About Harry

Hermione

Tonight, I took a resolution. I'll be a friend, I'll be positive, I'll be a friend, I'll be cheerful, I'll be a friend, I'll be affectionate, I'll be a friend.

I'll be a friend.

I've always done it up to ten days ago I don't see why I cannot do it again.

And overall, I won't let gloom settle. Today we are going out.

I think he passed the rest of the night awake; I could feel him moving continuously.

When dawn approached, however, he snuggled up and nodded off. Now he is sleeping very close to me.

I start to caress him; he moves slightly so I stoop on him, and I kiss his forehead whispering his name. A smile appears on his lips as he opens his eyes.

All this intensity and greenness dazzle me as usual. I can also glance a glimpse of disappointment and the smile faltering seeing me, but I was expecting it, so it doesn't pain me. Not too much at least.

Although, after the faltering moment, the smile returns steady, a cheeky smile that makes me crazy. Stop, Hermione, we agreed on friendliness. A cheeky smile, period.

He grasps me swiftly and grinning, squeezes me and pecks me.

'I'm so glad you are here' he says burying his head in the slope of my neck between my hair.

'I'm glad to be here too' I answer in a flutter. Friendliness! Friendliness! I answer, period.

'I thought we could do something today' I say emboldened by his good mood.

He rises on his elbow 'What do you want to do?' he asks smiling with all his curls as crazy as they can possibly get. How cute is he?! ..... I can acknowledge he is cute even as a friend. Right?!

'We could go somewhere on the seaside. What do you think?'

I see him waver, undecided.

'I'll modify your face' I say encouragingly.

'Alright but make sure I'm really unrecognisable'

After one hour of complicated spells, we are ready to go, and not even Molly would recognise him. I've got a real knack for this kind of things.

I chose a place in Wales where I've been a couple of times with Ron and the kids. The beach is sandy and it stetches for quite a long trait making a very nice stroll.

Being weekday and low season not many people are around which makes it even nicer and I know also more enjoyable for Harry who always feels more at easy when it is so being less chances of being recognised and bothered. We stop to get breakfast in a café on the beach and I'm glad to see his good mood carry on.

Surprisingly he starts to chat. He talks about the Ministry on some actions decided upon and about some issues arisen. I cannot fail to notice that's all referred to the time before the accident.

I don't think he has worked since then.

'Are you going to return working?'

I have my personal opinion about his career. It's great and everything but I don't think it had ever helped his peace of mind much. It's too stressful and too gruesome. Being an Auror means to have to assist every day to murders, crimes, dealing with deranged individuals notwithstanding the high danger it comports. I never advised him against it when he decided to pursue it; I knew how he cared for it and he needed a new object to focus his mind on after Voldemort to prevent his mind to slide in depression, thereby I helped him at best of my abilities to get it. But knowing his past and his struggles, I always thought that a more cheerful job, like in the Quidditch field for example, where you have the adrenaline but not the danger, would have suited him better.

I also had the suspicion that he undertook it to redeem himself from the guilt he feels in regards of all the people who died to allow him to defeat Voldemort. Kind of paying up a debt preventing any such deaths to happen again. A dangerous thing of course because, obviously, it's a debt that he will never feel fulfilled. He cannot prevent every death nor catch every single dark wizard on earth, and he will only end up feeling even more guilt.

He looks at me enquiringly 'What do you mean?'

I'm taken aback 'Do you know... it's already a few weeks you are not going'

His expression from light and carefree it was, darken all of sudden turning pensive.

'Do you want to? You could retire, you worked there long enough'

'To do what?' he says shaking his head.

'Take care of Sunrise as one thing'

He doesn't answer, he rests his cup on the table and his eyes travel back on the beach. Some children are playing, and we can hear their shrills while they are merrily chasing each other.

'I've been to the Burrow yesterday'

He keeps looking away, but I know he is listening.

'She is asking for you, she asked for you tonight too'

He bows his head; I know this conversation distress him, but I feel he needs to return being a father for that forlorn child, and I want to understand what's going on.

'She was quite upset yesterday... She was quite upset tonight'

'I know she was upset yesterday as I know she was upset tonight. I always know when she is upset' he interjects abruptly fiddling with the teaspoon, uneasy.

'How do you know?'

He shrugs his shoulders 'I just know. She is moody and very often gets upset in the mornings and evenings'

'Yes, that's right' I say baffled and hoping for more openness than tonight, I go on 'How...?'

He glances shiftily at me, taking the cup to drink the last drops of his coffee, his distress blatantly heightened.

My expression is puzzled, I don't understand. How can he possibly know if it's weeks since he had seen her the last time?! I must find out more and I'm about to speak but, as tonight, he divines my intentions and smirks seeing my half open mouth ready to pester him.

'Don't trouble yourself with it. She is fine today, anyway. She'll be fine. I'll do my best'

_____________________________________________

I called at the Burrow once home while he was having a shower.

It is true.

She has been quite cheerful the whole day.