...Two Months Later...

"I can't believe that was his first feature film." Harry commented as they exited the theatre. Leicester Square was busy with tourists and theatre goers, but his date easily led him through the crowds.

Brandon gave Harry a wide, enthused smile. "And he was only 26 when it came out!" He paused outside a pub. "Want to go in here for a drink? We can talk some more."

Harry glanced at the pub. "Bear and Staff? Is this one of those bear bars I've heard about?" He smiled to show Brandon he was joking.

Luckily the man chuckled and went into the pub, finding them a quiet corner to sit so they could hear each other speak. "You really are new gay culture, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged. Educate me." Harry ordered a pint of pale ale when the server came by.

Brandon ordered a pint too, along with nachos. "The slang started back when being gay was persecuted, a coded way to talk in public. You know what bears are, right?"

"Chubby guys with beards and body hair." Harry replied, taking a sip of his ale. He was enjoying this date so far. Brandon was around his age, and easy to talk with. He wasn't that good looking, a little tall and gangly, but Harry liked that he seemed smart and comfortable with himself. His hair was medium brown and on the longer side.

Brandon nodded. "And younger guys like that are called cubs. How about twinks?"

"Young, hardly any hair, more feminine." Harry supplied, thinking back on one of his earlier dates. That guy had been fun and flirty, but not really Harry's type. "So, what am I? Someone referred to me as a wolf once, but I wasn't sure if that was meant as a compliment."

Giving Harry an assessing glance with his dark eyes, Brandon shook his head. "Wolves have a medium build and some body hair, but are pretty sexually aggressive. Maybe you got called that because you are publicly dating so much."

The nachos arrived, and Brandon thanked the server reverently before digging in. "Have some, there's lots."

Harry picked up a tortilla chip with a good amount of melted cheddar on it, and scooped up some salsa before taking a bite. The salsa had a little kick, but wasn't too spicy. "So, not a wolf then." He had been dating lots, but hadn't had much sex.

"I'd say you were an otter. Body like a wolf but not such a player." The tall man had already eaten three chips as Harry finished his first. Obviously his thin frame came from a high metabolism.

"What else is there?" Harry asked, enjoying learning more about this. Gay culture was so much different than straight culture.

"Gym rats, pigs, chicken hawks... frankly it's hard to keep up with all the slang. I just go to the Urban Dictionary website to figure things out." Brandon wiped his fingers on a paper napkin before taking a big sip of his drink.

Harry nodded. "What are you?"

"I'm a giraffe." Brandon straightened up in his chair, blinking down at Harry serenely, before chuckling and relaxing back into his previous posture.

Harry shook his head. "You are the first guy I've dated who knows more about muggles than I do."

"Well, those gay labels are used by wizards too. But muggles use them a lot on hook-up apps." Brandon pulled out his smart phone and showed Harry how a popular one worked.

Harry took the last chip that had cheese on it, and dipped it in the guacamole. "How do you know all this? Do you live or work in a muggle area?"

Brandon shook his head. "No, but I was raised by muggles like you were. My parents are totally OK with me being a wizard, and I often spend time at their place. I keep up with that world to be able to relate with them and my old muggle friends."

"Do your muggle friends know you can do magic?" Harry asked, wondering how you could keep the secret from people you were close to.

"Nah. I'm pretty good at evading that. We just get involved talking about films or books, and pretty soon get debating about something." Brandon shrugged.

They went back to discussing the film they had just seen, Harry enjoying his deep knowledge about the topic. He was having a good time.

It was quite late by the time they left the pub, and the square was almost empty. It made the reporter more obvious when he followed them, and Harry did his best to ignore him, even though it still irked him. After so many months, it was getting easier to ignore press.

They stopped in the underground station. Brandon was heading south to go home, Harry east. "Well, this has been fun. Thanks for taking me to the movies, Brandon."

"They are showing 'Rope' in a couple weeks. One of Hitchcock's more controversial films." He took a step closer, his meaning clear.

Harry swallowed hard. Should he agree to go out again with Brandon? Did he like him that way? He wasn't that sure. "Um, yes, we should go see that." Might as well spend more time together to see how he felt.

Brandon looked pleased. He bent down a little, his goodnight kiss quick but confident. "I'll owl you later. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight." Harry had noticed a flash, and knew the reporter had taken a picture of that. Irritation flared inside him, and he almost pushed Brandon against a wall to give him a deep, dirty kiss. Just do something defiant. Instead, he just turned to go, catching the reporter turning away as well. The kiss would probably be in the paper tomorrow.

Sighing, Harry tried not to let that bother him, or spoil his enjoyment of the night. Overall, it had been a success. He had seen a classic movie on the big screen, had an interesting conversation with an intelligent man, and ended up liking each other enough to plan for a second date. No big drama here. Just two people dating.

It had been over two months of this, Clementine's Operation Gay Extravaganza. She had sent him on at least a couple of dates a week, and it had only been truly awful for the first couple of weeks. A pack of reporters following him everywhere, flashing cameras going off constantly. But when Harry kept dating other men and ignoring the press, their numbers fell and fewer papers carried stories about him. That Harry Potter was gay and dating was an old story by then.

