Behind Emerald Eyes

Push

"I said I don't know if I've ever been good enough. So I'm a little bit rusty and I think my head is caving in. And I don't know if I've ever been loved by a hand that's touched me. And it feels like something is going to give and I'm a little bit angry. Well this isn't over... because your not here when I so need you around" - Push by Matchbox Twenty

Night had drawn its shadowy curtains over the landscape of buildings, supermarkets and a lonely Town Square. No birds dared disturb the dead silence. Crickets, toads and dogs retained from speaking into the night. It was as if, at once the dark had swept in, no creature was brave enough to face the stars and moon and challenge them when shadows licked at their feet. Only a solitary owl sat perched on a high branch, gazing wisely with amber eyes to a single form alone above it. It hooted one small vocal. The dark swallowed it immediately. The person shifted, rearranging themselves to a more comfortable position.

Incoherent thoughts had been rambling through Harry's mind all evening. With Dave's sudden appearance, Harry and Ginny had to cut their long-awaited conversation short. The muggle man had only cast one curious glance at the two as they parted when he entered and went separate ways. Even though Harry knew Dave Ream had no way of knowing what they had been talking about, a suspicion still hung about the 'supposed' muggle man.

Harry's room-mate and Ginevra 'West' were sitting inside by the heater, chatting about going into town the following day for lunch. Harry could hear their conversation from his seat on the balcony. He did not know how Ginny could so easily tune into another identity when just before the two had shared a handful of personal memories. But he supposed it was for the best. Dave did not need to know anymore than a muggle should, after all.

A sudden end to their constant chatter drew Harry's immediate attention. Turning slowly, he jumped when the form of Dave met his vision. The man had a nasty habit of appearing and looming in doorways, and after figuring out that Harry didn't like it very much, Dave did it much more. It wasn't the fact that seeing someone half-shrouded standing in a doorway scared him, it was just it brought back even more unwanted memories. Of old acquaintances.

"I've told you not to do that," grumbled Harry, turning back to look at the star strewn sky. The moon was full and a deep amber. Harry wondered if Remus Lupin was curled up somewhere, sleeping as a werewolf beside a crackling fire. "More like alone, cold and whimpering at the moon..." Harry murmured softly, lost in the large yellow mass of planetary rock.

"Who's alone, cold and whimpering at the moon?" Harry snapped his head around to Dave who was watching him with confusion. Sighing Harry turned back in the opposite direction. "My old dog..." he said with an air of finality. But Dave did not get the hint.

"Oh, you have a dog? What's its name?" Harry watched the owl with sudden curiosity. Usually owls were message-carriers in the Wizarding world. He never usually saw them anymore, since leaving the magical realm. Harry got lost in his thoughts once more while Dave watched him closely with a problem solving look on his face.

"Me and Gin are just going down stairs to grab a few bites, want to come?" Harry shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think I will, thanks anyway."

"Your loss, mate. I'm not sure when we'll be back, but don't wait up!" the retreating footsteps of the man were heard then a added statement. "Oh, and she may be staying the night, that okay with you?" Harry turned around to see the two standing illuminated by the soft flickering light in the kitchen. Ginny was smiling falsely, pretending to be happy. But Harry could see in her eyes the pain and frustration. Sighing inwardly, Harry also planted a fake smirk on his face.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll probably be up when you get in anyway. See you later." Harry watched them gather their things and step into the hallway. Just before Dave closed the door, Ginny said, "Good night, James..." Before she was gone.

***

Harry was still sitting upon the balcony, a cold air whipping about his form. But bright emerald eyes were not open wide in deep thought. They were closed and flickering due to an apparent dream taking place beneath his lids. A small groan escaped his closed mouth and he turned to an alternate position on the uncomfortable, stiff lounge chair placed on the ledge of their third storey apartment building.

The moon was large and like a magnificent crystal ball, centered in the night sky. Stars were sprinkled like sparks in an endless dark. There to lay an eternity. To watch war after war plague the world below. Watching life being taken and life being born. To forever sit and watch, never to descend from the heavens and interact with the human beings below. They had already sat for millions of years and would twinkle brightly for endless more lifetimes.

