Obliviate

Obliviate - Chapter Nine

Harry awoke the next morning to discover Luna had already gotten up and was busying about his kitchen preparing breakfast. She casually glanced up at him from her place by the stove where she was scrambling some eggs.

"Good morning, Harry," she said fondly. "Sleep well?"

"Er, yes," he replied even though he hadn't slept very well at all; he'd spent most of the night lying restlessly in bed, staring up at the ceiling, brooding over the recent events which had happened to him. His thoughts hadn't brought him to any sort of conclusion, so he was left standing awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen feeling uncertain of how he should behave around Luna. Then he asked, "Um, do you need any help?"

"No," she answered, nodding her head over towards the table. "Take a seat. I'm almost done."

Harry sat down and started nervously tapping his foot on the floor. He watched as Luna moved with a fluid grace around his kitchen, scrambling the eggs, fixing the toast, pouring orange juice for both of them, and his mind wandered off yet again to the night before. She had told him, "I've wanted to do that for years,"

For years? Luna Lovegood?

No.

Yes.

Maybe.

Quite possibly maybe. There had been so much urgency and desire in that single kiss that the memory of Nora's was paling in comparison.... No, he couldn't think that.

Well, he shouldn't think that, but there was something exciting about Luna; she was like a gust of fresh air after spending too much time inside of a cave. She was so delightfully eccentric and mysterious, which gave Harry the feeling that there was an untamed side to Luna he hadn't seen yet. It was intriguing and provocative and he wanted to see more of her and get to know the part of Luna he hadn't met yet.

So what was Nora? Nora certainly had a wild side to her - he'd witnessed that part of her firsthand in the Muggle restaurant the other day - but she wasn't the same as Luna. When he was around Nora, he felt a sense of comfort and security. They were quieter and gentler traits but they still invited him back for more whenever he saw her.

He sighed. Two women. Only one choice. What was he supposed to do?

'Come on, Harry!' he thought to himself. 'You're a Gryffindor, aren't you? Go on and get it over with.'

Luna walked over to the table holding two plates. She pecked him on the cheek and gave him a dreamy smile before sitting down next to him. He half-heartedly returned the gesture and poked around at the eggs on his plate as he apprehensively chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"I think," Harry finally said, hoping he sounded more courageous than he felt, "I think we need to talk about some things, Luna."

"What an excellent idea," she responded.

He blinked. "What?"

"It's such a good idea that you want to talk about our relationship, Harry," she stated simply, taking a small bite out of her toast.

"Um." He wasn't sure what to make of how she was acting, so he just inclined his head and said, "Yes."

"I hope you don't mind that I kissed you last night," Luna continued, glancing at him curiously. "I don't know if I told you, but I've wanted to do that for a long time."

He held his breath and felt her watching him, searching his features, waiting for him to say something. After a few seconds ticked by and he did not speak, Luna gave him a reassuring smile and rested her hand over his.

"It's okay if you don't have anything to say." She rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything to impress me."

Harry tried to swallow the boulder that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat.

"Oh sweet Merlin," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Er-" he said, his voice shaking slightly, "Oh, sweet Luna."

She giggled and he felt her lean closer to him until her breath tickled his neck. Then she whispered in his ear, "I really like you, Harry."

"I really like you too," he replied, his words sounding strained.

Luna's face inched nearer to his until their noses were brushing together. Suddenly she was perched in his lap and her arms had wrapped themselves around his waist; her eyes locked with his and from the way she was pressing up against Harry, he could feel every single minute curve of her body and he felt the blood rushing through his veins.

"Um. Luna, I have to be at work soon."

"So?" she breathed, shifting around on top of him.

Why were the women in his life so domineering? Then again, maybe it wasn't the women - maybe it was just him being insecure and a bit too passive, letting people just walk all over him. However, it didn't really matter because it seemed like Luna was going to get her way right now either way.

"Um," he repeated since he had nothing else to say.

Her hand slithered from around his side and came to rest on the inside of his thigh. "Just try to relax and enjoy yourself...."

* * *

Sam glanced at Harry curiously. He slapped another sticker reading "SHIP TO GLENDALE" onto the box in front of them and shoved it off to the side.

