"It's just hard, you know?"

"Yeah…I'm sure that having a long distance relationship with Robert Downey Jr. is difficult," Harry conceded, trying his best not to roll his eyes.

The girl across from him sniffled. "It is! People think dating a celebrity is easy, but it's really not," she claimed passionately.

Harry wanted to laugh so badly that he had to take a moment to compose himself. "I mean, he doesn't even know you exists, so that must add on a whole extra layer of complications," he said.

The girl narrowed her eyes, trying to assess how genuine the statement was. Magically, Harry somehow passed the test. "Exactly," she exclaimed. "How would you like it if the guy you're desperately in love with doesn't even recognize- "

Abruptly, a cell phone timer went off, and Harry couldn't help releasing a sigh of relief. Listening to Jessie talk for the past fifteen minutes had been a sort of torture he was unaccustomed to, and he prayed never to have such an experience again. If he had to listen to Jessie go on for one more second about her crazy stalkerish crush on the Iron Man actor, Harry wasn't sure if he could make it…

"Alright, everyone. Fifteen minutes is up," the woman at the front of the bar announced. "It's time to switch partners. The same rules apply here. Before anyone begins speaking, Partner One will swear confidentiality to Partner Two, and then Partner Two will swear confidentiality to Partner One. It doesn't have to be fancy wording, but you both should understand that nothing is to be repeated outside of these sessions. After everyone is finished with that, I will start the timer and Partner One will have fifteen minutes to discuss. Remember that some people just want to talk about their issues while others want to have a discussion. If Partner One is done talking before the fifteen minutes is up, Partner Two may choose to start their fifteen minutes early if they so please. Like before, when you hear the timer go off, it means that Partner One's turn is over and it's now Partner Two's time to talk. Does everyone understand the rules?"

"Yes," the group mumbled.

"Great," the woman said, clapping your hands together. "The person sitting with their back to the wall should move four chairs over."

As chairs scrapped and people started shifting around, Harry took a moment to admire his longtime friend, Hermione Granger. She was running this whole program smoother than either of them had expected. A few years ago, it had just been an idea that came to her out of the blue after getting frustrated with Harry's reticence. Hermione, who had a Ph.D. in psychology, was always bothered when Harry refused to talk about his issues with her, but there are just some things that a man wants to keep to himself. Never one to give up, Hermione had come up with the idea that Harry would feel more comfortable "sharing his feelings" with strangers, people who couldn't judge him because they'd didn't have anything to judge his actions and thoughts on – they didn't know him. Three years later and Hermione had made a name for herself by being the co-founder of Speed Therapy Anonymous, a company that was a mix between speed dating and Alcoholics Anonymous.

In reality, the people at this bar were not alcoholics. They were all people who had issues and had issues discussing their issues. As such, they were granted an hour a week to let go and share their deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets with strangers who swore never to repeat a single thing. Just as Hermione had predicted, Speed Therapy Anonymous, better known by it's code name, STA, was a hit. Apparently, (judging by the thirty people in the bar that night) many people preferred strangers as their confidants, and Hermione was making more money than she knew what to do with. Of course, she donated half of the profits to different charities, but she was still doing quite well for herself.

Before Harry got caught staring at Hermione again, something the brunette frowned upon ("Nobody should know we are friends, Harry! It would break the Bonds of Trust!"), he brought his attention back to his bar table and was surprised to find out that someone was already standing on the other end. He finally looked up an older man and could barely pay attention to his lean figure, thin, dark hair, black outfit, or firm frown.

"You smell fantastic," he admitted, unabashedly.

His new partner raised one eyebrow. "I beg your pardon," he said stiffly.

"Oh, I meant no offense," Harry tried to explain. "I've just been looking for new cologne. Where did you buy yours?"

His partner only narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what kind of joke you're getting at here, but I have no intentions of standing here, wasting my time being ridiculed by a boorish brute like you," the man snapped.