A quick streak and a tail of sparkling gas shot across the dark sky for a fleeting moment below fading out as quickly as it came. The shooting star was a source of muggle wish making, their little minds hoping against hope that their wildest dreams would come true by placing them into the hands of a flying ball of gas. This was a fairly pitiful way of trying to get something to happen or something you want. Many who wished upon the shooting spark believed that it was the reason that their dream came true. But the reason why their wish came true was because they worked for it. They struggled and overcame the obstacles in the way of getting what they wanted and they achieved it. But some who wished upon the star tailed rock that shot across their vision, had already tried everything. Had already struggled and pushed at the barriers and hoped they would move away. But their attempts had been lost. They wished upon the shooting star as their last hope at igniting the candle in the wind and seeing the unbelievable.

Down in the dark, damp street below Ginny Weasley had spotted the shooting star and wished upon its fiery surface. She hoped her wish had been heard above all others. She hoped it was strong enough that it could carry thousands of miles and penetrate the molten rock and dig into the depth of the fleeting star and maybe, just maybe, sink into its red hot core and strike a powerful magic that would make her wish come true and all her dreams be realized. It was a long shot. Longer than the world itself.

Three million miles away a star exploded. It sent a rain of showering sparks down to the world below. The two strolling beings looked up in surprise. A dark haired man awoke with a start, three floors above the couple and watched the tiny sparks fall with curiosity. Down below, Dave Ream laughed at the blank look on Ginevra West's face.

"It was just a comet colliding with another. They do that sometimes, nothing to be afraid of!" But Ginny was not afraid. She was terrified. What had caused the very star she had just placed a wish on, to explode before their very eyes? The question was left wavering in her mind as she caught the sight of a lone figure standing straight above them. From here, he didn't look like the boy she had known for almost seven years. But in her heart, she knew it was Harry Potter. The Boy-who-lived. He was just a little lost at the moment. And she was determined to find him and take him home. If it was the last thing she did.

***

The last of the sparkling fragments of star vanished before entering the earth's atmosphere. Harry watched with an anxious eye, wondering why he had just dreamt of a hidden face wishing upon a shooting star only to awake to find a rain of star dust falling from the heavens.

The question was left wavering as a noise drew his attention to the front hall. Standing quickly and running a hand nervously through his hair, Harry watched the front door open and a couple slink inside. Even from the lone light in the kitchen, Ginny Weasley's hair was glittering wildly. Like ribbons of electricity weaving through the bright orange locks. Harry stood entranced as the two neared. He shook himself from his stupor before they could notice where his attention had laid.

Ginny looked mildly pale and kept grasping the edge of her coat. Dave, however, was grinning broadly.

"James, your up late for a Saturday night!" the muggle man said, filling the kettle and putting it on the boil. Running a hand through his hair once more, Harry missed the look he got form the small red-head.

"Yeah, well you know how I can't get to sleep so easily. And I've had a lot on my mind lately, with patrolling and stuff...why are you home so early? I didn't think you would be home for another couple of hours?" Dave looked at him strangely.

"Mate, its almost one o'clock in the morning. We have been out for more than four hours!" Harry looked at him disbelieving. Glancing at his watch told him what Dave said was true. There were only a few minutes to go before the first hour struck.

"Oh, well I must have dozed off...i think I might just have a cup of tea then head to bed. I am still quite tired..." he faked a yawn and glanced innocently at Ginny. But the girl's attention was out the window and staring at the inky darkness of the sky. With hazel eyes wide and glittering, she looked so peaceful wrapped in the wooly trench coat and jeans. It didn't seem like this was the younger sister of Harry's 'best friend' who had fancied him in his second year and even wrote him a Valentine poem. Just the memory of that occasion brought waves of embarrassment and mournful sadness.

