Sigh. Back to the old grounds. This would be my last year that I’m going to experience sighing again and again every first day of classes (with clumsy first years stumbling upon you here and there, asking, “miss, what building is TBA?” not knowing of course that it meant To Be Announced) of the school year.

The main road of De La Salle Dasmarinas, in front of the University Chapel.

Moved my schedule to free up Tuesdays and Thursdays, so while everyone in my class had a 7:00am class, I was sleeping my morning away. Then, the afternoon leaves me lonely. I’m left wishing I’m back to their idle chats ang laughs again. I had this feeling before with my gig buddies, but now we’re all kind of detached from one another for some reason, so now I’m left with nothing but memories of the gig buddies and new memories of my classmates. Being back to school does have its own positive and negative sides. For one, even if school makes you busy, pestering memories slow you down.

————-

I received a free ringtone from Ringtone Central; my brother and I were debating whether it was free from the networks or not. He claimed it was sent by someone. It makes sense: I’m not subscribed to any ringtone service, networks don’t give free ringtone samplers unless it’s new…and this ringtone’s relatively not new. No number telling from who it came from was attached.

So who ever it is that sent it, if you’re reading this, thanks a lot, although I already had that ringtone for a long time now. I’m trying to compose something by Sugarfree, but i’m still sticking to that old ringtone. She Will Be Loved will remain in my phone until I’m 19.

I just want to know though, why it was sent, and by who.

———–

Rain fell angrily on the hard cement that Saturday night; the leaves on the trees crying on each heavy raindrop hitting on their greenish surface. The air luckily had mercy with a rather harmless soft blow of wind, but I held on to my umbrella ever as tightly. Somewhere, the sound of a twig snapping echoed, almost as hard as the intensity of the downpour. For one moment it did dawn upon me why exactly I had to leave the comforts of the shade I was sharing with my other friends over at the pavilion behind the church, albeit not much warmth present with its open-air built, but at least it�s dry, and worrying about water droplets clinging on my cargo jeans would be the least of my problems. Maybe somehow the call of the rain enticed the remaining melancholy in my soul and prompted it to savor the sadness each droplet brought, that even something as trivial as the idea of buying some menthol candies from the nearby store was tolerated.

Water was already building up on the lower part of the road up to my ankles, so I immediately pulled my pants up to raise the lower end a bit higher. I guess I got too preoccupied with the act that I absentmindedly loosened my grip on the umbrella�s plastic handle, causing it to tip over. I was caught in the middle of both tragedies: if I go for the umbrella I�d get my pants wet, if I tend to my pants then I would be soaking wet. So, being the fool that I am, I went for both, and got my self both wet and umbrella less.

�Geez, Jay�you�re still clumsy as ever,� piped in by someone behind my back.

I was startled, to say the least. I thought I was traversing the road alone, and here goes this all too familiar accent popping up in the middle of nowhere. I scurried for the umbrella and raised it on an attempt to at least shield me from further rain, then hastily looked behind my back. My eyes narrowed to a slit as I studied the dark figure looming behind the darkness, but those glasses! I sighed relief as its prominent shape and its owner came to pick up more light as it moved closer, revealing more of the stranger.

�Harry Potter,� I almost laughed out. �I�m becoming more and more convinced you�re enjoying torturing me by scaring me to death. When was the last time you made your appearance?�

�I came alive from your PC monitor, I know,� he grinned. He immediately went for cover under my umbrella. �Price you had to pay for reading a bootleg copy of book 5 from Microsoft Word.�

�Yeah, well,� I dismissed. �What are you doing here?�

He didn�t answer just yet; instead he looked around from where we stood. �It sure is dark in here,� he mumbled. He whispered to his wand. �Lumos!�

His wand�s tip started to burst flames, lighting up the whole alley we were standing at. I instinctively pulled his wand down. �Stop it,� I hissed. �You�ll attract too much attention, there�s enough light coming from the nearby store. We can manage.�

Harry didn�t say anything, but he grunted in disagreement. He tucked his wand inside his robes; the end layers starting to sip more water from the small puddles still building up.

�How did you get here?� I asked. We started to walk slowly towards the store.

�I apparated,� He replied nonchalantly. I was surprised.

�Probably explains the snap I heard earlier. But you don�t know how to apparate!�

�How do you know? Rowling�s getting book 6 in the works, and as far as Hogwarts is concerned, sixth year is the year we learn to apparate. I�ll be getting to that sooner or later anyway.� He shrugged. �What about you, what are you doing here?�

�Oh. We have some org meeting back there,� I motioned to the now hidden pavilion, �and I thought I wanted some candies so I went out.�

�No, no. I mean, what are YOU doing HERE.�

�What do you mean? I just said I was going to buy some candies.�

He stopped walking. He looked at me deep in the eye, his scar almost suddenly illuminating. For a second I thought he was going to blow me up for giving the wrong answer, but aside from the fact that I was indeed saying the truth, I don�t think he could do that to me. His eyes became persisting.

