The Boy Who Lived Next Door
Disappeared
May 10th, 1998
Present Day
He hadn't been able to read her journal for a few days. After just reading the first entry, he was overwhelmed by the memories. He missed her. Finally, he was able to escape his friends and Ginny for the night, claiming he didn't feel well, so that he could read. He pulled the journal from its hiding place, fittingly enough under a floorboard, and began to read her words once more.
June 20, 1992
Dear Journal,
Harry wrote almost every week during the year, telling me about how school was and how he made new friends. He told me he got in trouble a lot and that he was the youngest player on the sports team. He didn't mention what sport. He said that there was this one teacher who hated him and he didn't know why. He told me that there's this boy, Draco, who very vile and vain.
I miss my best friend. He said he should be home soon but he refuses to tell me when!
- Elle
June 21st, 1992
Dear Journal,
HARRY'S HOME!
- Elle
June 22nd, 1992
Dear Journal,
I didn't have much time at all to write yesterday. Everything happened so quickly I only had time to scribble down what happened before I had to go.
The door bell rang and I answered it with a lazy 'Hello?'
"Are you not happy to see me Elle?"
My eyes widened in shock as I took in who was at the door.
"Harry!" I screamed before I propelled myself across the threshold and threw my arms around him.
"Hello Elle."
I smiled into his chest.
"You've gotten taller." I muttered. He laughed.
"Maybe you've just shrunk." He suggested.
"Not nice." I reprimanded as I let go of him.
"Go change. We're going to the park."
As quickly as I could I raced to my room and changed out of my pajamas.
Not soon enough, we were at the park and Harry was telling me about his friends.
"Ron is the first person I met. He's tall and he's got bright red hair and freckles too. He and Hermione, my other friend, they argue all the time. Its…its pretty funny." He smiled, thinking of his friends. "Well Hermione, she's so smart. Definitely the brightest girl in our year. I think you'd like her," he nodded along to his words. "And I found out…my parents went to Hogwa- this school too." He smiled again. "I saw a mirror- I mean a picture of them. I got a whole bunch of them, actually, from the groundskeeper, Hagrid. Now he is tall." Harry laughed again at some inside joke I didn't understand.
"So you like it then? Even though you're so far away?" I asked quietly, as I dragged my feet in the dirt as we swung on the swings.
"I love it. Its more of a home then this will ever be."
"Yeah…" I said quietly.
"But of course, school doesn't have you." He smiled over at me and I returned to it as my fears of losing my best friend melted away.
"Race you to the swings!" I yelled before I ran off with Harry following me.
He's back!
- Elle
He read through entry after entry of that summer. And he could remember every moment perfectly. He remembered when they had their first fight that summer over something absolutely stupid. What the fight was about, he couldn't recall. But he remembered feeling one moment so angry at her, the next moment he thinking she looked cute when she was mad, and then the next thinking how much he missed her.
He missed her now. So very much. He wondered why he was doing this to himself. Why was he putting himself through all of this when it didn't matter anymore? When he was the only one who remembered? Why was he torturing himself?
But he knew the answer. It was because he had know how she saw their relationship, how she saw him. He had to know what he meant to her and how much he screwed everything up.
The last entries he read for the night were the last entries she had written in the summer of '92.
August 20th, 1992
Dear Journal,
Harry's disappeared. I don't know where he is or how he's doing. Last night, I heard shouting coming from Harry's house. And now he's gone. I'm worried and I have no way to send him a letter to see if he's alright.
I'm scared.
- Elle.
His heart broke when he saw the tearstains that were left on the journal page. She never told him how much she was worried.
August 28th, 1992
Dear Journal,
The little bugger's fine. He wrote a letter and that white owl delivered it. Why couldn’t he just use the post office like everyone else? He said that he got into a fight with his aunt and uncle and that his school friends came to pick him up late at night. I did think I heard a car that night. But he couldn't have told me? He couldn't have dropped a note sooner? I was worried!
I can't believe him.
- Elle
She was mad. But she never let him know. He thought she was fine. He always thought she was fine. He didn't think she cared that much. He was always wrong about her.
