Too Close For Comfort

Forgiveness and Acquaintances

Harry gazed out over the Black Lake towards the mountains beyond. It was such a beautiful spot. Peaceful, too. He could feel Ginny's eyes burning into the back of his head, but he refused to look at her. Silence.

Without warning, there was a strange noise, almost like a car revving its engine up to speed, a sort of weird screeching or whirring, and it seemed to be getting louder and coming closer. Harry looked curiously up at the sky, but saw nothing. Before he could consider it, the sound vanished, and silence broke out once more.

"What was that?" he muttered, more to himself than to Ginny. Ginny seemed to only have eyes for him and her lack of acknowledgment of the strange sound made Harry wonder if he'd imagined it. He would usually have investigated, but he was too tired at the moment, and most of his mind was focused on the beautiful creature standing beside him, despite his efforts to pretend she wasn't there. He pushed the noise from his mind and returned to gazing out over the water.

Ginny sighed, hiccoughing slightly, and shuffled forwards. She dropped to her knees beside him and gazed out over the lake too.

"I didn't know you were here, Harry," she said quietly.

"Well, that was my intention," he replied, his voice empty and emotionless. "No one was supposed to know we were here. I'm sick of people following my every move with pleading looks in their faces, begging me to make them survive the War. I'm sick of the way people become all distant and quiet whenever they're near me, like they'd kick-start some dormant power within me if they so much as looked at me strangely. I don't have what everyone thinks. I'm not some superhero who isn't affected by emotions or attitudes towards me. It hurts. A lot, sometimes. I just wish people would treat me normally."

Harry fell silent. He hadn't voiced thoughts like that to anyone before, and yet here he was, sat with the one person he really didn't want to be with right now, revealing his inner-most desires. He'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to Ginny. Heck, it was easier than talking to Ron or Hermione, and that was saying something.

Ginny remained silent. She couldn't think of anything that she could say that would make him feel any better. As much as it broke her heart to admit it, he was right.

"I thought you of all people would have understood, Gin. But no, you're just like everyone else. Self-pride, blind ignorance and personal moral values always spring forwards with you lot. You never take the time to think about what it might be doing to the other side. Only you could be hurting, only you could be the victim. It's the same everywhere. Mankind, the human race...it's all wrong." Shrugging sadly, he sighed and fell silent.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she listened, but she couldn't argue with him. He was right, again. She felt guilt eating away at her insides, but she could do nothing to reduce it. His words were the truth, and she hated herself for it. Ginny looked up at him and felt even worse when she noticed the teardrops sliding gently down onto the dew-drenched grass.

There was a tiny shuffling noise behind them, but neither Harry nor Ginny seemed to pay it any attention. Two figures, hidden by their own shadows and seemingly invisible to the world, crouched down unnoticed behind the bush that Ginny had sat behind before, and fell silent, listening.

Harry looked up at the stars and thought about what to say next. He felt a twang of shame at the harshness of his words, but he still believed them to be true.

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive, but it's how I feel. You know why I had to leave. You know why I broke it off. Believe me, it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make, and seeing the effect my reasons had on you broke my heart. I hated myself for doing it, for leaving you behind. And I didn't stop you because I thought you were incapable. You've got to be one of the strongest witches I've ever met!

"I argued with myself for days afterwards. 'How does sending her away keep her safe?' 'What makes you think Voldemort would leave her alone if you weren't with her? You still have feelings and he'll know!' Well in the end there was only one thing that I could convince myself of, only one reason that made me feel it was the right decision." He sighed again, softer, this time.

"Gin, I left you behind because I love you."

A loud gasp from the bush went unheard by the young couple because Ginny covered it up with her own gasp. There was a beautiful smile on her face, and Harry had a sudden urge to lean forwards and kiss her.

But he didn't.

"You know, when I first met you, I thought you were...I dunno...predictable, I suppose...a famous face. I never used to like you for real, it was just a crush. Bedroom-wall-poster kind of crush, wild-and-unbelievable-story of the famous Harry Potter, wow-I'd-love-to-meet-him sort of thing."

