One Hundred Years

Chapter Three

~*~

Lives Colliding Again

"Oh, sorry -" Her sentence ended as she set the little boy down. Her large brown eyes grew larger still and her mouth dropped open. At the same moment, they both hugged. "I-I can't believe this! Harry...what are you doing here?" she asked as Adrienne came over to see what was going on.

"I live in Old Tappan. And I highly doubt the answer is the same for you!" he replied.

"I brought Sean here for a vacation before he starts primary school." Harry's look read confusion. "Sean is my son, Harry." She finished, looking down at the little boy.

"This is certainly strange...seeing you again..." Harry's sentence wandered.

"Dad, who is this? Is this Ginny?" Adrienne asked excitedly.

"Erm...yeah, Adri, this is Ginny," he replied, smiling at his long lost friend. "Ginny, this is my daughter, Adrienne." They stayed silent for a few moments. "Erm...Adrienne, do you want to take Ginny's son Sean on that ride over there?" Adrienne nodded. "Is that okay with you, Ginny?"

"Absolutely; Sean, why don't you go and get on the bumper cars with Adrienne?" Sean and Adrienne ran off. "Harry...this is...wonderful! I-I haven't seen you in almost five years!" She hugged Harry again, nearly in tears. They walked to a table just in front of the ride where the two children were.

"I know...Ginny, I'm so sorry for what I did. I...I know now that it wasn't right at all...I thought it would be for the better. I mean, Michael Corner dead and everything," Harry said. Ginny put her hand over his.

"Harry, it's all right. It was a long time ago and...we were both confused then. If you would have stayed, it would have ended in catastrophe. But," she continued in a whisper. "You saved my life at the cost of a Death Eater. Don't feel guilty."

Another moment of silence passed over them. Ginny removed her hand from Harry's and they both found the surface of the table to be suddenly interesting. Harry was biting his lip nervously. It was so shocking to be sitting at a table with Ginny again. So much had changed in the near five years since he had left England. They now both had adopted children. Was anything the same?

"So...erm...how did Adrienne get in the picture? She doesn't exactly seem like she's four years old," Ginny finally said, breaking the tense silence.

"Oh...well, Adrienne's mum started working with me about a year after I left and we became really good friends. Not even two years later, she died in a car accident on the way home from work. In her will, she said she wanted Adrienne to be with me. She's been with me for just over two years. What about Sean? No offence or anything but he looks a little like Draco Malfoy." In fact, Sean looked identical to Draco Malfoy, except for his eyes. He had his mother's eyes.

"Malfoy's his biological father so of course he looks like him," she replied, looking over at the ride where the children were boarding a small roller-coaster car. Harry looked shocked. "The Malfoys were all killed about four years ago. Albus asked me to take him and I agreed. The one thing I've noticed is that the comparison between him and his parents ends with appearance. He's a lot like Ron and the twins, really."

"I guess your flat is gone, huh?" Harry asked. He had actually liked the place quite a bit. It was very small but always reminded him of the Burrow, with a few Muggle inserts. The furniture was old but comfortable. It was light from the sunlight imitation in Diagon Alley. The floorboards squeaked when stepped on; and the roof was made of thatch. It always reminded Harry of an old fifteenth century fairytale.

"Yeah, I have a house in Alton now, just an hour's drive from the Burrow. I always thought you'd like it. It's a bit like the old flat."

Just then, the children leaped off the ride and ran toward the two. Sean jumped into his mother's lap while Adrienne placed herself next to Harry. "By the way, I'm Adrienne. Just to let you know, my Dad talks about you all the time." Harry's face quickly turned to a bright shade of pink. Ginny tried to stifle giggles. If he only knew how much she talked of him!

"Well, between us, I talk about your dad quite a bit as well," Ginny replied in a whisper toward Adrienne, whose eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Mummy, can they come with us to dinner?" asked Sean.

"Would you guys like to grab a burger with us?" Ginny asked, a hint of pleading in her voice. Adrienne nodded and looked at Harry, who nodded as well.

So, five minutes later, they sat in a burger shop just off the boardwalk. It looked like an American 1950's diner, which Ginny and Sean didn't quite understand. Harry still didn't grasp the whole idea but was familiar with the diners. The waitress finally came and asked to take their orders.

"Can I have a burger and crisps?" asked Sean. The waitress looked at him strangely. Ginny looked at her strangely. Adrienne and Harry seemed to be the only one who understood everyone.

"I think he means a burger and chips. And I think I'll have the same," Harry translated. Ginny and Adrienne had the same.

"I take it the Americans call crisps something else?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded.

"Those and a million other things. You get used to it," Harry told her.

"Dad, you still call them crisps and whenever you want a cupcake, you call them fairy cakes. We're not the ones with strange names," said Adrienne. Ginny laughed a little. She could never imagine Harry converting to American English.

After dinner, they all went for a walk on the beach. Compared to midday, it was rather deserted. They all went into the water - they had worn their bathing suits - and splashed each other. Adrienne and Sean seemed to get along well despite their five year age difference. They soon discovered they were staying in the same hotel but Harry and Adrienne were leaving the next morning for Old Tappan.

"So, Dad, are you going to keep in touch with Ginny?" Adrienne inquired sweetly as soon as the other two were out of earshot, heading to their own room.

"If she wants me too, I will!" Harry replied.

"So, do you like her?"

"Why are you so interested?" Harry asked, swinging her up and making her squeal. He carried her the rest of the way to their room over his shoulder with her pounding his back. Ginny met them in the reception room the next morning. They agreed on a café for breakfast before Harry and Adrienne had to leave. Breakfast was much the same as the night before, more laughter and talk of the past which the two children didn't understand. Finally, Ginny and Sean went with Harry and Adrienne back to their room to get their suitcases. Adrienne and Sean decided to race down the hall.

