Chapter 5
“Harry!”
Harry jerked awake in bed frantically, wand already in his hand, ready to defend against any attack.
“Harry wake up! We’re going to be late!”
He groaned and laid back for a second to calm his racing heart. He looked over and saw it was almost noon. He stumbled out of bed to open his door.
“You look horrible, go shower,” greeted his extremely compassionate and kind manager.
Harry rolled his eyes and walked back into his room to jump in the shower. This was a standard morning practice for them. Darla only had made the mistake of entering his room while he was asleep one time and had almost lost her hand from the severing curse that Harry had shot at her before being even fully awake.
By the time he was showered, he had a pounding headache. He went to the mirror and cast his shaving spell and usual glamours. He hid the dark circles under his eyes, and spelled a little bit more life into his skin. He took away the red from his eyes and combed his hair.
He walked out of the bathroom to see that Darla had laid out an outfit for him, as well as a glass of water and a granola bar on his bedside table. He got dressed and ate.
He made his way downstairs to see Darla sitting at his counter checking over paperwork.
“Ready?” she asked when she saw him.
“Almost,” he said, and headed over to one of his cabinets. He pulled out a little bottle of painkillers for his headache.
“You know, I could get you some stronger ones,” Darla noted as he took two.
Harry shook his head, “Yeah, but I do actually prefer to be sober during the day.”
“Well whatever you want Harry, but you know those don’t really get rid of your headaches,” Darla shrugged.
“It’s fine,” Harry bit out, “If I wanted to get rid of the headaches, I could stop going out every night.”
“But we both know you won’t do that,” Darla said as she packed her stuff away, “Anyways, this isn’t important. We need to get to your tailoring appointment, that’s what’s important.”
Harry followed her to the fireplace. She handed him a slip of paper with the name of the place before she jumped in the fireplace and flooed away. He took a deep breath and waited a second before he followed her.
He stepped gracefully out of the fireplace when he arrived. He had practiced when he was younger to make sure he didn’t make a fool out of himself every time he left a fireplace. He shoved down the nausea that always came with magical transportation, made worse by his ever present hangover. He blinked as his headache intensified, due to the bright lights that always seemed to be present in these high-end clothing shops. He saw his manager gathered with his stylist and the shop owners over in a corner.
“Harry dear, over here,” Darla cooed. She was always so much nicer to him when they were in public and it made him laugh a bit.
“Good morning Harry,” Andy said as Harry approached.
“Good morning Andy, how are you today?” He asked.
“I’m well, here, we have quite a few things to try on today, so let’s get started,” Andy said. Andy was always very efficient and Harry appreciated it.
“Did you want us to close the store Mr. Potter? For your privacy?” the shopkeeper asked.
“Ye-” Darla began.
“That won’t be necessary,” Harry interrupted, “Just let us have this little corner and we’ll be fine.”
“As you wish Mr. Potter,” the shopkeeper nodded, “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No thank you,” Harry shook his head, “Should we get started?”
Everyone nodded their agreement and they sent him off to the changing room for the first outfit. As he got changed Harry thought back to the day before.
Neville had really grown into himself. He was confident, driven, and compassionate. He had welcomed Harry into his home and had tried his best to keep things from turning awkward. He and Luna did make a great couple. Seeing such a stable domestic life had made Harry’s heart hurt a little bit.
He had been pleased to hear that everyone seemed to be successful in their lives and that they all got along well. Seeing that Neville was friends with Theo and Blaise had been extremely unexpected. Theo seemed like he meant well, but he reminded Harry how much he didn’t belong in their lives. Blaise was… he was absolutely beautiful.
Harry wasn’t one to be attracted to people based solely on physical appearances, but Blaise was everything that Harry liked. He was tall, had dark hair, and had a mysterious aura that Harry was extremely attracted to. He had such intelligence behind his eyes, and he felt calm. He had nice hands.
Harry shook his head. He needed to stop day-dreaming about a man that he had only met once. He’d probably never see Blaise again and even if he did, Harry didn’t pursue people. He didn’t catch feelings. He didn’t want more people in his life than there were already. It would be pointless. Besides, Blaise would want nothing to do with someone like him.
Harry finished changing and headed out to the main room where everyone debated what he looked like and what changes needed to be made. Harry was rarely asked for his opinion, so he stood compliantly until they sent him back with another outfit.