�Are you sure it�s not the rain?� he whispered. �If I didn�t know better I�d say you�d run into the downpour and throw the umbrella away if you�d have the chance.�

I breathed deeply. �What are you doing here, Harry?�

�Hermione told me you�re hurting.�

�Well, what do you know. You catching up on your current events, Potter?� I mocked.

�I just wanted to know.�

�That�s girl talk, Potter. I didn�t even know Hermoine�s becoming much of a tattletale lately.�

�She�s not. We just pestered her to tell us.�

��Us?��

�Ron�s got detentions so he wasn�t able to come.�

�And since when has my personal life been the target of your idle talks?�

�Blimey, JC, Do realize we are also concerned.�

�Well why should you?� I angrily shouted. �You�re just a figment of someone�s imagination. You�re just supposed to worry about Quidditch, and Snape, and that fucked up Voldemort and whatever��

��we have become your closest friends whether you admit it or not, JC. Calm down.� Harry interrupted. �And believe it or not, we ARE concerned. We want to help. I want to help.�

I looked down at the cement. The rain still has not ceased its slight rage. My chest was still pounding with slight fury. I was caught. By the boy who survived.

�I�m sorry.�

�It�s okay,� He softly replied. Amazingly, Harry, who has not been too great a model for handling fury, was calm, and admittedly it made me feel embarrassed a bit. I calmed down.

�Is it the same guy as before?�

I was surprised. �You know about it?�

�Better know the history to know the present. Yeah, Hermione told us.�

�How much do you know?�

�Enough to surmise you might do something silly every time it rains. Rain isn�t good for melancholy-filled broken hearts.�

�I�m not heartbroken.�

�Fine. Sad hearts, then. Is it him?�

I paused. Then I shook my head.

�Someone new?�

Pause. �Maybe.�

�Well, what�s wrong?�

I bit my lip. I have a bit of a reputation for shedding tears at the most inappropriate times, and I wouldn�t want to cry in front of Harry.

�I…I�m haunted by the risks, I think. It may also be possible that I am merely fooling myself.�

�Possible?�

�Fine, it�s not just possible. I admittedly know it.�

�But why?�

�Once when you get a glimpse of the beauty of something it will haunt you forever, Harry. Take my word for it. But something so beautiful cannot always be yours�or at least that very beauty wouldn�t always work its way into your hands whether you try as much as you can. Sometimes, Harry, even a mediocre alternate would have to suffice just to be able to satiate your craving for the real beauty.�

He paused for a while. �I�m not sure I understand.�

�Once I thought I wouldn�t either. Your time will come.�

He looked pensive. Then suddenly he looked startled.

�Speaking of time, I have to be back.� He cried. �I can�t be out for long.�

I nodded. �Go back, then.�

Pause. �I�m sorry I wasn�t of much help.�

�Just to know you�re concerned is enough, I think. Thanks.�

He nodded. He surveyed the clouds. Thankfully the rain changed to a mere drizzle. He stepped out of the umbrella�s shade, and then stared at me again. He had this look like he was afraid I was going to do something stupid the moment he apparates back.

�You know,� he said thoughtfully, �All the years we have been acquainted, I have always thought of you as someone who would have the answers to most of the problems regarding the heart. And through all those years I�ve known you, I�ve never seen you so sad.�

�I got tired, I guess.�

�Of what?�

�Of thinking. For once, I tried to let half of my instincts and defenses down. I realized though that fairy tale endings never intertwine with reality. It�s hard to accept that fact, I guess. As much as you�ll forever be with Hogwarts and your fairy tale land, people like me would just have to contend with the bleak reality.�

�I�m not a fairy tale!� Harry said indignantly.

�As far as kids are concerned, you�re their hero.�

He paused again for a while. �Well, I guess that�s what separates adults from kids,� he silently replied. He brought his wand out of his pocket. �Fairy tale people show everyone that the reason we exist is that beauty can in fact be attainable even in small ways�if only people would believe. Kids believe us and look at them: for them fairy tales can still intertwine with reality. But grown-ups�they grow sarcastic and refuse to believe anymore, then they angrily declare fairy tale endings don�t exist. How can something exist if it nobody would even believe it might?�

�Well, maybe because it just doesn�t.�

�JC, we�re already here to show you HOW,� Harry replied firmly. �All it takes is for you to BELIEVE.�

And with a pop, he disappeared from my sight. After a few seconds, I slowly made my way to the store.