Harry said nothing. He stared determinedly out over the lake, watching as the moon cast a dreamy glow over the dark clouds. The soft glow sent dappled rays of light shimmering over the grass at their feet.

Ginny followed his gaze as tears fell gently down her cheeks, her voice breaking with emotion and the occasional racking sob.

"You were my hero, you know. Still are. The legend worthy of books, of stories, of memories and debates between old friends in pubs. A hot topic of discussion when others were seldom found. God, that was even before I met you." The tears were much more noticeable now, shining against the white of her skin. She was shivering slightly, but ignored the cold she was starting to experience. She had waited a long time to talk to him again, and wasn't about to let a little wind stop her.

"And then I did. I met the famous Harry Potter on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. And you were as polite and wonderful as I'd always heard about, always imagined you to be. My fairytale knight in shining armour."

Harry couldn't help but smile. It was a wonderful thing for her to say, and he felt a peculiar tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, after that the dreamy feeling I'd always associated with you was gone. It was replaced by something else, a beautiful feeling it was. One of warmth, security, life. To be honest, I was terrified to begin with. I even asked mum what she thought about it," she laughed. "And when she told me what she thought it was, I wouldn't believe it."

"Love," Harry whispered. There was another shuffle behind them, but again they ignored it. Harry simply put the noises down to nature, probably small animals moving around in the bush. And this was too important to walk away from. He had waited a long time to talk to her again, and he wasn't prepared to drop it all now.

He glanced at her, emerald eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Love," he said again, this time to her face. She nodded and turned away.

"Well I told her it was stupid, impossible, nothing more than a fantasy. There was you, hero of the entire wizarding world, one of the most famous people ever to walk on this Earth. Then there was me, poor little Ginny Weasley, only daughter of a 'Muggle-loving unsuccessful Ministry of Magic employer', the sister of six and an immature little school girl with confidence issues. Mum never gave up, though. 'Miracles can happen', she said."

Ginny looked at him and found him gazing raptly at her face. She reached for his hand, and was surprised when he didn't pull away. Feeling a little more confident, she grasped it and held it tightly.

"And they have," she whispered, her voice breaking as the sobs became uncontrollable. "I found you, and you accepted me. I didn't understand what my feelings were for you to begin with. But I do now. I love you so much, Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say. He reached forward and brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. As though she had sensed what it was that he had been longing to do, she moved closer to him, leaning in until their faces were almost touching. He cupped her chin and leant forwards, closing the gap between them until his lips were upon hers.

There was no mistaking the sound this time. A loud gasp broke the sleepy silence and both Harry and Ginny jumped to their feet. Harry drew his wand faster than blinking, rather like unsheathing a sword. Despite her thumping heart, Ginny couldn't help but admire Harry at that moment. He looked so powerful, so strong. The temperature suddenly dropped as the wind picked up, giving him a strange, misted look as it blew around him.

"Who's there?" he called out.

Silence. Harry reached out and pulled Ginny behind him, almost automatically, until he was shielding her from view. He straightened up and held his wand steady, directing his aim at the small bush.

"I'm warning you! You've got until three," he called suddenly. "One...Two...Thr..."

"All right, all right, don't shoot!"

Two figures stood up from behind the bush and stumbled forwards falling over the top. Ginny looked quizzically at Harry.

"Shoot?" she asked.

"Muggle weapon," Harry replied, shrugging. He looked back at the two people in front of them and his eyes narrowed. He'd never seen them before, so they were either working for Voldemort, or they were Muggles. As he thought about it though, a part of him realised that they couldn't be Muggles. There was no way any Muggle could penetrate the castle's grounds.

The two in front of them looked like Muggles, though. They were wearing Muggle clothing and identical scowls as they brushed twigs and leaves from their hair and clothes.

One was an attractive, young woman, she couldn't have been older than twenty, with shoulder-length blonde hair and a pale complexion. She was dressed in typical clothing, a pale pink top and blue jeans. The other was a young man, probably a little older than the woman, with brown hair and astonishingly deep brown eyes. He was wearing a pin-striped suit and a rather disgruntled expression. He also seemed to be holding his side, almost as though he was in pain.

