(Author's Note:)
Hello guys, gals and non-binary pals! I'm back with my first Harry Potter story. Well, I've drafted plans for nearly a half-dozen, but this is the first I've actually written.
If you don't know me, hi, I'm Hephaestus. I'm an aspiring professional author who loves writing, reading and coming up with fanfics too much. I have a Twitter, Wattpad, Instagram, World Anvil and Patron all under the same name(HephaestusBuilds / HephaestusBuild). Please consider checking them out, views, likes, retweets, follows and donations help more than you'll ever know.
Lemme know if you want more Harry Potter fanfics in the future. As I said I have several drafts and concepts written down already, with even more ideas still floating around in my head.
Please give me an idea of what Harry Potter one-shots or short stories you'd like to see in a Review or select one of my story ideas from the bottom Author's Note and leave your vote in a Review. Check out my Bio for additional info!
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"Fuck it, I'm in"
Chapter 1: Fuck it, I'm in
Defeating the greatest evil wizard the world had ever seen while still in school wasn't all it's cracked up to be.
Receiving worldwide fame since birth was overrated.
Being swarmed by hundreds of owls weekly with letters asking for a statement got on your nerves.
Getting surrounded by curious and praising strangers on the street everyday makes you never want to leave your house.
Owning a cranky old House-Elf and an enchanted painting that never stopped yelling at you makes you never want to go home.
Having your name still be a rallying cry several years after the war makes you hate your own given name.
Being treated like some prodigal- nearing on religious, figure made the pressures of day to day life become too much to bear.
Being Harry James Potter wasn't all sunshine and rainbows as it turns out.
~o~o~o~
"Bartender, another beer over here."
Twenty-three year old Harry Potter was currently sitting at a dirty bar in some dingy hole in the wall he had never heard of before. And one he never intended to visit again.
He couldn't afford to risk being seen or followed, of course.
Currently under a Polyjuice Potion in order to not be recognized and bothered, Harry knocked back half the mug in a single gulp.
God, had he become a far better drinker than he ever wished to be. These last few years of practice had made him an expert at destroying his liver.
He took the opportunity to get away and hide from the world whenever he got the chance. Whenever he wasn't working as an Auror or meeting up with the recently married Ron and Hermoine, he was in sweaty dumps like this, drinking himself into an early grave.
Hermione worried for him, of course. She didn't like how much he was drinking or how little he cared about his life anymore, and she and Ron both tried their best to help him, but Harry was just tired.
Tired of work, tired of the fame, tired of being stopped in the streets of Magical London by strangers, tired of getting owls from papers and random fans, tired of the strange looks.
Tired of everything.
He needed a break, time to get away. A relaxing change of pace. Something different.
Harry Potter needed a holiday.
But he didn't have any drive or energy nor motivation to plan one.
Not that he had any idea of where to go or what to do, anyway. One of the downsides of being a prisoner of the Dursley's for so many years meant his knowledge of beautiful vacation getaways rather sparse and limited.
Harry set down another shot glass with a dull 'THUNK'. Ignoring the pretty woman with silvery-blonde hair watching him from the other side of the bar, instead beckoning the bartender back for another shot with a minute gesture.
He didn't have any desire to hook up with anyone, least of all in a bar.
Let's just say he hadn't had very much luck in the love department since graduating Hogwarts and leave it at that.
Grabbing a newly delivered glass he knocked it back with practiced ease and gestured for another one.
One of the bright sides of being rich, he thought to himself. He didn't have to worry about the tab at the end of the night.
Taking a short break from killing his liver, he decided to people watch. Since he didn't talk to anyone, play pool, listen to music or socialize, he found it to be his only entertainment on nights like this.
A middle aged, balding man in the far corner was out drinking him by a mile. Lost in his own head he knocked back drink after drink, his shaking fingers clenching around the glass like a vice. Probably divorced, Harry thought, and judging by the tan line one his ring finger, it was fairly recent. The man seemed angry and sad, not a good combination, but Harry dismissed the man as a threat within a second.
His Auror training made him a master of reading people, and sometimes he hated it.
A few stools down a raven-haired woman-American by the look of her revealing skirt, sat down and smiled at him, before summoning the bartender with one delicate finger.
Harry just inwardly groaned. Last thing he needed was some woman trying to flirt with him.
Ignoring her, Harry looked around the bar again, catching the same pretty silver-haired woman watching him and the recently arrived woman with a weary eye. She was probably berating herself for not making a move sooner, Harry huffed. Harry's blank face didn't reveal his highly trained mind making a mental note to keep an eye on her.
Eyes back in front of him, he felt the woman a few stools down watching him. He downed two fingers of the amber liquid.
Maybe he should just leave? Apparate to another bar a few towns away and hit another spot until morning? Or should he go home and get some much needed sleep?
