Chapter 041

Daniel Anderson Crawft was a tall man, much taller than most people Harry had run across. His dark raven hair with flecks of gray was cut to just below the chin and slicked back, giving him stylish yet professional appearance. Like his hair, his eyes were very dark. They were brown, but almost looked black.

He was also in decent shape for a man of forty, with a build that, while not athletic, was at least fit. Despite his age he looked rather young. The only signs of him getting up there in years being the distinguished looking gray hairs and the small age lines around his mouth and eyes.

"Ann, Lisa... Harry," he greeted as he marched into the room, straightening the tie to his business suit. Harry didn't miss the hesitation in the man's tone when greeting him. He was well aware Mr. Crawft didn't approve of how close he and Lisa were and it showed. The only reason he didn't say anything against Harry was because both Lisa and his wife would become cross with him if he did.

Daniel Crawft was a rather prominent business man, a manager at HSBC Holdings, and was very successful when it came to investing money in the stock market. It was actually thanks to him overhearing Mr. Crawft speaking with his wife about some of his investments that had gotten Harry interested in learning how to properly invest his money in the first place—not that he ever had enough money to invest until now. He was a business man through and through and, in Harry's opinion, not a very good dad.

That was not to say that Harry thought the man didn't care for his daughter, or that he was a bad person. Just that he focused more on his work than he did his family. The few times he did focus on Lisa was when they were having a... difference of opinion, which they had quite often, as Harry could attest to.

It was only during dinner that Mr. Crawft actually acted like a father towards Lisa, and Harry was almost positive that Mrs. Crawft was the largest reason for that. The woman could be quite persuasive when she wanted to be.

"Off to work so soon, dear?" asked Mrs. Crawft, pouting a bit as she watched the man grab a cup of coffee and a piece of toast from the toaster. This was as much tradition as her's and Harry's 'call me mum' moments. "And I went through all this trouble preparing a large breakfast to see Harry off before he goes to that boarding school, too."

"Sorry," Daniel replied, though Harry already knew the man wasn't. If anything, he was most likely relieved Harry was leaving.

Beside him, Lisa stiffened at the mention of Harry's school. He did his best to ignore that right now, knowing that bringing it up would only make the current situation worse.

The man of the house looked at him and inclined his head. "Good luck at your new school."

Well, at least that had been a sincere statement. If nothing else, Harry could count on the fact that, while Mr. Crawft may not like how close Harry was to Lisa, he at least respected him for his intelligence and drive.

"Thank you," Harry returned as Lisa's father kissed his wife on the cheek, before taking his leave.

Breakfast finished fairly quickly after that, and before long, Harry found himself standing in front of the doorway while Lisa and her mother stood in front of him.

"Are you sure you don't want me driving you to your relatives, Harry?" Mrs. Crawft asked him. Harry shook his head.

"It's fine," he said, "I don't have to be at the train station until ten, and it's still only eight thirty."

Mrs. Crawft sighed, but didn't argue with him. "Very well. I know you like your independence when it comes to these things." She leaned down and gave Harry a tight hug, which, after a moment, was returned. "Good luck at school. We'll miss seeing you around here."

"Likewise," Harry replied softly.

When the mother of one released her hold on him and backed away, Lisa walked up to him and stopped just short of being able to touch him. She bit her lower lip, and Harry could already see the tears barely contained in her eyes.

He knew this would be hard on her. Lisa had been his best friend for years; they had done practically everything together. Well, almost everything, and the idea that he wouldn't be around for an extended period of time no doubt hurt her.

Suddenly, Harry wasn't so sure going to Hogwarts was a good idea anymore. For a moment, he was tempted to forget about learning magic, if it would keep the only person he'd ever been close to from feeling so sad. Just looking at the girl as she tried not to cry made him feel like someone was trying to tear his heart out of his chest.

However, the feeling only lasted for a moment, before he strengthened his resolve. He needed to do this. Not just because of he was a wizard, but because of his parents. They had spoken of Hogwarts so much when he was younger, about how amazing it was. The joy in their voices had been undeniable when they spoke fondly of their times at the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry wanted to follow in their footsteps, to make them proud by becoming the greatest, most powerful wizard in the entire world. He couldn't do that if he stayed here.

In a rare display of open affection, Harry moved forward and initiated their hug. While he had never denied the girl physical affection—indeed, he probably allowed her to be more physically intimate with him than was proper for children their age—he rarely ever initiated such instances. He would go along with her because she meant so much to him, but it was always Lisa who started any contact between them.

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