𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 82

CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH PRETTY WORDS
ARE EXCHANGED

. . .

Harry couldn't stop watching her - which was usually the case anyway, seeing as whenever they were together, no matter whether they were with people or alone, the Potter couldn't keep his eyes off of her anyway - and stood beside her now was now different. 

She was stood at the edge of the flat surface that Sirius had told him about, which wasn't as dangerous as it sounded, seeing as there were several feet of slanting slate tiles that made up the roof between the terraced houses, her eyes not on the green in front of the house like usual but instead on the view behind the house, of the city. 

The skirt of her dress fluttered around her legs on account of the warm August breeze that was on it's last legs as they approached September, her hands knotted in front of her slowly parting and one reaching up to rest on the arm Harry had around her waist, a position he had felt quite natural holding, her fingers enclosing around his own. He doubted he would feel this content when he went back to Hogwarts, now that it was certainly happening. 

Because now.. as much as he considered Hogwarts his home that he never actually had on account of the Dursleys, he had somewhere else. And actual house where he was welcome, even if it was dingy and dank and filled with artifacts consumed and created by dark magic. A house where his godfather lived, where Jane would be living. He was welcome there, as much as he was at Hogwarts.

"Did you do all this yourself?" Jane asked, as they turned back towards the blanket sat out in the centre of the area. It was clear of all the rubbish that Sirius and his brother had left up of there now, although Harry wasn't quite sure that he had seen him throw it out. He met her eyes as they sat down, saw the glint of amusement and disbelief. 

"You know I didn't." Harry smiled. "I had help... from Sirius, and Remus." He admitted with ease, watching as she laughed and joining in with a few, almost self-deprecating chuckles of his own. "I thought of it.. somewhere in the week after I told you everything. When you met Professor McGonagall and had that really strange encounter with Snape."

"That's the guy with the.. really greasy hair, right?" She wasn't even saying it in a bad way, like Harry was so used to witnessing in regards the Potions teacher. Jane frowned for a moment, remembering how he had stared at her for a moment, eyes flickering towards for a second and then back on her, swooping his robes around him before turning towards the door. "That was odd."

"All I get is how much I remind him of my dad. You probably remind him of someone.. he's been at Hogwarts for ages." Harry shrugged, disregarding the weirdness as merely a moment of rememberance for the teacher, maybe of an old student he hated or actually liked a little bit. 

Jane nodded absentmindedly. "Speaking off." She eventually said, seemingly having debated the topic in her mind several times over. "I know I've promised you'd write, and I'll write as well, but I want to just.. talk about what happens when you go to Hogwarts. I don't want to bring the mood down or anything I just.. I feel like we keep getting interrupted, not that it bothers me or can be avoided in this house-"

"Right." Harry agreed. "And don't worry - you're not bringing down the mood or anything. I think we should talk about it... It's pretty obvious where I'll be.. what about you?" He had realised with a start that he hadn't actually confirmed it - and he just had to be sure.

"We're staying here." Jane said, recognising the look of relief in his eyes. "Definitely - Flora told me yesterday. I'll live here and so will she - and Angela will come up and join us soon. She's too important to the Order to leave.. which I had no idea about for a while but she was using a lot of the time when we were out to do work on it.. and when we went to the seaside it was to recruit people. She's been doing that a lot."

"What about you?" Harry asked.

"What?"

"You said why it's important that Flora stays, and why she wants to stay. But when she's working with the Order, what will you be doing?" Harry asked. Jane faltered for a moment, before smiling.

"I'll be going to school. Flora's done her research - it's not too far away and I can take a bus when I can't walk and it's a mixed grammar school and I'll be taking the test to get in when it opens again. I'll probably start a week later." Jane smiled, hugging her legs to her chest. "Apparently it's good for English and History.. which are my focuses. And I'll be able to live like I used to."

"Do you regret knowing everything?" Harry asked, feeling a sudden urgency to just know whether she was happy or not.

"Huh?" Jane blinked. "No - of course I don't. I'm happier knowing that not knowing and it's important to you.. not only that but it's you - you're a wizard.. and you've been through so much and you're amazing and, well I love you so there's that - of course I'm happy."

Harry stared at her for a moment, unable to fight the grin coming onto his face. "You love me?" Jane turned pink, averting her gaze. "No - no, it's okay. I love you too." Their knees were brushing, hands enclosed over the minimal distance between them, conversation all of a sudden turning shy and bashful.

They were young - too young to know if they really meant it. But what they did know.. they really felt it. It felt right, that was all that mattered, and if Harry went back to Hogwarts knowing that, he didn't mind it. 

Besides, he had a feeling a letter exchange with Jane would aid with the difficulties of the upcoming year. At least he had someone who wouldn't hate him for ruining the comfort that had come after Voldemort's defeat. And she loved him, he had that.

 ✧

a/n
can't believe that i managed to align
this with valentines day without even
trying. anyways i thought this would
be a very appropriate chapter for 
valenties