Hermione would tell him to go home right now. Ron would tell him to finish his drink then go home. And Ginny would… fuck, never mind.
He decided to side with his inner Hermione and leave. He raised a finger to summon the bartender so he could pay for his tab and leave. But unfortunately he was too slow as this movement caught the attention of the woman a few stools away who was watching him.
His eyes caught her beginning to move towards him. Harry cursed under his breath.
The woman greeted him with her most unassuming flirty smile that made Harry groan with annoyance. "Hey, handsome. Care to buy me a drink? I'll -"
"Ah, 'zere you are. I 'zought you wouldn't show." Out of nowhere the silvery-blonde woman appeared, cutting into the conversation and quickly sat down on the stool in between Harry and the flirty American woman.
Said American woman gave the slightly older woman an icy glare. "I'm sorry, but I was talking to him first."
But the silvery-blonde woman looked unbothered. "I am sorry, Mademoiselle, but we came 'ere to meet tonight."
The American bristled in anger, "Yeah right," She glared at the other woman. "Just get lost, you French bit-"
"'Zere is no need to be rude, Mademoiselle, he and I are 'ere together." The taller woman cut in again, this time looking right to Harry, her deep blue eyes searching his Polyjuiced mishmashed ones.
Her cherry lips peaked slightly as if she found him amusing. "Isn't 'zat right, 'arry?"
Harry's eyes widened instantly.
There's no way, he thought.
But the accent, the silvery-blonde hair, the breathtaking beauty and slight silvery glow that emanated around her like a halo… it had to be her.
"Fleur?" Harry asked before he could think.
The French witch smiled, her dazzling teeth on full display. "I know 'zat it's been a while, 'arry, but I 'ought I wouldn't be so easy to forget." Her eyes twinkled like she found him amusing.
"I-I, uh, sorry. Didn't recognize you at first." Harry apologized, his alcohol-fuzzed mind coupled with her unearthly beauty didn't cope well together.
Calm down, Harry, he thought to himself. He knew Fleur was beautiful, but it didn't matter.
"Wait, do you two really know each other?" The American woman asked, sounding seriously disappointed.
Finding his voice again, Harry answered her, "Yeah, Fleur and I have known each other since school."
"And we decided to meet 'ere to catch up after all 'zese years." Fleur was quick to add, helping their cover. "So, if you would, please find another man to flirt with." She gave the American woman her best fake smile, but Harry knew enough about witches to know that it was one to fear.
It seemed that the woman recognized it too, or at least she realized that she wasn't going to get what she wanted tonight, so with a roll of her eyes and an icy glare at Fleur, she left. "Whatever," She mumbled under her breath just loud enough for them to hear. "Bitch."
Once she was gone, Fleur rolled her eyes and claimed one of Harry's drinks, downing it and giving him a smirk. "I do not wish to talk bad about 'zem, but I do not like American women. 'Zey are far too rude."
Despite himself, Harry snorted. "Yeah, they're a little much at times."
She smiled her dazzling smile and stole another one of his drinks. He smiled, "Care to get your own drink?"
"Non, your's are just fine, thank you." She smirked.
Harry shrugged in his seat, motioning for the bartender to get him another drink. "Fair enough." He took a sip, "Thanks, by the way. For stopping her from hitting on me, I mean. I wasn't interested in talking to her."
"It was nothing, I could see that you wanted to be alone." She paused for a second, glancing to his disguised face. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Harry waved vaguely to the bar and the drinks in front of him. "By all means, I could actually use the company. Haven't talked with anyone for a while."
Fleur found that statement curious, as the Harry Potter she remembered was always surrounded by his few loyal friends, but she decided to leave it alone. No one sat at a bar drinking like this if everything in their life was fine. Just like her. It wasn't her business.
"So," Harry broke her out of her thoughts. "I gotta ask, how'd you recognize me? I thought I brewed the Polyjuice potion well enough so not even Ron could recognize me."
"Ronald was never 'zat observant," she joked, smiling into her glass, "'e might not recognize you even if you were yourself if 'e wasn't looking for you."
"It took me a while to place it," she explained, "I recognized your posture and gestures, but didn't recognize your face. It wasn't until I saw 'zat tired and forlorn look on your face 'zat I finally realized who you were."
Harry let out a hum, impressed. "Wow, didn't know my facial posture was so recognizable."
She waved her hand like it was nothing, "Don't give me too much credit, 'arry, you are 'ze most famous wizard in 'ze world. Anyone would recognize you if 'ey paid attention and tried."
"Huh," Harry was surprised his Polyjuice disguise was so easy to see through. "Well, I'll keep that in mind for next time."
After a few minutes of comfortable silence drinking together, Harry decided to give in to curiosity. "So, what are you doing back in England, Fleur? Last I heard you moved back to France to do something with runes after you and Bill… you know."
