Just a quick note before we start : First, there is no bashing in this story. Two, the look of the characters are the one from the movie, so Hermione looks like Emma Watson and Harry look like Daniel Radcliffe.
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Chapter 2 : A rollercoaster of emotions
All his life, Harry had dreamed about having a happy and normal life with a few children and a beautiful wife at his side.
In his dream, he would invite his friends and loved ones to reunite every weekend to eat a good old barbecue. His uncle and aunt never let him eat whenever they did it so he'd take his revenge at life that way.
When his first letter at Hogwarts came, for the first time ever he experienced something he'd never thought he would : Hope.
Hope at a better world, Hope at a new start and Hope at a peaceful and fun ride.
He also felt in control of his own life for the first time, freed from his abusive relatives and sent to a school with people his age eager to explore magic just as he did.
Then he met Ron and his mother, and later in the train they met Hermione.
At that moment in his mind, everything he could think about was the excitement of founding friends.
He'd never thought that they'd form a trio that will later on be shaped by trial and tribulations throughout their years together.
They fought a possessed teacher on their first year, a reviving old fragment of Voldemort on the next one, and then had to fight off their Lycanthrope teacher who helped his godfather, who at that time was sentenced to Azkaban for killing his parents, escape.
Then he was forced to watch Cedric, the 7th Year handsome and popular Cedric, who helped him survive the Tri-Wizard Tournament where death was a common occurrence, die right in front of him before being forced to revive Voldemort with his own blood by no mere Pettigrew, the real traitor – not Sirius, who killed his parents by telling their positions to one of the greatest Dark Lord of all time.
He was, supposedly, one of their best friend.
And then, like it wasn't enough, he was accused of abusing his use of magic outside the school when he was just defending his bully of a cousin and himself from Dementors.
The same bitch, Umbridge, who accused him with Fudge, arrived at the school and slowly crept her way to the top and took Dumbledore's place. She made Hogwarts, the only place he truly felt like home, a hellhole.
She literally tortured little children with a freaking blood quill and interrogated them with Veritaserum.
He resisted of cours, like he always did, and created a sort of DADA club to ensure his loved ones and friends were strong enough to hold their own against threats and then got betrayed by the girl he just kissed few weeks prior.
He avoided her like a plague after discovering that fact but then later learned that she was drugged with Veritaserum and forced to tell the truth. He'd wanted to apologize but it felt like it was too late at this point to mend whatever happened between them.
All the while, he was trained/tortured by a gleeful Snape who was tasked with teaching him how to protect his mind from Voldemort. Like he wasn't a bully enough during class, he decided to use the most violent method possible by infiltrating his mind untill he pushed him out.
That greasy bastard probably gets off to those sessions. Watching the child of James, his ex-bully, whither in pain probably brought him more pleasure than a thousand whores.
And then, Voldemort had trapped him by giving him a false memory of torturing his godfather in the ministry, prompting him and a group of 5 of his friends to be forced to fight a whole horde of Death Eaters, adult and trained dark wizards with deadlier spells than they'd ever seen before.
After all this, Sirius died.
After everything he'd gone through, the only family he got left aside from his friends and his abusive relatives, died right in front of him by his own psychotic cousin.
Sometimes Harry wondered if it wouldn't have been better if he'd never came to Hogwarts and spare himself the trouble.
And now, he just learned that he was destined to die, not like how he interpreted it the first time he heard the prophecy but as in, for Voldemort to die, he must die first.
'Neither can live while the other survives. Tch, what a fraud. It's more like neither can Voldemort die whilst I live' He thought derisively.
To top it all off, Dumbledore knew all of this and probably more.
He played the good old grandfather concerned with his grandchild whilst making sure he'd be ready to let himself be killed so that Voldemort would never return.
He'd been sold a lie. A beautiful yet painful lie that cost him everything he'd ever wanted : a happy and long-living family.
That was why, he couldn't contain himself anymore.
"HOW DARE YOU !" Screamed Harry and dashed to a shocked Dumbledore, grasping him by the top of his robe. He forced the old man to face him "HOW DARE YOU HIDE THAT FROM ME!"
