Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

Chapter 37: Two Muggles in London

After lunch, Nora wanted to show Eva around the Burrow. She'd only seen the ground level. Nora took her older sister by the hand and led her up the stairs. "There's even a ghoul in the attic!" she exclaimed. "I heard it last night for the first time."

Eva laughed and the sound warmed Harry. He followed them on their little tour, and then ran into Ron's room to straighten up his bed a little before Eva saw it. He quickly closed the door as the Eva and Nora headed in the opposite direction of the bedroom.

He was greeted by his messy bed, but there was a slip of parchment that he hadn't noticed before placed on his pillow. Puzzled, he plopped down on the bed and opened it up.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Professor Dumbledore has taken care of the misunderstanding. The charge of violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has been dropped from the incident on the night of the twenty-fourth of December at approximately twenty-four minutes after nine in the evening. Your wand will not be destroyed, and your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been suspended. The hearing for January 15th at 10 A.M. has been cancelled. The Ministry apologizes for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE

Ministry of Magic

Confused, Harry re-read the letter. What charge? He'd completely forgotten about using his Patronus on Remus during the attack. But it seemed as though everything was cleared up. Ron had used magic outside of Hogwarts as well - surely he got his warning.

Suddenly, the door opened and Ron popped inside. "Best clean up before the girls get see, eh?" He hurried over to his bed and pulled his quilt that was bunched up at the foot of the bed to his pillow. "That ought to do it." He grinned.

Harry stood and thrust the letter out to him. "Do you know what this is about?"

Ron took the parchment from him and read it. He glanced at Harry, looking somewhat guilty. "We thought it was best not to trouble you after... after everything. It doesn't matter anyway," he said cheerfully. "All the charges have been dropped. You won't have another hearing." He handed the letter back to Harry.

"But when did the letters come?"

"Tonks found the first of them in the clearing. They must have appeared shortly after we used the charm. She got a hold of Dumbledore somehow, and he's been in contact with the Ministry. I only had a warning, but you got another letter yesterday morning saying that Dumbledore was arguing on your behalf. They wanted to come here and destroy your wand."

"Ridiculous," Harry muttered as he crumpled the parchment in his hand. Would the Ministry ever cut him some slack?

* * *

The next morning Harry, Eva, Remus, and Tonks woke up early to drive to London with Charlie. After a quick breakfast, they were out on the road, and Harry could see that Eva was overjoyed to get out of the Burrow. The sunlight gave her some color, and when she smiled her whole face lit up. She was sitting in the backseat between Harry and Remus, which was quite spacious. However, she was sitting close enough to Harry so that every time the car drove over a pothole, their knees would bump into each other.

"So where are you off to now, Charlie?" Tonks asked. She was sitting in the front seat and passed the Quidditch section of The Daily Prophet back to Remus to read.

"You know that's classified," Charlie said with a wink. "Actually, it's back to Romania with me. Back to the dragons. I'm sure they miss me just as much as I miss them."

"I don't doubt it," Tonks replied. "You always did have a fondness for those creatures I never understood. Even back at Hogwarts, you were never without your dragon books."

"You two went to Hogwarts together?" Harry asked. His question was more like a sudden realization. Now that he thought of it, if he did the math in his head, it made sense. The two of them would have been at Hogwarts at the same time. Even Bill would have been with them at some point.

"Good old Nymphadora was two years ahead of me," Charlie replied, shaking his head. "Never gave me the time of day. Especially with her Metamorphmagus skills."

"It was because you called me Nymphadora," Tonks replied. "And we did have some fun near the end, didn't we?"

"Fun? Is that what you call it?" Charlie laughed. "I'd say it was more like torture."

Tonks chuckled. "Torture for you, I suppose. But we did have some good times."

Charlie sighed. "And bad ones," he said quietly. His eyes darkened. He suddenly looked far away, immersed in a memory of another time and place. Tonks didn't seem to notice.

Neither of them continued with an explanation, and nothing was said about their time together at Hogwarts for the rest of the way to London, which Harry found slightly disappointing. Sometimes he forgot how many before him had stumbled through the corridors at Hogwarts and attended the same dreadful classes. The school seemed to bind them together - a link to every witch and wizard in Britain.

At some point during the ride, Harry let his hand travel over to Eva's lap, where she intertwined his fingers with hers. Even that small contact sent waves of excitement through his entire body and put his senses in to overdrive. But ever since their kiss on Christmas Eve, it seemed as though he couldn't get enough of her. He wanted to do more than hold her hand. He wanted to be closer.

