The Virginity Clause

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters portrayed in the books or movies.

Summary: AU Story. Harry James Potter was the perfect heir; unfortunately due to a clause in his inheritance contract he is disowned. Alone at fifteen with no one to turn to, Harry decides to show the world and his family what he is worth.

Warnings: Slash and references to rape.

A/N: In no uncertain terms do I condone of rape or nonconsensual sex. Some of the views in this story about this topic do not reflect back on my own opinions and views.

Chapter Three: A Working Man

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

-Anton Chekhov

Harry had just over thirty minutes before his meeting with Lady Zabini, yet he was still on his couch, bundled under five makeshift blankets. It was fucking cold. The tent, it turns out, did not include a fireplace. Harry always had trouble with warming charms, just one more thing to brush up on his ever growing list. He had meant to wake up earlier, but the chill of the tent had kept him up much later than he planned.

Most of his previous business partners had replied that they had no wish to meet with him; some politely and others not as much, but Lady Adelaide Zabini had always been fond of Harry. He had always been suspicious of their relationship; from the rumors of her former husbands he could never be sure if she was working towards an intimate relationship for when he was older. After the revelation that he would no longer be inheriting the Potter fortune, the pleasant response had surprised him; it seemed if he had been wrong about the woman.

Gathering his courage, he braved the cold and hastily made his way to the bathroom. It was a small space with only a sink, toilet, and shower stall, but it suited Harry just fine. After quickly turning on the hot water, and hoping the space would steam up fairly quickly, Harry stripped out of his pajamas. This turned out to be a mistake as the shower made some weird clanking noises, and the water trickled to a stop.

"No, no, no, no, please don't do this to me," Harry pleaded with the spray. He turned the spout on and off but there was no response.

"Fuck!" Harry yelled, running into the bedroom for some clothes. "This is just my luck. Why can't anything just go the way I want it for once?"

He pulled on plain black dress robes before apparating to Diagon Alley, making his way to the Leaky Cauldron. Luckily Harry had just avoided the breakfast rush and was able to easily get Tom the bartender's attention.

"Tom, I have a huge favor to ask of you. Is there any way that I can use a bathroom with a shower in it?" Harry asked the man.

Tom grinned at the teenager in front of him. "Sure lad, that will be two Sickles."

Harry grimaced. "Is there any way we can work this out without money?" He really couldn't afford to part with even two Sickles.

Tom scratched his head, thinking. "Well I am short staffed after Jeremy quit last night. You wouldn't happen to need a job, would ya? Oh wait, how old are you lad?"

Harry smiled at the bartender, "That's perfect. I'm fifteen, but I've been emancipated. I, uh, have a meeting this morning, but after that I'm free for the rest of my Christmas break. Is that a problem?"

Tom grasped Harry's hand, pumping it a few times before beaming at the boy. "That sounds fine. Go ahead and use the shower in room eight. I am counting on your honor that you will come back for the job."

"Yes sir," Harry agreed, quickly making his way up the stairs. "I'm in a hurry, but I promise I'll be back, and I never break my promises."

Taking one of the fastest showers of his life, Harry quickly jumped out, murmuring a hot air charm to dry himself off. He was not a fan of the charm since it made his already messy hair unmanageable, but didn't have time for an alternative option.

Rushing out of the bar, Harry ran to the apparition point across the street. In his haste he wasn't able to avoid slamming into another wizard, and falling to the ground.

"You have got to be kidding me," he murmured, getting to his feet. "Tergeo," he quickly cast, making sure there was no evidence of dirt. Unfortunately there was a large gash on the sleeve which he would not be able to mend with what little sewing spells he knew.

"I'm terribly sorry sir," he called to the man who was yelling obscenities about the youth now a day. Finally reaching the line to apparate, Harry cast the tempus spell and cursed. He was already ten minutes late.

Harry apparated behind the Zabini Airways Headquarters and hurriedly made his way to the front desk. The secretary, a woman named Patricia if the nameplate was any indication, grimaced as she caught sight of him and Harry knew that he looked worse than he had hoped.

"I'm Harry Patterson, looking for Lady Zabini," he introduced with an amiable smile, hoping to win the witch over with charm.

It obviously did not work when she frowned at him and looked down at the schedule. "Lady Zabini was expecting you seventeen minutes ago. I'm afraid that you missed your chance and you will have to schedule another appointment. I wouldn't keep my hopes up, she hates tardiness." Giving him an obviously fake smile she dismissed him, "Have a nice day."

Not permitting the secretary to deter him, Harry didn't budge. "I know I'm late, but I'm sure Lady Zabini will understand. Would you inform her that I am here?"

Patricia pursed her lips and answered in short, sharp tones, "I already said that you missed your chance. If you do not leave sir, then I will have to call security."

Harry frowned at the woman before sneering, "I'm not sure Lady Zabini would be too happy missing our meeting, but you could at least set up another appointment. You do know how to make appointments, correct?"

The secretary flushed angrily and the next thing Harry knew, he was being dragged out of the building by two bulky security guards.

Sighing, Harry sat dejectedly on the curb outside the structure. This had been his only chance at making an impression to someone who could help pave his way into a career. He had also hoped that he would be able to help Michael's transition as heir easier as well.

