Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter XXVIII: Brooms

Dinner at the Crawft's was an interesting affair. After knocking on the door and being greeted by an overly-enthusiastic Lisa, I was introduced to her parents. Mrs. Crawft, an older, calmer, infinitely more mature version of her daughter, acted every bit the ideal mother. Her father, on the other hand, was a gruff businessman, a consummate professional. Where Mrs. Crawft greeted me with the loveliest of smiles, Mr. Crawft greeted me with a stiff, “hullo.”

We sat around the table, and I spoke with Mrs. Crawft who asked me a plethora of questions: how old was I. What did I like to do. Standard questions. I answered to the best of my ability.

“What are your intentions towards my daughter?” asked a gruff and, dare I say it, angry Mr. Crawft. I wasn't sure how to answer him. Thankfully, I didn't have to.

“Now dear,” Mrs. Crawft gave her husband a smile laced with poisoned sweetness. “I thought we already had this conversation. Harry and Lisa are quite young. I doubt he has any intentions toward our daughter. You promised me that you wouldn't harass him.”

Mr. Crawft Grunted, but remained silent and continued eating. I stared at the parents, confused, before leaning over to Lisa and whispering, “do you know what they're talking about?”

Lisa cupped a hand to her mouth and whispered back. “Not a clue.”

After dinner Lisa directed me to the living room, a spacious interior with a carpeted floor, a large sofa, two comfy chairs, a coffee table and a television. She bade me to sit on the couch and asked me what I wanted to watch.

I chose Star Wars.

We sat on the sofa, watching text roll down the screen as the opening theme to my favorite space opera blared in our ears.

“Hey, um, Harry?” Lisa asked, her voice soft, almost unnoticeable over the din of music.

“Yes, Lisa?”

Lisa fidgeted in her seat. “I wanted to thank you... for coming over, I mean.” Fidget. Her cheeks began burning red. “It really means a lot to me.”

I turned to look at her. Upon being caught under my gaze, Lisa flushed and looked away. How odd. Normally she's determined and vibrant to the point of being pushy, yet now she's acting shy. Weird.

I felt a smile crawl on my face, unbidden.

“You're welcome,” I said softly, then looked away and added, “thank you for inviting me over. This was... fun.”

Lisa looked surprised for a moment, before a smile broke out on her face.

“You're welcome,” she whispered, turning back to watch the movie.

XoX

As November hit the whether became incredibly cold. Frigid. Ice seemed to hang in the air and invade the lungs, causing not only mist to rise from each blown out breath, but a sharp, minty coldness to seep into ones chest with each intake of breath. Windows fogged over, not even the warming charms that kept most of the castle at a mild temperature could get rid of it. Harry wondered if perhaps they had been designed that way on purpose to give the school an authentic Scottish winter look, but disregarded the theory soon after. The ground had become covered in a thick sleet of frost. It wouldn't be long now before the snow started to fall.

The first Quidditch game was only a few days away, on a Saturday. After a little over a month of training, Harry would be playing in his first ever Quidditch match: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It was a much anticipated game, perhaps more so than any other due to the animosity between the two houses. It could also have something to due with him being the youngest Seeker in the past century and the Boy-Who-Lived, but that was practically a given.