Title: Life Finds a Way
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Year 2 Assignment: 1
Task: Anthropology, task 3 linguistic anthropology
Prompt: write about someone who speaks another language
Diagon Alley Adoption Centre: number 15, Bexasaurus the Velociraptor or number 63, Kermit the Frog
Prompt: [character] Harry Potter or [plot point] an awkward situation
Disney Magic: Jungle Book, number 4
Prompt: [action] running away from something.
Gotta Catch 'Em All: number 322, Numel, type 1 fire
Prompt: [first line] Who knew that today was going to end up like this?
Jurassic Park: sign
Prompt: [dialogue] "Life finds a way."
Moon Festival: Draco, games number 2
Prompt: [emotion] jealousy
Care Packages: letters, number 18
Prompt: [dialogue] "Promise me that you won't tell anyone."
Exploring Space: other, shooting star
Prompt: [dialogue] "If only wishing on a star could actually change things."
Epic Tales: The Saga of the Volsungs, number 24
Prompt: [emotion] jealousy
Writing club
Character Appreciation: number 12 (BONUS)
Prompt: [plot point] Write about someone finding something that nobody else ever has (BONUS); [character] Harry Potter (BONUS)
The Forecast says: 27th: Sunny
Prompt: [character] Harry Potter
Music Mayhem: number 20, From Eden
Prompt: [dialogue] "There's something tragic about you."
Days of the Year: number 5, international day of charity
Prompt: write about helping someone in need
Actor Appreciation: number 16, Fluent in French
Prompt: write about someone who can speak another language
Prompt Parlour: characters, number 1
Prompt: [character] Harry Potter
Prime Time: number 22
Prompt: [dialogue] "My people skills are rusty."
Showtime: number 6, I could talk to you all night
Prompt: [dialogue] "Our friends are probably wondering where we've been."
Room of Requirement: number 7
Prompt: [emotion] disbelief
Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts
Slug and Jiggers: number 1, aconite
Prompt: [dialogue] "I'm sorry."
Owl Delivery: character number 6, Seamus Finnegan; setting 1, Privet Drive
Prompts: [emotion] disbelief; [dialogue] "I'd rather live a dull life than a dangerous one."
Shop Until you Drop: three sets of plain black robes
Prompt: [character] Draco Malfoy
House Bingo: A8
Prompt: [word] balderdash
The Potter Complex
Championships 2: include 5 dialogue prompts in your story
Prompts: "It doesn't bite, don't worry."; "I can't cook to save my life."; "No they did not!"; "I disagree."; "No. That's not how you pronounce that."
The Houses Competition
Challenge Bingo 2- Characters
Prompt: Harry Potter
Word count: 2565
Betas:None. I had a deadline to meet. Hopefully there aren't too many errors
Warnings/Trigger warnings: N/A
A/NSet after the war
Who knew that today was going to end up like this? He was sitting in a café having coffee with Draco Malfoy, of all people. Well, he, Harry, was having a coffee, Draco was drinking tea like a proper stereotypical Brit. But how did he get here? He could say that he got here because he had approached the lost looking Brit in the supermarket, but even that didn't quite explain where he was now because that gave one the impression that they were sitting in a café somewhere in Britain having a coffee and a tea. But this was not the case. So really, how he ended up here started a long time ago. Really, the whole thing started when he was only a year old and a maniac decided he had to kill a baby, him, in order to prevent a prophecy from coming true. The result was, obviously, the opposite and it actually was the course of action that led to the fulfilment of the prophecy. But that was a long story, and a famous one, that was known by, in Harry's opinion, too many people. The result of that story was that Harry had found himself thrust, unwillingly, into the limelight. He was famous, all over the world, for something he couldn't remember and then, because the madman couldn't get over his obsession with Harry, he was famous for defeating the most famous dark wizard of all time. Harry found himself being hounded by reporters (especially Rita Skeeter) everywhere he went. Heck, Harry was practically front-page news in Rita Skeeter's eyes just for brushing his teeth.
So, how did that lead to him being in the awkward situation he currently found himself in? Well, Harry had grown tired with everything he did being plastered all over the Daily Prophet and ten years ago he had said goodbye to his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and left not only the wizarding community of Britain, but the country behind. He had moved to Eastern Europe and the relatively young country of Croatia, or Hrvatska, as it was known in their own tongue. Wanting to avoid being followed by the press and attracting unwanted attention, Harry had obtained a British Muggle passport and travelled using Muggle transport and therefore was not registered as a wizard with the HCV (Hrvatsko čarobnjačko vijeće) or Croatian Wizarding Council.
