Things to know:
-harry and Parvati have been broken up for about…6 months
-awkward to say the least
-parvati's been dating another guy for a month
-this chapter is harry/Parvati, but also a Dudley, since…just cause
-however…Dudley FINALLY finds someone for himself!
-Ron and Hermione…still not married, but still engaged

Awkward.

That was one word to describe the setting, Dudley decided. He, Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were at a Weird Sisters' concert and saw Parvati entering with her new beau: Rylie Potts. Needless to say, Dudley had a lot of fun with the bloke's name.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked away.

"You could get rid of him in a second," Dudley reminded him.

Harry tensed. "I'm not proposing to her," he snapped.

Dudley shrugged. "Your choice. You're miserable without her, though."

"According to Padma, she's miserable too," Dean put in.

"Padma thinks everyone is miserable. It makes her feel better about the fact she's fat," Harry muttered.

"She's pregnant," Dean said, not offended.

"I've been avoiding her lately," Dudley admitted. "She keeps getting on me about the fact I'm single. She thinks I should be married and that my wife should be in the same torture she's in."

"Thing is," Neville put in. "She's still in her first trimester."

They all laughed.

"I don't-," Dudley broke off as he caught sight of someone. "Beautiful."

Harry followed his gaze and smirked. "She's about three years younger than you."

"You know her?" Dudley asked, not even masking his interest.

"Elaine Meyers," Harry answered. "Mikey used to date her for about half a minute."

Dudley's eyes widened. "That is Elaine Meyers? No wonder Mikey dated her. She's gorgeous."

"And about three years younger than you," Neville reminded him.

"Please do not talk, Mr. I'm-Marrying-Prencess-Patil-Who-Is-Two-Years-Younger-Than-Me-And-Younger-Sister-Of-Our-Best-Friends," Dudley said in one breath without looking at Neville.

Dean laughed. "He's got you there, mate."

"Come on Seamus, back me up," Dudley said.

"She's one fine lass," Seamus said, nodding sheepishly.

"I think-," Dudley started before cutting off.

Parvati and Rylie came into the seats in front of Dudley and Harry. Parvati smiled sheepishly. "I guess we're sitting together."

Harry raised his eyebrows but said nothing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Harry couldn't stand Rylie. He turned to Dudley. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Dudley nodded at Rylie and walked off with Harry. "Harry-."

"Don't even," Harry snapped. "I don't like him."

"You like him even less because you want her back," Dudley said plainly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "She made her choice."

"After you and her had this torrid affair about a month after you guys broke up," Dudley reminded him.

"I know," Harry deadpanned. "I was there. There's nothing I can do. We're friends, nothing more."

"You guys were friends who were sleeping together-."

"Elaine!" Harry called out to the girl in the middle of Dudley's sentence and by Dudley's face he wasn't pleased. He never did like being interrupted in the middle of a sentence.

"Wanker," he whispered.

Elaine Meyers didn't look a day over 19. Tall, curvaceous and gorgeous were words used to describe her, but she wasn't stupid like many people thought she was. She graduated as Head Girl, top of her class.

Elaine smiled brightly, the white of teeth contrasting with the darkness of her skin. "Arry!" she spoke with a French accent that never faded even after twelve years in the British Isles. She kissed both his cheeks and smiled shyly at Dudley. "Comment ça va?"

"I'm fine," Harry answered. "This is my cousin, Dudley Dursley."

Elaine smiled. "Bonjour, Dudley."

"Bonjour, mademoiselle."

Harry hid his shock. He never knew Dudley spoke French.

"Vous parlez français?" she asked.

"Naturellement," Dudley answered.

"Que magnifique!"

Harry backed away slowly. "How about I'll see you later, Dud?"

The two ignored him and Harry walked away smiling.

He ignored Parvati who was talking to Neville and sat next to Ron.

"How'd it go?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded toward where Dudley and Elaine were talking rapidly and laughing. "See for yourself."

Ron laughed and slapped Harry's back. "Dudley, that old dog!"

Neville looked away from Parvati. "They're talking to each other?"

Seamus pointed at them, Parvati followed their gazes.

"Isn't that the girl Michael was dating a few years ago?" Parvati asked incredulously.

"Elaine Meyers," Seamus nodded. "Hell, if I knew that she'd turn out like that," he trailed off.

Harry laughed. "Even as a first year, she was always a cute little thing, huh?"

Parvati didn't smile. "Never liked her."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't like anyone."

"Well?" Parvati crossed her arms over her chest.

"Calm down, Parvati," Rylie said in his deep baritone.

Parvati looked at him and turned in her seat and began speaking to Rylie quietly.

