A/N: This was written as contribution to the Haphne Summer 2021 Collection. The collection can be found here: community/Haphne-Summer-2021-Collection/133850/
The collection was started as a way to celebrate 500 members of the Haphne discord server, which is now closing in on 800, come join if you love Haphne: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU
A thank you to Dorothea Greengrass for her suggestions and edits!
The title of the fic: Punk Rock Princess, is inspired by the song of the same name by Something Corporate.
The title of the chapter: The Rock Show, comes from the song by Blink 182. It wasn't intended as a song fic, and some aspects of the story reference some of the lyrics of the song, but I don't follow it exclusively. Hope you enjoy.
The Rock Show
'Harry, you got any plans for the weekend?' She asked as they were preparing to leave the Auror office at the end of another week.
'Yeah.'
'Oh, really? What?' Her question overflowed with doubt.
'You know. . . stuff.' His eyes went to the ground as he spoke, and the conviction in his voice was as strong as a wet paper bag.
'You are the worst liar. And I say that with no exaggeration, I truly mean the worst.'
'No, honestly. I've got plans.' It was the truth only in the academic sense, and the plans were more along the lines of what he wasn't going to do—see other people—than what he was going to do.
'Nope,' she said with a shake of the head. 'You've been dodging me way too often. It's not good for you to stay holed up in that grimy old place.'
'At least no one bothers me there,' he mumbled.
'Well, we need you to meet some people that won't bother you.'
He could sense the wheels turning in her head. She could change things about her appearance, but she couldn't change the pensive look on her face when she had an idea she couldn't let go of.
'That would most likely mean muggles,' Harry said.
'I'm glad we're on the same wavelength.' Her cheeks pulled up as the beginning of a grin began to show.
'I did not agree to anything,' he proclaimed while slowly shaking his head. He didn't actually oppose the idea of mingling with muggles, but her grin gave him pause.
'Oh come on! I've got a great idea and no one is going to bother you,' she said with a mischievous smile.
'I don't like the look on your face,' he replied with a high level of suspicion.
'You need to have some fun. No one will recognize you and we won't even have to use disguises.'
'There won't be any other wizards there?' he asked sceptically.
'I can't make any guarantees, but I think it's pretty unlikely.'
He began to protest. That sounded like a setup if there ever was one. 'I don't—'
She raised a finger to cut him off, and she assured him, 'And any that are, won't be the kind that will bother you.'
'I've yet to meet any of those types of wizards. . . or witches,' Harry stated as if that was some sort of indication of their existence.
'See, that's my point. They are out there, but you wouldn't even know because you don't put yourself in the kind of places where you might meet them. Just come,' she pleaded.
'I don't know why I'm agreeing to this, but it's not to meet people,' he conceded. 'And as soon as people start harassing me, I'm leaving.'
'Oh, I promise you won't be the star of the show. Your accent will draw more attention than your celebrity,' she said with a smile.
'Where are you taking me?' Now, he was more curious than sceptical.
'Massachusetts.'
'What could be in America that is so worth going to?'
'It's called Warped Tour. A whole bunch of bands come and play all day long. It'll be good for you to get some fresh air. You might even get high,' she considered.
'I'm not smoking anything!' Harry declared.
'You won't have to, it's like part of the ambiance. Like I said, it'll be good for you.'
'I don't know about this,' Harry said with uncertainty. Despite the fact that he had already decided to go through with it.
'No worries. Just stay up as late as you can tonight, and sleep in as long as possible tomorrow. I'll come by Grimmauld in the afternoon to pick you up.'
'Ok, this better be worth it, Tonks,' Harry said in playful accusation.
'Oh it will be,' she stated, a mirthful smile played on her lips.
Tonks came through the Floo late afternoon the next day, her Metamorphmagus abilities on full display. She had her hair in a bright pink spike mohawk about thirty centimetres tall, dark eyeshadow accentuating her violet eyes, twenty-millimetre earplugs in each ear lobe and a series of rings climbed up each ear. She had a silver spike bracelet on each wrist, a spike belt around her waist that matched, and cut off jeans overlayed black nylons that were torn in multiple spots, revealing random flashes of flesh down her legs. She wore a form-fitting black tank top that had "Bad Religion" written across the chest in bold letters. Black Doc Marten boots that reached halfway up her calf topped off the ensemble.