He lived a peaceful, mostly Muggle lifestyle, in the beautiful Istrian Peninsula of Croatia. He lived close to a village but separate enough from it that he wasn't disturbed by any neighbours on a regular basis. He had learned the language, admittedly with some difficulty (it was a hard language in Harry's opinion), and even obtained citizenship and a Croatian passport. For ten years Harry had lived in peace, with the wizarding community of Britain not knowing where the famous Harry Potter had gone. Even Ron and Hermione didn't actually know where Harry currently lived. He still wrote to them regularly but he was careful never to mention any details that might allow someone to work out where he was. He wouldn't put it past Rita Skeeter to intercept Ron and Hermione's mail to try and track him down. He missed being able to see his friends on a regular basis but it made the times they did meet up, on the rare occasions Harry returned to Britain or when they went on holiday together, all the more special.
So, when Harry awoke that morning, he saw no reason why it wouldn't be like any other shopping day he had had in the last ten years. He'd got up, showered, dressed, had breakfast and got in his car to head to the nearest Plodine for his shopping. He'd been wandering around the aisles in search of the items he needed when he'd heard a voice, speaking in English, desperately trying to get some poor Croatian woman, who clearly spoke no English, to understand what he was trying to find. Ten years ago, when Harry had first moved here, very few people spoke English, they just didn't get a lot of English-speaking tourists, at least not in this part. He had encountered many who spoke German and the menus in restaurants were in Croatian, and maybe German or Italian, but not English. He was more likely to encounter English speaking tourists and locals now but it was still not a language he got to hear often now, so he found himself drawn towards the voice. There was something familiar about the voice, or perhaps it was just hearing his native tongue again. He had to laugh though when he got close enough to hear that the owner of the obviously English voice was searching for tea bags. He had approached the man.
"I can help you," he said. "What type of tea are you looking for?"
"I just want…Potter?" The blond man turned around and stopped, staring in disbelief when he realised who was talking to him. Harry had been just as surprised to find himself face to face with his arch nemesis from school, Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy?" Harry said, echoing Malfoy's disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" they both said at the same time, then, "I asked you first."
Harry burst out laughing causing Malfoy to look offended.
"Why I'm here is a long story, Malfoy, and one I don't have time for while I'm doing my shopping," Harry said. "What about you?"
"I've been travelling through Europe," Malfoy answered, surprising Harry with how easily he offered his own answer. He had expected Malfoy to tell him it was none of his business. "You know, trying to avoid certain negative opinions of me."
"Fair enough," Harry responded. "You were looking for tea?"
"Yes! But all I can find is coffee," Malfoy exclaimed outraged, causing Harry to chuckle again.
"It's in a different aisle from the coffee and it's a very small selection," Harry smiled. "What type of tea do you want?"
"But they have a whole aisle of coffee!"
"Yes, well they like their coffee on the continent," Harry chuckled again. "Come on, the tea is this way."
Harry led Malfoy into the next aisle where the tea was.
"What type of tea do you want?"
"There's a lot of types here for a small tea section," Malfoy said, wrinkling his nose. "I just want ordinary black tea, like Tetley or something like it. None of your fancy fruity teas or earl grey!"
"You're looking for an English breakfast tea," Harry said. "But I've never seen any here. You might have better luck in Kaufland."
"I just want a cup of tea. It's the thing I've missed most while travelling! And I stupidly didn't think to pack any," Malfoy lamented.
Harry felt bad for him. He knew what it was like to miss some things from home while in another country.
"Look, I know a nice café nearby that does tea. If you let me finish my shopping, I'll drive us there," Harry found him saying.
Malfoy looked taken aback at the offer. Harry was as surprised as Malfoy was.
"Erm…okay," Malfoy replied eventually, surprising Harry some more. He hadn't expected Malfoy to take him up on the offer. How did he get himself in these situations?
Harry continued his trip around the supermarket with Malfoy in tow. He found everything he wanted with practised ease before making his way to the checkout where he piled everything from his trolley onto the conveyor belt.
"Dobar dan," the checkout operator greeted Harry.
"Dobar dan," Harry replied, pulling out his bags to pack up his shopping. Malfoy surprised him again by helping pack the bags and put them in the trolley.
"Petsto trideset dvije kune dvadeset pet lipa," the checkout operator said.
Harry pulled out his wallet and handed over several notes and coins to the girl who put them in the till and handed Harry his receipt.
"Hvala," Harry replied, leading the way out the shop to his car.
"Zdravo, Harry," a man greeted Harry as they were leaving the shop.
"Zdravo, Joško. Kako ste?" Harry replied.
"Ja sam dobro. Kako ste?"
"Ja sam dobro."
"Još uvijek dolaziš na nogometnu utakmicu za vikend?"
"Da. Vidimo se u šest popodne?"
"Da. Vidimo se tada."
"Ciao."
"Ciao."
Harry continued on his way to his car with Malfoy following behind looking stunned. Harry quickly loaded the shopping into the boot of his car before casting a furtive glance about to check no-one was looking before casting a quick stasis charm on his shopping.
"So, it doesn't get too hot in the car while we're at the café," Harry said, misinterpreting the look on Malfoy's face as he went to return the cart.
"Right, let's go get you a cup of tea," Harry said, climbing into the roasting hot car and quickly turning on the air conditioning. "Are you coming?"
Malfoy climbed into the car still with the same look on his face.