Finding his way to the back alley apparition point, Harry transported himself back to Diagon Alley. As dejected as he felt, he had made a deal with Tom, and he always kept his word. The only positive thing in his life at the moment was this job. He really did need to start saving up money.

-Line Break-

Working at the Leaky Cauldron was a bit harder than Harry had expected. He would have never shared his previous opinion of the work being beneath his talents, but it was an eye opening experience. The job entailed much more than just taking and delivering orders of food, and if he was quite honest, Harry knew he was not very skilled at this kind of labor.

Although always polite to his help, Harry had been spoiled by the use of House Elves at his family home in Godric's Hollow, because he had never had to prepare food or clean around the house. Harry had always been neat and orderly, so he had personally kept his room tidy, but there was a difference in throwing clothes in a hamper to scrubbing down tables.

It was tiring work, but Harry was content with his life. He was only allowed to work four days a week, despite being emancipated, and was making minimum wage of eleven Sickles and thirteen Knuts an hour. He did make tips plus money was money, and it made Harry happy, working and providing for himself. It gave him a feeling of accomplishment that he could persevere through the events of the past month.

Other than Tom, Harry also worked with an older woman named Madge. She had been a big help to Harry, showing him the ropes and giving him little tips here and there. Madge was in her late sixties, although she always claimed she was thirty-seven, with just a hint of grey scattered among her dark brown hair. She was a bit plump, but had a caring and easy-going manner that always had everyone in smiles.

All in all, Harry was happy that his shower had broken the week before, leading to him getting the job. He didn't have the money to fix the stupid thing, but was able to pay a discounted price of a Sickle to use the showers at the Cauldron. It wasn't exactly ideal, but Harry knew that it was all he could afford at the moment.

"Get your head back in gear, young man. We have customers waiting," broke Harry out of his musings, and he stumbled back startled at how close Madge's face was to his.

"Don't do that!" he sputtered, flushing in embarrassment. He really should have been paying more attention to work; the bar was getting quite busy as the dinner rush started to trickle in. Madge barked out a laugh, "You're way too easy." She made her way over to a table, calling over her shoulder, "First one to twenty wins."

Harry quickly made his way over to the nearest booth in his section with a smile on his face. Madge was always trying to get one over on him, and usually succeeded. They had little competitions over who could sit the most people or how many orders they could get first. It didn't really matter; they weren't playing for money, but for bragging rights. Harry had only won once in the week he had been working here, which he still proudly rubbed in Madge's face, despite all of his other losses.

In the end, he lost all three competitions they had running that evening. Harry had thought he had a chance with the tips, seeing as most of the ladies had been in his section, and very generous in tipping, but it was not to be. It didn't really matter, since despite his protests, Madge was always willing to split the tips at the end of the day, even with having the majority. His arguments were always drowned out by her stubbornness. She had told him that it was commendable that he was working to provide for himself, and that a few less Knuts in her pocket wouldn't hurt anything.

Sweeping up and calling out his goodbyes, Harry walked over to Gringotts. It was convenient that the bank was so close; he was always so tired after his shifts that he didn't think he would have the energy to apparate anywhere other than home.

Harry had opened a vault at the bank when he realized that it was easier not to spend money if he didn't have it on hand. The Ravenclaw had always had a pleasant relationship with Griphook, so despite no longer being a part of the Potter vaults and estates, the goblin was still manager of his accounts.

With the bank closing in a few minutes, there were few patrons and Harry was easily able to make his way to Griphook's station.

"Good evening Griphook, I just need to make a deposit," Harry greeted, handing the goblin a small bag.

"Ah, Mr. Patterson, I was hoping you would drop by tonight," Griphook replied, quickly counting the money out and handing back the bag. "It so happens that we are in need of another teller to handle Muggle transactions, and I was of the opinion that you were considering another job. If you are interested, I would be happy to put in a word."

Surprised, Harry smiled up at the goblin. "I am only free three days a week, would that be alright?"

Griphook made an approving noise and readied the paperwork, which Harry hurriedly filled out. "You will mostly be working with the families of Muggle-Borns who are wary of goblins, but need to exchange money for wizarding currency. Will this be a problem?"

"No, that sounds just fine. I'm familiar with muggle currency, so it should be no problem. Thank you Griphook, I appreciate all of your help. School starts up soon; will I still have a place during the summer?"

The goblin nodded, "Expect an owl in the next two days."

Leaving with a smile on his face, Harry apparated to his tent and flopped down on the couch, immediately falling asleep. He still hadn't gotten around to fixing his lumpy bed, or elongating the couch, but his exhaustion made it easy to fall asleep regardless.

Waking up at the slight humming of his wand, Harry groaned and massaged the crick out of his neck. It was still cold in the tent, only slightly better with the use of the bluebell flames he had conjured around the place. Scooping one up to warm his hands, Harry considered what to make for breakfast. It was his turn to cook the morning meals at the Cauldron, so he probably wouldn't get too hungry before lunch. Settling on some toast and jam, he set down the flame as he strode towards his small kitchen.