This continued for several hours.
“Alright, last one Harry, go put this on and then you’re done for the day,” Andy said chirpily. Harry had no idea how Andy always had endless energy.
Harry trudged back to the changing room, not paying attention to his surroundings until he bumped into someone.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, immediately backing up. He looked up and had to prevent his jaw from falling open. It was Blaise.
“It’s okay, I should’ve been watching where I was going,” he said.
Harry looked him up and down. Blaise was dressed in a tuxedo that fit him in all of the right places.
“You look nice,” Harry said before he could stop himself. Blaise ducked his head.
“Thank you, I normally wouldn’t be here but I’m trying to find something to wear to Theo’s wedding in a few months,” Blaise explained, “He and Pansy are getting married and he wants me to be his best man.”
“Oh that’s nice,” Harry said.
“Yeah, they’re really good together,” Blaise said fondly, “What are you doing here?”
For some reason Harry felt embarrassed, “Oh you know, fittings for some events coming up.”
“You looked like you were having a lot of fun over there,” Blaise remarked with a deadpan tone.
“It’s not my favorite part of my job,” Harry admitted. Inwardly he grew warm at the thought of Blaise watching him, and then reprimanded himself for being stupid.
“What is your favorite part?” Blaise asked, looking straight at him now, slightly tilting his head to look down at Harry.
Harry found that he didn’t really know what to say, “Um well-”
“Harry, hurry up please,” called Darla from the other room.
“I’m sorry, I have to finish this,” Harry apologized to Blaise.
“What are you doing after this?” Blaise asked.
“Um, not too much, why?” Harry asked, heart fluttering against his will.
“Do you want to grab lunch? Or is it almost dinner now? Either I guess?” Blaise asked.
Harry blinked, “Er, yeah, yes, that would be nice.”
“Okay perfect, I’ll wait outside for you then,” Blaise said and then swept past him to change out of his tux.
Harry stood in shock for a moment. Was this a date? Did he really agree with the phrase ‘Er, yeah, yes’?
Smooth Harry, real smooth, he thought to himself as he got changed, mentally cringing.
He found himself more impatient than ever during this last outfit discussion. They seemed to debate it forever. Finally he was let go and he rushed to change into his normal clothes.
“I’ll send the car at the normal time tonight?” Darla called out.
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Harry said, not paying attention.
He checked how he looked in the mirror. Jeans and a black-tee. Boring, but it was all he had with him, and he didn’t want to keep Blaise waiting any longer.
Calm down Harry, he reprimanded, It’s probably not even a date.
He took a deep breath and headed out of the store. He looked around, trying not to look too awkward. He normally wasn’t an awkward person. He was able to woo the socialites and business people that he was around with ease. He was able to fit into a club scene without a sweat. But now, and last night, when he was faced with interacting with people who seemed more than surface-level, he was a nervous wreck.
“Done?” came Blaise’s voice from his left-side. Harry turned and saw that Blaise had been sitting on a bench right next to the door. He looked so good in the light outside. He was just wearing a dark blue shirt and black jeans, but he was breathtaking.
Stop it Harry, he berated himself, Be cool.
“Yeah,” Harry said lamely.
“Where do you want to go?” Blaise asked, “Is there anywhere you like?”
Harry didn’t want to admit that he never had to choose because he normally had food delivered to him or he would eat whatever was at the event that he was attending. Otherwise, there tended to be a lot of times when he would just forget to eat.
“Um, what do you like?” Harry asked.
“I’m asking you what you like,” Blaise said with a small smile.
“I’m really good with anything,” Harry said.
“Okay then, there’s a place a few shops down that has some good food, do you want to try that?” Blaise suggested. Harry nodded, and he followed Blaise as he began to lead the way. Harry was suddenly hyper aware of the way people looked at him when they noticed he was walking near them. They were in a busy street just off of the main Diagon Alley. Harry was grateful that Blaise hadn’t chosen a restaurant there, because there was a very real possibility of getting mobbed.
He normally didn’t go out in public very much by himself. He basically showed up where Darla told him to be, and then went out at night with the car that she would send.
If Blaise noticed, he didn’t say anything.
They quickly arrived at the restaurant, and Blaise opened the door for Harry. He fought a blush.