"What's up with you?" Harry asked as he drove off.
"You speak Croatian?" Malfoy said, looking awed.
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"How?"
"Well, that's a long story and is tied in with the reason I'm here."
Malfoy took a sip of his tea and sighed with relief.
"It's been too long since I've had a cup of tea," he said, setting his cup down.
"How long have you been travelling Europe for?" Harry asked.
"About eight months," Malfoy said with a shrug. "Thanks for this, by the way."
Harry stared at Malfoy in shock. Had Malfoy really just thanked him?
"I'm Sorry," Malfoy apologised seeing Harry's face. "Was I being rude? My people skills are rusty. I haven't spoken to many people in the last eight months because I don't know the languages."
"No, you weren't being rude. I just don't think I've ever heard you thank anyone, let alone me," Harry said sipping his coffee.
"I'm trying to change. You know, since the war. I just…I was a bit of an asshole in school and I wanted to change that," Malfoy muttered, flushing red. "Not that anyone back home is willing to accept that."
"At least you're willing to change," Harry emphasised. "Wishing to change is a step in the right direction."
"If only wishing on a star could actually change things," Draco lamented. "Other people haven't exactly been willing to accept that I'm trying to change. The press in particular has been unwilling to let the public forget my past. Especially Rita Skeeter. Since you disappeared she's not had her favourite hero to plaster over the front page, so she turned her attention to me. No-one knows where you went. She even blamed me for your disappearance."
"That's ironic considering she's the reason I disappeared," Harry scoffed. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."
"Tell them what?" Malfoy asked, bewildered.
"Where I am. Even Ron and Hermione don't know where I am. I just had to get away from all the press." Harry sighed.
"I've been on the receiving end of her journalism now and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," Malfoy said. "Which, ironically enough, was you at one point. Do Weasley and Granger really not know where you are?"
"No, they don't. I write to them but I wouldn't be surprised if Rita Skeeter intercepted their mail trying to find out where I am and I don't want her to find me. I've been home to visit them in secret a few times and we've been on holiday together but they've never been out here."
"Our friends are probably wondering where we've been," Draco said. "Mine don't know where I am either. Not that I really have any left that will talk to me after the war."
They sat in silence for several minutes sipping their drinks before Malfoy broke the silence.
"Weasley and Granger really agreed to you moving away without them?" Malfoy asked curiously.
"No, they did not! They offered to come with me, but I felt it would be less easy to disappear into the Muggle world with the three of us, especially since Ron knows so little about the Muggle world. It was hard at first. I was alone in a country I didn't know; with a language I couldn't understand and very few people who spoke English. But I love it now. It took a long time to learn the language and even now I still struggle a little but I feel at peace out here. I'm not constantly in the spotlight for something I never wanted. Life here is very different for me. For me it's a slower pace of life. People might think it's dull, especially compared to how my life was during our school years, but I never wanted that. I never had any peace. I was constantly having to look over my shoulder, wondering if I was even going to survive the school year. I'd rather live a dull life than a dangerous one."
"I can appreciate that. I may not have lived with the threat of death for as long as you, but my last two years of school I lived under the constant threat of death for me or my family," Malfoy agreed. "I'd rather live a dull life too, than repeat even one week of that life and I will admit that I'm envious of the life you built out here. I wish I could have something like the peace you created for yourself out here."
"Balderdash," Harry said. "Life finds a way." He smiled at Malfoy. "If you want it bad enough, then do something to make it happen."
"I disagree. I'm not sure I'm meant to find the sort of peace you have. I'm not sure I deserve it," Malfoy said, shaking his head.
"There's something tragic about you," Harry said as the server came to clear away their empty cups.
"Quala," Malfoy said.
"No. That's not how you pronounce that," Harry told Malfoy kindly. "Hvala."
"Hvala," Malfoy repeated.
"Much better." Harry smiled.
"I'd better let you get on with your day, Potter. Thanks for helping me in my time of need and the tea. Your secret is safe with me. I mean it."
"I know you do," Harry replied. "If you'd told me when we were in school that I would be trusting you with my biggest secret I wouldn't have believed it."
"If you'd told me then that I would be keeping your secret, I wouldn't have believed that," Malfoy said with a small laugh.
"Well, good luck," Harry said as he stood up.
"One last thing?" Malfoy asked.
"Yeah?"
"Where do you recommend for dinner around here?"
"There's a nice little restaurant around the corner from here. It's one of my favourites," Harry said. "Unless you want to come to mine for dinner? Surprisingly, spending the afternoon with you wasn't as unpleasant as I would have thought."
"Erm…yeah okay," Malfoy agreed. "Some company would be nice for a change, but I can't cook to save my life, so I hope you don't expect any help with the cooking."
"That's alright. I'm used to doing it myself. You can meet my cat." Harry grinned.
"You have a cat?" Malfoy looked worried.
"It doesn't bite, don't worry." When Malfoy continued to look worried Harry added, "And neither do I."
Malfoy gave a little chuckle as he followed Harry back to his car.