There was still always at least one or two around, often freelancers hoping to catch Harry doing something scandalous. The first goodnight kiss had made the papers, but rarely did anymore. Most dates that had gone reasonably well seemed to end with one. A way to make it clear it was a date, not just two blokes hanging out. To see if there was any chemistry.

As Harry rode the subway back to his neighbourhood, he thought about all the guys he had dated. Clementine had fun with it, setting him up with a wide variety of men, and only giving him a quick overview of each one. They had ranged in ages from a few years younger to almost twenty years older than Harry. All sorts of body types, ethnicities and careers. Harry learned to just get to know the guys and have fun trying something different for the night.

He had been all over London on dates, ranging from dark hole in the wall bars for live jazz, to the Royal Albert Hall for a full orchestra playing Beethoven. Been to many Quidditch matches, but also to watch muggle football and rugby. Plays, movies, comedy clubs. Eating casually in pubs like tonight to fine dining. It was great doing things outside his comfort zone, being open to new experiences.

Most dates ended up being guys he only saw once and didn't get along with well enough to date again. A handful had ended up friends, guys he enjoyed spending time with but had no chemistry with. A couple had ended up being lovers.

That had come as a bit of a surprise, the first time he didn't want a goodnight kiss to stop. Tristan had felt the same, slipping Harry a slip of paper with his address and the word 'Midnight' on it. They had made their official goodbyes and gone home, the press dropping off.

Harry used his old tricks to get to Tristan's unfollowed at the specified time. It had been exciting, having Tristan haul him inside his flat and kiss him so hard, pressing him against the door. Harry was just as eager, working the other man's clothes off, and urging him into the bedroom.

It was a fun night, but Harry hadn't felt any urge to contact Tristan to repeat it. Tristan hadn't either, and he hadn't gone to the press to spill it all. Harry liked this side of gay sexuality, knowing that sometimes sex was just for sex.

The next guy Harry felt attracted to was Edgar. He was ten years older than Harry, and travelled a lot for his work as an art dealer. He took Harry to a Moroccan restaurant and told him about the country as they ate with their hands. Harry used Tristan's trick, slipping his address and the time to Edgar before the end of the night.

Edgar had shown up, but they ended up in the study. They kissed, and it was good, but Edgar didn't let things progress beyond that. They ended up talking until they were both yawning, and Edgar took the floo network back home.

Harry had wanted to see Edgar again, but his busy schedule made it hard. They had only seen each other once more since then, but had agreed to a third date when he was back in the country.

By the time Harry was in bed, he was tired but not quite ready to sleep. He reflected back on his life the last few months, thinking how much things had changed. He was still just working regular hours as an auror, and found he was more often stepping back to let the younger aurors get a chance to shine. He hadn't been to a charity gala for months, quite happy to be out of that spotlight. Clementine had his life running quite smoothly, and she had even helped him hire painters to brighten up Grimmauld Place.

He was busier in his off-hours now, often seeing friends on the nights he didn't have dates. They teased him constantly about his sex life, and he just gave them a mysterious shrug.

Overall, things were much better than they were before. He was living the life of a man in his twenties. Even the newspapers didn't write about him as much.

But still, when he was alone in his quiet house, his thoughts went invariably back to Draco. Where had he gone all this time? What was he doing? Did he think about Harry anymore? Regret how things had ended?

He had been angry, sad and numb when Draco had first left. When Clementine had started her campaign, Harry gritted his teeth, putting on a pleasant face for his dates and the press. Those first weeks he focussed mostly trying to ignore the cameras being shoved in his face and trying not to punch somebody in anger. Eventually, the press eased off and he was actually glad to be going on the dates to keep himself from brooding over Draco at home.

Harry tried hard to forget the man. So what, they had been attracted to each other and it hadn't worked out. Things like that happened all the time to people.

...

"Harry, there was a funny letter in the post today. It's marked confidential and addressed to a 'James'..." Clementine walked into the kitchen holding an envelope, looking over it for a return address.

Almost dropping his knife on his foot, Harry lunged forward to snatch it out of her hands. "I'll take care of that, thanks." He shoved it into his pocket and tried to act normal as he went back to chopping onions.

She gave him a strange look, but seemed to dismiss it. "What are you cooking?"

"Just a quick stir fry. Ron is popping by to watch the game with me." Harry started chopping up broccoli.

Clementine shook her head. "I still don't understand why you do all this by hand. It's so much quicker with a wand."

"I like cooking. Now get out of here. I can't have a proper boy's night if you are still in the house." Harry's teasing tone made sure Clementine knew he was joking.

As soon as she left, Harry dug the letter out and opened it, sinking down on to a chair.

Dear James,
You still have nine sessions left on your package. We have hired new staff since Dante's departure, and I would love to meet with you to discuss your options.
Monique

Harry sighed in disappointment, and shoved the letter back in his pocket. His first though was that Draco had sent him a letter through that channel.

Amazing to think he had only three sessions with Draco. They had been so intense. Could he ever go back to that place?

Harry scoffed at himself. Was it somehow disloyal to go back? Why was he worrying what Draco might think about it, when he wasn't around and gave Harry no sign that he ever would be?