Harry was a mix of a crying mess and anger while he faced the apologetic old man.
"Harry I –" Dumbledore started but got cut off.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Screamed Harry. Unable to stop, his wand flashed green as –
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"Harry ?" An uncertain voice echoed in the small room while he blinked in confusion.
He'd been staring at nothing in peculiar as Dumbledore hesitantly take a step forward.
"Harry, my boy, I –" Dumbledore tried to say but he was stopped by Harry again.
"Don't" He pleaded and the headmaster stopped. He watched, helpless, his pupil sobbing in front of him.
He was scratching his face intensely, blood coming out of the fresh opened wounds.
He was breathing hard, trying to understand what was happening to him.
His heart was pounding and his vision blurred.
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"WHY ! JUST TELL ME WHY !"
"Harry please calm down my boy !"
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Then it happened again. He observed the two hesitant old man staring back at him. He realized that he'd been hallucinating for a long time now.
He wasn't angry nor did he start to cry anymore 'Good' he thought, relived.
'It's all inside my head' He repeated to himself as he slowly walked to a cautious Dumbledore.
"You did it on purpose" Harry said simply. He looked at an abashed Dumbledore "All these years I've thought that I survived Voldemort by dumb luck and a bit of courage, but really it's been just you manipulating everything, right?"
While the panicked headmaster tried to explain himself, he continued "You've raised me just for that," He walked a step "You're waiting for the right moment so that he can kill me," Another step "You've raised me like a pig for slaughter !"
"H-H-Harry I –" There was no denial to what he said in Dumbledore's eyes, only guilt and shame, which made it a thousandfold worse.
"Spare me the details" He was crying now, much more controlled yes, but still "Did you arrange me meeting the Weasleys on my first day too or was it pure luck this time?"
"What ? Harry ? God no, Harry" He tried to explain but been exposed made him a tad bit vulnerable. He cursed himself for being so vulnerable right now "I'd never do that. The Weasleys sees you like family my boy. You know it too"
It's true. He'd never felt or seen any ill-intent toward him from them, and he was mostly exaggerating because of all the emotions "Then did you arranged for my parents to die ?" He diverted the subject as Dumbledore flinched.
'Bingo' He thought.
"Harry – The prophecy, I mean, it was –" Sputtered Dumbledore as Harry realized that he may have accidentally stumbled on something else entirely.
"You did" He said matter-of-factly as the man had the decency to be a bit ashamed "Did that bastard Severus helped you too ?"
"Harry" Dumbledore tried to chide him but he was way past that point "Severus is your teacher and –"
"A bastard bully Death Eater that you seem to blindly trust for no apparent reason. For Christ's sake, he's not fit to be a teacher let alone a spy" Finished Harry and Dumbledore stayed silent.
"Did you put me with the Dursleys just to make sure I'd be thankful to be sacrificed ?" When Dumbledore seemed too ashamed and shocked to answer, he just sighed.
He looked at the man in disgust "Let's go home, Albus" He spat his name, making him flinched.
The old man tried to protest at first but then decided otherwise. He'll try later, when his own emotions would be in check too. He revealed too much information.
As he turned to his shocked professor, he bowed to him apologetically and took his hands in his "Thank you for your help Professor" He said honestly as the man let out a small smile and nod "I'll do my best to stop this nooseless bastard," Horace winced at the insult "And I won't hold what you said against you, it truly was not your fault"
"Thank you my boy" Horace felt like a weight on his shoulder had been lifted, making him more at ease with himself.
He added with a small smile "Of course, but whatever you heard should stay between the 3 of us, and the 3 of us only" He said as he motioned between the three people present here "Right, professor?"
"Of course, of course my boy" He said reassuringly with a comforting smile. Harry could see the tiny hidden wave of unease through his act and decided to let it go for now. It won't matter anyway "It's not like there's use to tell someone, right ?"
