Harry Potter sat very still on the edge of his bed, listening very carefully. He could hear the snores of both his Uncle Vernon and rather large cousin Dudley coming from just down the hall. Even though Aunt Petunia typically didn't snore, Harry thought it safe to assume she was also soundly asleep.
The dark haired teen checked himself over in the floor-length mirror in the corner of the room, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He plucked his wallet off the dresser, sliding it into the back pocket of his jeans. Denim clung just as snugly to the small leather case as it did to Harry's legs. He had wondered if his new pants were perhaps a bit too tight. He didn't think about the subject too much, as they were a welcome change from his cousin's overlarge cast-offs. It wasn't really his fault he didn't know his size, school uniforms were practically the only clothes he'd ever bought for himself.
Harry had never considered himself attractive, always having been a bit small and skinny. He had been easy pickings for his cousin in their younger years, he had been Dudley's favorite target for bullying. Dudley hadn't bothered him as much since he started at Hogwarts. It probably didn't hurt that they didn't see each other for most of the year. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. Harry doubted Dudley remembered he even had a cousin most of the time.
Harry could see that his reflection had changed over the last year. He was lightly muscled, due in part to the rather large, boisterous animals they'd had lessons on in Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry had often helped Hagrid out after class, as most of the other students wanted to get away from Hagrid's strange creatures as quickly as they could.
While Harry still didn't figure he was all that much to look at, some of the girls at school thought him worth giggles and blushes. A lot of that attention had to be because he was the one and only Harry Potter, but Harry had to believe that people saw more to him than that.
After one last glance at the mirror, Harry gave his bedroom a final scan before he pushed out of his bedroom window. He was thankful for a conveniently placed tree branch, without which he might never have had the idea for that night's little late night adventure. Harry was thankful his uncle had never thought of the tree as an escape route for the nephew he so despised. Harry made his way down the tree, stopping near the middle and jumping the rest of the way. His feet made a light thump on the slightly damp grass as he landed. Thinking of the hell his aunt and uncle would raise if they knew what he was up to, the young wizard jogged the two blocks which separated the house he'd grown up in from the nearest telephone box. Harry held his breath for the moment it took to assure himself that no one was giving chase.
Harry called for a taxi, then settled in to wait for a few minutes, the dispatcher had told him they were having a particularly busy night. He leaned against the side of the phone box, glancing one way down the street and then the other. His eyes then raised to the sky, examining stars that were out in full force.
It wasn't long before a pair of bright headlights made their way around the corner of the drive, startling Harry slightly. The taxi drove up to him slowly and stopped. Harry made quick work of climbing into the back.
"Evening." Said the driver, a rather pretty brunette who looked to be in her mid-twenties.
"Evening." Harry replied, fiddling with the collar of the jacket he was holding with one arm.
"Little late to be going out, isn't it?" The driver glanced in her rear view, looking back at Harry.
"I suppose." He stated simply, not really wanting to go into a conversation about where he was going.
"Where we headed, then?" The car started moving as the driver asked this. She stopped at the corner and waited for Harry's response.
"Wandsworth Street."
"Right then." Harry could see a hint of a smirk on the woman's face as she made a right turn.
The ride was only a few minutes. The taxi driver was speeding a little, but Harry didn't really mind. She seemed to know which streets to hit so that they wouldn't meet much traffic.
"Here we are." At that, Harry got out of the car, paid the driver through her window and said thank you.
"Have a nice evening, love. Hope you have fun." She giggled, then sped off down the street and out of sight, leaving Harry to scratch his head at the slight trail of dust she left behind her.
Harry spun around, taking in everything around him. Flashing neon lights, loud music streaming from almost every door, and men. Lots of men, some that looked to be no older than Harry, and plenty of them were attractive. Harry needed to decide where he was going to go. The night certainly wasn't getting any younger with him just standing there.
