobstones, or Wizards Chess in the common room and not say anything. Harry found that he didn't need to say anything around Grace, and she didn't need to say anything either. Her expressions were enough and over the last three years he's found that he could read them perfectly.
"Are you excited for next term?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.
"Yup!" She exclaimed as she swooshed past him.
"Are you going to try out for the quidditch team this year?" He asked. One thing that he noticed was that both Grace and Ron got very passionate about Quidditch. They had played last summer at The Burrow and Grace was fast and had great aim.
"Doesn't Gryffindor already have a team?" She asked, looking over at him as she swooshed past him again with her hair in her face.
"Well...yeah..." Harry shrugged. "But I think Alicia mentioned how she might focus on school this year, seeing as it's her final year."
"Oh," she replied. "Well, if there is an opening then yeah... I'll try out."
"I think you'll be great," he told her and Grace's face flushed pink. Silence fell between them again. "How come your Mums last name is different?" Harry asked gently a few minutes later. Grace froze, gripping the chains of the swing tightly as she allowed herself to slow down.
"My dad left when I was a baby," she finally answered, looking at the ground. Harry felt horrible and instantly regretted asking. "I think he was a muggle, and I think he left because he found out Mum was a witch. My uncle says it broke Mums heart when he was left," she continued. "She tried to get my name changed to Prewett, but I guess Professor Dumbledore told her that my surname was Black in wizarding records and since they're magic, they can't be changed."
"So, to avoid confusion..." Harry started, nodding in understanding.
"Mum kept my last name the same," she finished.
Harry didn't bring up her family again after that, he didn't even bring up Ron or Hermione either. They talked about other things, like what electives they're taking, and about Quidditch. Grace told him how her mum is starting to ask her about boys, and how embarrassing it is. Harry tried not to laugh at how red her face got, and with the breeze she couldn't hide her face. "Just you wait, Harry James Potter," she started, glaring over at him. "Give it some time, I'm sure mum will ask you about girls!" And even though the thought was embarrassing, something in Harry hoped what she said was true.