"Exactly Professor" He agreed as he looked at the old man with the same comforting smile he sported and beckoned to the strangely big photo behind him "Oh, just before going, who is this man Professor? He seems like an important person for you to have it so high up in your shelves"
As the man turned to look at the photo, his eyes widened and sparkled in recognition "This is –"
Before he could start his explanation of whoever was that man, he heard a whisper.
He grunted as a spell hit him right on his back, making him fall unconscious and hipless on the ground.
Both remaining Wizards stared at each other defiantly.
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"Was this really necessary Harry ?" Asked a resigned Dumbledore as he looked at his angry pupil. They walked in the small and calm afternoon outside Horace's house "Obliviating him was a bit too much"
"Him knowing all of this was a liability" Explained an exasperated Harry as if he'd been telling the same thing for the hundredth time, which was probably the case "As much as you like to brag about him being a good person or teacher, I don't trust him nor do I trust you or your judgement any longer"
Dumbledore winced. A bridge had split the close kinship he'd been slowly but surely brewing. Harry was distancing himself from him and he wasn't even looking at the man in the eyes anymore.
He was afraid he'd try to invade his mind like Voldemort did. For him, at this point, both men were the same in his eyes.
'That bastard' He thought vehemently as he looked at Dumbledore.
"Now," The man said as if nothing happened, sporting his usual grandfatherly smile "To Apparate, the first step is you need to visualize where you want to go. Visualize the Burrow and –"
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WARP.
They arrived at the back of the house, his eyes settling on the figures near the big tree in the Burrow's garden.
They'd been practicing it for a while now, each time becoming easier. Well the dizziness got better. He almost cut his finger off in one of those attempt though but Dumbledore had showed him how to avoid it.
He walked towards the figures with a smile, his vision slowly recognizing his friend's frames. When he was near enough to see them, he stayed a bit there and observed them.
They were in couple, all of them. He saw Ginny in Dean's lap, Neville and Luna standing near each other and sending a few secretive smiles, and –
He froze. He just saw his two best friends, together. One of Ron's hand snaked around Hermione's shoulder as they listened to other bickering. Mostly Ginny and Dean though.
There was also Fred and George with their girlfriends and he spotted Fleur and Bill together too. They were making a strange but lovely couple.
He was happy, really. He was truly happy for all of them, especially his 2 best friends. They'd been circling around each other for a while now, and he was happy to see them finally not beating around the bush.
'Well, all they needed was a marriage law to force them to confess' He thought amusedly as he looked at them interact.
He just imagined it. He pictured himself, a girl on his side just like they did, laughing with his friends and chattering, being happy in general.
Then his eyes widened as he saw, or more like hallucinated, two small children, one of them had bright green eyes while the other eyes were blurry.
They waltzed toward their parents screaming 'Mom!' and 'Dad!' as the 2 figures dashed toward them happily.
He recognized one of the parents as him, or a much older and imaginative version of him he guessed 'Like I'd be alive by that time' He thought sourly as tears started to run down his face.
He can't recognize the second parent nor all the details of the children, but this live picture was enough for him to cry.
His vision blurred. He took his neck in his hand in support as he tried to take a breath but something was blocked down his throat.
"Harry," Tentatively said Dumbledore as Harry put his hand up to signal him to stop. He obeyed, forced to watch the struggling young man try and take back his breath.
Dumbledore was tearing up too. Despite all his power and influence he couldn't find a cure to help this poor boy out.
He'd been trying to save him for years, preparing him in case he'd have to die, yes, but hide it from him so that he could live his childhood as much as possible.
Honestly, why would he tell a 16-year-kid that he has to die in order to save the world ? After all the bullying that happened in his childhood, which was also his fault because he had miscalculated the Dursley's hatred for Magic and their own kin, how could you say this to that poor child ?
And if he can't find a way to cure him then what was the point to tell him that his days were counted ?
As he watched the poor boy cry in frustration and sorrow, the only thing he could do without angering him was to distance himself, for now, because his presence made it all worse.
He watched the poor boy started to laugh, not out of mirth nor joy, but out of misery and helplessness as he gazed at his previous mentor with between anger and resignation.
