Hey, wats up? Well, here's a new story I wanna work on.
Summary: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are two lonely 18-year-olds. They have a few friends, but not that many. Harry Potter has had so many bad things happen to him and just wants to find something that feels right to him. Hermione Granger has never found love and has been looking in all the wrong places. The two meet at a birthday celebration and spend the night around London and wonder if this is what they're looking for. AU. No magic. Set in London, present-day. Inspired by the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, the movie Remember Me, and the music video "Say You Don't Want It" by One Night Only. A love story. I suck at summaries, but just please read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling owns it.
Changes: Harry does not have glasses. Set in present-day. No magic. Hermione is younger than Harry, not older. Luna and Ginny are the same ages as Harry, etc. Ginny is Ron's twin.
Some of the clubs you may have heard before. I did my best with the pubs.
Title came from my iPod on "shuffle". Jonas Brothers song.
Tonight
Chapter One
Harry
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Slap! Harry Potter slammed his hand down on the alarm clock, turning it off. He rolled over, tiredly, and looked at his clock. 9:00. 'What the fuck-?' he thought to himself why he set his alarm clock for eight am. He sat up in his bed and swung his legs off if the side. Then he remembered. He had to go to Dorset to visit his parents' graves. His mates had invited him to go club-hopping later that night and he wanted to go and pay his respects to his late parents on their deathday instead of answering the door for trick-or-treaters that night.
His parents had died seventeen years before in a car crash. They had went to dinner and a movie for a night out for themselves, while they had hired a babysitter to watch baby Harry after they had taken him trick-or-treating. A drunk driver named Tom Riddle had hit them and killed them instantly. Harry was sent to live with his neglecting Aunt Petunia and her husband Uncle Vernon and their whale of a son, Dudley. They did not really pay attention to him, unless they wanted a chore done. He had lived in a cupboard until he was eleven when he outgrew it.
Harry Potter was an eighteen-year-old who just about gave up on the world. He had only a few friends. He couldn't get into a university. Yes, he had left from his parents, but he failed his A-levels. He's been arrested. Twice. However, no one really knew the whole story. No one ever asked. No one really cared. He has had a few girlfriends in the past, but all they wanted was sex, which he never gave to them. Harry Potter was a romantic, he liked to think. He would not give up his virginity unless he found the right girl, which he had not. He wanted someone that meant something to him. That was worth giving up his innocence for. All of his past girlfriends had been sluts and once he did not give them anything, they left.
He stood up and went downstairs to cook food for the Durselys. He was of age and could leave the Durselys, but had no place to go. His relatives gave him a year to find a place to call his own. Meanwhile, he still had to cook, clean, and garden for them. He did not really mind. It gave him something to do. He put a skillet on the stove and turned it on. Within twenty minutes, he had scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon on the table for his relatives.
He heard stomping coming from upstairs and he knew they were awake. Soon enough, they came down the stairs and settled themselves at the table. Harry took a piece of toast and without a word, went back upstairs to eat it and shower.
He gazed at his parents' graves with sorrow. He was dressed in his best. It was a pair of black dress pants; a white, oxford shirt tucked into his trousers; a black tie that was loosened a bit; a black jacket; and black dress shoes. On the way over there, he stopped at a flower shop and bought a bouquet of lilies and a Halloween wreath. Lily and James Potter were their names. This was the second time he visited them. He had to beg his aunt to tell him where their graves were. She got aggravated and eventually told him. All his life, he had wanted to make his parents proud. However, that was not happening at all. Twice had he been in jail. He had been suspended from school several times. Everyone just knew him as a sort of a bad boy. One that everyone avoided so they did not get hurt. Those that weren't afraid of him were his friends. His only friends.
"Hey, Mum, Dad, it's me again. It's Harry," he talked to his late parents. He remembered their gifts. "Oh! I brought these for you. I remembered this time." He set the lilies on his mother's grave and the wreath on his father's. He ran his hand through his messy, black hair, not really knowing what to say. "Erm, I'm doing the best I can in making you proud. It's not going very well. I passed my exams, but I can't get into a university. In the past year, I have been arrested. Twice. I know you may be mad, but it was a misunderstanding. I swear." A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued, "I haven't found love yet. It's very hard. Most of the girlfriends I've had only wanted one thing. But I didn't give it to them. I won't. Not until I find...her. That will be my goal for next time. Find her. Well, I've got to be heading back to the Durselys. They'll be expecting me to make lunch. Goodbye, I love you. See you next time." He walked away wiping his tears. He got in his car and drove off back to his relatives who were waiting on their lunch.
He made them all sandwiches and made himself one with peanut butter and jelly. He took it to his room and ate it in silence. He waited until five o'clock when one of his mates was going to come and pick him up. He felt bad for going out and drinking on his parents' deathday. However, it was his friend's eighteenth birthday. He was Irish and loved to party so they decided to go club/pub-hopping.
