Something About Harry: The Lilia Watt Files

"Professor, I tried, I really did!"

Professor McGonagall eyed me suspiciously. "Miss Watt, I..."

"I fainted," I interrupted. "Hermione and Har...Hermione can tell you." Ginny was nearby.

She pursed her lips. "Mind you find a way to make up the grade."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "I will, I will."

"So she excused you from it?" prompted Ginny, Ariana listening intently.

I beamed. "Yup."

Ginny gave me a look reminiscent of McGonagall as well.

I laughed. "Thanks, Ginny."

The bell rang, to my great happiness.

Harry was waiting beyond the door after I'd gathered my things and walked out. At the sight of Ginny, he ducked behind a passing crowd of Ravenclaw sixth years, one of which looked meaningfully at him. I was so intent on keeping Ginny from noticing Harry that this escaped my eye.

"Go ahead to lunch, Ginny, I'll catch up." She looked at me and raised her eyebrows, but said nothing and walked off. I was feeling incredibly guilty about all this secrecy...I had to find some way to tell her.

"Hi, Lilia," Harry said suddenly, standing up straight and dusting himself off.

I grinned and distractedly stumbled over a passing Slytherin, who gave me a nasty look and shoved me into the wall with his elbow.

"Leave her alone," said Harry fiercely, standing between the Slytherin and I.

"Excuse me?" growled the Slytherin, who was easily twice Harry's size.

Harry looked up into his face. "I told you to leave her alone."

The Slytherin looked angry, but some stroke of luck had Professor Dumbledore walk by at that precise moment. The boy simply scowled and stalked off, throwing Harry at the wall in the same way as me.

Harry shrugged. "I tried," he said, his glasses dangling from his ear.

I put his glasses correctly on his face, and answered, "Thanks," and hugged him. He laughed nervously, then stepped back quickly as sparks emitted from my fingertips.

"Static?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "Only you."

"Odd, I am," I replied with a wink.

Something else was odd; Harry seemed to be around a lot lately. Every time I felt down, or needed a hand up (most literally), he would be there. It seemed deliberate, planned. But why? There was no chance that he liked me...was there? But I didn't like him...at least I didn't think so. I thought perhaps I might ask him. It was the week before Christmas Break, if I remember correctly. Anyway, I asked him.

"I...er..," he began awkwardly.

"What? Do you feel sorry for me?" I demanded impatiently.

"It's because...I like you okay!" he answered angrily, turning away with his face nearly the same colour as the chairs in the common room. (A/N: Red. As if you didn't know.)

My anger vanished in light of this, and I was astonished both by what he said, and how he said it.

"I...I..," I spluttered. I took a deep breath. "Do you...not want to like me?"

He sighed and stared into the fireplace. "I don't really know."

"Shall we go for a walk?"

He nodded.

A few minutes later, we were walking slowly around the lake in the chilly air. I pulled my cloak tighter, and turned to him.

"But why, Harry? Why me, of all people? I mean, to everyone else I'm just that accident-prone American girl."

"I'm not totally sure, exactly. I know it sounds stupid, because we hardly know each other, but it's this feeling I get when I'm around you, like I have a purpose, a destiny."

"But you already had a destiny, long before me."

He looked up into the grey sky. "I don't understand, either. But I admire you. Your spirit, your..." He faltered. "You trust..." He stopped and sat down. "That which I have broken," he finished miserably.

Oh, no, here it comes, I thought. There's always something wrong with me...

"What do you mean?" I asked, not particularly wanting to know.

"Lilia...I'm...er...seeing someone, actually." He looked at his feet.

This was not what I expected. "So I suppose you go around kissing and flirting with people you have no feelings for? I would have thought that you, of all people, Harry Potter, would know what it's like to be singled out. But, no, honesty isn't good enough for famous Mr. Potter here." I turned on my heel, staring furiously into the trees.

"Lilia," he began imploringly, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I shook him off. "You know, perhaps some first impressions are correct." He opened his mouth to protest.

"All men should go to hell," I continued, breathing hard through my nose, and I stormed off back to the castle, angry with myself.

How could I have been so stupid, thinking all those little things meant anything? Hah! Just a pawn, I was. Idiot, to let myself fall for him. Snobby, that Potter. I bit my lip, blundering my way up the stairs and deliberately avoiding the trick step.