Riding in the Ministry car took them to London in less than half the time of a normal trip. Harry was almost sad to abandon with warmth of the car outside of the Aldersons' flat. After a quick conversation with the doorman, Eva led them up to the penthouse suite.

Nora's kitten was there to greet them. She looked perfectly healthy and purred when Remus retrieved a few scraps from his coat pocket to feed her. Harry and Tonks followed Eva to the master bedroom, where she pulled out Nora's trunk and her suitcase and started packing their few belongings.

"Allow me," Tonks said. She glanced around the room, making sure there was no Muggle peering through the windows, and produced her wand. "Pack!" she commanded.

Magically, the clothes and books that were scattered around the room were hurled through the air and were placed into the proper receptacle. Eva was very impressed by the charm, but Tonks scowled as she tried to shut Nora's trunk. She had to sit on it to properly close it. Harry helped carry all of the luggage out into the living room.

"That was spectacular," Eva said. "I should go into the kitchen and clean it up a bit too. Then we can leave."

"Leave it to me," Tonks said. "I'll have it spick-and-span in no time." She slipped into the kitchen, and Harry heard her shout, "Scourgify!"

Eva seemed to be in awe as Tonks sped into the kitchen, her wand at the ready. Remus was in the living room and already had Alley, the cat, in her kennel. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Let me do one more sweep of the place," Eva said, disappearing into the spare bedroom.

"She looks tired," Tonks said, returning from the kitchen and taking a seat on the sofa.

"She'll make it," Remus replied. "She's got a long day ahead of her. I'm sure Diagon Alley will put her back into the holiday spirit. Should be quite a show tonight."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Fred and George," Tonks agreed.

"Are you really going to let them into the Order?" Harry questioned.

"You know about that?" Remus said, his eyes narrowing at him. "How did you find out?"

"They told me - told all of us," Harry replied. "They said that everyone had voted and they were in. It was better for them to fight the good fight taking commands from the Order than to get mixed up in the war alone."

"And that kind of logic is precisely what could get them killed," Tonks muttered. "They're not in yet, Harry. Not by a long shot."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but I don't understand..."

"Why don't you go check on Eva?" Remus interrupted. He checked his watch. "Everyone else is probably in Diagon Alley by now. We ought to meet them for lunch."

Harry nodded and walked into the spare bedroom. The room was smaller than the other, but it had a huge picture window over looking the River Thames. Eva was standing in front of it, staring down at the city below. He cleared his throat, announcing his presence. "Ready?" Harry questioned.

"I suppose," she replied, not looking away from the window.

Harry approached her carefully. Tonks was right; she did look exhausted. "What's the matter?"

Eva shrugged. "I thought that for once I could do something right. For once I could give Nora the perfect Christmas, you know?" She sighed. "Last Christmas was the hardest, because it was the first without mum, but I thought I could make this year better. I could get her everything on her list. I rented this posh flat so that we could watch the snow fall on Christmas Day and feel like a real family. Instead, I get bitten by a werewolf and she spends Christmas Day sedated."

"I'm sorry." Harry didn't know what else to say. What could he say? There was no way to make it better for her. He couldn't go back in time. He couldn't change anything. This was only the beginning of Eva's new reality.

"Me too," she whispered. She still didn't look away from the window. Harry could see her reflection in the glass pane, and saw that she was watching him. Studying him. "Do you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being a Muggle?"

Harry hadn't really thought of it. His letter from Hogwarts was his ticket out of his horrible life at the Dursleys. If he was still there, he wouldn't have anything worth being referred to as a life. He'd probably still be locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Perhaps if he'd had a normal life of school and acquaintances - but then he wouldn't' be where he was today, surrounded by family and friends.

"No," he replied honestly.

She sighed. She looked far away. "I do. I mean, I've only been a werewolf for a week, but I've been trying to find my place in the wizarding world for months. I almost wish I could go back for a little while. Just to be normal. Go shopping. See a movie."

Because he couldn't help himself, he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body into his. She was cold. "We could."

"What?"

"We could go see a movie. We could act like Muggles."

Eva turned around, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "I'd have to clear it with Remus and Tonks, but I don't see why not."

"That would be amazing," Eva said. "There's this great theater about two blocks away that shows old movies."

"Excellent. But let's not get ahead of ourselves." He wasn't entirely confident that Remus and Tonks would let them spend the rest of the afternoon in London. He took Eva's hand and pulled her out of the bedroom to where Tonks and Remus were waiting.