He was good-looking, no denying it, handsome in Ginny's opinion, but there was something mysterious about his presence. His very aura seemed to give off the idea of such mystery and wonder. Whoever he was, he had more than a few stories to tell.

The four of them stood in silence for what felt like hours but were only a few seconds. Harry kept his ground, wand covering both of the newcomers. Unconsciously he arched his left arm behind him, grasped Ginny's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You two really have a way with words, do you know that? Young love is a beautiful thing," said the man. He was smiling at them in a friendly way, but Harry didn't return the gesture. Instead he stepped backwards, wand arm steady and level with the man's heart.

"One step closer, and I'll be posting you're bodies back to your Master, with a cutting of the Obituary page from tomorrow's Daily Prophet stapled to the front! Three guesses whose names it'll be advertising? That's a promise!"

"You're a very violent young man, aren't you?" the woman replied, smiling slightly. The man grinned at her as she said it.

"Not very wise, is it? Only two of you," Harry said, suspiciously. "He doesn't usually send you in pairs. What's wrong? Are you low in numbers, or something?"

The man's face suddenly became very grave, and there was a look of deep anguish in his eyes. Before he could say or do anything though, the woman stepped forward.

"Sorry, but who's 'He'?"

Harry gaped at her. Ginny looked at Harry quickly, a mixture of nervousness and suspicion easily readable on her face, before returning her gaze to the female.

"You weren't sent by Voldemort, then?" he asked. The woman shook her head quickly before glancing back at her companion. The man shrugged and stepped forwards once more. Harry lowered his wand slightly.

"Oh," he said. "Well, who the Hell are you then? How did you get here?"

"Lower that thing and we'll tell you," the man replied. Harry wasn't sure whether to trust him or not, but he didn't seem to be in complete health. Harry definitely had the advantage. He lowered his wand but didn't release his grip on it.

"Thank you. What is it?"

Harry watched him, eyes wide with shock.

"My wand, why?" he asked.

"May I have a look?" the man asked politely.

Harry glanced at Ginny, who looked as stumped as he was. He couldn't be Muggle then, so what was he? "Why?" he asked, suspicion evident in his tone of voice.

"Please?"

Harry hesitated and looked at Ginny once more with a look that said quite plainly, 'what do you think?' She nodded briefly and he edged forwards, holding his wand out to the stranger.

"Hmm, eleven inches long, Made of Holly...well, wood from the holly tree, obviously...and what's this? Phoenix tail feather? How extraordinary," he muttered to himself. The woman was staring avidly at Harry, her eyes lingering over the scar on his forehead. Harry blushed furiously and patted his fringe down, trying in vain to cover it. She blushed too, and looked away.

"You're a wizard," the man said simply, handing Harry his wand back.

"Nah, you think?" Harry replied sarcastically. He reached forwards, took his wand, and placed it back into the pocket of his jeans. "So who are you then? You're not Muggles."

"Nah, you think?" the Doctor replied, grinning. "Well actually, yes. Rose here is. She's human...well...Muggle for you anyway. Human to me."

"So what does that make you?"

"The Doctor," the man replied.

Harry and Ginny swapped a look, eyebrows raised.

"Doctor who?" Harry asked, studying him innocently.

"Exactly."

Ginny stifled a giggle and even Harry seemed to be fighting the desire to smile broadly.

"Ok then...what do you want?"

"We have absolutely no idea," the Doctor declared truthfully. "We were brought here, we didn't ask to come. We were kind of hoping you could tell us where 'here' is."

"Are you serious?" Harry asked sceptically. "How can you somehow find your way into the grounds of one of the most enchanted buildings in Britain and not know where you are?"

"Ah, we're back on Earth, then," the Doctor said to Rose.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out for myself, thanks, Doctor," she replied, smiling cheekily.

"Back on...you're an alien?" Ginny half-whispered, her eyes as wide as saucers, reflecting the dancing moonlight. The Doctor nodded and studied her, quickly. Then he walked forwards and returned to watching the young man standing in front of him. He reached forwards and took Harry's hand, shaking it politely.