'Er, wow.' He blinked a few times. He may have viewed her as an older sister but that didn't mean her looks didn't cause a visceral reaction in him. He shook it off and asked, 'You sure it's ok if I go the way I am?'
He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and basic trainers.
'Yeah, only the hardcore fans go all out like me. There will be plenty of muggles dressed normal like you. But wear this so you look like you want to be there.'
She tossed him a green t-shirt. He flipped it over to look at the front.
'The Vandals?'
'Yeah, remember the dead girlfriend song I showed you a while back?'
'The one with the whistling at the beginning?'
'That's the one. This is the band that sings that song and they'll be there.'
'Oh. Ok.' He quickly changed his shirt and was ready to go.
'Take this potion, it'll help with the Transatlantic travel.'
She handed him a vial and took out another for herself.
He eyed it curiously before popping the plug and tossing it back.
'If anyone ever figures out a way to make these things taste half-decent, they could clean house,' Harry pointed out as he shook his head to try and rid himself of the potion's aftertaste.
'Shut up,' she said playfully. 'Just grab hold.' She held out a thick rope about forty centimeters in length and Harry took the offered end. Seconds later the pull from behind the navel yanked at him, and they were off.
They landed in a grass meadow, absent any people or buildings.
Tonks looked at Harry with a smile, which grew when she saw Harry's surprised face.
'Thought you were going to have to navigate magical Boston, didn't cha?' Tonks asked.
'Well, yeah.'
'Your name pulls a lot of weight, what can I say?'
'You had me registered on the Portkey before you even convinced me to come?' he asked, portraying more anger than he actually felt.
'Yeah, I had a good feeling you'd come, so I took a gamble,' she confessed. 'And here we are, it's all good now. Let's go.' She held out an arm for him to grab.
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. 'Alright, let's go.' He took hold of her arm and she Apparated them away.
They landed a few blocks away from the fairgrounds where the series of stages were set up for the concert festival. Tonks drew her fair share of looks, some glances, some stares, and numerous double-takes. There were some others that looked just as outlandish, but none with her level of attractiveness.
They spent the day going from one stage to the next, but mainly stayed near the main stage and the more popular bands. Tonks had introduced him to many of these bands already, though he didn't always remember their names. He did, however, recognize many of the songs and found the energy of watching a live performance much more exhilarating than he had imagined.
It was hot. He was sweaty, as was nearly everyone, but it did not detract from the enjoyment of the shows.
It also helped that Tonks had been correct in her assertion that nobody would recognize him, or if they did, they didn't care enough to say anything to him. His shirt garnered far more attention than his famous face. Many people were wearing similar shirts, and when they saw his, they would make eye contact and give a nod of approval. It was like they were family just by liking the same band. His whole life, this was the type of thing he'd wanted, just to be a normal person, to walk around amongst thousands of people and just be one of the crowd.
He was enjoying himself so much he not only got lost in the music but got lost from Tonks as well. He had no idea when it had happened but as he looked around, her bright pink hair was nowhere in sight.
He meandered over to the stage where the next band was playing and he recognized this one, the bagpipes gave them away. The Dropkick Murphys had a Celtic influence in their music, which made them one of Tonks' favourites. She said she always pictured Professor McGonagall rocking out with the pipes; he laughed every time that mental image entered his head. The swarm of people here was especially energetic, the homegrown artist elicited even more emotion and Harry was frequently getting bounced around as he tried to make progress through the dense crowd.
His eyes were scanning the multitude and he finally caught a glimpse of what he was looking for —pink spikes poking up above the crowd. As he got closer he could see a little more of her head and could tell she was aggressively throwing herself around in a mosh pit. He shook his head in wonderment. He had already witnessed multiple brawls break out from these circles of violence, but he wasn't surprised that Tonks would find it fun.
He pressed his way through the crowd getting closer to the action. Just before he reached the periphery of the circle he heard a female voice cry out from the middle of the mosh pit,
'Get your hands off me!'
The next part happened so fast it was nothing but a blur to his eyes, the pink hair spun and her fist flashed through the air, striking a man in the nose.
He cried out in pain and grasped his face with both hands.
She wasted no time in landing a kick between the man's legs.
No noise came from his mouth this time. A hand went to his groin, his knees buckled and he flopped to the floor, writhing in pain.
Multiple people jumped between the two.
Harry gave up any pretence of politeness and pushed his way past the last of the people separating him from the circle.
In the foray, she had been pushed to his side of the circle but was attempting to engage a couple of friends of the man she had dropped.