“How many?” the hostess said without looking up.
“Two,” Blaise answered.
“Alright,” the hostess said and then looked up.
“Merlin, you’re Harry Potter,” she breathed. Harry bit his lip and then plastered on his signature smile.
“Nice to meet you,” he greeted.
“I’m such a fan,” she said eagerly, “Is there anywhere you’d like to sit, a private room maybe?”
“No, maybe just a more secluded table, less visibility?” he suggested. He was so embarrassed to need to ask for that with Blaise, but he also didn’t want to be noticed.
“Of course, of course, follow me.”
She led them to a table in the corner that was more blocked off. Harry slid into the seat that was more hidden from view. Blaise slid in across from them. The hostess took their drink orders and left them with menus.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Harry apologized.
“It’s okay, I hadn’t thought of that,” Blaise admitted, “I’d imagine that happens everywhere you go?”
“Yeah, basically,” Harry shrugged, “I tend to just stay in my apartment a lot, it’s easier that way.”
“Do you ever get bored?” Blaise asked, “I mean, I think I would, if I could never go out into the world.”
“Sometimes, but I work. I definitely get out, just not in the same way as most people do,” Harry explained. He didn’t really want to go into his recreational habits, but he wasn’t going to lie.
“Ah yes,” Blaise nodded. “I’ve heard.”
“I think everyone has,” Harry said with a dark chuckle. Blaise gave him an inquisitive look.
“Were you trying to keep it a secret?” he asked slowly, as if he didn’t mean to offend. Harry blinked and then laughed a bit. A real laugh this time. Blaise only grew to look more confused.
“I’m sorry. No, I’m not trying to keep it a secret. My manager makes sure to get pictures every time I go out, I know it’s plastered all over the magazines” he explained.
“So then why do you seem unhappy about it?” Blaise probed.
Harry sighed and tried to genuinely reflect for a moment. He didn’t spend much time thinking about how he felt about things. The way he felt did not change how things were.
“I… I’m not unhappy with it, it’s exactly the way it should be,” he finally answered. It was. It served its purpose. He wasn’t a real person to most people. He had no expectations placed on him. He could get fucked up every night and no one batted an eye.
“I think you’re lying to yourself if you believe that,” Blaise said bluntly.
Harry narrowed his eyes, “What would you know about it?”
“Are you offended?” Blaise asked with a small smirk.
“What? No,” Harry stammered.
Now he probably thinks I’m some spoiled brat, great job Harry, Harry thought to himself.
“I think you know that I’m right, and that bothers you because I barely know you,” Blaise said.
Harry sat back. He stared for a few moments and Blaise stared back with that small grin.
“So you’re good at reading people then,” Harry decided.
“Well, maybe at reading you. Or maybe you’re not that hard to read, you’re just never around real people,” Blaise said.
Harry was about to reply, but the waitress came and asked for their orders. When she left Harry eyed Blaise.
“So, if you’re going to get to know so much about me, you need to tell me about you,” he requested.
“What would you like to know?” Blaise asked, his grin back in place.
“What do you do for fun?” Harry asked.
“I read, I go outside a lot, working in the potions lab all day can get stuffy. I like to spend time with my friends. We normally watch movies, or cook together,” Blaise said, “Just stuff like that.”
“That sounds nice, what makes you like potions?” Harry asked. He hated potions back in school. When Nick had tutored him, it was a fight every time it came to doing potions. He only scored well out of spite.
“I like that it’s complex, and requires a lot of attention, but when you’re good at it, you can get creative,” Blaise explained, “Once you know the rules, you can experiment and try new things.”
“I was never much of a potions fan, but I respect that,” Harry said.
“This might seem rude, but what is it that you do for work? I don’t keep up with the tabloids much,” Blaise asked.
“I mostly do photo shoots for ads, go to events for random things, and give the occasional interview,” Harry explained.
“Do you enjoy that?” Blaise asked.
“Honestly, not really. It pays the bills, and at this point, I don’t know what else I would be doing,” Harry admitted.
“If you could do anything else, what would it be?” Blaise asked.
Harry thought. What else did he like to do?
“I really don’t know.”
“You should think about that,” Blaise said. The waitress came back with their food.
“I will. We’re talking about me again, I want to talk about you,” Harry complained when the waitress left.