Present Day
He hadn't been able to read her journal for a few days. After just reading the first entry, he was overwhelmed by the memories. He missed her. Finally, he was able to escape his friends and Ginny for the night, claiming he didn't feel well, so that he could read. He pulled the journal from its hiding place, fittingly enough under a floorboard, and began to read her words once more.
June 20, 1992
Dear Journal,
Harry wrote almost every week during the year, telling me about how school was and how he made new friends. He told me he got in trouble a lot and that he was the youngest player on the sports team. He didn't mention what sport. He said that there was this one teacher who hated him and he didn't know why. He told me that there's this boy, Draco, who very vile and vain.
I miss my best friend. He said he should be home soon but he refuses to tell me when!
- Elle
June 21st, 1992
Dear Journal,
HARRY'S HOME!
- Elle
June 22nd, 1992
Dear Journal,
I didn't have much time at all to write yesterday. Everything happened so quickly I only had time to scribble down what happened before I had to go.
The door bell rang and I answered it with a lazy 'Hello?'
"Are you not happy to see me Elle?"
My eyes widened in shock as I took in who was at the door.
"Harry!" I screamed before I propelled myself across the threshold and threw my arms around him.
"Hello Elle."
I smiled into his chest.
"You've gotten taller." I muttered. He laughed.
"Maybe you've just shrunk." He suggested.
"Not nice." I reprimanded as I let go of him.
"Go change. We're going to the park."
As quickly as I could I raced to my room and changed out of my pajamas.
Not soon enough, we were at the park and Harry was telling me about his friends.
"Ron is the first person I met. He's tall and he's got bright red hair and freckles too. He and Hermione, my other friend, they argue all the time. Its…its pretty funny." He smiled, thinking of his friends. "Well Hermione, she's so smart. Definitely the brightest girl in our year. I think you'd like her," he nodded along to his words. "And I found out…my parents went to Hogwa- this school too." He smiled again. "I saw a mirror- I mean a picture of them. I got a whole bunch of them, actually, from the groundskeeper, Hagrid. Now he is tall." Harry laughed again at some inside joke I didn't understand.
"So you like it then? Even though you're so far away?" I asked quietly, as I dragged my feet in the dirt as we swung on the swings.
"I love it. Its more of a home then this will ever be."
"Yeah…" I said quietly.
"But of course, school doesn't have you." He smiled over at me and I returned to it as my fears of losing my best friend melted away.
"Race you to the swings!" I yelled before I ran off with Harry following me.
He's back!
- Elle
He read through entry after entry of that summer. And he could remember every moment perfectly. He remembered when they had their first fight that summer over something absolutely stupid. What the fight was about, he couldn't recall. But he remembered feeling one moment so angry at her, the next moment he thinking she looked cute when she was mad, and then the next thinking how much he missed her.
He missed her now. So very much. He wondered why he was doing this to himself. Why was he putting himself through all of this when it didn't matter anymore? When he was the only one who remembered? Why was he torturing himself?
But he knew the answer. It was because he had know how she saw their relationship, how she saw him. He had to know what he meant to her and how much he screwed everything up.
The last entries he read for the night were the last entries she had written in the summer of '92.
August 20th, 1992
Dear Journal,
Harry's disappeared. I don't know where he is or how he's doing. Last night, I heard shouting coming from Harry's house. And now he's gone. I'm worried and I have no way to send him a letter to see if he's alright.
I'm scared.
- Elle.
His heart broke when he saw the tearstains that were left on the journal page. She never told him how much she was worried.
August 28th, 1992
Dear Journal,
The little bugger's fine. He wrote a letter and that white owl delivered it. Why couldn’t he just use the post office like everyone else? He said that he got into a fight with his aunt and uncle and that his school friends came to pick him up late at night. I did think I heard a car that night. But he couldn't have told me? He couldn't have dropped a note sooner? I was worried!
I can't believe him.
- Elle
She was mad. But she never let him know. He thought she was fine. He always thought she was fine. He didn't think she cared that much. He was always wrong about her.