"You know, you look worn today," he remarked, keeping his tone neutral. Although they got along well, he didn't want to provoke his coworker - he could tell something was eating away at him and he didn't want to cause a scene.

"I'm okay," he answered. "I've seen better days."

They hauled another box into position and Harry put a sticker on it.

"Everything going all right with Nora?"

The younger man paused and shrugged. "You could say so, yeah."

In a mildly reproachful voice Sam asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Harry wearily sat down on the box and sighed noisily. "It's not Nora that's the problem, mate... it's someone else...."

"I see," Sam replied, sounding indifferent.

"She's an old friend and she-"

"Wait, wait, wait," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "You've been seeing Nora for two days and already you've cheated on her?"

"Er," Harry muttered, feeling stupid.

Sam gave him a stern look. "You can't keep on with this, you know. Sooner or later it's going to end, and it's going to end badly."

"But I don't know what to do," came the feeble response.

"Have you tried talking to either one of them?"

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair, "but then she just grabbed me and-"

"Okay! I don't need details!"

Harry exhaled and his shoulders sagged. "I really like Nora. A lot. But this other girl... she's something special." He stared up at the ceiling with a faraway look in his eyes. "It's like they're the best of two worlds, Sam. They've both got a wild side, I've seen it-" His partner frowned at him. "-but they're so different. I can't explain it, and I definitely can't choose."

After a long moment Sam finally nodded and shrugged resignedly. "James," he said, "it sounds like you're in a right foul mess."

"I know," he replied, kicking at an empty box on the ground.

"But," he added quickly, "since you're my friend and they aren't, I have to tell you, go do whatever makes you happy."

"Thanks, Sam."

* * *

She sat in her comfy chair, anxiously swinging her feet, feeling her stomach fold in on itself and do somersaults. Nora had arrived home from work minutes ago to find that there was a fire in her house. She would have been less scared to find it burning outside the fireplace.

A fire used to mean quiet evenings, a glass of wine, and losing herself in a good book. However, recently, a fire meant that her creepy fireplace resident was going to drop in and have a little talk with her. She drew her knees up to her chest like a child, closing her eyes and counting in her head in an attempt to calm herself down.

One, two, three....

Any moment now, the flames were going to turn green and he would pop up....

Seven, eight, nine....

He would ask her about James - Harry - whoever. But she knew that she would be able to protect him. She cared for him too much to give him up now.

Any minute now, any second-

The fireplace suddenly shifted its colors into a sickly green hue and it sneezed out her least favorite person in the world, Albus Dumbledore. He righted the crooked spectacles on his face and gave her a kindly smile. She was not fooled by his act.

"Headmaster."

"Miss O'Connor," he said as he inclined his head ever so slightly. He made as if to move off over to her kitchen. "Would you like a-"

"No," she stated dully, gesturing to the couch opposite from where she was seated. "If you came here to talk, then let's talk and get it over with."

If Dumbledore was surprised by her bluntness, he did not show it. He idly stroked his long, wispy beard as he sat down. He leaned forward, peering at her with that unnerving sky blue gaze.

"Tell me, Miss O'Connor," he murmured, his eyes unblinking, "how is our dear Harry?"

"He's fine," she answered evasively.

"Is he?" the old man replied quietly, letting his voice drift. "Is he really?"

Suddenly he was standing a foot away from her, no longer seeming old and weak. His piercing stare cut straight through her, making her shiver. As much as she wanted to, she could not tear her eyes away from his; there was something magnetic about them and she felt a curious sensation in her head, as if she was reliving certain memories... and all of them revolved around James....

She struggled to close her eyes but failed. "Stop. Stop it, please!" she cried out. Never before in her entire life had she felt so vulnerable and exposed.

"Miss O'Connor, you haven't been very truthful with me," Dumbledore said. Did she detect a tone of resignation in his voice? Did that mean he was going to leave her alone now? "I gave you explicit orders not to get... involved."

Oh, so he knew now, did he? He was not going to take James away from her. She tilted her chin up and looked at him defiantly. "You are not going to come between us."