'He's gone nothing to lose' he observed cautiously. It was a really dangerous state of mind.
He watched the boy raise from his seat, his stare's intensity increasing as he walked toward him with his wand out.
'If he kills me, then so be it' He thought resignedly as he watched the young man's wand lit up in green for a second.
"Harry" He croaked as he put his hands in surrender "Whatever you're thinking, this is not you" He said gently as Harry's resolve seemed to falter for a split second "Kill me if you want, it's been years since Death has tried to recover my poor old senile body," He informed with a small smile and then added "I just don't want you to turn into something you'd never want to be"
After a few seconds, he watched Harry sigh, putting the wand out of the way as Dumbledore sighed in relief. It was also signalling him that he wasn't even worth the trouble and turned toward his friends again.
The last thing he saw was Harry teleporting away while he looked down in shame.
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Harry didn't know what he was doing here. He approached the Dursleys house.
He crept inside, unlocking the door with a flourish of his wand and a quick 'Alohomora', and let his eyes scan the area.
He spotted Vernon. He was sitting on his red velvet chair like usual, his feet propelled up and his eyes never left the television.
Petunia was cooking something for dinner. From what he could smell, it was mix of beans and whatever meat they could afford.
Dudley was upstairs. He could hear his screams of frustration alongside the sounds of his game echoing in the small house.
'What am I doing here ?' He wondered to himself as his wand never left his hand. He made his way inside the living room as Vernon remained oblivious of his presence.
After talking to Dumbledore, he'd been teleporting aimlessly around London. He had no real purpose to do that. He just wanted to find a calm spot to think and then he instinctively teleported there.
'Is it because of Dumbledore ?' He thought as he briefly looked at the scene in the small T.V. It was an action movie, a very poorly orchestrated one at that 'Do I want to take my revenge for all those years of bullying ?' He wondered.
He sat there for a moment, appreciating the calm for a while until he coughed, making both residents of the house – bare the one upstairs, gasp. They turned to him, their eyes widening as big as saucers and Petunia was ready to scream.
He made a motion to be silent, using his wand for greater effect as both effectively shut up "Get in line" He ordered.
Flabbergasted by his presence, they obeyed and stayed in front of him. He saw that, the more Vernon waited, the more his cheeks turned purple from anger whilst Petunia's face blanched.
"What do you want, boy ?" Vernon spat as he looked up to the ceiling when he talked too loud as if his son would hear them. He was playing a video game and there was nothing that would stop his retarded cousin from his game.
"What I want ?" He asked amusedly as he twirled his wand thoughtfully "Well at first , I entertained the idea of killing the three of you and turning the whole house into ashes just to take my revenge" He said truthfully as both flinched at his harsh tone "But it wouldn't be fair, I won't stop to your level"
Yes, despite everything they did to him, Harry wouldn't sink so low that he'd straight up kill them for the love of the game, even though it was kind of tempting.
He really wanted to torture them a bit, making sure they'd suffer, and then force them into the very cupboard they forced him into. He'd let them in here for a while. Come back a few days later, or even weeks and burn the whole cupboard alive.
Like he said, great idea but not enough lack of morality to do it.
They seemed relieved for a while. He let them think for a bit before adding "But I can't let you off the hook that easily either. There are always a few options we could explore don't worry"
"Second idea," He said a bit too happy as both flinched "I could just obliviate you like I just did with Slughorn" He twirled his wand for a bit more effect "It's a really useful spell. I learned it this year with Hermione. Really bright Witch that one". 'Just in case', she'd always say. In case they were chased and they needed to escape and avoid death eaters learning where they would go.
"What will really happen to us ?" Mumbled a mortified Petunia. Harry put a finger on his chin, make them think he was really thinking about it.
"I can make you forget my existence" He offered as they stood frozen "I'll make you all go away to another foreign country and forget about me and my whole existence" Like that, they'd never stay here, they'd never remember the torture they put him under and he'll never feel weak anymore, not in front of them at least.
He'll buy the house using a proxy, and he'd then burn the whole house to the ground just for the heck of it. Also, like this, he'd make sure none could come back here and try to find to something to use against him.
