How can you mend a broken heart?

Chapter 3 - bright café

The next morning, Harry awoke to the bright sunshine and warm air. Harry squinted and wondered where he was because the place he was at looked nothing like his bedroom. Instead, he was lying on a cold bench that faced the Thames.

Looking around him, he saw a familiar face. Resting on his shoulder, was Charlene from the day before.

He could feel his head hurting, however, it was nothing compared to how Voldemort penetrating his mind felt like, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.

Harry rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember where Ginny was and why she wasn't with him too. Upon closing his eyes, it all came back to him. He had left Ginny at the discotheque.

He felt a new feeling. Surprisingly, he wasn't sad or ashamed. On the contrary, he felt a tinge of happiness.

It felt accomplishing to him that he was capable of leaving her. She who had been on his mind all day long for five years.

He opened his eyes and felt that he was for once smiling. He smiled at the bright sun and its reflection in the river.

But as much as he wanted this feeling to last, he soon felt bad for Ginny. He should not have left her alone after she had arranged a birthday for him. His thoughts, however, were interrupted when Charlene woke up. "Good morning," she said sweetly while rubbing her tired eyes.

"Good morning," Harry replied, failing to meet her gaze. His mind was spinning around. For whatever reason, he never thought of the possibility of her waking up, and now, he knew nothing of what he would say to her.

In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a smile on Charlene's face.

Finally, he opened his mouth to tell her that he should go to work, but she had opened her mouth too.

"You go first," said Harry, now facing her.

Charlene smiled a sweet smile. Her eyes were warm and peaceful, yet tired. Her hair was tangled and messed up, yet despite the clear signs of tiredness, she seemed awake and ready to start the day. "Do you want to go have breakfast?" she asked casually.

"Uh," Harry looked down at his watch, it was nine o'clock. "Sure, where?" He did not start working before eleven o'clock and he did not mind the idea of breakfast.

Charlene smiled her sweetest smile as she thought for a little while before opening her mouth, "There's a pretty nice café just around the corner if you want to check that out."

Harry said something along the lines of that being nice and soon the couple ordered their separate breakfasts at the café Charlene had recommended.

When they had both received their breakfasts, they sat down at a round wooden table in the corner of the brightly painted room.

As Harry took a bite of his toast, Charlene spoke, "Did you enjoy last night?"

Harry chewed his delicious toast, the buttery taste filling his mouth. When he chewed his bite finished he said, "To be frank, it's all a little blurry, I can for instance not remember anything of what happened after we left the discotheque, but, yes, I enjoyed last night."

Charlene smiled, "Yes, you were quite drunk, we were going to go to my place, however, you grew very tired and you fell asleep on the bench." Charlene took a sip of her hot ginger root tea.

"Explains a lot," Harry remarked as the newly claimed knowledge fit into the puzzle perfectly. Just as the puzzle was almost finished, he found that the one thing about it he did not like was the guilt he felt for Ginny.

Sure, he was happy with being able to forget her for some moments, yet he could not let the guilt of leaving her alone disappear. It was, after all, she who had arranged the celebration of his birthday.