Harry got ready for the night. He wore his dark blue jeans; black dress shoes; a black Burberry sweater over a plain grey t-shirt; and a dark green field jacket. He tried to tame his untidy hair, but it would not cooperate, so he just left it at that.
At almost five, his best mate, Ronald "Ron" Weasely came to pick him up. He made sure he had his mobile phone-like anyone called him-and his wallet and left the house calling out, "'Bye! Be back later!" But he got no response back. He climbed into the passenger seat of Ron's car and said, "Hey, mate!"
"Hey, Harry! Come on, we got to go pick up Neville and Dean and we're going to meet Seamus at the first pub." Ron and the rest of his family had the reddest hair anyone had ever seen. When Harry first met him, he was afraid if he were to touch his hair, his hand might catch on fire.
Harry strapped his seatbelt on and they were off to Neville's house. "So, how ya been, mate?"
"Alright. I went to visit my parents' graves this morning in Dorset," he answered solemnly.
"That's great. Mum and Dad send their bests to you today. They were real great friends with your parents when they were younger," his friend said.
"Yeah," was Harry's response. He decided to change the subject. "How's Luna?" Luna Lovegood was Ron's steady girlfriend. They had been dating for four months now. Ron finally got the courage to ask her out. On the last day of school.
"She's good. She's working for her dad now for that magazine. We're going to meet up with her later at one of the clubs. I asked Seamus and he said that was okay, just as long as she brought other women," he answered and they laughed.
They picked up Neville Longbottom at his grandmother's house. Like Harry, his parents died when he was really young. His birthday was the day before Harry's. He was really shy, but Harry got him out of his shell. "Hey, guys," he said as he got in the back of Ron's car.
"Hey, Neville," they chanted back happily. Ron turned on the radio and they rolled down the windows, blasting rap music out of the car. "Whoo!" Ron yelled out of the window as they turned onto the motorway towards London. They picked up the windows as it was getting very windy in the car and they could barely hear the music.
Dean Thomas lived in the London area. He was the only black one of their group. He was the tallest one in the group. Very easy to spot. From Dean's house, they headed into the city of London to Ron's uncle and aunt's house. They lived in the city and gladly left their nephew leave his car at their house so they did not have to drive it when he was drunk. They would be out all night and come in the morning and sleep there. They walked out onto the London streets and walked to meet Seamus Finnigan at the first pub. It was called The Red Lion. Seamus was already in there downing shots. "Hey!" he called to them as he saw them.
"Hey, Seamus, happy birthday, mate!" they all said and gave him a manly hug.
"Hey, Harry, sorry about today," he said sadly. Harry knew what he was talking about.
"It's okay. I paid my respects this morning. I'm ready to have fun tonight!" he said excitedly.
They all cheered at his proclamation, causing attention towards them. They each ordered a beer. They were going to hit some of the good pubs before going to the clubs at seven. Ron told them that they were to meet Luna at the first club, Fabric.
They went to three other bars and each had a small drink. The real drinking would be done at the clubs.
At seven, they made their way over to Fabric. Ron grinned and ran to his girlfriend as he saw her at the entrance with four other young women. Harry smiled as he saw his best mate so happy. He took in Luna's friends. He knew three of them. Lavender Brown was Ron's ex-girlfriend, but nothing was weird or anything around them. She had blue eyes and light brown hair. She was very loud and gossipy. Padma Patil was Indian and dark-skinned. Harry had taken her twin sister to a ball in Fourth Year as he needed a date. Ron had taken Padma. The third one he knew was Ginny Weasely, Ron's twin sister and Luna's best friend. She, too, had red hair brighter than the sun. She was Neville's girlfriend so when she saw him, she ran over to him and hugged him and kissed him.
The fourth girl-the new one-made Harry very interested. She was interesting. She had light brown hair and beautiful chocolate-brown eyes that pierced through his own emerald-green ones. Her gorgeous hair was kind of curly and kind of straight. In her hair was what looked like a gold headband with a sort of flower design. Harry thought it looked similiar to what the ancient Greeks used to wear. She was wearing light makeup. She wore a pair of dark, black, skinny jeans that were tucked into her black, high-heeled boots that went to her shin; a white blouse that showed some cleavage; and a brown leather jacket. Harry thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was like all of his past girlfriends tied into one times a million. She looked very nervous and shy, but still smiled.
Harry vaguely heard Luna tell Seamus "happy birthday". He did, however, hear her introduce her new friend. "Hermione, this is Seamus Finnigan, the birthday boy; Ron Weasely, my boyfriend; Dean Thomas; Neville Longbottom; and that's Harry Potter." The new girl smiled at everyone and told them "hi". However, her gaze lingered on Harry's it seemed. "Boys, this is Hermione Granger, my neighbor and good friend."
'Hermione Granger' Harry thought to himself. 'Lovely name.'
TBC...
Well, there's the first chapter. Hope you liked it!
I hope you guys are okay with the modern, no magic setting. It tried to get it close to the story as I could.
Next chapter: Hermione earlier that day
Pleez review!
DREWHHR