From behind Harry wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side and pulled her back slowly as he kept a close eye on those that were seeking revenge for their friend.
The friends had yelled some vulgar insults her way and she was not shying away.
'Who else wants a piece?' she challenged, not realizing she wasn't getting anywhere in her current state of restraint.
Harry surprised himself when he was actually able to pull her away from the crowd, even with her struggling against his grasp. She must've gotten a little excited in the pit because her hair seemed even taller and the pink even brighter than when they had arrived. Again, he just shook his head at her escapades.
'Calm down. Nobody else wants a piece of you. You showed them all you are not one to be messed with,' Harry said in a calming voice.
'That's right I did. It's called a mosh pit, not a cop-a-feel pit. Blokes want to put their hands on something that's not theirs. Well, I'll give them something they can feel,' she said, still catching her breath.
'It's ok, Tonks, you won't have to fight anyone else.' He loosened his grip and pulled his head back, and on the skin on her exposed upper back above her black tank top he noticed the top of a large lion head tattoo spanning the distance between her shoulder blades.
He didn't remember Tonks having a tattoo on her back, but then again, he never remembered looking. There were plenty of times he'd been behind Tonks today, surely he would've noticed, maybe she'd been busy while they were separated.
'Tonks? Did you just call me Tonks?' She asked, as he let go of her completely and pulled his arms back to his side.
She turned around to face him, and unless she had gone through a complete overhaul during the time they had been separated, she was definitely not Tonks. More tattoos covered her arms, and she had a pair of more traditional earrings in each ear lobe, and a bar going through the top of her right ear. Her lipstick was as pink as her hair, and there was only a light amount of eyeliner that made her ocean blue eyes pop.
His brain wasn't in computing mode, so even though he knew the question was pointless, it came out of his mouth regardless, 'You're not Tonks, are you?'
'No, I am not,' she replied matter-of-factly. 'But I know a Tonks, and she is usually rockin' pink hair—Potter?' Her eyes widened as recognition hit.
He nodded and drew in a deep breath. If she asked for an autograph, or what it was like to defeat Voldemort or any number of other questions he had gotten completely sick of answering over the past two years—yes, it had been two years, and still, he had random people accosting him to ask these questions—he would bolt faster than a spooked unicorn. He wasn't worried about needing to create a getaway plan here, he already knew finding someone would be harder than losing them. And he was curious to test Tonks' theory that any magical he ran into here wouldn't care much about his celebrity status. He had believed her more fully when they made the Trans-Atlantic journey, but now there was the slightest hint of familiarity in this woman's voice that had him curious.
'Well, shite. I didn't expect to run into you here,' she declared with an increased sense of familiarity that struck him out of place.
'I'm sorry, I feel like I should recognize you, but I'm drawing a blank on a name.'
'Daphne Greengrass.'
'Oh, hey, you're an Unspeakable!' Now he noticed something vaguely familiar in the facial features, everything else was completely different than the way she looked at work in her robes. They had only crossed paths on a few occasions at the Ministry, but from his foggy recollection, she had always seemed nothing less than professional. He knew her better by her name than any personal interaction they'd ever had. She was a rising star in the Department of Mysteries and was on the fast track to move up the ranks.
'That's right. And you're law enforcement breaking secrecy rules saying those things around here,' she deadpanned.
He anxiously checked his surroundings. They had migrated away from the part of the crowd that was packed like sardines, and it didn't look like anyone had been listening in on their conversation.
Now he had to explain himself to this witch, who was, for all anyone knew, a strait-laced Unspeakable, though her appearance and attendance here would suggest those assumptions were a tad inaccurate.
She smiled. 'Stop worrying, Potter. I don't actually care. And even if anyone could hear us, they wouldn't care either.' The music was still plenty loud, and she was right, nobody around here was giving them a second thought.
He acknowledged her statement with a nod. So, she didn't have secrecy concerns. Was that her version of a joke?
'Are you a Metamorphmagus?' he asked. 'Your hair is crazier than Tonks'.'
'My hair is better than Tonks'?' she asked with interest.
'Brighter and taller. I never said better,' he corrected.
'You just said it again. Where is she? I can't wait for her to see. She's gonna be pissed.'
'Why?' he asked in confusion. Reading girls and their emotions was still a skill he lacked.