A cup of steaming tea was placed in his hands, pushing the old memories away and the smell of a familiar drink. Dave placed an identical cup into Ginny's hands then leaned in and whispered something into her ear. He said it so softly Harry heard nothing but only noticed the pink tinge creping up the girls cheeks. When the muggle man walked back into the dimly lit kitchen, Harry spotted the, somewhat, sour face Ginny was left with. Turning back out into the cool air of the night, Harry cast his gaze once more into the heavens.

Thousands of sparkling gems met him. An infinite number of stars and countless souls abided up there. All watching at this moment and forever gazing at the lives of the humans below. Harry wished it was as easy as watching the world pass by. Being the one to sit on the side-lines and view the lives of others. But that had never been the case. He had been the one being watched. He was always in the spotlight.

But not alone. Ron and Hermione had been there with him the whole time. Standing beside him just outside the light but with him none the less. But now...but now what? They were still alive out there living their own lives. While he was sitting here, alone and in the dark brooding on previous events. Harry sighed, long and hard. He didn't know how many times he had conversed with himself about that subject. How his life had turned around so horribly. When he was younger, he would have done anything to have been released from Voldemort and left alone. And now he had got what he wanted. And it was so strange how, not that he was by himself with Voldemort gone, that he wished he wasn't alone and back in the world where he belonged.

Swallowing the remainder of the once warm drink, Harry returned to the semi-darkness of his five year home and shut the door behind him. Locking out the night air and the peeping eyes of those condemned to the skies. Wishing goodnight to Dave Ream and straining a smile at Ginny, Harry entered the privacy of his room and shut out more gazing eyes. The room was a mess, but that didn't bother Harry at the moment. Discarding his clothes and pulling on a pair of warm pants, he sank into the centre of his mattress. Visions old and new, lost and found flashed briefly before his tired emerald eyes before two lids closed and hid them from the shadows.

Dreaming of a once in a lifetime friendship that had passed, and of a world that he once had escaped from. Harry unconsciously came to a decision. A smile tugged at his lips as sleep engulfed his aching body.

***

Morning light spilled in through the parted curtain. It lit the messy dark hair of Harry Potter and the closed lids covering his brilliant green eyes. Only a slight shift in his position made him aware of the creak of the bedroom door and the quiet 'click' of its closing. The figure sat upon the floor, head on her knees, back against the wooden door. There she sat until the light touched her toes and Harry awoke with a gentle yawn.

His eyes glazed at the sudden burst of morning sunshine but adjusted enough for him to see the sleeping form of Ginny Weasley on the floor. Her orange locks framed a peaceful face and two shaded eyes. She was shifting roughly, groaning at some vision being played in her mind. She murmured an almost incoherent sentence. But Harry caught it none-the-less.

"Please, don't leave me..." Creeping swiftly from his bed, Harry stepped over to her. Scooping her up into his arms, she felt so light and fragile beneath his strong grip. But he moved with graceful presence. She moaned when he placed her on the surface of his bed and smiled when the covers where pulled up to her chin. Harry chuckled lightly, stepping back quietly and moving from the room. Dave being an early riser, was already seated at the kitchen table, sipping some coffee while reading the daily newspaper.

He lifted his head when Harry sat opposite him and smiled slyly.

"Hmm...lets see? In the early hours of this morning, you had a visitor. She went in with a purpose that's hidden from me. And now you come from the same room, without her. Now, me being an awfully considerate man, will not take into effect the fact that I was the one to bring Gin here and she was meant to be my guest for last evening. And she was, for the most part. Yesterday, you two only just met. Or so it seems. I felt something when you two met eye to eye but passed it off because we both know that she is quite attractive and one can't say you are ugly. But when I happened to come home for lunch yesterday afternoon, I overheard, quite accidentally I might add, a conversation that could not have taken place between two people who had only known each other for a few hours. And this mornings performance only strengthens my suspicions.

"How do you two know each other and why do you pretend not to know the other?"