He found a club that still had a steady stream of patrons both going in and coming out, and started towards it, ID in hand. It wasn't just any ID, it was a fake ID. A fake ID he'd managed to purchase in the wizarding world, from his best friend's trickster brothers, no less. The small card of brown parchment would change appearance to Harry's will, and it would be very useful indeed. Since using the card didn't actually involve using any of his own magic, there was no risk of getting in trouble with the Ministry.
Harry focused on the small brown card, and after shimmering for a few moments, it was no longer a blank piece of parchment. It became indistinguishable from a muggle driver's license, stating amongst other things that his name was Harry Potter and that he was 18 years of age. Harry was pleased to see that the picture of himself on the magical item was quite a good picture indeed.
There was a small queue of people lined up outside his chosen club. Harry went to to the back of the line, blushing just slightly and averting his eyes from the two young men just in front of him. They weren't only waiting in line, but using the time to have quite the snogging session. Harry couldn't imagine being that physical with someone in front of who knew how many strangers.
The line dwindled quickly. Soon Harry was at the front, face to face with a rather burly looking man. The man reminded reminded Harry strangely of Gregory Goyle, one of Draco Malfoy's lapdogs. Draco Malfoy was the person Harry despised most in the world and he was glad to be away from the horrid boy for an entire summer. Draco made life with his Aunt and Uncle seem almost pleasant. At least Draco was easier to look at.
Glad to have an excuse not to analyze that thought any further, Harry handed the man his magical ID. The man looked at it, then at Harry, then at it again, then once again, at Harry.
"Are you sure you're eighteen?" Said the man suspiciously.
"That's what it says right there, doesn't it?" Harry stated as calmly as he could, pointing at the license.
The man gave the ID one last glance before handing it back to Harry and waving him through the entrance to the club. Once he was far enough away, Harry let out a sigh of relief.
After making his way through a short, dark corridor, Harry was at what seemed to be the doorway to a different world. He stepped through the door, immediately met with colorful flashing lights and dozens of male bodies moving to the music.
Harry spotted the bar and thought it was a good place to start.
"I'll have a butter-." Harry caught himself. "I'll have a beer, please."
The bartender gave him a bit of a funny look, though whatever he thought of Harry it didn't stop him sliding a beer down the bar. Harry caught it, his nerves calmed slightly by the cold glass against his fingertips and the fact that the bartender was apparently less suspicious than the bouncer. Maybe he just didn't care.
Harry closed his eyes and brought the bottle to his lips, about to have the first alcoholic beverage of his life. Without thinking, he took a rather large gulp from the bottle, and spluttered immediately, fighting to not choke and cough. It was rather disgusting. Harry guessed it was an acquired taste. He sat the bottle down on the bar after quickly finishing it off without actually trying to taste it.
He signaled for the bartender and asked for a couple shots. When the bartender asked for further clarification, Harry shrugged after a momentary silence. Smirking, the bartender lined up three small shot glasses on the bar and made quick work of filling them up. The bartender took one for himself and swallowed the contents like he was drinking water. Not thinking anything of it, Harry went to do the same.
If the beer had tasted awful, whatever the bartender had just served him was worse. It burned his tongue. Harry swallowed it reflexively, because deciding whether to spit or swallow would have taken too long. He did his best to conceal his reaction. At the bartender's raised eyebrow, Harry downed his second shot.
The bartender barked a laugh, "You're alright, kid. Here, one more for good measure. This one's on me." Against his better judgment, Harry accepted the drink. He wondered if he'd ever taste anything again, his taste buds felt like they'd been singed by a dragon.
Harry left some money on the bar before vacating his bar stool. He climbed a nearby metal staircase and found himself on a balcony overlooking the dance floor. He leaned on the railing, watching all the club's patrons dance. He'd need to find some one to dance with tonight, at least. He'd make that his goal for the evening.
After a few minutes, Harry was already starting to feel a little bit of a buzz. It certainly helped to understand the appeal of liquor, despite its awful taste. Feeling emboldened, he scanned the balcony for anyone that might be alone and looking for a temporary dance partner. The only people that were alone in the near vicinity seemed far too old for Harry. He supposed he'd just have to wait and hope someone came and asked him to dance.
"Would you like to dance?" said a voice in Harry's ear, as if he had cued it with his thoughts. He turned, startled, having not noticed the boy come up to him. The boy looked a little younger than Harry and seemed strangely familiar. Harry couldn't really get a good look at him with all the club's colored lights flashing and moving around.
"Yeah." Harry responded to the boy enthusiastically. The boy held out his hand and Harry took it. The two walked down the stairs and they were in almost the very center off the dance floor before they stopped and started dancing. The song changed a couple minutes in and Harry's dance partner pulled him closer. After a couple minutes of that, Harry blushing realized there was a very telling something poking at his hip. Though he was a little taken aback, he didn't pull away.
The song ended far too soon for Harry's liking and his dance partner pulled away. Harry couldn't help his frown.
"Want to go outside?" The boy said into his ear. Harry nodded and the two clasped hands again, making their way to the exit. They stepped out into the cool night air. Harry's nameless dance partner was leading him to a bench.
"I didn't catch your name inside." said Harry.
"It's me, Harry." For the second time that night, the boy startled Harry. He didn't recall mentioning his name while they were dancing.
"How'd you know my name?" Harry asked.
The boy turned around to face Harry. When Harry finally got a good look at him, he uttered a gasp.
"It's me, Harry. It's Colin. You know, Colin Creevey. I'm sure you remember me. I mean, we have seen each other at school the last five years, and I'm pretty sure you'll never be able to forget how I positively worshiped you when I started at Hogwarts. I saw you on the train back to the platform when school was over last term. Said goodbye to you."
"Of course I know who you are, Colin." Colin certainly wasn't a very forgettable person. As he'd said, he'd had quite the obsession with Harry in his earlier years at Hogwarts. It had tamed down somewhat in the last couple of years, though. Now they had the occasional chat but they didn't really have that much to do with each other at school.
No wonder Harry hadn't been able to place Colin when they were inside. In the bright light they were now standing under, Colin looked a lot different than Harry remembered from just a few weeks ago. He'd had a bit of a growth spurt and, like Harry, he'd dressed appropriately for clubbing, wearing blue jeans and a tight, shimmering yellow shirt with buttons up the front. He'd let his shaggy hair grow out during the summer and he'd filled out some. Harry, for the first time since he'd met Colin Creevey, was considering the other boy to be cute.
"Colin, what on earth are you doing here?" Harry asked. He was still a bit shocked.
"The same thing you're doing here, of course. Looking for some fun. I love dancing, you know. My dad just packed us up and moved us here, said he wanted a change of location. We're only just a few blocks away, we've got a nice little house. Sorry, I'm rambling. I still get a little nervous around you." Colin was blushing.
Harry chuckled despite himself. Some things about Colin certainly hadn't changed. Harry found it almost endearing.
"You were the last person I expected to see tonight, Harry. I've been coming here for the past couple nights. No one caught my eye until I saw you. Of course, when I saw you, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, really. I guess that's the part of me that worships you coming out again. Sorry."
"It's okay, Colin." Harry was still at a loss for words.
"I suppose I should have told you who I was right off, but I thought maybe if I did you wouldn't have wanted to dance. Since the lighting in there is kind of bad, I thought you might not recognize me and you didn't. Sorry, I guess I sort of lied to you, in a way."
"It's okay, Colin." Harry repeated.
Colin pouted, thinking Harry's rather unenthusiastic responses were some kind of cue. He turned on his heels, "Now that I've had my dance, I guess I'll leave you alone. See you at school." He started off away from Harry.
"No, Colin, wait." Harry said, and it wasn't just because Colin's behind looked absolutely and utterly amazing in those jeans of his.
Harry took the few steps he needed to take to close the gap between himself and Colin, taking the other boy by the wrist and turning him around so they were face to face. Colin's cheeks were flushed and he looked up into Harry's eyes. Harry found in Colin's eyes a mirror of his own confusion.
"Harry, I-." Harry didn't give Colin a chance to finish his sentence. Without even thinking, he lowered his lips to the other boy's. Colin's lips were petal soft against Harry's. It took Harry a few moments to realize he was having his first kiss. It took a few more moments before the two boys pulled apart.
Harry's knees gave out then and there, he was glad to have the bench to fall back on. Colin soon followed suit, sitting directly next to Harry. Harry was acutely aware of Colin's leg against his own. Harry spared a glance to the people milling about on the sidewalk. It seemed no one had taken notice of them, though their kiss had hardly matched the display of the couple Harry had seen earlier.
"Harry, I - I -." Colin stammered before he finally found a word he could say. "Wow."
Those were exactly Harry's sentiments and he just couldn't stop himself from turning to Colin and pulling him close for another, shorter kiss. It was just as sweet and lovely as the first.
Harry, after reluctantly pulling away from the second kiss, draped an arm around Colin's shoulders. The other boy snuggled in against his side. Harry found himself wishing he had his jacket.
His jacket! Oh, no! He could see it so clearly now. He'd been so excited, he'd completely forgotten about it. He'd left it on the back seat of the taxi when he'd got out of the car.
"Bloody hell." Harry frowned.
"What is it?" Asked Colin.
"I suppose it's nothing, really. I just left my jacket in the back of the taxi that brought me here.
"So, we'll just go give them a ring and get it back, then." Colin said, nodding.
It sounded like a good plan to Harry. There was a phone only a few steps away.
Harry scanned the phone book, trying to remember the name of the company he'd phoned. It had completely slipped his mind..
"Well, then." Harry sighed, pushing in the number of the fist company, then the second.
Harry had called all but one of the taxi companies and still he hadn't found his jacket. Colin was clinging to his arm as he used his other to punch in the number of the final company. At least he knew it had to be the one he was looking for.
The phone had only rang once when there was a tapping at the glass wall of the booth and Harry looked up from the phone to see the driver of his taxi from earlier. She grinned and held his jacked up for him to see. He quickly rushed out of the booth.
"I thought you might be missing this, so I brought it as soon as my shift ended." she said, handing the jacket to him.
"Thanks." Harry said. "I was kicking myself, thinking I lost it, I couldn't remember which taxi service I'd called, we've been on the phone for ages trying to find you..."
"I see you found a new friend." The driver grinned, cutting off Harry's explanation and giving him a wink. She gave Colin the up-and-down. "Not too shabby."
"We actually know each other from school." Harry supplied.
"Small world." The driver turned to get back in her taxi. "Well, I'm off. My boyfriend gets absolutely dotty if I get home late. One of those jealous types, you know. See you around."
"I never got your name." Harry said, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"Name's Sheila. Have a nice evening. You, too." She winked, directing her last words to Colin. She waved and sped away from the street for the second time that night.
"So, should we go back inside?" Harry turned to Colin, smiling. He reached out and took the other boy's hand for no particular reason.
"Yeah, sounds good. I should probably get home soon, though."
"One last dance, then." This time Harry did the leading, drawing Colin past the surly man at the door. They reached the dance floor and began dancing in much the same manner as before. Harry found himself feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time, and it wasn't just that he was the tiniest bit drunk. He pulled the shorter boy closer, slipping his hands into the back pockets of those tight jeans that almost drove him mad. This action was met with no protest from Colin. He seemed to enjoy it, pressing against Harry's body and chuckling with delight.
Far too soon the song was over and it was time for them to go. Harry pulled Colin lightly through the crowd and out into the street. He wasn't quite willing to let the evening end just yet.
"Walk you home?"
"Yeah. I'd like that." Colin smiled. It was an infectious sort of smile that made Harry smile back. With their hands still intertwined, they started off.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, but it was a comfortable silence. Harry didn't really feel like he needed to talk. Harry was fairly pleased just to have a cool evening breeze washing over his heated skin, to have the warmth of Colin's hand fitted nicely against his own.
"So..." Colin said after a while, "Did those horrible muggles you live with actually let you out of the house?"
"There's a convenient tree next to my bedroom window."
Colin chuckled, "I didn't think they would have. Ginny's told me all about them, she's heard you and Ron talk about them, and well, she found out that I liked you." Colin blushed at this, "She started telling me things she knew about you. She liked you too, back then. Must have broken her heart. I was so dead-set, though, and since she was my best friend, she wanted to make me happy." Colin was turning redder and redder by the second. Harry couldn't hold back a chuckle. Colin looked up at him.
"What?" He questioned.
Harry grinned, "It's nothing, really. I just never really noticed before how incredibly cute you are." Colin managed to blush even more.
"I always knew you were nice, Harry." Colin stopped walking and looked up at him. "I did, and I was always amazed with how you were so kind with, well, everything that's happened to you. You're so brave, too, and I always thought you were the best role model for young wizards like me, and that's why I bothered you so much, I absolutely adored you." It was Harry's turn to blush now. "I've always thought you were amazing, but my feelings changed somewhere along the line. When the other boys in my dorm started talking about the girls they liked, I never joined in. I could still only think of you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I was scared that you'd get mad, or that you'd hate me..."
Harry thought about this. What would he have done if Colin had spilled all this out to him at school, in the Gryffindor common room? Well, he thought, he would have likely given the younger Gryffindor a swift punch. It wasn't until recently that he'd been finding himself liking boys a lot more than he liked girls. Coming to the club that night had been his first foray into exploring those feelings. Finding Colin there and really talking to him for the first time, it gave Harry a whole new way of thinking about the boy he'd barely bothered with over the years.
Harry looked down at Colin. The shorter boy was looking at him expectantly, wanting a response to his words. Harry didn't know how to respond just yet, it was all a lot newer to him than it was to Colin. Without thinking about it too much, Harry reached out with both arms and gently pushed Colin back against the wall of the building they were passing. Colin looked at him with a confused expression. Harry hoped he hadn't hurt the other boy. He pinned Colin to the wall and leaned in to kiss him. After a moment, Colin melted into the kiss, sliding his arms around Harry, clasping his hands behind the taller boy's neck.
Harry was completely lost in the depths of the kiss now, resting his hands on Colin's hips, rubbing just slightly. Being this close to Colin, holding him and kissing him, it awoke feelings in Harry he'd never experienced before.
It wasn't until the loudness of a car horn invaded Harry's ears that he pulled away from Colin, startled by the sudden noise. A car sped off, filled with the sounds of cackling laughter. A guy around Harry's age who'd been hanging out the window pulled himself back into the car as it accelerated off into the night. Harry chuckled and looked down at Colin, who was grinning. Harry gave Colin one last little peck before taking his hand and starting to walk again.
"I've never really liked anyone before, to be honest... I guess I had a crush on Cho, I suppose, but I never really thought too much about guys. I guess it was Cedric that got me started, as weird as that sounds. I thought about him a lot, after everything... You know. A time or two I caught myself thinking about how handsome he was, and then I had to take a good hard look at myself and analyze those thoughts more than I should have..." Harry grew quiet.
Colin squeezed his hand after a moment. "It's only a couple of blocks now." Harry nodded, squeezing back.
Soon, they were in front of Colin's house, standing on the front step under a naked bulb that had been left on. Colin looked up at Harry.
"Can I see you again soon?" He looked nervous, like he thought Harry would turn him down.
Harry reached over and pulled Colin close to whisper in his ear, "If I had my way, you wouldn't have to go. I want to see you again as soon as possible."
Colin smiled happily and that made Harry smile. If they kept that up they'd be found standing there in the morning, still smiling at each other. Luckily, they both had the sense to look away.
"See you later, then." Colin pulled a key chain out of his pocket. It had a lone key hanging from it as well as a fuzzy pink heart. After unlocking the door, he slipped through it quietly. Harry suddenly felt very alone.