Fic: a Different Kind of Friendship (HP/CSI:NY, gen)
Title: A Different Kind of Friendship
Author: loonie_lupin (ff. net)/nilitara (livejournal)
Fandom: HP, CSI :NY
Characters/pairing : Harry Potter, Adam Ross (friendship only)
Rating: PG
Summary: Harry’s musing as the whole team picnics in Central Park.
For: crossovers100
Prompt: 094. Independance Day.
Disclaimer: The characters are the property of their respective creator. I own nothing.
Prompt table
A Different Kind of Friendship - main entry
094. Independance Day.
Time had flown by quickly since that case he had to collaborate on. It was now a few weeks later and Harry, who, up to now, had had no more contact with the lab and its residents - except from Adam of course -, was finally in measure to meet all of them.
It was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, which Harry had totally forgotten was celebrated in the States. The whole team had been given their day off, and quite frankly Harry wasn’t sure how they had managed that, and to celebrate, they had decided on a picnic, all together, in Central Park.
Adam had apparently asked if he could invite his friend and, of course, there was no one who said no, not after what Harry had gone. Adam had then made his invitation to Harry and the young wizard had eagerly accepted. After all, he had been hearing about all of them for so long, without ever meeting them; he would at least be able to put a face on their names from now on, whenever Adam related an anecdote to him.
The Park was pretty much full; they were hardly the one people out there who had deemed it a good place for a celebration. Still, it was no so crowded that they felt claustrophobic. Harry had been welcomed with keen enthusiasm, and a kiss on the cheek, courtesy of Jess who had, it seemed, decided she would treat him as a kid brother. He couldn’t really understand, they hadn’t spent that much time in each other company, but he wouldn’t complain about it.
He finally got to meet Stella, who irradiated a motherly feeling that Harry had not often been able to witness in people around him, Mrs. Weasley excluded, and Danny, with whom he clicked immediately. Then again, considering Adam’s description and his strong friendship with him, he had pretty much expected it. He had no problem getting along with both Hawkes and Cid, even though he supposed they didn’t have too many common interests. Still, they were nice people and Lindsay was a riot to be around, especially when she got the idea to tease the hell out of Danny.
Flack and Mac were happy enough to see him again, more so Flack. Harry guessed it was because it was hard for Mac to forget he had been the one to turn his whole life upside down. It was pretty understandable and they probably should meet alone one of these days, just so Harry could explain everything in more details to Mac. Maybe it should already have happened but finding the time was difficult because Mac had been pelted with work these last few weeks, as Harry had been made aware with how little time Adam had spent at home recently.
The day was sunny and Harry could feel the warmth on his skin; it was a nice weather for an outing. The conversation flowed easily, whether they talked about work or not and Harry, even though he had decided to stay a bit out of it, was listening with keen interest. He participated less than usual, still answering questions when asked but preferring for the other to talk instead. After all, he had to be very careful with what he was saying and, sometimes, he was afraid to sleep up and make a mistake, especially when his guard was down.
Still, he did talk quite a bit about England and the difference he had noticed between his country of origin and New York. He was also asked about his parents and he did everything in his power not to make things too uncomfortable with his answers. It helped that he had said his final goodbye to them one year ago, during the battle. He was still sad thinking about all he had missed with them, but he knew they were always with him and would be until the very end. That changed everything for him, this certainty. Thankfully, the others noticed his lack of discomfort and forgot to feel guilty about asking about a delicate subject.
He made a special connection with Lindsay, due to some common point between the two of them. First, they decision to leave everything behind at one point in their life but, mostly, it was Lindsay’s story about the most traumatizing moment in her life, the one who had defined who she had become. Harry knew better than pity her for it; he knew it had made her stronger, had contributed to make her who she was, a great forensic scientist. Like him, she was a survivor and they both knew that, yes, sometimes it was hard to think about those who had died when you hadn’t, but you learnt to live with it and made it your reason for staying alive.
When Harry had seen her genuine surprise at being understood so well, he had explained about Cedric. It was one of the only stories he could tell without having to lie, just omitting some fact. The others had listened and given their compassion but he didn’t need it, not anymore. Cedric had become a memory he would cherish instead of the reminder of an awful time in his life. He had stopped feeling guilty. He would always regret that Cedric had had to die, simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he knew it hadn’t been his fault.
Eventually, the day passed, too quickly, as they had fun, sometimes acting as younger than they were and Harry watched with a smile as he was reminded a bit of the celebrations that were sometimes held in Hogwarts, except for the feast. Everything was surrounded with joy and laughers and Harry was almost surprised when the horizon began to darken and the time arrived for the fireworks to begin. He couldn’t believe time how much time had passed without him notice, and he couldn’t help but wish the day would go on for a while still.
He hoped he would see all of them again, hoped that he would get the pleasure to hang out with them. Not necessarily all together as that day, but a few people at a time because he had the impression that they were a close knit group and he wanted to be part of it, not only through Adam, but also for himself.
And as he watched the fireworks, all of the other looking in the same direction at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling as if they were a family and that maybe, just maybe, there would be a place for him in this family. He could only hope.