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

Chapter XXXIV: Holiday Shopping, Part I

Harry Potter sighed as he sat in the middle row of the movie theater with Lisa and her mom, his best friend sitting to his right. She had pushed the arm rest up so she could lean against him without obstruction and rested her head against his shoulders. It was such a common occurrence he hardly noticed her closeness.

On Lisa's left, Ms. Crawft watched the pair instead of the movie being played, a twinkle in her eye that, had Harry seen it, probably would have caused him to shiver in undisguised and unknown fear. Women, mother's particularly, and mother's of your best female friend especially, were scary like that.

The movie that played on the big screen was called Beauty and the Beast, a Disney cartoon about a Prince who was cursed and turned into a beast, and the only way for the curse to be broken was to find someone who could love him even if he was a beast before the last petal on some magical rose fell. It was an epic romance about a young woman named Belle who traded her place for her father when he was captured by the , and ended up falling in love with said Beast, thereby breaking the curse.

At least, Lisa called it an epic romance. Harry thought it was awful. He had never really liked these romance tales his friend loved so much, and really couldn't understand her need to watch them. Aside from how these stories were completely unrealistic even by his standards—which really said something considering he was a wizard who went to school for witchcraft and wizardry—the romance itself also had no basis in reality.

Granted, Harry never really thought about romance. He just didn't see the point in falling in love with someone when he still had so much to do. Why would he want to waste time on something as silly as love when he was only now beginning to move forward with his ambitions and goals? He had told Lisa as much when she tried convincing him they should see this movie.

Lisa had called him insensitive.

Of course, that did not stop them from seeing the movie. Everyone knew Harry would capitulate sooner rather than later. It was the unfortunate aspect of having Lisa as a friend. All she had to do was look at him with those large, teary, doe-like eyes and he folded like McLaggen after Harry beat the stuffing out of him.

The older boy hadn't been able to look at him without paling and running the other way since.

Another sigh was just barely contained as he thought about how depressing that was. Here he was, a cunning, intelligent, formidable and ambitious young man, and he was caving into his friend's demands whenever she wanted just because she gave him a look. What a truly debilitating thought.

Thankfully, as with all things both good and horrible, the movie came to an end, and Harry, Lisa and Ms. Crawft vacated the theater with everyone else.

Lisa, of course, started gushing about how sensational the movie was the moment they left. Harry felt like groaning.

“I can't believe how amazing that was! Belle was so amazing, and beautiful, and kind! And the Beast was incredible. Kind of a jerk, but he really proved himself to be a good guy, especially when he protected Belle from those wolves and got injured for her!”

Times like these made Harry wish he could block out the sound of other people talking. He really had no desire to listen to Lisa gush on about how amazing a movie they had just seen was. He saw the movie as well. Not only had he seen the movie, but unlike his friend, who would probably forget everything that happened in the movie within a year, Harry would have this movie in his memories for the rest of his life.

Why oh why had he not convinced them they should watch Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves instead? That story, at least, had a basis in reality, even if the non-magicals didn't know it. Robin Hood, after all, had been a wizard in the early 15th Century.