I went wordlessly up to my room, alone, and flung myself on my bed and wept.

"Lilia, you look terrible," Ginny told me one morning, a few days later. I had to agree. My face was tear-streaked and puffy, and there were dark circles under my eyes. I hadn't gotten much sleep lately, and I'd been obsessive about my studies.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I...I can't tell you," I said lamely.

She looked astonished. "Why not?"

"Because you'll hate me, and all I need is to lose another friend, when I've nearly the world against me anyway. All my teachers, all those people laughing at me, Har....," I gulped and broke off. On the bright side, I could stop feeling guilty about Ginny.

Ginny quirked a brow, and Ariana put in, "That's not true."

I snorted. "Yeah, and yesterday Snape wasn't a slimy git."

"You can't expect that to change," laughed Ariana.

I sighed. "I need to go to the library. I have some work to do."

A few minutes later, there I sat, reading an enormous book and taking notes for my History of Magic essay. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Lilia..." Harry said softly.

"Potter," I replied coldly. He sat down opposite me at the table.

"I need to talk to you," he continued, sounding child-like.

Not looking up from my work, I answered, "I wouldn't know whether to believe you or not. As a matter of fact -"

"I broke it off with Cho," he interrupted.

At these words, I stared intently at him. "Liar," I breathed.

He appeared to be hurt, and looked at his hands for a moment, twisting nervously in his chair. Then he stood hesitantly, and came around the table to sit next to me.

"Please, Lilia, just hear me out."

I looked up, pen in hand, and calmly answered, "Fine."

"You've been crying," he said abruptly, placing his hand on my cheek.

I moved his hand away. "Nonsense," I insisted.

He sighed heavily. "I don't know where to begin. I've been fighting a sort of internal struggle since I met you. It may sound stupid, but it almost feels as if... I belong with you..." He shook his head as if such a thought was silly. "I feel something unexplainable around you, and I couldn't bear to know that I'd hurt you." He blinked his eyes furiously, and I was astonished to see that they were glistening with tears.

"Harry, I..."

He took my hand. "Please forgive me."

My hand felt unexpectedly warm, and, inexplicably, I smiled and nodded.

"Oh, look at that!" Harry interjected, gesturing towards our clasped hands. They were both glowing with the weird, golden light.

"Maybe I gave you whatever was wrong with me before," he continued.

I smiled. "I'd share anything with you."

At dinner, I was positively ravenous. I'd lost my appetite since the fight with Harry, and I supposed it was back with a vengeance.

"You certainly look better, Lilia. Stopped crying, have you?" queried Ginny.

I nodded, and couldn't help but smile, hiding my still gleaming hand underneath the table.

"Speak up, tell us why!" Ariana said expectantly.

I gave her a look that plainly said, "NO."

On my left, I felt a warm hand laid upon my own under the table, and I looked to my other side.

"Stopped crying, have you?" Harry repeated, grinning.

I tried to look innocent. "Crying? Who's crying? I don't know anything about any crying."

"Why was she crying, Harry?" Ariana asked curiously (and quite nosily, I thought).

"I...er...erm...because," he mumbled.

"What was that? Can't hear you!"

"It's...erm...nothing, nothing at all," he finished.

Ariana looked suspiciously from me to Harry and back again, but said nothing. Ginny was too busy talking to a fifth year called Fiona to even notice this conversation. I looked away to avoid confrontation, and spotted a Ravenclaw sixth year with black hair glaring at me with something akin to hatred. Harry saw this as well, and glanced at me nervously with a "Help me!" sort of look. I pretended to cough, and this was when I saw my hand - and Harry's. I gasped in fear and tried to hide the glowing appendage by sitting on it, and I felt an electrical current immediately jolt through me.

"Ow!" I shrieked, my eyes watering. The whole hall became suddenly quiet. I looked around nervously, and bit-by-bit, the noise started up again. I leaned over and whispered incoherently to Harry, "Hospital wing. Hand. Now." We dashed off without so much as a word to either Ginny, Ariana, or what I supposed must have been Cho.

"Oh, dear, that is rather strange," muttered Madam Pomfrey, hovering over the two of us. "Does this hurt?" she inquired Harry, poking his hand, which was still clasped in my own.