'Not that having Dudley as an hostage would force me to do anything' He thought amusedly before continuing.
"Or I could just go away and never come back again you know. Simple as that" He offered for a second as Vernon grunted and Petunia seemed hopeful before he denied it "Nah, I don't feel like it right now" He was feeling revengeful and way past caring. Plus, the second option looked like a really good idea "Also, you've been one great pain in the ass to my parents and me so I can't let you off the hook that simply"
An idea popped in his head. The more he thought about it, the more the second option felt useful.
"Remember when you forced us to go that house in Scottland to avoid those letters to come to me ?" He said as both started to blanch and tremble "What about Antarctica ? How does it sound to you ?" He started to have fun seeing them squirm in discomfort "Or how about the opposite in terms of temperatures? Africa ?" As they started to panic, he added with glee "Or maybe you'd like to explore the Amazonian Forest ? It could be fun, right ?"
When he saw the fear in their eyes, he felt a deep satisfaction by watching them squirm. He continued his verbal onslaught.
"Mom, dad ? What's going on ?" The voice of his chubby cousin trailing down the stairs made him nervous for a second, past traumas and all that, before the glee retuned and he beckoned him forward "Harry ? What are you doing here ?"
"Excellent question my cousin" He said with fake and exaggerated smile when his fat cousin sat next to his standing parents. Harry asked the most important question right now "Now Dudley, what do you think about Antarctica ?"
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She was waiting for him at her small apartment, looking out her window to check if he'd suddenly appear.
Right when she was ready to give up and start making dinner for herself, the ring of her door sang making her jump in fright.
She looked at herself from the small mirror she took with her to check if her makeup and her slightly straightened hair were on point which it was.
After confirming that all was well, she sprinted to the door when it rang a second time saying "Coming!" and cursed herself for her slightly cracking voice.
She was getting way too excited for this. She had secretly observed the young handsome man looking at her from his seat the first day. At that time she dismissed it as just a simple tourist that will disappear tomorrow and never come back.
When he came back a few days later, she'd been ecstatic.
As time passed and she saw that he wasn't going to make the first move, she decided that she'd do it for both of their sakes.
She thought he was just shy at first but – 'He wasn't really shy when he talked to me though' She thought as she opened the door with a huge smile "Hey !" She wanted to say more but her words died in her throat when he smiled back at her. 'Damn he's so handsome'
"Hey, Anne, right ?" He asked as he read it from the note she gave him before coming here. He didn't know the exact address so he had to teleport a few times before finding it but he still found it in a hour or so at least. That's why he was so late "Sorry for being late, I was busy with something and I tried to come as fast as –"
"It's okay" She reassured him with a small smile as she motioned him to enter. He was a bit shy at entering her house so suddenly but she didn't seem to mind at all "I need a few more minutes to prepare and we can go out" She informed him as he nodded, looking around in awkward confusion. She giggled when he made a strange face and pointed her finger to the kitchen "You can wait there, take a glass of water if you want. I'll be here shortly"
"Alright" He sighed in relief as she giggled, pecking his cheeks before sauntering into her room and leaving a frozen Harry in her corridor. He wasn't ready for that, that's for sure, but he still obeyed her previous suggestion.
Taking a glass of water and gulping it down in one swift motion, he didn't realize that he'd been dehydrated before he took his third.
"Ready ?" Anne asked as she peeked her head inside the kitchen and saw him put down the finished glass with a sigh of relief and whistled "Well, if you're so thirsty why don't we start with going to the bar ?"
A bar ? He'd never gone to a muggle bar before so he wondered what kind of beverage was available. Butterbeer wouldn't be on the menu he was sure of that but maybe he'll find something similar ?
Harry watched her with interest and admiration. She was sporting her usual black hair, just a bit tamer than before. She had a pair of black heels and black robe that hugged her curves in all the right places. She had light make up on with a bit of red gloss on her lips.
All, in all, she was beautiful.
"Sounds fun" He replied honestly with a small smile whilst she giggled and took his hand in hers before dragging him out of her apartment.