By this time Harry was sitting stunned and out of words to say. He knew Dave was quite bright and clever, but didn't think he was one to eavesdrop on other's conversations. The man was staring hardly at him with two deep brown eyes that penetrated into his own. If Harry didn't know any better he'd think Dave was trying to break into his mind. But after lessons upon lessons of Occlumency and Legiliumcy Training, Harry's mind was impossible to read to any other than himself. But that mere fact was not enough to sustain his fear that Dave was not a muggle. But why had he kept quiet all these years if he was a wizard himself? Why would he have pretended to only know Harry as James Black if he was not a muggle? There was only one thing left that explained everything. Dave was a muggle. And only due to his detective behavior and clever attitude was he able to link Ginny and Harry together as past friends.

Harry sighed once more for the last time. "Gin and I used to know each other. We lived in the same neighborhood and were quite good friends up till graduation. She went to a private school while I went to St Brutus's. But because of a few things I'd rather not explain at the moment, we weren't friends anymore. We went our separate ways in the world. I ended up here and thought I'd never see her again. That was until now. With her just showing up out of the blue just made old memories stir up. That's why I haven't been myself lately." Harry hoped this was a good enough explanation for Dave. The man was gazing at him curiously, his eyes like two darts.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all!" Dave grinned at his answer and gulped down the rest of his coffee.

"I'm glad that's the only reason. There's just one thing I would like to know. Who are Voldemort and Tom Riddle?" Harry choked on the juice he was drinking. The silence was thick and Harry felt amused for some reason. This muggle could so easily say Voldemort's name without so much as a twitch while Ron Weasley, almost ten years ago would have died with fright. Harry shook his head at the curious man and grinned lopsidedly.

"Tom Riddle and Voldemort are one and the same. It was someone who lets say, caused Gin and I to not be friends anymore. He split us and a few other people up. No one rally liked him. He was a bad spot in my life. But he vanished after graduation, before I came here." Dave nodded and smiled.

"Okay, I just thought he was like Gin's old boyfriend or something and he did something back then to her. Well, I'm going to go down to the market and by some breakfast for Gin. Do you want anything?" At the shake of Harry's head, Dave gabbed his wallet off the fridge and strolled from the apartment. The air surrounding Harry was quite strange. He couldn't believe he had just had a conversation to Dave about Voldemort. Smiling wryly, he stood up from the table.

The door creaked slightly when he pushed it open. Harry backed in and hissed when it creaked loudly. He could' hear Ginny awake so he shut it softly. When he turned around the red-head was sitting up and smiling sleepily at him.

"Morning, Harry..." she yawned. Harry grinned at her and sat down at his desk chair.

"Good Morning, Ginny. Have a nice sleep?" She grinned beautifully up at him and ran a hand through her fiery mane. "Sure did!"

"That's good, considering it was in my bed...." She smiled at him and scratched her nose.

"Well, today I'm going back. Mum's expecting me around three, and I have to go, with or without you. It would be better with you, considering things at the moment. Please come back Harry, please? Harry watched her jump from the bed and shut his eyes tightly when he noticed she was only wearing one of Dave's long business shirts. He heard her sigh and the rustling of covers before opening his lids once more. Ginny was back in the bed, her face tinged red the same as her hair.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Harry held up a hand to stop her and stood quickly.

"I've thought about it Ginny, I've thought about it a lot. And if I live another year without seeing someone I love again, I will probably die. So, when you go back today, so will I." There was just a flash of red and Harry was being smothered by a mane of orange and the comforting smell of home. They didn't here, in their moment of compassion, the door open and Dave stroll in holding a buttery croissant and smiling broadly. His eyes widened at the sight of the two before him. There was James Black, in only a pair of pants and Ginevra West, in his one good work shirt, holding each other in the middle of the room.

"Are you sure you two are only friends?"

.................................................................................

Hey all! This one is longer than all the others! Yay! Next chapter will be the perspective of another. It will be as I write with Harry except it won't be Harry, if that makes sense? So, there was a passionate moment with Ginny and the touching half-naked scene. It was not meant to seem in any way romantic, if it came across that way. It was just a moment of friendship that turned a bit...erm...physical? Anyhow, next chapter up soon I hope!!!???!! Please take time to review as I love getting feedback and all that! Ta!

DW