Remus stood up from the couch and stretched. "What's going on?" he asked. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"Actually, I do," Harry said. He adjusted his glasses and took a deep breath. "Eva and I were wondering if we could meet up with everyone in Diagon Alley later and go see a movie this afternoon."

"You mean, a movie in a movie theater?" Tonks questioned. Harry nodded. "Absolutely not!" she cried. "We can't let you two wander around London for a day."

"Not a day," Harry replied. "Just a few hours. We'd be back in Diagon Alley before anybody misses us. And I promise we'd be careful. Besides, what's the point of Voldemort attacking us in broad daylight in the middle of a city? He'd have to be nutters."

"Which he is, need I remind you," Tonks snapped in a tone of voice that reminded Harry of her McGonagall doppelganger.

"Please," Eva said quietly. "We really would be careful. And we'd blend in. The city is so busy anyway, being New Years Eve and everything."

"We just want to act normal," Harry continued. "We want to pretend to be Muggles."

"Remus, talk some sense into these kids," she said.

Remus, who had stayed silent throughout the argument, suddenly stood up. "No, they're right Tonks. They deserve to spend some normal time together. A couple of hours in London won't hurt. We can take Eva's things to Diagon Alley." He pulled a billfold out of his back pocket. "How much does a movie cost these days, anyway?" He gave Harry a handful of pounds.

Harry beamed. "I... I don't know." He couldn't believe they were getting away with it. "Thank you."

Remus smiled, but his eyes were sad. Harry got the impression that he felt sorry for them. Nothing about their relationship was normal. "Now I want you back in Diagon Alley for five. Everyone's meeting at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. And you'll have to take the Underground to the Down Street Station." He pulled out some more money out for Harry. "I hope that's enough."

"It's all right," Eva said, opening her suitcase and taking out her purse. "I've got some Muggle money left over from Christmas to pay for everything."

"But you can't pay," Harry interrupted. When she looked confused, he continued. "It's a date. You've got to let me buy."

Eva blushed, her blue eyes sparkling. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "And the first date at that."

"Then you most definitely have to let me treat," Remus replied with a wink. "Now don't forget, the Leaky Cauldron at five."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Remus."

"You two be careful." Tonks said. She scowled at Remus. "Molly's going to kill you for this."

"Nonsense." Remus pulled on the golden chain that was wrapped around his neck - the Moon Guide. "If anything happens, I'll find out about it." His eyes narrowed on Harry. "And don't think I won't check in every once in a while. Don't do anything...impulsive."

He said the last part quietly so that only Harry could hear. He liked Remus's version of The Talk much better than Mrs. Weasley's. "Right," he replied. "Down Street Station. Diagon Alley. Five o'clock." Harry grabbed Eva by the hand, afraid that they would change their minds, and quickly pulled her out of the penthouse and to the elevator doors.

"And have fun!" Remus called after them.

Harry grinned. No problem.

* * *

Simply strolling through the streets of London, hand-in-hand with Eva, was a lot more fun than he anticipated. It was amazing how comfortable he felt with her now. There was still awkwardness between them, but it was the kind of awkwardness that kept him sharp and alert instead of clumsy and self-conscious.

"The theater is up just ahead," Eva said. "We could probably make it for the afternoon matinee."

Harry nodded. "Excellent. Wonder what's playing?" He smiled. Harry could count the number of times he'd been to a movie on one hand. He was actually quite excited about it.

"Er... whatever it is, I hope you'll enjoy it," Eva said. "There's something I should probably mention about the theater. It's not entirely... modern."

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned.

"It plays old B-Movies. Bad science-fiction movies from the 40's and 50's." She smiled sheepishly. "Nora and I used to come here and make fun of them. They're really terrible. But they're good for a laugh."

"Sounds just fine to me," Harry replied. "I think we could both use a good laugh." He was just about to slip his arm around her waist as they walked, but by the time he found the courage, they were already at the theater.

The building itself was wedged between two stores. It looked a little dilapidated, but there was a box office to buy tickets at and a concession stand. However, there was no sign saying what the movie was.

"Good afternoon," said the woman inside the box office. "Two tickets?" Harry nodded and handed her the money. "Enjoy the show."

"What is the show?" Harry questioned.

"Let's go see." Eva took him by the hand and led him over to a wall of posters in the hallway. Someone had strung Christmas lights around the poster of the show that was playing. "Ooh... Cat People. This one's not so bad." The poster had a woman dressed in black on front of it, looking very feline. Beneath the title of the movie was a pitch line. Harry read out loud. "'She was marked with the curse of those who slink and court and kill by night.' Sounds like a comedy."