Harry blinked, caught off guard by the harsh tone. Great. It looked like he'd be going through another round of hell. Thank goodness this was the last round of the night. He wasn't sure if he could do this anymore…

"I think everyone is situated now. I'll give you three minutes to do your Oath of Confidentiality before the timer for Partner One starts," Hermione announced, still at the front of the room. Harry tried to communicate silently that they should just ditch Round Two and head out for the night, but his best friend seemed to be purposely looking at the other end of the room.

"So…," Harry started after a minute of silence. "I guess we should get started?"

His new partner made no signs of hearing Harry, and it was starting to get frustrating.

"Okay… Why don't I get started then? My name is Harry Pott-," he began before he heard a snort. Unsure of how to take the interruption, he continued. "Potter, and I swear to keep everything discussed to day just between the two of us."

"I'm sure," the other man mumbled.

Harry frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The man merely stared at him. "I don't think it's necessary to exchange nam-"

Well, now Harry truly was offended. "You don't even trust me enough with your name? How are you going to have a whole fifteen minute discussion with me?"

"It's quite simple, Mr. Potter. I don't intend on having one," he declared, punctuating his statement by crossing his arms.

"Then why are you even here," Harry asked, irritated with his new partner beyond belief. "Why bother wasting your money then?"

The man smirked, and Harry wanted to shrink back. "Oh, it's quite on the contrary. I'm actually saving money."

Now Harry was tempted to roll his eyes because he'd winded up with two loony bins in one night – just his kind of luck. Everyone, except for Hermione, had to pay $15 to participate. Originally, Hermione wanted to run STA as a non-profit organization, but, after a trial round with some friends, she found that people felt like they were not only getting legitimate therapy by paying a fee but also guaranteeing that the other members were truly serious about the program (at least, serious enough to shell out $15 a session). Another plus was that it helped offset the cost of renting out the bar, Hog's Head, for weekly sessions. So there was no way this man should be allowed to just come in without paying a dime. To suggest that he was somehow making money was just absurd. Clearly, the man was not mentally stable.

"And how is that," Harry asked, curious about how Mr. Insane would respond.

"For each session I attend, I get to pocket ten percent of the profits," he explained smugly.

"Ten percent? I'm sorry. What?" Harry tried to clear out his ears, convinced that he had misheard something.

The man smirked again, clearly getting pleasure from shocking Harry. "According to my contract with Ms. Granger, I get to keep ten percent of each session's profits in exchange for renting out my bar at a discount."

"I'm sorry…What?" Harry made a mental note to visit the ear doctor as soon as all of this was over.

"How silly of me to forget I was talking to a middle school dropout. Let me explain this in simpler terms. Let's pretend like Ms. Granger, the young woman dressed in a black suit at the front of the room, made ten dollars selling…lemonade. Sadly, Ms. Granger doesn't have a stand for her drinks and must borrow a table. I agree to lend her a table if she gives me one dollar. Does that make any sense to you now?"

"What does lemonade have anything to do with this?"

The man snorted. "Metaphors and similes too much for you, Mr. Potter? Did you get lost at the ten dollar bit, too? I wasn't sure if you'd been taught how to count up to ten, yet."

Harry recoiled. "I-I will have you know that I have an MBA in accounting," he sputtered.

The man rolled his eyes. "Surprise, surprise. Harry Potter wants to spend his fifteen minutes regaling us all with stories of his success."

Harry glared. "Don't act as if you know me," he spat, no longer able to hide his irritation towards the man.

"Oh, poor Mr. Potter. Nobody knows him. He's so misunderstood. He has no friends. That's why he has to pay to have innocent victims listen to his babble."

"I get all of this because I said I liked you're fucking cologne? Jesus!"

Just as the man opened his mouth to respond, a ringing nose filled the room.

"Nice work, everyone! Now that Partner One has finished, Partner Two may now begin. I'm starting the timer…now," Hermione announced, holding up her iPhone for everyone to see. As she scanned the room to check to see if everyone had starting the second part of Round Two, she finally noticed Harry glaring at her.

Hermione and Harry were going to have a "talk" once all of this was over.

A/N: This idea literally came to me while I was dreaming, so I'd love to get reviews to hear what you guys think about the story so far. To continue or not to continue?

Thanks for your feedback! :)