Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
CHAPTER SIX: QUESTIONS AND GOOD-BYES

Unconsciously Harry decided not to decide which twin to choose--it was easier to just not think about it. He woke up the next morning still feeling a little sick at all the wondering he'd done and he still hadn't come up with anything worth mentioning. He got up slightly earlier the next day-- whether from not being able to sleep or just wanting to get away from his room where he'd been doing too much thinking--he didn't know. When he got down to the kitchen, he noticed, to his relief, that Petunia wasn't up yet.

Quickly, he got out a bowl and walked to the pantry, glancing over his shoulder every few steps. 'This is stupid,' he told himself. 'I don't have to be scared of putting together a bowl of cereal for heaven's sake.' Shaking off the slight apprehension he had at the thought of Petunia's face if she had seen him digging through the pantry of HER kitchen- he grabbed a box of cereal and commenced to eat his breakfast. As he stood to rinse his dishes, his head whipped around, thinking he had heard a footstep in the hallway. No-- no one there. Mentally cursing his tendency to be a wimp around the Dursleys, Harry finished loading his dishes and left the house.

As soon as he was on the sidewalk with nothing to do other than walk- and think--he was sunk again. Parvati and Padma were in his thoughts. Not just in his thoughts, they were his thoughts.

"Good night," he thought aloud to himself. "There's got to be a name for this. Obsession? In love? Hormone crazed teenage boy? Yeah, that sounds about right. Honestly, why can't crazy hormones be dealt out to mature adults who can handle it? Whose sick idea was it to match immaturity up with raging hormones and no sense?" Mumbling incoherently to himself (and looking quite mad to the other early risers that were up and about,) Harry slowly walked to the pool, forgetting that he usually ran. When he came to the front gate, he just about ran into it, he was so out of it.

"Bugger," he said with feeling, staring at the gate. It was too early, the place was still closed. He turned around, feeling slightly disoriented--what to do now? He saw a sign that said Library with an arrow pointing towards the larger part of town.

"Why not?" Harry shrugged, and headed towards the library. "Hermione would be proud of me," he thought wryly. He'd be sure to let her know he'd spent time in the library over the summer- although he would not elaborate with details such as--"read a bunch of comic books," "nothing else to do," "only stayed for an hour." Thinking of her reaction to those statements was nearly as funny as the reaction he'd get by telling her he'd spent most of his summer watching dirty movies. She was very scholarly, Hermione was. Never could turn down an educational book. She was a little strange that way... He grinned to himself. Already his bad mood was lifting.

Two hours later Harry stepped out into the sunlight, blinking with the brightness of it. He'd completely lost track of time. He'd found several books worth reading, although they weren't exactly challenging material. His thoughts on the matter didn't go too deep, but he didn't see any point in reading a bunch of educational nonfiction now in the middle of summer when come September he'd have to practically live in the library, studying for O.W.L.s. Unconsciously he sped up to a jog, reaching the pool in no time at all, it seemed to him.

Later that evening, while Harry was sorting through a list of late videos on the computer, the bell jangled. He looked up, seeing a somewhat surly looking middle aged man, who walked quickly over to the Drama section.

Not two minutes later he was standing at the front counter. Harry moved the mouse to close down the open window on the computer screen before helping the man, and as he did, the man irately slammed the video down on the counter, exclaiming,

"Excuse me, I'm in a hurry here! Would you please check this movie for me?!" Harry swallowed the anger that had risen in him at the man's unfair comment and picked up the movie

"Yes, sir," he added to his actions for good measure. Harry placed the movie in front of the man after noting it in the computer, naming the price as he did so. The man's eyebrows shot up.

"How much was that?" He demanded rudely. Harry repeated the sum.

"Insane," the man muttered angrily, half to himself, half to Harry. "Howling, barking mad. Check that again," he told Harry imperiously.

"I thought you were in a hurry," Harry said coolly. The man started muttering again, phrases like, "no respect," "kids," "attitudes like I've never seen," coming up in his speech.

"I assure you I've rung it up correctly," Harry said, somewhat condescendingly. He knew he wasn't making the man like him any more but he didn't really care. "Would you like to talk to the manager?" The man backed down immediately.

"No, no, I'll just go now..." He said, withdrawing his wallet. He placed the money on the counter and left with his movie. Harry chuckled, turning to look at he doorway as the bell sounded again. His smile widened; it was Parvati and Padma.

"Hi, Harry!" They said at the same time.

"What's so funny?" Padma asked curiously. "Do we look that strange?" She grinned, and Harry grinned back. No, they certainly didn't look strange. Phenomenal was more like it.

Parvati was wearing black capris, thick-soled black sandals, a plain white shirt, and a thin, thigh-length, blue duster. Her hair was parted in the middle and pulled back on one side with two sparkly hairpins.

Padma was wearing a short jean skirt with a wide black belt, a skin tight long-sleeved white shirt, and duplicates of Parvati's sandals, only in white. Her long hair was pulled loosely back into a white claw-clip.

"Nah," Harry said, finally looking back to their smiling faces. "No, you're not strange looking at all. You guys look great. Actually, it was that old bloke you two passed coming in. He complained about the service and the price, and kids these days..." Harry paused, smirking, then continued, "But when I offered to let him talk to the manager- he scampered." Harry grinned, remembering not only the man's actions, but also the last time he'd heard the word 'scampered'- in his third year, when Ron had described Sirius Black's flight from Gryffindor Tower. Parvati grinned.

"Oh, him. He's been a plague to Dad for years. I think they've gotten so that they enjoy their arguments, in some kind of weird, twisted sort of way. Dad thinks he's funny."

"Well he's free to deal with him!" Harry said humorously. They all laughed, and talked for a while in between customers. Finally the twins left.

It became a daily routine. Every evening the twins came to visit Harry for a half hour or so. Still Harry didn't know whom to choose. It wasn't for lack of wondering- he went home every night in turmoil, wondering, thinking, contemplating... The girls didn't seem to be affected either way by it, but then, Harry reasoned, he wasn't acting like anything was different either, towards them.

Two weeks into July, Harry gave Bud the notice that he was leaving.

"Layving?! But wah, Harry? Everythang's goin' so wayll!"

"I know," Harry said regretfully. "And I'll give you two more weeks, but I just need--I don't know. I think I'm going to go to Diagon Alley and get a room at the Leaky Cauldron for a month or so. Just get back into the wizarding world. I still have all my summer homework to do and that'd be a good place to do it." Bud shook his head.

"Ah cain't tahk y'out of ait...?" Harry shook his head. Although he felt like he was being a bit of a chicken running away from his problems this way, he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Wayll." Bud sighed. "All raht. Two wayks. And if y'nayd a job naixt summuh, y'know where t'come." He clapped Harry on the shoulder. Y' been a good worker, kid. Rayl good. Ah couldn't ask fer better." Harry smiled happily and thanked him. Then he sighed. Two weeks.

Finally the day came for Harry to leave. He would take the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron where he would spend his leftover pay and last month of his vacation enjoying himself and doing his homework, although he expected he'd spend as much time as he could not doing the latter.

Surprisingly, Parvati and Padma had taken the news pretty well. They had both been disappointed but they understood Harry's need to get back into the wizarding community. They felt it too, although perhaps not quite as strongly.

They watched silently as Harry cleaned up the store for the last time just before closing up. Finally he stood, surveying his work, making sure it was completely finished. Satisfied, he turned to Parvati and Padma and held out his arms. Before he could say anything they both came forward. Padma reached him first, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, friendly hug. She stepped back and Parvati came forward.

He wrapped his arms around her and she did likewise to him. He held her for a couple minutes, not saying anything. It felt comfortable to have his arms around her, somehow. Finally she made a move to step back. As he loosened his arms she stretched up and whispered,

"I'll miss you," in his ear. He shivered, and his heart skipped a beat.

"It's only for a few weeks," he whispered back softly. She nodded, and he released her.

No more words were exchanged as the girls left. Kind of like a funeral procession, Harry thought wryly, following them out the door after turning off the main lights.

Half an hour later he fell into bed, exhausted. He'd be leaving for the Leaky Cauldron first thing in the morning.