"You're lucky, Harry. She's a beautiful young woman," he said. Harry stared at him.

"How'd you know...?"

"We've been sat behind that bush for the best part of ten minutes listening to you two lovebirds." He grinned, eyes gleaming. But his grin quickly became a grimace of pain, and he leant forwards, hands clutching at his waist.

"Doctor..."

"Leave it, Rose, I'm fine!"

"No, you're not," said Harry quietly. "I think you should come with us. We can take you up to the Hospital Wing; Madam Pomfrey'll still be awake, she can have a look at that for you."

The Doctor opened his mouth to respond scathingly but Rose beat him to it.

"Thank you, that would be most helpful," she said briskly. The Doctor glared at her but said nothing as the pain increased.

"Ok, ok," he muttered. "I hate it when you're right!"

The four of them set off back to the castle, Harry and Ginny holding hands as though it was a perfectly ordinary thing to be doing. The Doctor glanced at their interlocked fingers and smiled sadly. Even after what he'd heard between them before, they hadn't forgiven each other properly. There were still boundaries that needed to be attacked before they could make it as a couple.

He glanced at Rose and saw with a pang that she too was watching their hands. Without thinking, he walked into step along side her and reached for her own, smiling at her.

"Wizards?" she whispered, tones alive with amazement. "As in magic and witchcraft, black cats and broomsticks?"

"Apparently," he whispered back. "Not quite as monotonic as that though. There's much more to it than just pointed hats and cauldrons. These are much deeper than that old superstitious stuff you humans celebrate once a year."

"Well from what we heard before, we're walking in the company of an extremely famous wizard. But he can't be older than seventeen! How does that work?"

"Well," the Doctor replied knowledgably, pondering vaguely as he considered Harry's retreating back. Shaking his head slightly, he smiled warmly and said, "age isn't a factor for everything. Look at me, Nine-hundred years old and still going strong...well, strongish, anyway," he hissed as his side burst painfully again.

They were feet from the double doors now.

Harry and Ginny looked back to see the Doctor leaning onto Rose for support. They had stopped, and Harry stopped too and began to walk back towards them.

"Are you sure you can make it, Doctor?" he asked, concern clear in his tired-looking face. "You could wait here and I'll bring the school matron out here if you can't."

"No, I'm fine," he groaned, biting against the pain.

Harry nodded and turned to open one of the doors. He was about to say 'watch for the wards', but there was a cry from behind him and he whirled around in time to see The Doctor fall to the floor.

"Doctor!" Rose called. Without thinking, Ginny ran through the doors, stopping for less than five seconds as she fought against the wards, and sprinted as fast as she could towards the Hospital Wing.

Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the doors. He didn't seem to notice the strange wind that blew up around him, or the energy and taste of power that he was creating by simply holding out his wand. Rose watched in shock as he cried out words of no particular meaning, fearing for his sanity.

"Expecto Patronum!" His customary silver stag erupted from his wand tip and cantered off through the Entrance Hall, bounding up the marble staircase and out of sight.

"What the Hell was that?" Rose cried in shock. She was staring intensely at the wand in his right hand.

"Prongs has gone to find my two best friends, Ron and Hermione. They'll be able to help him," he replied quickly.

Unable to think of anything to say to that, Rose simply stared at him. Harry knelt down beside the Doctor and turned him over, checking for a pulse. He looked up quickly and saw Rose watching him.

"Well help me then!" he called desperately. "I'm new at this stuff!"

Pulled from her reverie by his frantic call, Rose hurried forwards and dropped down beside Harry, one hand unknowingly grabbing one of The Doctor's.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked quickly.

"Hold him still," Harry replied. Faltering, he glanced up to see Rose staring at him as though he'd just sprouted a second head. "What?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"He is still!" she said.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it directly at the Doctor's heart once more. He glanced at Rose and saw the fear in her eyes. He studied her apologetically, before speaking again. She looked terrified.

The strange wind was rising around Harry for a second time, and yet it was still seemingly unknown to him. It suddenly dawned on Rose what it was that he was about to do. She stared at him, horrified.

"He won't be still for long," Harry said, firmly.