Harry was already comfortably seated at the Golden Lotus Restaurant thirty minutes before the agreed meeting time.
He had arrived much earlier because he needed the time to take care of some part of his personal business and also compose himself before her arrival. The last thing he wanted was for his face or voice to give off his dislike and disgust for her.
The moment he sighted her, he rose from his seat, and a wide welcoming smile was etched on his face as he watched her approach. So this was the face of the evil witch who had hurt his father and sister? Harry mused as an unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest. A feeling he had no doubt was genuine hatred.
Although he had seen her before and had formed an opinion of her the first time, seeing her again now, not as a stranger but as the woman who had brought him and his twin sister into the world, made him despise her even more.