'Because her hair is always the best. I knew she was coming here, and if we ran into each other, just once, I wanted her to be jealous of my hair like I always am of hers. I'm not a Morph, so I had to go crazy with Charms to get this. I just hope it lasts till the end of the day.'
'That's some impressive Charm work. And all the tattoos, I guess I've only ever seen you in your robes, but they look very realistic.'
'Oh, those aren't real, just temporary. They'll be gone by Sunday afternoon. The Department of Mysteries doesn't allow tattoos of any kind anymore, thanks to that whole Dark Mark fiasco,' she said with some irritation.
'Couldn't they do some kind of check?'
'Too much effort. At least, that's the excuse they give us. The DoM really quashes any individuality at work. "Look like a team, work like a team," that's our motto,' she replied with an exaggerated eye roll.
'So, is that why you're here, to feel like an individual?' he asked.
'Well, the music first. All these bands in the same place, I couldn't pass that up. I guess you could say all the dressing up is just a bonus.'
'You're not here by yourself, are you?' He couldn't remember the last time he was the one asking all the questions, outside of an interrogation, that is.
'Of course not. Sophie, Megan and Lilith are here somewhere. They just aren't much for the mosh pit, I'm a bit of an adrenaline junky.'
'You could say that again. Nothing gets the blood pumping like punching some bloke in the face. That was quite the shot by the way. How does your hand feel?'
'Oh, it's fine. See these?' she extended her hand and flayed out her fingers.
Each finger had a different letter tattooed on it, L, one word was spelt out per hand.
He nodded.
'Well, they've got a little Charm on them, it doesn't equalize like brass knuckles, but it makes them feel just as hard. So even though I'm not as powerful as those guys, it still feels like getting hit with a brick,' she said with satisfaction.
He grimaced as he thought of the man whose nose she had flattened.
'Don't you dare feel bad for that bloke! He deserved everything he got. That wasn't the first time I had told him to stop, that pervert,' she said with disdain.
'I don't. Did you know your snake is sticking its tongue out at me?' He indicated the snake tattoo that wrapped all the way down her arm and whose head was on the back of her hand.
'Yeah, Lilith works at the parlour in Knockturn and likes to have some fun with her work. We let her test out some of her Charms on us.'
'I didn't get a real good look, but how did she Charm the lion on your back?'
'A lion? That bitch!'
'Huh?'
'They always say these concerts bring out my Gryffindor, but they know I'd never let them put a lion on me. They probably think they are pretty funny.'
'Oh, come on. Lions aren't that bad,' he said with a coy smile. He shocked himself with how easy the flirtatious tone came out. It was a good thing he didn't think about it, otherwise, he would've botched the whole thing. His flirting skills were only marginally better than his ability to read women's emotions, and that was an extremely low bar to clear.
'I suppose there are some lions that have been useful,' she replied with a coquettish grin.
One of the main reasons his flirting skills had never developed was because even when he tried to practice he almost always got the swooning response. He could've delivered the worst line in the world and the girl would just melt. It was rather annoying and it had made him give up the attempt at meeting new people for almost the last year.
Daphne though, didn't just not swoon, she had an actual, coherent response. And now, he was the one left without being able to put words together in response.
As if she knew he wasn't going to come up with a reply she continued the conversation herself, 'So, you having fun? I see Tonks at shows pretty often but never you. This has to be one of your first.'
'You're right, it is. And yeah, it's been a lot of fun. But I lost Tonks somewhere along the way. And that's how I ran into you, looking for her,' he explained.
'Well, you're not going to find her just standing around. Blink is playing on the main stage next. No way she'll miss that.' She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.
She pulled him as close to the stage as they could get before the crowd was packed too tightly.
The band started to play and they started bobbing their heads, and jumping up and down in place. A few mosh pits formed, but none close to where they were currently standing.
'Have you ever moshed before?' Daphne asked in a yell.
'No,' Harry replied.
'You should try it. It's so much fun.'
'It doesn't look that fun.'
'It's not that bad. Most people don't throw punches. . . intentionally. Just keep your arms up and your head on a swivel. Then just bump your shoulder into people, like this—'
She lunged toward him, lowering her shoulder and delivering a blow he was not prepared for. He went flailing into the couple of people standing next to him. They didn't even seem particularly agitated, they just pushed him back in Daphne's direction. She met him with another shoulder he wasn't ready for.
'This is how they start. Get ready,' she warned.
