A split second. A whole lifetime rolls in front of your eyes in the space of a split second. It took only one second for Harry to see who his date was. one second to remember their shared history. One second to see the difference between who she used to be and who she was now.

The memories of a whole adolescence. Of schoolyard rivalries. Of a mean girl who seemed to be everywhere for the first few years and then somehow blended into the background.

Things click in the space of a second. The real meaning of a conversation. That one conversation that happened weeks ago in the chatroom.

Greeneyedwizard: why do you keep yourself hidden? By now we should have been on a few dates, but you always say no. If it is about the way you look I do not care about that. I care about you.

Poutylipswitch: is not that. It is that I do not deserve that kind of consideration. I have done terrible things. One terrible thing at least.

Greeneyedwizard: I'm listening.

Poutylipswitch: I said something.

Greeneyedwizard: words can be hurtful. But they are just words. I'm sure is not something that cannot be changed.

Poutylipswitch: My words could have got him killed.

Greeneyedwizard: did you put a hit on someone?

Poutylipswitch: NO! It is not like that. I would never do that.

Greeneyedwizard: what did you say then? What was so bad that you feel like you have to carry it for the rest of your life?

The screen stayed quiet for a whole three minutes. Then the words appeared.

Poutylipswitch: I said "he is right there. Somebody grab him."

Greeneyedwizard: and He was an innocent man?

Poutylipswitch: Yes. He was a hero. The bravest person I've ever known. A murderer was looking for him and I panicked. I thought the murderer would kill me. So I pointed.

Greeneyedwizard: happens more frequently than you think.

Poutylipswitch: what do you mean?

Greeneyedwizard: people that find themselves in life-threatening situations frequently bargain with the attacker or forget about the loved ones that are with them at the moment. It sounds terrible but it is just survival. It is an instinct. And yes, it leaves deep scars on the survivors.

The screen went blank again.

Greeneyedwizard: are you there?

Poutylipswitch: I'm here. Sorry, I got emotional.

Greeneyedwizard: see? That's why you should go on a date with me. So I can be there for you.

Poutylipswitch: Merlin's beard, you are way too nice.

Greeneyedwizard: No, I'm not.

Poutylipswitch: yes you are. And how do you know so much about what people do under threat?

Greeneyedwizard: it's my job.

Poutylipswitch: Oh! A therapist?

Greeneyedwizard: not exactly.

Poutylipswitch: alright. So what makes you say that you are not that nice?

This time her screen went blank for a while

Greeneyedwizard: I abandoned them.

Poutylipswitch: abandoned who?

Greeneyedwizard: my friends, the girl that loved me, the in-laws that wanted to become my family. I left them all.

Poutylipswitch: why?

Greeneyedwizard: because I was miserable. Everybody kept saying "everything is alright now, you should be happy." But I wasn't happy. I felt used. I felt like everyone had a plan for me and expected me to just follow. So I run away.

Poutylipswitch: I understand. Running away I mean. Did it work for you?

Greeneyedwizard: yes and no. I felt relieved from not having to live up to anyone's expectations or plans. But it's been three years and I do not seem to have a plan of my own besides going to work every day. Or I didn't, until now.

Poutylipswitch: and what is the plan now?

Greeneyedwizard: to convince a sweet witch to go on a date with me. I can wait. Maybe I'll ask again in a couple of weeks.

Poutylipswitch: sounds like a plan.

All of that rolled through Harry's mind in the space of a second. Then he absorbed the look in Pansy Parkinson's face. She was terrified. She was scared of him. She felt like he could hurt her. Physically hurt her. So he said what he had planned to say before knowing who she was.

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you had to walk into mine, " Harry said.

"This is not your joint," Pansy answered breathlessly, her doe eyes welled with tears.

"I was trying to be suave, Pretty Lips," he said, thinking how the nickname fit her very well indeed.

"Am I still Pretty Lips?" she asked.

"I don't know, are you? Are you the same witch I've been talking to? The one that is humble and sweet and caring?" Harry asked, knowing the answer already. Knowing that time was moving too slowly and that everything would fall back into place once he got to kiss her.

"I am," she answered. "I have changed. A lot. I swear I am not the same stupid girl I was years ago. I've grown."

"What if I tell you that I have dreamed of taking those pretty lips and kiss them breathless?" the wizard asked, noticing his own arousal.

"I would say I hope you plan to do just that."

He took one last small step until her breasts touched his chest. She looked vulnerable, and he liked it.

"What if I say that you owe me, Parkinson?"

She angled her face slightly so their mouths would align. She was dying to taste his mouth.

"I would say take whatever you want."