Eva laughed. "You'd be surprised." She wrapped his arm around his and he pulled her closer. He could see her breath when she exhaled. "Coming back here... It feels nice." She smiled up at him. "It feels nice to be with you."

And because he couldn't help himself, he leaned over and kissed her. A real kiss. Something he'd been longing to do ever since Christmas Eve. Her lips felt cool from chilly afternoon - different than the last time. He could have stood there, kissing her for hours, but she pulled away, her face flushed. "We should get inside. It's going to start soon."

Harry nodded, and the two of them walked arm and arm inside the building. "Want something to eat?" he asked as they passed the concession stand.

"Do we have enough money?"

Harry fingered the pounds in his pocket. "Sure. Don't worry about it. Besides, this is a date. We need the works."

After buying popcorn, candy, and soda, Harry reluctantly let go of Eva's arm to carry their refreshments into the movie theater. The screening room smelled different, like wax from burning candles mixed with buttered popcorn, and the scent added to its nostalgia. The walls were covered with a velvety material for sound-proofing.

"Where do you want to sit? Front, back, or middle?" Harry questioned.

"The back," Eva said. She winked at him and walked down the aisle to the last row of seats. Harry tried to convince himself that she probably had other reasons for wanting to sit back there - maybe her eyes hurt when she sat too close, or she was far-sighted - not because she wanted to snog him. Although her wink suggested otherwise.

Eva sat down in the middle of the row and took the popcorn from Harry. To save on the cost, they had decided to split a coke, instead of buying one for each of them. He set it in the holder on the armrest between them and took his coat off, then took the popcorn back from Eva so she could do the same. She had to borrow a coat from Mrs. Weasley because hers had been torn to shreds from the attack. It was too large for her, but it kept her warm. She tried to shrug it off her shoulders, but she winced. She was still quite sore.

"Here, I'll give you a hand," Harry said. He set the tub of popcorn on the floor and pulled the coat off her, one arm at a time.

"You'll probably have to help me put it on again as well." Eva scowled, her jaw set in her frustration. "I feel like an invalid."

Because Harry didn't know what to say, he offered her some popcorn. She took a handful. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just not used to being weak."

"Somehow, that doesn't shock me," he replied, grinning.

She took a piece of her popcorn and playfully threw it at him. "Aye, I'm not one to admit to it, but I've been feeling weaker lately. And not just in the physical sense." She smiled coyly at him, but seemed afraid to meet his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

She took a deep breath. "I mean... well..." She finally did look at him, her eyes bright in the darkened theater. She looked embarrassed. "I mean that I've never had a weak heart for anyone. Not for Nora. Not for any boy." She paused for a moment. "Except for you." She quickly turned away, her cheeks red and blushing.

Harry smiled. He realized that she was not embarrassed about him, but embarrassed about her feelings for him. He was surprised that she was even telling him this. "I understand."

"Do you?" she asked suddenly. When she turned to look at him, she had tears in her eyes. "I... I hope I'm not being too bold. I thought that maybe you'd appreciate my honesty. But after everything that's happened, I've realized..." Her voice trailed off. "Well, carpe diem."

"Carpe diem?" Harry questioned. "Seize the day?"

She nodded emphatically. "The attack was a wakeup. When I kept coming in and out of consciousness that first night after, all I could think of was all the things I wanted to say to everyone. All of the things I still wanted to do. I wasn't ready for my life to be over yet. It's too short in the first place." She sighed. "You probably think I'm crazy."

Harry laughed. "Not crazy. Smart." He slipped his arm around her shoulders and balanced the popcorn in his lap. "I do appreciate your honesty," he whispered in her ear. "And when you were in trouble, all I could think about was all of the things I wanted to tell you - share with you." She shivered from his hot breath on her neck. "But most of all, I thought of what a fool I was for not doing something about it sooner. When I saw you at St. Mungo's that first day, I knew there was something between us. Then, when I delivered your package in Hogsmeade, I knew that I wanted to be friends. After I came to you that terrible night and broke down, I knew I wanted to be more than friends. It's taken me all this time to tell you..." He hesitated. Could he say those three little words that he already knew, in his heart, were true? Would it scare her away? No, she had just said how much she liked him. How he made her weak.

But just as he opened his mouth to speak, the lights in the theater dimmed and the movie started. The moment was lost.