Take The Damn Shot!

15. The Parked Car

When Pansy and Blaise had returned to the table, they had asked Draco where Harry had gone. He had mumbled something under his breath, until Blaise made him look him in the eye and tell him what had really happened. He told them about Harry asking him to dance, and the way that he had lost his temper, saying no to the hero.

They weren't angry with Draco, but all three of them stood up to leave in the car, to see if they couldn't perhaps pick Harry up and take him home. There had been no sign of him, until they stopped on the street opposite his house.

All the while they were telling Draco that he was a moron, and he had to fix things with Potter. If he wanted to be a dick, do so, but apologize and at least tell the man why you are being one. They stilled the car and turned off the engine, and watched as Harry approached his own front door very slowly.

They saw the Weasley girl stand up and open her arms, and then they saw him step aside as if to get away from her. They saw him apparate inside, and watched as she left with a scowl on her freckled face. They stayed there for a while, discussing what had happened, and why was he ignoring her. Then they saw as another Weasley banged on his door with a fist so loud, that they thought all the neighbors were going to scream blue murder.

The saw the way that Harry had looked disheveled, and the way he was holding his head in his hands. He had obviously gone home to drink some more - they saw the way that Weasley shouted at him and ever heard the words 'Who the fuck do you think you are', and something about a year from Harry, and watched as he grew even more angry. Their favorite moment of the evening was when they heard the word 'betray', and saw the door slam in the Weasel's face.

It was shortly after midnight, when they told the driver to take them home. They would talk to Harry tomorrow. Any skeletons in his closet, he would have to be open with them. They knew that he was a private person, but if the press had been out here, there would have been hell to pay. It was agreed that Pansy would phone him in the morning, and find out what was going on.

Harry had woken up some seven hours after his shower and his sleep, feeling much better, albeit a little hungry and very thirsty. He made his way to the kitchen where he put the kettle on, the events from last night coming back to him in waves. The excitement at going out to the club, the anger coming from Malfoy, and then his own anger at being judged.

The way he had been cornered by his ex girlfriend and then berated by her brother. And he wanted nothing more that to hide away and forget the world existed. He reached for his phone and saw that the battery was flat. Perfect. He put it on charge but never turned it back on. He wasn't taking calls or messages today, fuck that. Today was going to be focused on Harry.

He went to the lounge with his cup of coffee and just sat there, replaying everything. He wasn't scared about what Ronald thought of his sexuality. He had embraced himself ages ago, and so had the wizarding world, those that knew anyway. It were the Weasleys that were being pricks. He had to let Hermoine know what had happened, and thought that maybe he would tell her tomorrow. He had no energy to talk to anyone. Then he curled into himself and just stared straight ahead.

Pansy in the meantime had been calling Harry non stop to arrange a get together, but all she kept getting was his voicemail. After the ninth call, she was starting to get worried. So she called Blaise and then Blaise said he would call Harry. If he didn't answer, he would go to his house and check up on him.

Which is exactly what Blaise did, and when he knocked on the door, he was met with silence. Either Potter was still sleeping, or he wasn't here, and had left his mobile at home. He knocked again, and when there was no reply, he felt resigned to the fact that there would be no answer. Not today at least. He dialed Pansy and Draco and told them to meet up at his place.

Hermoine was the only one who had Floo privileges into Harry's home, and so thought nothing of the fact that when she still hadn't heard from him, decided to do just that. What she saw broke her heart all over again. As if he had never picked himself up and dusted himself off to become the new man that he was.

He had seemed so happy the other day when she had come for breakfast and then for dinner, so what the hell had happened. He was curled up on the couch, his coffee cold on the table. He was wrapped up in an old blanket, and he seemed to be shaking.

"Harry?", she said softly, touching his shoulder. She waited for him to speak when he was ready. She knew this about him, and apart from Dumbledore, was the only other person who actually respected it.

"Ginny was here. So was Ron", he said with a croaky voice. His eyes were red rimmed, and he wondered if his staff saw him now, they would probably have a heart attack.

"Oh Harry", she said and gave him a hug.

"Have you eaten anything today?", she asked already knowing that he hadn't.

He shook his head. "Stay there. I'm going to whip something up", she said and left him on the couch. She saw that his phone was on charge and removed it for him putting it on the coffee table. Then she made him a new cup, and told him to drink it while it's hot.

He sat up and looked like a lost little puppy. She came in a while later with biscuits, cheese and some fruit on a plate. Not much, but Harry needed company now, not her absence. He took the plate from her and just looked at the food.

"Want to talk about it?", she asked kindly.

"Thank you", he said for the food. "Not really, but I probably should", he replied and told her everything that had happened last night. From the beach photo shoot, until the time that he had passed out after his shower. Word for word.

"That bastard!", she cried out. Harry was so thankful for a friend like her. He smiled at her choice of words, because in reality Hermoine didn't really like swearing, so he adored her even more for that.

She smiled at him, and pulled him into a hug.