No sooner had she given her warning than a man behind them yelled, 'Mosh pit!' He and a few other guys right beside crashed together and those individuals not interested in the mayhem cleared out. Soon about fifteen people were running around, arms and elbows flailing and running into anybody they could find.
Harry used the chaos to escape the action and found himself on the edge. He was comfortable here, he could enjoy the music and watch the madness going on in front of him. Occasionally, someone would careen his way and he would push them back into the pit, but overall, he wasn't much in the fray, and that's how he liked it.
His comfort was short-lived, as Daphne spotted him her next pass around.
'Hey, what are you doing out there?' She landed a right hook on his left shoulder.
'Ow!' he cried. That did feel like a brick.
'You can't ditch me. Get in here!'
She grabbed him by the wrist and slingshotted him into the middle of the melee.
At this point he had no choice but to participate, it was that or get beat around like a rag doll.
He started throwing his body around. He was a little tentative at first. He had never been a huge fan of physical contact in the first place, and slamming into sweaty bodies wasn't something he previously would have thought of as fun. All it took was a couple collisions and the adrenaline overtook the logical part of his brain and he embraced the violent nature of the entertainment.
Harry stayed in the pit until the song was over. He managed to make it through without taking any major blows and was surprised to discover he had enjoyed himself.
Once was enough though, he would stick to flying for his adrenaline fix and he escaped the group before he could get sucked in as the next song began.
After a few more passes around the circle Daphne decided to join him on the edge, panting to catch her breath.
'Not bad for your first time, Potter,' she breathed.
'Thanks, I think your punch was the worst thing though.'
'Just wanted you to feel like a normal person, not some special celebrity. And not many of us could assault our great hero without getting taken in for questioning.'
He laughed, then without thinking said, 'Who says I'm not going to take you in?' he added a roguish grin.
Where did that come from? That wasn't him talking.
'Do you want to interrogate me?' Daphne replied with an impish grin.
What was that supposed to mean? How do you answer that? Was she talking about interrogation, or something else?
'I—I don't know. I—thanks for treating me like a normal person,' he stammered.
'Anytime, Potter.' Her smile was almost evil. What had she just implied?
'I didn't say you could punch me anytime!' he declared, after realizing how she could interpret the conversation.
'Damn!' she was foiled.
They enjoyed the rest of the set and went with the flow of the crowd as everyone migrated to different stages to see another act.
'Hey, there's Tonks,' proclaimed Daphne.
Tonks saw them as well and made her way over.
'Harry!' Tonks said with a big smile. 'Daphne!' She looked between the two of them, pursed her lips and gave an approving nod.
'Shut it, Tonks!' exclaimed Daphne.
'Hey, I was just gonna congratulate you on your hair. I Gotta hand it to you, you outdid me, for once,' she complimented with a smug grin.
'I'm sure,' Daphne smirked.
Harry didn't know what was going on between these two. They obviously knew each other, and more than just from whatever interactions they'd had at the Ministry. But there was something unspoken going on between them and he couldn't put his finger on it.
'I didn't think you were planning on coming,' Tonks inquired.
'It was kinda last minute but once we saw the lineup, we couldn't pass it up,' Daphne explained.
'Good call, it's been awesome so far.'
'Yeah, I'm glad we came. But I'll be honest, I thought you would be more upset that my hair is better than yours,' Daphne said with a little disappointment.
'Nah, I'm just glad to see you up your game.' She waved off the potential slight.
Tonks was playing it way too cool. She took a tremendous amount of pride in being the most unique and bizarre. He wouldn't put it past her to withhold her displeasure to thwart Daphne's satisfaction at besting her.
'But I'm jealous of the tats, those are awesome. Lilith do them?' Tonks asked in genuine admiration.
'Yeah, you should come by. She'd give you a good deal if you let her practise her Charms.'
'I'd love to, but I can't have Teddy see them. I'm not ready for what he would do if he knew he could decorate himself.'
'Do you even need to go to the parlour to get them?' Harry asked.
'Well, no.' She turned her arm to him and a badger appeared on her upper arm. 'But half the fun of a tattoo is the pain you have to go through to get it.'
'It hurts?' Harry asked. This question was directed at Daphne as he was scanning the tattoos she had.
'Oh yeah! Like a bitch. There are numbing Charms she can use to lessen the pain but you're a wuss if you use them,' Daphne answered. 'Just come get one where Teddy can't see.'
'Nah, there's no point if it's not visible. Maybe, when he's older, I can wait,' Tonks said.