Fleur's perfect face cracked for a bit, revealing the real woman underneath for a second before being replaced by the practiced smile.
"Sorry," Harry apologized, noticing this. "Alcohol makes me talk before I can think."
"It's alright," She mumbled, stirring her drink absentmindedly. "'Ze 'eart is easily swayed, in war even more so. We 'ought we loved each other, but after everything calmed down and we could take 'ze time to 'zink, we realized 'zat we didn't love each other as much as we 'zought we did." She took a big swig of her drink.
"But you know what I mean, don't you, 'arry?"
"...yeah." He admitted. "I do."
"'...Ow are the Weasley's doing?" She asked with some noticeable hesitation. "I 'ave to admit 'zat I've lost touch with 'zem the last few years." She snorted, "It's 'ard to when 'alf of 'zem are mad at you."
"Tell me about it," Harry mumbled, downing another two fingers of his drink. "After Ginny and I… parted ways, I didn't see any of them other than Ron for nearly two years."
"But they're doing good," He answered, "As far as I know, at least. Arthur got promoted again, Molly is still waiting for grandkids," he smiled at the thought, "and Ron is helping out at their joke shop, and Ginny… she's living her life as a star quidditch player, happy as can be."
Noticing his saddened expression, Fleur bumped his elbow with her own, "Forget about 'zat right now. You can't drink and forget if you keep 'zinking about it." She lifted up her drink like a toast. "Let's just drink."
"Best idea I've heard all night." Harry agreed, lifting up his drinking before downing it.
After putting down the glass, Harry asked, "So, how's London treating you?"
They talked for over an hour, drinking more and more as the night went on. During which he learned that Fleur recently moved back here to work at Gringotts, despite the unhappy memories, but was making the best of it.
He told her that he had become an Auror, and a bit about his most noteworthy assignments.
It was nearing closing time when they broached the subject of their less than exciting lives.
"Mon Dieu," Fleur groaned into her glass. "Aren't we both less 'zan exciting? I can't remember 'ze last time I had fun."
"Exactly," Harry agreed with an exaggerated hand movement. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. All I ever do is work, drink or sleep."
"I know, r-right?" Fleur was slouched over the bar, more than a little tipsy. "I, for one, could use a nice, relaxing 'oliday. A nice change of pace."
"Oh that would be p-perfect!" Harry hiccupped, putting down yet another empty glass. "I can't even remember the last time I went on a holiday!"
He moved the glass away before remembering, "Wait, have I ever been on a holiday?" He asked himself.
Had he ever gone on holiday before? He couldn't even remember. The only thing he could think of was when they were on the run hunting for the horcruxes, and that was the furthest away from a holiday as you could get.
"Holy crap." He muttered, coming to the realization, "I've never gone on holiday before."
"Es-tu sérieux?" Fleur gasped, slamming down her glass with a little more force than she intended to. "Are you serious?" She asked again, "'ow 'ave you never gone on 'oliday before?"
Harry just waved his hands around in an 'I don't know' expression. "Trying not to die every year growing up didn't exactly leave me a l-lot of free time to go on h-holiday." He slurred, the alcohol making his mind cloudy.
"'Zat it unaccept-i-ble," Fleur told him, struggling with the word in her inebriated state. "Everyone needs to go on 'oliday!"
"If only I had the time," Harry sighed, "It'd be a nice change of pace."
Fleur gestured to him with her glass. "You should go on 'oliday!"
Harry snorted, "Yeah, right. Like I have time to-"
"You 'ave all 'ze time in 'ze world!" She cut him off, waving her glass in a dismissing motion. "Just do it."
Harry's mood dropped slightly, "Wish I could, but work is really busy right now-"
"You 'ate your work." She interrupted him again, "You said it yourself, you only do it to keep yourself busy."
Did he say that? Harry wondered. In his drunken state he couldn't remember, but he might've, as he really did hate his work.
"Yeah, whatever." Harry dismissed it. "That might be the case, but I can't just drop everything right now and go on holiday."
"And why not?" Fleur asked suddenly, disbelievingly. "Why can't you go on 'oliday?"
"What?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Why can't you go on 'oliday?" She asked again, putting her glass down and looking at him. "Would it really be 'zat bad? Are you really 'zat afraid of letting yourself have fun?"
Harry didn't know what to say, "W-well, I-"
She cut him off. "Are you really 'zat determined to make yourself miserable?"
"I'm not miserable." Harry defended himself, "I'm just-"
"You are miserable, 'arry. I can tell." She cut him off again, turning in her stool to look at him with her deep blue eyes. "Because I'm miserable too."
Harry looked away, not wanting to let his face betray his true feelings. Instead he took another swig of beer but found it tasteless on his tongue.
Was he miserable?