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"WHAT ? Why didn't you tell me it's your birthday ?" Exclaimed Anne as he put down his 2nd glass of Cappuccino and smiled at her sheepishly.
They'd been here for more than 2 hours, talking about their own lives, with Harry having to lie and deflect a lot of her questions to avoid revelling the Wizarding World by accident.
In general it was going so well until he mentioned that it was his birthday.
Anne was 17 years old, just a year older than him. She was working as a barista to pay her future college fees. She was going to study psychology next year and even made a comment about him shouldering too much on himself.
Complex of the hero she called it.
"You don't celebrate your birthday ?" Her question brought him out of his musing as he focused on the discussion on hand.
"I do. I was going to celebrate it with my friends but.. It's complicated" He said awkwardly as Anne nodded empathically as she put her hands on his.
"Well, now that you're stuck with pretty old me," She said as they both laughed at her antics "Then let celebrate it properly shall we ?"
"How –" Before he could reply, she giggled and all but dragged him outside.
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"Harry" She whined a little before giggling when he almost stepped on her toes. They were dancing at the club, and he was as bad as he remembered it from his 4th year performance.
She was, of course, the real artist, dancing around him and adapted quickly to his poor level by pivoting her strategy and dance to guided him through a few songs.
"Focus, you actually have talent but you need to trust your instincts" She giggled as he made an error again. He overextended his right-footing before awkwardly trying to focus like she asked him to but to no avail.
On the 5th dance, he was getting decent at it. The thing is they'd been dancing for a while now and he was getting dehydrated by all these movements.
"Let me show you something else" She teased him as she turned around and put his hands around her in a tight hug when the song turned to a foreign beat.
Harry stared, starstruck as she started to grind her backside on his waist.
He was stifling a moan as she put his hand on her chest, making him follow his movement as she started to get bolder.
After dancing through a few music like that, she turned to him with surprise "You're getting really good at this, tosser"
He laughed aloud as he took her cheeks in his hand, closing his eyes and trying to focus so that he don't fall down from exhaustion.
They started at each other intensely as they danced in total synch as Harry let his Quidditch-instinct take over.
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"Noo I missed !" She exclaimed as she tried to shoot the air ballon to gain the teddy bear she wanted to.
"Let me try" he said bravely as he paid the smiling man and took the fake riffle in his hand.
Weighing it out, he took a deep breath and used his Seeker skills to aim.v
He needed to hit at least 3 of them.
'Now' he thought with a smile as he shot 3 of them with one bullet.
"Yay !" She sang and did her unusual yet funny dancing around her.
The old owner grumped before giving the teddy bear to the smiling girl.
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"WOOOOH !" They both cheered with the others as the rollercoaster ascended at light's speed.
Harry laughed aloud with a bit of happy tears on his face.
Best day ever !
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"Happy birthday Harry !" She exclaimed as a few people who were on the streets with them cheered for the embarrassed boy.
She had a small brownie in her hand with a small red and white candle she lit it up with a lighter she asked from a stranger and then presented it to him.
Harry's eyes sparkled in joy as he sent her a grateful and honest smile her way.
Anne's stomach fluttered at his handsome smile. They blowed out the candle together as he wished for this night to never end.
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"Shh. That's the best part of the movie !" She explained as she focused back on the film.
Harry was having the best day of his life.
It started with really bad news, but now that he was with Anne, every problem and traumas he had and will face had faded from his mind leaved him enjoying the whole night with her.
After their first stop at the bar, she all but dragged him to a club where they danced a lot, followed with a tour to the amusement park turned into a full ride when she all but dragged him to every fun ride she found . He also rediscovered that he was as bad of a dancer as he was during 4th Year. It was only thanks to Anne and her talent that he didn't embarrass himself.
After eating his birthday cake, they went to a burger place and ordered a small feast, which he paid of course, and came back home to sit and watch a romantic film.
They'd been watching the movie for an hour and a half and Harry knew they were near the end. It was a bit too cheesy for his taste, but he endured it for her, especially after everything she did for him today.