'Well, I better go find my friends,' Daphne said, starting to survey the audience around them.
'You're gonna miss The Living End if you don't hurry back.'
'Don't worry, I'll be back. Careful in the pit, the Aussies get crazy.'
'Aussies?' Harry questioned.
'The Living End is a bunch of Australians,' Tonks explained.
'But we're in America.'
'She was making a joke,' Tonks stated dryly.
'Oh,' Harry said feeling foolish. Both girls smiled at his expense but didn't rub it in. At least they didn't make too much fun at his lack of experience with the scene.
'The real question is, did you really get Harry in the mosh pit?' Tonks asked incredulously.
Daphne nodded with a satisfied smile.
'Yeah, Daphne was showing me how she likes to have fun at concerts. Forced me to go into the mosh pit with her. Her version of fun hurts.' He rubbed the spot on his shoulder where she had socked him. The area was tender, surely a bruise was already forming.
'Well, you survived. That's kinda your style of fun,' Tonks grinned.
Harry grimaced. Tonks' version of humour didn't always align with his, but she basically was family so he put up with it.
Daphne gave a quizzical look but if she had a question, she didn't ask. 'I really need to go now. See ya, Tonks. Bye, Harry. Don't be a stranger.' A wink and a wave and she turned to leave without waiting for a response. She started singing to herself just as she started to leave 'I never thought that I was strange. . . '
Harry didn't take his eyes off her as she walked away. Her cut off jeans ended at the very top of her thighs and this was his first good look at her long toned legs, a little sound of a whistle went off in his head. Merlin bless muggles and their aversion to robes.
'Like the view?' Tonks asked teasingly, snapping him from his trance.
'Er, she has a lion tattooed on her back,' he stated.
'Yeah, and your eyes were searching for the tail.'
'I'd say I was enjoying her legs more.' His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said.
Tonks laughed, 'I told you getting out would be good for you. You're already loosening up.'
'I think that might be the weed.' The smell of marijuana was inescapable, he had stopped noticing it after the first hour. Could that have been what had loosened his tongue more than usual, or was it just the atmosphere in general? He'd never know.
'Who would've guessed a little second-hand smoke and a hot girl was all you needed to have some fun?'
'She's not—I was having fun before,' he proclaimed.
'You were humouring me before. I saw you guys walking over here and it looked like you were actually enjoying yourself,' she explained.
'Yeah, I guess it was different after I got into it,' he conceded.
'Good. I thought maybe you'd meet some muggle but Daphne isn't the worst witch you could've met.'
'Why do you say that?'
'She'd be good for you. Get you out of your shell. You're obviously interested in her, and I'd guess she is at least a little interested in you. It's too bad you'd never ask her out.' Tonks put a challenge in her tone.
'I would,' Harry said with petulance.
'Oh, yeah? Who was the last date you asked out? And Neville doesn't count.'
'Neville's gay!'
'And did you know that before you asked him to go to the Ministry Social with you?' she asked, already knowing the answer but needing to prove her point.
'Well, no. You already know how we ended up going together. It was just supposed to be a dumb statement against the date requirement for the event.'
'Oh, it was a statement alright! When he linked his arm with yours right as you entered. Your face was priceless.'
'Worst thing I ever did was debunk those rumours. Those were the most peaceful three weeks of my life,' he said.
'Point still stands, every date you've been on has been set up for you.'
'So, you think I should ask Daphne out?'
'I know she's not seeing anyone right now. I'm pretty sure she dumped her last boyfriend because he was too boring.'
'Why does it feel like you are challenging me and trying to scare me off at the same time?'
'I just don't want to get your hopes up. She's not going to go with you just for your status. I don't want to deal with your depression if things fall flat on your first date, or if she rejects you altogether. That's if you even ante up and ask her in the first place. . . You won't.' The challenge was undeniable.
Even worse, she didn't put anything on the challenge, just his pride. He wouldn't let her take that from him, not without a fight.
'I will! And she'll say yes,' Harry said as if saying the words would help summon the confidence he was portraying from some hidden recess of his body.
'Big talk for a guy whose last date was with a dude.'
'That wasn't my last—'
'Shut up, the band is starting to play,' Tonks said with a smile. Then she pushed her way into the crowd.
Harry shook his head and followed her into the mass, an unfamiliar smile on his face. Today had been fun, and there was one aspect of it that had been particularly intriguing. And the prospect of following up with that intrigue was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating.