Decisions which have to be made

Chapter 12: Promise

It took several weeks for Harry's arm to start healing. As soon as the others came back from basic training they visited him and Eileen every day. She however was released a week after Harry had come back, so he found himself during lesson time lonely with no one to talk to. Also while he was stuck in bed everyone else grew slowly away from him. They went on missions, had fun together and built up memories Harry could only dream of having. Everyone except Ginny. Though she'd been several months at campus, she hadn't found any friends. Not having anything else to do she spent most of her free time with Harry, telling him how things were going, asking for help with Spanish and other subjects, just wanting to spend time with someone else. Harry knew that she was keeping a secret from everyone else, but he didn't ask. He knew if the time was right she'd tell, even if it took a thousand years.

So the months went by. Eileen's collar bone had healed completely and she finished basic training four months after the others, leaving Harry behind as well. She and the others hardly found time to visit him anymore, always busy with homework, going off to missions and spending time together. All that was left to him was Ginny. She became like a sister to him, like the younger sister he never had. She brought him news from campus, from his friends. He heard from her that Eileen and Fergal were going out. He heard from her that new red shirts had arrived, triplets. She told him how she had ended up in CHERUB.

"My family and I had been in London," she told him quietly, looking out of the window. "Shopping. One moment they were there and the next they weren't. I cried my eyes out, screamed until my lungs hurt." She gripped the window sill hard, her voice trembling as she remembered. "I was so frightened. People passed me, hundreds, thousands of them and all strangers. I thought I heard my parents and brothers call for me somewhere, but I couldn't see them, no matter which way I looked." A single tear slowly fell down her pale cheek. "And then there was a police officer. He was kind, took me by the hand and led me to the nearest police station. They asked me lots of questions there. I answered as best as I could, not knowing what exactly was happening. I still asked for my parents, my brothers, but they said everything would be alright. Then they drove me to this children's home, saying that I'd be picked up once they found out who my parents were and where they were. However, days passed without any news. Then one day a new boy arrived at the home." She couldn't resist smiling. "Carl. We became friends, and then one morning I woke up here, and I was told I'd be going to live here and if I liked that. Of course I asked if I could see my parents again, but they told me that unfortunately no one could find them."

"Why did you choose Potter as your new last name?" Harry dared to ask. He'd listened silently to every word she had said.

Ginny turned around to look at him. "Where I come from there is a famous person called Harry Potter, and when they asked me what I wanted my surname to be I had to think of him. You know, he should be around your age, born on July 31st."

Harry gasped. "I'm born on July 31st!"

Ginny gave him a sharp look and the next second she sat next to him on the bed, brushing away his hair from his forehead. She inspected the scar.

"Yes," she breathed, excited, relieved. "Yes! You are him, Harry! You are Harry Potter!"

"But, how can I be when that boy is living where you used to live?" Harry asked irritated.

"That boy disappeared the day after he became famous," Ginny whispered. "It has to be you! There's no other explanation for the scar, for the name, birthday! It cannot be a conscience."

"Then... what is he famous for?"

She stepped back, looking at him. "Harry, you are my only hope to find my parents again, to find my family. On your eleventh birthday you will get a letter delivered by an owl."

"Owl?!" Harry exclaimed disbelievingly.

Ginny crouched down and took his hand in hers, looking into his eyes pleadingly. "Yes, an owl. Harry, you will give the owl an envelope which you will receive from me the day before your birthday. Tie that envelope to its leg, and let it fly off again. Please, promise me that you will do so."

"What if I do not get this... owl - letter."

"You will, Harry, you will. I know it. Promise me now. Promise me that you will do as I told you."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Harry said, suddenly determined. "Ginny, whatever it takes, I will help you find your family."

The time came when Harry's arm had healed fully. He had three months left until basic training would start in September.

In the junior building nothing much had changed, other that some new red shirts had moved in and the majority of his friends had moved out. In his bedroom was a new boy called Darren. They got along okay.

"Hey, we heard they finally let you out," Eileen said entering Harry's bedroom the same day. She had grown and looked a lot more like a proper girl.

"Yeah," Harry muttered.

"How about we go into town tomorrow evening, hang out at the cinema and so on," Cieran suggested, coming in after her.

Harry glared at them. "You know very well that red shirts are't allowed to leave campus."

Eileen elbowed Cieran.

"Oh yeah," he said hastily. "Sorry. I forgot. It's so different being -"

Eileen elbowed him again. "What he means is that we're all missing you in the other building. But we haven't got much time now. Cieran and I came back from our first big mission yesterday, and there's a lot of homework to catch up on.

Harry watched them leave, and only then did he realise how much they had actually grown apart. And everything just because of stupid Fergal.