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Theatre ch.2
🕑 Added 2024-06-02 22:06:33 +0000 UTCHarry was halfway to the front door when Narcissa appeared in it. She didn't try to move out of his way as he attempted to slip inside; instead, she leaned forward and handed him a homemade breakfast sandwich.
"You can eat it on the way," she said.
"Mom," Harry said. "I'm not sure I'm up to it. Can we reschedule?"
Narcissa shook her head slowly and put her hands on her hips. A breeze blew across the lawn, lifting the hem of her dress slightly and giving Harry a brief glimpse of her thighs.
"Do it as a favor for me, Harry," she said. "I know you've been feeling down lately. I know you don't want to be stuck in this town. But sometimes we're in situations that aren't ideal. We just have to make the best of it."
She smiled at him, her expression beautiful and warm. Harry sighed and nodded. He turned towards the car just in time to see a man walking a dog on the sidewalk, whose attention was drawn to Narcissa as he openly stared at her from afar.
"You're probably right, Narcissa," Harry said. He sat next to her in the car as they drove through the small collection of residential areas and basic services that made up Godric's Hollow.
"Thank you, honey," Narcissa said. "It's about maintaining that kind of attitude. Things will turn out better if you believe they will."
"I know," Harry said. "It just sucks, knowing I'll be alone for the next few years."
"You're not alone." Narcissa smiled at him and reached out, resting her hand on his thigh as she slowed the car to stop at a red light. "I'm here too."
For a moment, neither of them said anything, and the air in the car was unusually charged, almost electric. The light turned green, and Narcissa withdrew her hand, driving the car through the intersection and then around the next corner.
She pulled into an open parking space outside a small spa on one of the city's busier streets. Its owner was stepmother, another student who had graduated a year earlier, and Harry glanced up at the window.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"On the second floor," she said. "Dr. Heart started renting the space a few months ago."
"Ah."
They both got out of the car. Godric's Hollow had only a few buildings taller than three stories, and they made their way to one of them. The sidewalk was made of red brick, giving the area a mid-20th-century rustic charm.
Small internal stairs zigzagged up to higher floors. The door on the second floor had a small brass plaque with the name and an opaque glass window. Narcissa opened it and smiled at Harry, leading him inside.
"Good morning." A woman in her forties sat behind the reception desk. She wore a pair of oval glasses and smiled at them as they approached.
"Hi," Narcissa said. "I'm Narcissa Potter. I've scheduled a visit for my son, Harry."
"Ah, yes, of course." The woman stood up slowly and walked around the desk to greet them. "Welcome. Please, have a seat."
She was attractive, both physically and professionally. Her hair was dark brown, almost black, with no hint of gray. She was tall and slender in a feminine, elegant way. She wore a purple sweater over a buttoned blouse and a gray pencil skirt, a casual yet serious outfit.
"Harry, I'm Healer Apolline Delacour, though I prefer the Muggle term, Doctor," she said. "You can call me Apolline or Dr. Apolline, whichever you prefer."
"Okay," he said. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Apolline."
He reached out to shake her hand. Dr. Apolline shook it slowly, almost sensually. She closed her eyes and let one of her fingers caress the inside of his hand. Harry felt the intensity of her gaze, even as he looked away.
"Did I give you enough information about Harry's situation over the phone?" stepmom asked.
"Yes, but anything else you can add would be helpful."
Narcissa looked at Harry, hoping he would join in and help describe his situation. When Harry didn't respond, she cleared her throat and gave Dr. Apolline a basic summary of the past few weeks.
"I understand." Dr. Apolline walked to her desk and returned with a notepad and a patient information packet. "If you could fill this out, Mrs. Potter, I'll take Harry back to my office so we can begin."
"Yes, of course." Narcissa took the packet and gently squeezed Harry's hand. She smiled at him, her eyes meeting his, conveying a hint of hope and concern she felt.
"This way, Harry," Dr. Apolline said.
She led him through the door at the back of the lobby and closed it behind them. It looked exactly like the therapist's office Harry had always imagined, complete with a long, black leather therapy chair, leafy plants, and several shelves full of medical texts.
"Please, have a seat," Dr. Apolline said. She walked to her desk and leaned against it. "The most important thing during such a session is for you to feel comfortable, Harry."
He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. "Sorry," he said. "I just haven't been myself lately."
"It's okay. Getting to where you are now takes a lot of courage. The hardest part is over."
Harry sat in the therapy chair, leaning against its reclined back. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Dr. Apolline watching him with a smile on her face.
"How was your summer, Harry?" she asked.
Harry shrugged and looked down at his hands, rubbing his fingers with more nervous tension than he wanted to show.
"It's been tough," he said. "At least so far. I was pretty crushed when the year ended and really felt what it's like not to go to college with my friends."
Dr. Apolline nodded. She made no move to jot down his response. Her eyes were full of empathy, and she seemed to ponder his answer for a moment, searching for something in his words.
"Your stepmom mentioned that you play a lot of video games," she said in an objective, non-judgmental tone. "Is that something you enjoy?" Harry shrugged again.
"Yeah," he said. "I think so. At least as long as I do it in moderation and not just to escape from problems."
Dr. Apolline smiled at him. "Have you ever kissed a girl, Harry?" she asked in the same matter-of-fact voice.
"What?"
"Have you ever kissed a girl or done anything more than that?" she repeated.
Harry felt his cheeks flush slightly. His experiences with girls at school were limited to occasional flirting and nothing more. It wasn’t due to a lack of interest on his part, but like many things in his life, he often set his expectations too high and lacked motivation at critical moments.
"Do I... do I really have to talk about this?" he asked.
"Yes," Dr. Apolline replied. She crossed her legs and looked at him from her seat by the desk. "I have a theory about what might be going on with you, Harry. I need to know the truth."
Harry frowned and after a few seconds, he lightly shook his head. "No," he said. "I... I haven’t done much with girls. I haven’t done anything, really."
"But you are attracted to them, right?" Harry gritted his teeth, feeling anger rising in his chest.
"Yes," he said sharply. "I am."
"I'm sorry if this is a sensitive topic for you," she said. "But I've dealt with cases like yours before. Cases involving teenage male virgins."
"That's ridiculous," Harry said. "What does that have to do with you?"
"I'm not trying to insult you, Harry," Dr. Apolline said. "In fact, the reason I bring up this hypothesis is because of what I see when I look at you."
"Yeah? And what exactly is that?"
"A tense young man," Dr. Apolline said. "You're tall, in relatively good shape. You have a nice, boyish face and probably several other suitable qualities under the surface, so to speak."
She smiled at him, and if Harry weren’t already on the verge of embarrassment, he would have looked away.
"Are you willing to hear what I have to say about your condition and what I think might be a suitable, simple solution?" Harry thought for a moment before nodding. "I guess so."
"Excellent!" Dr. Apolline walked over to the door of her office and locked it. She turned to look at him and slowly walked to where he sat in the therapy chair.
"Why did you lock the door?" Harry asked.
"Because in a few minutes, I’m going to ask you to take off your pants, Harry."
