Author's Note: Just a quick note to tell you that this is semi- AU. Harry has not yet left to find the Horocruxes, although this does take place during their seventh year. Although the story does sometimes deal with Voldemort, etc., it is not the primary focus of the story line, so I apologize if I've taken some liberties with the plot line. Anywho, thanks for your reviews, and on to the story!
"One drink to
remember, then another to forget "
-Dave Matthews Band
Chapter 2
Harry Potter, aged seventeen, had no idea what possessed him to enter Mike's this early in the day. Being the Boy-Who-Lived, he tended to favor shadier joints at more anonymous hours. Ron and Hermione, newly coupled, were gallivanting off through Hogsmeade in a manner that Harry found particularly irritating prior to his third or fourth drink. He knew Hermione didn't approve of his drinking habit, but he figured having a mental connection with a Dark Lord allowed him such distractions. On this, the first Hogsmeade visit of his seventh year, he had intended to drag his arse over to the Hog's Head and drink himself into oblivion. However, while strolling through Hogsmeade, he heard a particularly aggravating 80s hit, and decided that the oddity of this new bar was just what he need at the moment.
Entering the bar, though, he realized he had made a rather large mistake. Harry, of course, immediately spotted Malfoy sitting at the counter and drinking- was that an Appletini? it figures..- and regretted his change of plans. Although Draco Malfoy was no longer Harry's biggest worry, he had certainly not relinquished his spot on Harry's "List of People He'd Rather Not Encounter While Drinking".
Harry, however, was tired. He hadn't slept in over a week, and he wanted to drink his beer in peace. Determined to prevent any disturbances to his drinking experience, he grabbed his beer, and, plotting as he went, walked slowly over to Malfoy. Noticing Malfoy tensed in anticipation, his plan fell perfectly into place.
"Hello." Harry began cordially, and entirely out of character. That seemed to shut Malfoy up, as he downed nearly half of his Appletini in one gulp. Harry sank into his barstool and relaxed in a few minutes of quiet, accompanied by a strange feeling of comraderie.