Instead, he opted to stare at her while she was fully focused on the film, absorbing each line like it was the most important thing ever and then added small details she'd found herself.
She screamed in joy when she was proven right and the bad guy was the best friend all along.
It reminded him of how he and his two best friends would react if one of them would turn evil one day.
With how everything turned out, it was possible. He could become evil, a necessary evil at least.
Harry was past caring about what the Wizarding World, especially the Britain one, thought of him. Whatever he did wasn't enough for them anyway, and he was going to die soon so why not take down every possible bad guy including Voldemort, in his fall?
What stopped him from just barging in one of Voldemort's basement by spying on him like that bastard did and then kill everyone on sight ?
His dark thoughts were interrupted when the film ended and she hugged him with tearing eyes. He wondered what happened when he saw the two main characters kiss passionately.
She turned around, happy and a tad bit vulnerable as she tried to close the distance between them to kiss him.
Harry hesitated.
He wanted to kiss her, truly, but it was a really bad idea. He knew it was too much of a risk.
He was a target and, thanks to the Wizard Ministry, forced to marry someone in the next month or else he'd be hunt down and forced to marry a Death Eater's daughter or worse.
Kissing her and giving her hope was the worst move possible.
So, reluctantly, he moved aside as she looked at him in both surprise and hurt.
"Soon" he promised her. She looked at him strangely "L–Let's take our time ?" He needed time to think right now and he wasn't thinking straight. He needed to get it together.
He could see the disappointment in her eyes when she nodded but agreed all the same. He was heartbroken when she refused to meet his eyes.
He took her chin in his hand firmly "Anne" He said kindly as he tried to make her face him "Please, let me explain"
"Do you have a girlfriend ?" She asked suddenly as she faced him with a glare.
Harry froze. It's not that what she said was true, not at all, but the combination of her harsh tone and the fact that he was worried about being forced to marry someone else in the next month had put a toll on him.
"That's what I thought" She said huffing as tears rippled down her face "I embarrassed myself, again" She was trying hard not to sob and turned away from him "Can you go please ?"
Harry had thought about protesting her request but after a few seconds of intern debate, he nodded and made his way out of her small living room without saying anything.
As he put his shoes back on, he watched her teary and ashamed face looking back at him back as his breath caught.
He wanted to close the distance and kiss her. To forget about his anxiety and problems for his future self but Harry knew, knew deep inside him, that if he let that happen, everything would become worse later.
So, like the true gentleman he was, he left and closed the door, his heart pounding and tears threatening to scale down his face when he let himself fall with his back against the door he just closed.
When he leaned on the door and heard her sob, he was tempted to just say 'fuck it' and apologize but he couldn't.
'It's for the best' He repeated to himself. Whether it was true or it was to convince himself didn't matter as he Apparated back to the Burrow.
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It was 1 a.m. in the morning when he entered the warm and cozy house.
He peeked at the living room. There were birthday signs with 'Happy 16th Anniversary Harry !' and a lot of birthdays decorations left in the place.
He felt a pang of guilt at letting them down to go out with Anne but, outside of the poor start and end, it had been Harry's best night ever.
He looked around to see none but one girl. It was Hermione, she'd probably been worried and had waited for him. He couldn't help the small smile appearing on his face while he walked toward her to wake her up.
Her face was softened by sleep, the usual sharpness in her features replaced by something gentler, almost delicate. Strands of her chestnut hair spilled loosely across the armchair and over her shoulder, slightly tousled, catching the dim light in warm highlights. Her brow, often knit in concentration, was smooth now, her lashes resting faintly against her cheeks. One hand lay curled near her face, the other resting in her lap, fingers loosely folded as if she had drifted off mid-thought. Even in sleep, there was a quiet elegance to her subtle, unassuming, yet unmistakably her.
She was way prettier than she gave herself credit for. He remarked it when she walked down those stairs during the 4th film with her pretty pink dress. She'd been the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen at that moment.
But after that, all thoughts of her beauty disappeared to be replaced with amical recognition because he never explored the possibility of being with her in a more romantic setting.
She was attractive, yes, but she was his best friend above all, and she was with his second-best friend at that.
'There goes nothing' He thought embarrassingly as he scooped her up in his arm and slowly walked up the creaking stairs of the Weasley's house.
Remembering where she slept with Ginny, he knocked softly on the door, loud enough for whoever was in here to wake up but not loud enough for everyone to hear it.
He knocked 2 more times before he heard a shuffle.
The door creaked open as a groaning Ginny came out whilst sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"Harry ?" She asked half-asleep. She looked at him with surprise and a slight blush appearing on her face before her eyes settled on the person in his hand.
Harry was a bit embarrassed too. Hermione had inadvertently nuzzled her head on his shoulder, mumbling some nonsense he couldn't hear, and her hands were tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Ginny," He started awkwardly. She looked at him, unimpressed "She was sleeping downstairs and wouldn't wake up so I decided to help her back to her room" He tried to explained as Ginny stared at him suspiciously.
After a time, she giggled at his anxious face and waved him in "I'm just pulling your leg, come on in" She said and she guided him to the correct bed as he put Hermione gently down.
He had a bit of trouble putting her down when she unconsciously tightened her grip on his neck and whined.
"Here let me help" said Ginny. She took Hermione hand gently down and then covered the poor girl who hugged her second pillow tightly and continued her mumbling. He wondered how Ginny was sleeping with this much sound but then remembered that she was living with her brother Ron who was even worse.
"Alright, I'll see myself out, goodnight Ginny" He walked back to the door, ready to go up his room and sleep too when a hand grabbed his shoulder.
He wasn't ready for Ginny to push him against the same door he just tried to exit from and looked at him in the dark room only lighted by the moon's lights.
"Gin –" He tried to stammer out as his cheeks reddened in both embarrassment and fright when she grinned back at him.
"Did you saw the news Harry ?" She asked innocently. He didn't have to wonder what she was talking about with how close she was to him right now and just nodded. She grinned wider "Great. Then why do you think about marrying me, Potter ?"
Marrying her ?
He looked at her. Truly looked at her.
Ginny was an extremely beautiful girl who had the typical Weasley family traits. She had flaming red hair which she wore in a long mane and a freckled complexion. She was of light skin, a very petite stature, and bright blue eyes. Throughout the years, he also observed that, when she blushed, Ginny would go a shade of red that matched her hair.
Thanks to her prettiness, Ginny attracted a certain amount of attention from boys this year including Dean Thomas, which she was, as far as he could tell from seeing them from afar, together.
The thing was he just came back from a poor-ending date and he just discovered that he was going to die soon. Thinking about marriage was the last of his concern right now. And despite having a crush on the girl, he was way too exhausted for him to react.
A few months, if not days ago, he would've loved dating her and even marrying her down the line if he somehow survived. It would have been complicated at first because she was his best friend's little sister but it would've turned out okay in the end.
Harry didn't want to disappoint another girl tonight, but he wasn't going to accept to marry her just to please her either so he changed subject.
"Ginny, you're with Dean and –" He stopped, frozen, as she put one of her pretty finger on his lips. God she was beautiful.
"Just think about it Harry, promise me that" And when he nodded, she let him go. He agreed more so she'd let go of him than actually thinking about it but he wasn't about to say that straight to her face right now.
Not in the middle of the night in her bedroom.
It would just create unnecessary drama.
"Goodnight Harry" She said whilst giggling and then closed the door behind him.
Harry sighed and decided that, after seeing how tired and sad he was, he'd go down and sleep in the living room instead. He wasn't ready to face Ron's snoring right now.
He opened the living room's door and closed it before sitting on the same sofa Hermione slept on before he took her upstairs.
Testing it out, he found it extremely comfy and wondered if Hermione had put a charm on it to make it better "Knowing her she probably did" He muttered with a small chuckled before he drifted off.
'Best night ever' Was his last thoughts before he felt asleep within a minute, faster than he'd ever been before.
|~-X-~| TMWK |~-X-~|
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