Dumbledore continued on as if she hadn't said a word. "This is a very delicate situation, Nora-" She glared at the use of her first name "-he doesn't need the emotional stress of a relationship-"

"Why not?" she shouted at him. "I think that's exactly what he needs! Haven't you seen him lately? He goes about every single day not feeling, not caring - he, he was so miserable until we met! Why do you want to take this away from him? From us?"

"My dear," he said, taken aback by her sudden ferocity. "I'm afraid you're placing too much stock in his feelings for you."

"What do you mean?" she whispered, sitting very still.

The headmaster chose to ignore her question. "Now, I need to know the names of everyone who knows about you two. I'm already aware of his coworkers and those unfortunate Muggles at the restaurant who happened to see you." Then he added seriously, "Even if you don't tell me, I will find out."

Nora gritted her teeth together. So now he was threatening her? She'd had enough.

"Albus Dumbledore," she exclaimed boldly as she rose to her feet, "get out of my house!"

He raised his eyebrows and then instead of turning to leave, he did something that scared her. Calmly, slowly, he reached into his robes and withdrew a long, slender piece of wood. Nora gulped - it was undoubtedly a magic wand. And judging from the way he was pointing it at her, he was going to use it.

A moment passed, tension thick in the air. Finally the wizard said, "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Nora."

She glanced at him with frightened eyes. "Yeah," she said softly. "Me too."

* * *

There was a persistent buzzing sound ringing in her ears and she raced through the house, heading for the fireplace. Her father had installed a magical equivalent of a Muggle doorbell, so someone trying to contact them by Floo would just have to push a button and anyone in the house would be summoned immediately.

Entering the living room, she knelt down by the hearth, a bit surprised to find nobody waiting for her. A few feet in front of the fireplace, an envelope was lying on the floor. Luna peered at it curiously and flipped it over, to see that it bore the official wax seal of The Quibbler, her father's publication. The seal was warm to the touch, as if it had just been pressed moments ago.

"That's odd," she muttered to herself. "I wonder why he didn't want to talk to me in person."

Without a second thought about it, she used a cutting spell to slice open the envelope and a small piece of parchment slipped out and fell to the floor. She picked it up and unfolded it, her eyes going wide as she read the first words. It was her father's hand writing, that she was sure of, but it was sloppy and looked like it had been hastily written:

Luna, I'm leaving for Hogsmeade. We just received an anonymous tip from someone inside Hogwarts that Harry Potter was "missing" for all those years because Dumbledore was holding him captive in the school. If this is true, there could be a major scandal. I want you to-

She didn't bother to finish reading the rest of the letter. While she loved her father dearly and always listened to him, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Luna needed to find Harry.

* * *

He had the feeling of deja vu when he returned to his flat to be greeted by Luna. However, unlike yesterday, there was no suggestiveness to her movements and she appeared to be very nervous.

"Luna," he said, seeing her standing in his doorway again, "did you even leave here this morning?"

"Harry, we have to go to Hogwarts."

The name of his old school awkwardly hung between them, making the air feel stifling and much too humid.

"Why?"

She took a step closer and looked him straight in the eye. "Haven't you wondered where you were after you defeated Voldemort?"

"Luna," he said exasperatedly, "I haven't had much time in the last few days to wonder about that, especially since-"

"You were missing for two years, Harry."

"I... what?"

He hadn't known that he'd lost so much time and her words came as a shock to him. Although traveling through Luna's memories had helped him to recall many of his own, he still didn't know how he came to be James Evans, champion of shifting around boxes the good old fashioned Muggle way. How had he gone from being the savior of the wizarding world to being what he was now?

"We need to go to Hogwarts, Harry," she pleaded earnestly. "To find some answers." Then she added, "For you."

He looked at Luna and finally gave her a solemn nod.

While ignorance was bliss, how could he go on living without knowing what had happened to him for two years of his life? The question would always remain with him and it would eat him from the inside out if he never discovered the answer. Going to Hogwarts was his chance to know, to find the truth about himself.

'Gryffindor courage!' he thought to himself cheerlessly.

"We're going to Hogsmeade," said Luna, interrupting his thoughts and grabbing his arm. "I'll take us there."

A/N 9/23/06:

There are three hints for where I got the names Sam and Nate from in this chapter. Heh.