"You know, you're here for another few days. You and I should go to lunch or something, just to catch up," said Harry nervously.

"My thoughts precisely, Harry, but where will I leave Sean?" Ginny asked, hoping he had an answer.

"I have a friend who can watch them both but that will mean you'll have to drive two hours...maybe that's not such a wonderful idea..." Harry internally slapped himself for not thinking ahead.

"I think it's a perfectly good idea, Harry. We've got another few days before we have to leave and two hours isn't that horrible. We fly out of Newark anyway. If we came on our last day, it wouldn't be far out of the way at all."

"So, why don't you come on Tuesday and then stay with us until your flight leaves on Wednesday?"

It was settled. Ginny agreed, trying to hide her ecstasy. Harry left not long after giving Ginny directions. She promised she could find it.

On Monday, Adrienne started the fifth grade. On Tuesday, Ginny and Sean left their bed and breakfast on the shore. Ginny wound through the green state of New Jersey until she finally saw a sign reading 'Old Tappan'. The town was small but cute. The schools looked old and pleasant, right out of the old American culture. School busses were lined up at their doors. She made a few turns before seeing a small little house addressed 1321 Apricot Avenue. She parked before it. So this is where they live, she thought to herself, stepping out of the car. She got Sean from the backseat and walked up the walk.

The house was very cute from the outside. It was a one story brick house with a large window facing the front. The white doors greeted her warmly. She was walking back into Harry's life but did she want to? He had left her without even saying goodbye, not personally, just in a note. He had been gone for five years. She had every reason to be furious with this man but no, she wasn't and she didn't understand why.

~*~

Inside, Harry was pacing. Hermione had been one thing but Ginny? He wanted more than anything for her to be back in his life but it seemed strange that she was okay without him. She had a son now, even if he wasn't naturally hers, and she led her own life. He did, too. Fear haunted him: fear of losing her again.

The doorbell rang and he jumped up. After taking a deep breath, he opened the door to find the woman he had missed so, first for nearly five years and then again for just two days. She greeted him with a hug, as did Sean. He led them inside. They talked for a few minutes before Adrienne walked in the door. She hugged Ginny; in the short meeting they had had, they already liked each other. Harry wasn't surprised; he had always known they would get along.

Harry's friend came around five, letting Harry and Ginny leave. He drove them to a small diner for dinner. They each ordered before silence fell over the table.

"So, how much of our world does Adrienne know?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence once again.

"She knows it all. Erm...she's actually a witch. Hopefully she'll be going to Hogwarts next year."

"She's a witch?" Ginny asked, shocked. Harry nodded.

"I've slowly figured it out. She's made things come to her and stopped objects from falling to the floor, things like that." Silence fell yet again.

"Harry..." She was the first to speak. He listened intently for more. "I missed you so much. I didn't know whether to hate you or to love you or if I was angry or sad. I didn't know anything. Ask anyone in my family. I was depressed and...Harry I was just as confused as you after I saw your note. I was only sure about one thing. I would never give up on you."

Harry was speechless. He felt guiltier than ever. "Gin...I'm sorry for what I did and I always will be. I was stupid to leave but I felt it was stupid to stay. All my life I had been fighting him and when he was gone, in some strange way, part of me went with him. Yes, it was a part of me that I had longed to be gone but it felt strange and stranger still were the feelings I had finally admitted I had for you. I wanted to protect you because of those feelings but I didn't know how. All I knew was running. So that's what I did and I've never regretted it more than now..." He was cut off.

"Then why didn't you come back or write to us?" she demanded, as close to tears as he. He answered just as quickly.

"Because I was scared that you would hate me!" he replied. "And I doubted I could stand that."

They were both silent. Finally, Ginny sniffled back her depressing feelings and said, "This is supposed to be a good meeting, not a depressing one!" And for the rest of the evening, it was. They talked throughout dinner of the funny things that had happened through the years. They went back to Harry's house and slept. The next morning, after promising to keep in close touch through owls, Ginny left with Sean.

They did keep in touch through owls. Ginny easily forgave Harry for leaving the near five years before and slowly, they started to repair the torn friendship. They often talked of Harry and Adrienne coming to visit and surprising everyone but Hermione. The rest still did not know. Adrienne often spoke of going back to England.

Harry knew Adrienne wanted to leave but the real reason was unknown to him. He did not go to school with her everyday. Adrienne no longer had friends. This year, they all seemed to reject her as a geek. At lunch, she ate by herself and the bus ride was spent staring out the window and listening to meaningless gossip. She reminded herself that this was her last year at this school for the next year she would be in England, at Hogwarts - hopefully.

She enjoyed writing to Ginny and Hermione. They always responded quickly, making her smile. September faded into October and October into November. Thoughts of going to England for Christmas were in the minds of all but it was Ginny who acknowledged it.

Dear Harry and Adrienne,

How are you two? I hope everything is well! It is here. Sean loves school more and more each day. He asks about you two a lot and begs me to invite you, though I am doing the begging by myself. I would absolutely love it if both of you came here for Christmas! I miss you so much! Both of you! Mum's practically in tears that you've been away for five years now, Harry and it would mean the world to her if you came home! It would mean that to all of us! You could go see Dumbledore about getting Adrienne into Hogwarts, Harry!

You'd be staying with me except for on Christmas Eve: everyone stays at the Burrow then. Oh, please say yes. And if you don't, I'll get on one of those bloody aeroplanes and get you myself, even if you're connected to the Floo Network!

Love,

Ginny

Both Harry and Adrienne smiled at her letter. "Daddy, please, can we go? Please!" Adrienne begged. Harry only thought about it for a few seconds before nodding.