Maybe it would be best to go. Have sessions with other men. Do all the things he had gone there for in the first place. He was out now but he was still not having much sex. He could even explore BDSM some more. Maybe it would help drive Draco from his thoughts. Give him some closure.

He heard Ron arriving through the floo and went to see him. He was dressed casually in jeans and an orange hoodie for his favourite Quidditch team, looking like his teenage self in many ways. He had filled out though, with a man's body now instead of a scrawny teen who had grown tall so fast. He was a good looking man, but Harry had never felt any pull of attraction towards him.

"Come on, I'm just going to cook up our dinner." Harry beaconed Ron into the kitchen, watching fondly as the ginger ambled over to the ice box to get them both a beer.

They took the meal into the study, and turned on the television. It still felt odd watching televised Quidditch, a rather new development. It was charmed so the game would only show on wizarding televisions.

At half time, Harry turned the volume down. "Remember your Christmas gift?"

Ron was still for a second, and then a huge smirk went across his face. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, remember that I told you that I went a few times? Months ago?" Harry wasn't entirely sure why he was bringing this up.

"Yeah..." Ron could tell Harry was uncomfortable, and he dropped the grin.

Harry took a deep breath. "It was around the time I started seeing that old friend, you remember...the bloke..."

Ron nodded, picking at the label on his bottle.

"Well, I stopped going to that place when things got more serious with that guy, but then our picture got in the paper, and you know what happened then." Harry said the last part fast, still having a hard time talking about it.

Ron shifted, crossing his legs. "Are you still feeling bad about that? I think there should be stricter laws about the press butting into people's personal lives..."

Harry put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Ron had been very angry on his behalf when the story had outed Harry. "No, I had a question about something else. Do you think it would be weird if I went back to that place? I never used up all the sessions in the package."

Ron went back to smirking. "Do you really need to now? You are going out with guys all the time."

"Just because I go out with them, doesn't mean I'm having sex with them." Harry was shocked that his best friend believed the trashy newspaper stories.

Ron shrugged. "Isn't that one of the perks of being gay? Getting to have more sex?"

Harry sighed, regretting even bringing the topic up. He faced back towards the TV, turning the volume back up. "Just fucking forget it."

They sat in silence, watching the sports commentators dissecting the last goal in great detail. Harry was too irritated to take much in.

Ron kept shooting him sideways glances, knowing he had screwed up. Finally he said softly, "It's OK if you go back there, Harry. You don't owe that bloke anything."

It was the validation Harry was looking for, even though Ron didn't know the whole story and couldn't really judge it fairly. But it still felt good to get it. Harry shot him a glance, and nodded.

...

-A/N: Thanks for reading & being so patient with the twists & turns this story is taking.

-Brandon takes Harry to see Citizen Kane at the Prince Charles Theatre on their date.

-Citizen Kane: This 1941 movie is considered by many to be on the best films of all time. "It is particularly praised for its cinematography, music, editing and narrative structure, which have been considered innovative and precedent-setting." (Wikipedia). The Rotten Tomatoes website's critical consensus states: "Orson Welles's epic tale of a publishing tycoon's rise and fall is entertaining, poignant, and inventive in its storytelling, earning its reputation as a landmark achievement in film."

The main character was partly based on the millionaire American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst tried to quash the movie, threatening libel lawsuits and to publish editorials about Hollywood hiring practices that would smear many studios. Soon afterwards, other studios' executives offered RKO Pictures $805,000 to destroy all prints of the film and burn the negative. An underage girl was even hidden in Orson Welles' hotel room when he was on a lecture tour, with photographers planted nearby. The resulting publicity would have put Welles in jail, but he was tipped off about it and didn't go back to the hotel that night. Upon its release, Hearst prohibited mention of the film in any of his newspapers. He also pressured movie theaters not to show the film. This likely contributed to the movie failing to even break even at the box office.

Despite all that, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, but only won for writing. It really started to get wider acclaim when it was shown in television in the mid-1950s. By 1958, poll of over 100 film historians named Citizen Kane one of the top ten greatest films ever made, and it has remained there for most critics.

-Princes Charles Theatre: This is central London's wild card cinema, running a fantastic blend of new-ish blockbusters, independent and arthouse titles with horror, sci-fi and teen-flick all-nighters, double bills and short seasons. It's the type of place that runs all the 'Harry Potter' films back-to-back in one 22-hour sitting. Cheap, comfy, and with great programming, it is directors Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino's favorite UK cinema.

-Rope: Hitchcock's 1948 thriller notable for taking place in real time and being edited so as to appear as a single continuous shot through the use of long takes. It was controversial and banned in many theatres for appearing to have gay murderers as the main characters. Plot: "Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime." (IMDB).

-Gay slang: It has been around and evolved over hundreds of years. Being LGBTQ was against the law and widely discrimated against for most of history, and only in recent decades more mainstream in some countries. "Because of sodomy laws and threat of prosecution due to the criminalization of homosexuality, LGBT slang also serves as an argot, a secret language and a way for the LGBT community to communicate with each other publicly without revealing their sexual orientation to others." (Wikipedia).