Finishing his meal, he dumped the plate and glass into the sink before gathering his clothes to head to work; he was always a half hour early so he could use the showers.

Greeting Tom, he made his way to the backroom for employees. It was equipped with a small bathroom that included a shower. Finishing up his ablutions, he made his way downstairs, just in time for Madge to walk in the door. Giving her a quick smile, Harry started preparations for breakfast. It was a long four hours later, before Tom poked his head into the kitchen, "It's pretty slow now, you can take a break."

Thanking the man, Harry found Madge sitting at the bar. Collapsing into the seat next to her, he sighed. "How you doin today, Madge?"

"Obviously better than you," Madge replied. "Did you have to wrestle the chickens for the eggs, because you look exhausted."

Harry sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "I need to buy a better bed; I don't have much skill in transfiguring one. You would think that we would learn something useful in school. I can transfigure the best pig you've ever seen, but not a bed. Why would I ever need a pig over a bed?"

Madge laughed, "I can see your dilemma. I quite remember my old school days. I always wondered when we would need to know how to transfigure a mouse to a teacup. I mean who would ever drink out of a cup they knew had once been a mouse. Disgusting." The woman suddenly became solemn, giving Harry an appraising look. "I know you would rather I mind my own business, but how did you come to living by yourself? And why do you need to transfigure furniture? Are you alright?"

Harry smiled at the older woman. Madge had been nothing but kind and caring. "I'm alright Madge, you don't have to worry. I can take care of myself."

The woman smiled sadly at him, "It's not that I don't think you can handle yourself, I just don't think it's right that you have to." Giving her a brief hug, Harry thanked the woman. "Like I said, you don't have to worry. It's the end of our break, we better be getting back to work."

Madge and Harry were once again in competition during the dinner hour, while Tom was busy cooking. Heading to a two person booth, Harry put on his most charming smile; he was determined to win the most compliments.

His smile dropped as he realized who was sitting in the booth. Sirius Black, his godfather, or ex-godfather he supposed and Remus Lupin. Harry really didn't want to take the men's orders, but looking at how busy Madge was, he knew he couldn't ask her to cover for him. This was bound to happen sooner or later and he had been taught to separate business from personal.

"May I take your order?" he asked with a strained smile on his face. Harry was usually able to get his emotions more in control, but Sirius had ignored all of his attempts at contacting him, so Harry assumed that he didn't want anything to do with him, despite that they had been family. Although he understood his family's actions, they did not hurt any less. Harry had been disappointed that Sirius had followed his father in disassociation. Harry had hoped that Sirius could have been the bridge to contact with his father, or even just a supporting hand in his life.

Harry had avoided contacting Remus. The werewolf was Michael's godfather, and Harry did not want to strain their relationship. He knew that Remus, with his kind nature, would want to help Harry, and hadn't thought that would benefit the man.

Sirius gave a shocked, "Harry," before glowering at the boy. "What are you doing here; I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to speak with a little whore."

Remus gasped, "Sirius! That's no way to talk to the boy. You don't even know what really happened."

Sirius scowled, "It isn't hard to guess. The boy spread his legs and that's that. Now I'll repeat, what are you doing here?"

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat before answering, "I work here, what can I get you?"

The man was still scowling, "I don't want anything from you; who knows what I could pick up from such contaminated food. Come on Remus, we're leaving."

Remus gave Harry an apologetic smile, leaving a few coins on the table, before following Sirius out the door.

Harry blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears from falling. He had already cried over the rejection from his family, he didn't need another breakdown, especially at work.

"Are you alright, kid?" Madge was looking at him curiously. "Do you need a break? I can take over your section for a few minutes, but it would put you behind in our competition," She tried lightening up the mood.

Grateful to Madge's thoughtfulness, Harry smiled, "No, I'm fine. You better get back to your own section; I'm probably way ahead in compliments already. No one would pick an overbearing lady over a charming lad."

Grinning back, Madge headed to the front of the room, greeting guests as they walked in the door. Harry took a deep breath, and went back to the floor. Luckily the work kept him focused and he didn't have any more complications the rest of the night.

Life wasn't going exactly as he wanted, but he was doing alright. He may not have gotten as many compliments as old Madge, nor had a good relationship with his family, but that didn't mean he was on his own, Madge had made sure of that. He would take this one day at a time, and hope that it would only get better from now on.

AN: Sorry that this is so late. I have had this ready for a while, but you would not believe the problems I had with my internet provider. I had canceled my cable because of the increase in price, and they come and turn off both the cable and internet while I was in class. I thought I was wasting away, not being online ;) So I called them and they claimed that they could turn the internet back on without sending a guy, but guess what? They couldn't. So after fighting with them for DAYS! They finally sent a guy out today, which took two seconds to fix. The only good thing is that he accidently turned the cable back on, so I currently have free cable. I wonder how long it will take them to figure that one out.

Sirius isn't very nice in this chapter, which I hate to do because I really do love him-ish. It really depends on my mood. I like to think that canon Harry needs a guiding figure that he can trust and love, but then I remember how Sirius disregarded his duties by chasing Pettigrew and it disappoints me. Lol

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next update should not take as long. Thanks for reading and please review.

-Hums