RP: Not Ready To Go Home

[pb_harry]

Characters: Harry Potter, others?
Location: Diagon Alley
Date: 19 June 1999
Status: Open
Summary: Harry wanders around aimlessly after his examination.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[pb_zacharias]

Zach had just come from the market; he usually stopped there after leaving Twifit’s to pick up something for dinner. Tonight’s choice was ravioli with cream sauce and chicken. Nothing too pricy but still tasty, he had even splurged on a bottle of wine in anticipation of the NEWT scores coming out tomorrow.

He wasn’t really paying attention as he headed down the Alley towards the bedsit when he looked up and saw Harry Potter. Zach really hadn’t talked much with Harry since everything had ended but he didn’t harbour any ill will towards Harry and smiled at his former year mate.

“Hi Harry, how’s it going?”

[pb_harry]

Harry was meandering down the street when he saw Zach Smith approaching. He was of two minds whether to say hi: he and Zach had never really been friends, but they'd also never really been enemies. He didn't wish him harm in any way, but he wasn't really sure what to say to him aside from the standard greeting.

Before Harry had a chance to decide whether to say hi or pretend not to see him, Zach greeted him instead.

"Hullo, Zach. It goes. How about you?"

[pb_zacharias]

Zach shrugged, as best he could while holding the bags responding, “Not bad, end of the day and all. Ready to get home and try my hand at cooking some dinner.”

He kind of shook his bags to emphasize his point. I t was king of odd just running into Harry like this, but Zach was hoping they could put school and everything behind him.

“Are you nervous about the NEWTs at all?

[pb_harry]

"Well, seeing as whatever career is ahead of me depends on them, yeah, I'm pretty nervous," he said. Who wouldn't be?

"I think I did alright, though," Harry continued. "What about you?"

[pb_cho]

Cho didn't like having nothing to do. It was nice for a change, to have training end early for the day due to her instructors' other commitments, but she really had no other commitments of herown. Besides that, it wasn't as if Diagon Alley ever changed - there were new products in all the time, sure, but it was always the same. And it was embarrassing to walk around in the crowd, devoid of any interest whatsoever in her surroundings. It often seemed that everyone else in the world had something to be excited about, and somewhere to go. But as for Cho... Well, all she had at the moment was Percy, and she was fairly certain that the next time she saw him he'd be needing consoling.

Today I'm in a bad mood. If I wasn't, this would all be wonderful.

Or it would be. ...Is that Harry Potter?

For a moment Cho was torn between pretending she hadn't seen him (it was so embarassing, what had happened, even if it had been years ago) and waving shyly. In the end, she opted for the latter.

"Hi."

[pb_harry]

Must be my day for awkward conversations, thought Harry as his not-quite-ex-girlfriend approached.

"Hello, Cho," Harry said, greeting her, not sure whether to offer an embrace, or a handshake, or to just stand there. He nodded in a sort-of bow instead.

"How are you?"

[pb_cho]

Cho blinked, unsure of herself, and offered a meek smile.

This was already terribly embarrassing: not just because it was Harry, and she hadn't had a comfortable conversation with him forever, but because she really could not bring herself to appear confident. There was nothing to be confident about - if he told any of his friends he'd seen her, they'd probably end up making fun of her. And it didn't help, the idea that at some point or another she'd have to introduce herself as his best friend's brother's girlfriend. She couldn't even kid herself about how that would go.

She jostled her bag, shrugging.

"I'm all right. Things have been better, I suppose. How have you been?"

[pb_harry]

Was Harry the only one not shopping today? It made him think he was forgetting something seeing everyone bustling about the Alley with their purchases. He hoped he hadn't forgot anything, anyway.

He knew logically that he shouldn't have anything to feel awkward about around Cho, but there was still some bit of strangeness there. He was long past the days where he resented her for everything she'd put him through, but wasn't so far past it that he thought they could really be friends.

How have you been?

He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He'd been through a war. He'd almost been killed. Multiple times. Then again, that wasn't really anything new for him. And the last year or so had been relatively calm.

He decided not to answer the question directly and instead tell her what he was doing currently.

"Well, I just finished Hogwarts and I'm living in my godfather's house in London with Hermione. She's helping me fix it up. Ron and I are applying for the Auror training program at the Ministry. That's about it."

He shrugged.