Honestly, he couldn't tell you. He couldn't, because that would require a level of self-reflection that he wasn't really interested in exploring right now.
But, if he were honest, he was tired.
...And maybe a little miserable.
God, what would Hermione think if she saw him right now?
She'd tell him to take better care of himself, that's for sure.
Harry let out a sigh, maybe Fleur was right.
He was broken out of his self-reflection by Fleur's sudden proposal, "We should go on 'oliday. Together."
"...Come again?" Harry looked at her like he misheard her.
"We should go on 'oliday together." She repeated herself, scooting over slightly closer on her stool to him. Her face alight with her usual trademark glow that had been absent the last few hours.
"...Are you serious?"
"Bien sûr!" She half-shouted in French. "Of course. We should totally go on 'oliday together!"
Harry sighed, "I don't really think-"
"Oh come on, 'arry!" She whined, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't still find her irresistible. "We're both in a slump right now. We both have 'ze money- not to mention 'e time, and we could both really use one."
"*sigh*, yeah, you're right. I could use a holiday at some point." Harry admitted. "But I-"
"We should go on one right now!"
"W-wait, 'right now' right now?" He stammered.
"Oui!" She exclaimed in French. "I've been wanting to travel and see 'zis country 'zat you Brits for some reason find so beautiful." She joked, putting her hand on his shoulder for a second before moving it away.
His shoulder burned.
"I saw in a Muggle magazine 'zat 'ze best way to travel is by car. Oh oh, we should get one of 'zose large Muggle vehicles to drive around in-"
"A van?" Harry supplied the word.
"Oui! 'Zat!" Fleur smiled, her dazzling smile nearly enchanting Harry. "I saw one of 'zose vans in 'ze magazine, it was very old but very beautiful! We should get one of 'zose to travel 'ze country in!"
"Where would we even go?" Harry couldn't help himself from asking.
Her face lit up and Harry almost blushed despite himself. "It doesn't matter." She smiled, her enthusiasm contagious. "We'd just pick a direction and go. We could get lost, away from Wizarding and Muggle kind alike, see 'zings we've never seen or imagined before. Sleep under 'ze stars, watch 'ze sunset and sunrise. Breathe clean air. Oh! It would be magnifique!"
He couldn't help the growing smile on his face.
"We should go right now!" She suddenly grabbed his hand with both of hers, the begging look on her face being enough to convince anyone to do anything. "Please, 'arry?"
Not knowing what made him agree, Harry pushed the glass away and grabbed their conjoined hands. "Fuck it, I'm in."
(Author's Note:)
Welp, that's it for now. Hope it wasn't too bad, I'm on like zero sleep, have a headache and can barely stand looking at the screen right now, so sorry for any grammar mistakes or the like.
I have no idea when the next chapter will be, inspiration comes and goes and plays a big part of what I end up getting done. But if a lot of people like this and want more, I might try to write another chapter within a few days to a week.
I have this story pretty much planned out, it'll be 5 chapters and fairly short, unlike my other multi-chapter stories.
Please leave a review, follow, favorite and check out my profile for other stories or my socials.
Next Harry Potter one-shot or short-story ideas and voting: (all pretty rough ideas right now)
Option 1: OC x OC Dueling AU - A romance story involving nothing but oc's I've made for other stories, such as Daughters Of Olympus and The Half-Blood Wars. Not canon to them, I was too lazy to create even more oc's.
It's an AU, set at Hogwarts in an unspecified time. Follows a 7th year Gryffindor witch who is a prodigy duelist. She joins a junior dueling league and is paired with a 6th year Hufflepuff Medi-witch in training who's never dueled a day in her life. Fluffy, slice of life, female/female pairing. Rated T.
Option 2: Harry x Fleur OOTP AU, Professor Fleur teaching Harry occlumency - Set during Order of the Phoenix, AU. Veela Mate-Bond. Wanting to keep an eye on Harry, but knowing that he doesn't trust his older Professors enough, Dumbledore hires a certain French Veela as the newest Hogwarts Professor, and charges her with getting to know Harry more and gain his trust. And when Snape fails to be able to train Harry in Occlumency, Dumbledore tasks Fleur to do the job. But little does Harry know that Occlumency is personal, intimate and even… sensual for Veela to use. And that they only ever use it with their mates. Romance, still a new idea, may change slightly. At least 10+ chapters. Rate M for themes, no lemons planned. But will have intimate moments.
Option 3: Harry x Daphne return for 7th year AU - Harry returns to Hogwarts for his seventh year. He's alone and doesn't know what to do now that the war is over now that Ginny died in the war. Enter the Ice Queen of Slytherin, the only person at Hogwarts who doesn't seem to care how famous he is. Harry x Daphne Greengrass. Rated T.
Option 4: Harry x Fleur fake dating Modern, no magic AU - A cute, simple, fluffy short story. Rated T.