Harry was about to say something but Neville shoved him and the concert was starting so Harry saved his comment for later.

After the concert, Dudley asked Elaine to a nearby café. After being seated they continued conversation that was surprisingly easy and not at all awkward.

"So of course, I fall flat on my face in front of him," Elaine explained referring to an old crush on one of her professors at Hogwarts.

Dudley laughed. "I remember, he started in my seventh year. All the girls were in love with him."

Elaine nodded. "Yes, I even had a, how you say it, spat? with one of my friends for getting detention with him."

Dudley shook his head. "I thought it was pathetic."

"I was fourteen!" Elaine exclaimed. "Of course I was pathetic. But you cannot say that you never had a crush on a teacher!"

"I was head over heels for McGonagall," Dudley deadpanned.

"She was very attractive in her age," Elaine told him. "I saw an old yearbook of Hogwarts when she first started working there."

"Yeah, uncle James did say something about McGonagall almost being his mum. His father had dated her."

Elaine laughed. "That's hilarious! Could you imagine calling McGonagall grand-mere?"

"No, and I kind of don't want to," Dudley said, rubbing his ear.

"Oh, I embarrassed you," Elaine smiled.

"Maybe a little," Dudley shrugged.

She leaned over the table and kissed his cheek. "Could you forgive me?"

Dudley smirked. "I don't know. I think I need more encouragement."

Elaine stuck her tongue out at him. "You'll have to find it within yourself."

Dudley laughed. She was definitely some kind of girl.

After Rylie took her home after the concert, Parvati decided to apparate into Harry's apartment. She wasn't prepared to see another woman sitting on the couch with Harry watching a film.

She cleared her throat. Both of them turned to look at her; the girl in interest, Harry in annoyance. I'll give him annoyance, she thought.

"Hi," she held her hand out to the girl. "I'm Parvati Patil."

She smiled. "I'm Lisa Torres. Nice to meet you."

"It is," Parvati lied. She smiled at Harry. "I actually need to talk to Harry. Do you mind?"

Parvati saw Lisa shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. "Thank you."

She walked into Harry's bedroom and stared out the window until Harry closed the door behind him. "Who's that?" she asked after she turned to face him.

Harry shrugged. "Lisa Torres. We went to school with her before Hogwarts. She was friends with Alicia Wisner."

Parvati blanched and then laughed. "You have got to be kidding me! Why is she here?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you," Harry told Parvati.

That stung. "Okay. Fine. Enjoy your film with Lisa Torres who looked like a mountain troll."

"Looked. As in past-tense," Harry shrugged.

"That isn't why I came here," Parvati said. "What on earth was wrong with you at the concert? You were so rude to Rylie."

"Am I supposed to like him?" Harry exclaimed. "You can't ask me to like him. "Five months ago you stood right here and demanded that we remain friends for the sake of nostalgia but no where in our agreement did it say that I had to like whatever bloke you decide to date."

"Harry!"

"What?" Harry cried. "What do you want from me, Parvati?"

Parvati shook her head. "I-," she broke off and kissed Harry. Harry groaned; half in frustration, half in pleasure. He cursed himself for letting Parvati affect him like that, but couldn't curse himself enough to step away when Parvati stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. She broke from the kiss and began to place small kisses down the curve of his neck. "Think of that while you're with Lisa Torres." Then she disapparated.

And that's when Harry cursed himself out loud. He took a deep breath and then walked out to sit with Lisa.

"Is everything okay?" Lisa asked. "You looked flushed."

Harry shook his head. "She just gets under my skin sometimes."

Lisa nodded. "I know how that is sometimes. Alicia still does it to me to this day."

Harry sincerely doubted that Alicia got to Lisa like Parvati got to him.

Hours later, Dudley walked Elaine home. She still lived wit her parents in a posh apartment complex in downtown London, near The Leaky Cauldron. He didn't want the night to end. The last time he'd connected with a person on this level was years ago at Hogwarts and she had died during the war.

"Thank you very much for the evening," she said when they were in front of her building.

"No, thank you, mademoiselle," Dudley corrected. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "At a risk of being too forward, how would like to have dinner with me tomorrow?"

Elaine frowned. "Actually, I have plans."

Dudley deflated. "Oh."

"However, we can have dinner the day after," she suggested.

Dudley smiled. "It's a date."

Elaine smiled brightly. "Yes, it is."

Sorry for the long wiat, but inspiration comes and goes. no major plot in this one, but I like it anyway. FINALLY dudley has a hopeful love interest. Also, to mak eupdates faster, if anyone has a specific perosn they want to read more about, just let me know, and that way, i won't have to wrack my brain for someone to write about.