"No," he answered, bewildered.

"No? How about this?" she continued, poking my hand.

"No," I repeated.

"Hrm...." She buzzed around irritatingly for a moment, and then tried to separate our hands, and I felt the enormous shock again, and both Harry and I screamed.

"My, my, it seems you're stuck! I've never seen anything like this before. Perhaps it'd be best to talk to the Headmaster, yes, that's the ticket, just sit still while I go fetch him," she rambled, rubbing her head with her index finger and shutting the door behind herself.

All was silent for a little while, then, inexplicably, I began to laugh.

Harry glared at me. "I fail to see the humour in this."

"It's not funny, it's just....ironic," I replied, stifling a snicker.

"Oh. Well, then," said a voice suddenly.

Professor Dumbledore swept into the ward. "Madam Pomfrey, I assure you, it is not a problem. Perhaps in a few hours it will be gone. There's never been such a case before - " he stopped abruptly, noticing Harry and I sitting there baffled, our hands burning. He cleared his throat.

"Erm, yes, as I was just saying to Madam Pomfrey, perhaps a good night's sleep is all you need."

"What?" both Harry and I said at once. Harry continued, "We can't go into the common room like this!" I nodded vigorously.

"Ahem, well, then maybe you should stay in the hospital wing."

That was possibly the most awkward suggestion yet, but we couldn't stand to have all of Gryffindor see us in such a situation.

"Harry?"

"Mm?"

"Are you awake?"

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"Could you move a little more this way? My arm isn't made of taffy."

He laughed softly and sleepily, from somewhere beyond the two foot space between each bed. I blinked as the light from our hands slowly faded.

I woke up the next morning, feeling de-energized but well. I felt something move against my hand, and glanced over to see Harry still asleep - but my hand was my own again. I touched him gently on the face, and he yawned.

"Wh'time 'sit?" he said drowsily.

"I don't know." I handed him his glasses. "We're better, it appears."

"Oh, good, you're awake," interrupted Madam Pomfrey. "You'd both better not do anything too strenuous, don't want you going all berserk like that again."

I pulled a face at Harry with my back to the nurse as she droned on. He coughed to disguise his laugh.

"Out with you now, don't want to disturb the others," she said, rushing us out the door.

If I thought Professor Dumbledore's suggestion was awkward, it was nothing compared to the third-degree we received back in the common room after classes and dinner that evening.

"Why'd you run off like that 'Arry?" asked Seamus, with a wry smirk on his face.

"Erm, well, you see...," began Harry.

"Sudden seizure," I said suddenly.

Both Seamus and Harry turned and stared at me.

"And what about you?" quipped Ariana.

"I had to help him to the hospital wing," I said quickly.

"And that's why you were gone all night?"

"Er...I caught the seizure, too. Yeah."

Ginny seemed a bit too preoccupied. She had hardly noticed we were gone.

"Lilia, come see, I've got something to show you," she insisted absently, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me off up the stairs. (I was grateful to escape the questions.)

"I've finally found a dress for the Yule Ball!" she declared, throwing open the door to our room. She walked gently over to the closet, and slowly opened it as if it were a sacred relic. Inside was a beautiful silk green dress, the perfect green to contrast with her hair.

I gasped. "Ginny, I'm jealous!"

She grinned, apparently satisfied with my reaction. "It looks even better on. D'you think it might convince Harry to dance with me?"

"Harry?" I asked, hoping I sounded off-hand. "Er...yes, of course. Who wouldn't want to dance with you?"

She smiled. "I'm glad we're friends again. But now we've got to find you a dress!"

I laughed. "Better not be too elaborate, or I'll trip on it. Or spill something."

"Don't worry, I'll find you something."

The 'something' was made clear the night before the Ball. Ginny and Ariana ushered me up the staircase in the evening, with smug looks on their faces. They threw open the closet, saying, "Ta da!"

I gasped. It was deep, dark, and midnight blue, with off the shoulder straps and a gathered front, and a long, flowing skirt. The back was open in a sort of V-shape, and all the edges were trimmed in gold.

"I love it!" I exclaimed. They both grinned.

"You owe me one," said Ginny.