Blaise took a bite of his food but didn’t say anything.
“Do you have any big goals or plans?” Harry asked. Blaise chewed and swallowed.
“Right now, nothing urgent. Eventually I want to travel, maybe teach,” Blaise said, “I don’t know, I’m pretty content currently.”
“Well that’s nice, how did you and Theo start your potions shop?” Harry asked. He genuinely was very curious.
Harry dug into his food as Blaise explained the plan that the two boys had created during their sixth year. They had both done well on their OWLs and started to prepare for NEWTs with the goal of being potions masters in mind. When they graduated they had both done apprenticeships and got their masters. Then, they took out a loan and started their shop. They hadn’t wanted to use their parent’s money because they wanted to do it on their own merit. Plus, their families weren’t pleased that they weren’t going into politics.
Now their business was pretty successful as one of wizarding Britain’s most popular potion shops. They had paid off their loans and were considering hiring more people to expand, but they weren’t sure if that was the direction they wanted to go yet.
“We’ve tabled that discussion until after Theo’s wedding,” Blaise said.
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Harry said. “It’s admirable that you built your business from the ground up, and that it’s your passion.”
Blaise smiled, “Thank you, we’re really proud.”
“You should be,” Harry complimented. He wondered would it would be like to do something that he could be genuinely proud of.
They continued their discussion into topics about what school subjects they had liked and disliked. Harry recounted his dislike for Professor Snape while Blaise admitted to never quite liking herbology. Blaise told him that after fourth year they had gotten a stable Defense professor, which greatly improved their education in that area.
He was then distracted by a buzzing in his pocket.
“I’m so sorry,” he said to Blaise as he pulled out his phone to see that Darla was calling him. She rarely called him, so he felt it was important to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Harry, where are you? The car has been waiting out front for thirty minutes,” Darla said quickly.
Harry checked his watch. He hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten. His and Blaise’s food was long gone and they had been talking for a long time.
“I’m sorry, I lost track of time, I don’t think I want to go tonight,” he told her.
“What? Harry people are expecting you there,” Darla reprimanded.
“I know, I’m sorry, I don’t feel great,” he lied, looking up at Blaise with a guilty expression, “I’ll be there tomorrow I promise.”
“Okay fine Harry.” Darla said grumpily and then hung up.
“I’m sorry,” Harry apologized again.
“I think you’ve said that four times in the last two minutes, you don’t need to be sorry,” Blaise said, “What was that about?”
“I forgot to tell my manager I didn’t want to go out tonight,” Harry explained.
“Do you go every night?” Blaise asked with his brow furrowed.
“No, if I don’t want to go out, my friends normally come to my place and its more chill,” Harry said, “And sometimes, like tonight, I just don’t go if I’m tired, but I normally let her know further in advance.”
“It feels weird that you need to explain yourself, it’s supposed to be fun right?” Blaise asked.
“I mean yes, but people count on me being there,” Harry said. He was grateful to see the waitress coming over with the bill.
“I’ve got it,” Blaise quickly said.
“I can do it,” protested Harry.
“No, I asked you here, I’ll cover it,” Blaise said with finality.
“Well thank you,” Harry said quietly.
The pair stood up after the bill was paid. They left the restaurant together. They walked aimlessly for a bit, before Harry realized he was getting stares, even though it was dark.
“Hey, do you want to go to Muggle London?” Blaise suggested, “I’d assume you get noticed less there.”
“Yeah, that would be nice,” Harry said, touched that Blaise noticed that he was uncomfortable.
The two made their way quickly to the Leaky Cauldron and slipped out without gaining too much attention. Harry kept his head down and stayed slightly behind Blaise who was blocking him from view.
Once they were in London the pair decided to wander around and explore a bit.
“So, why did you decide to ask me to dinner?” Harry asked after some small talk.
Blaise chuckled nervously, “Well, honestly I didn’t think you would say yes, but after meeting you last night, and seeing you today, I just wanted to get to know you more.”
“Why wouldn’t I say yes?” Harry asked. Men who looked like Blaise surely didn’t get turned down very often.
“I figured you have loads of offers,” Blaise shrugged looking away.
Harry watched him for a moment, “Well, yes I suppose, but none of them are real.”
“What do you mean?”
Harry sighed, “They want to go out with Harry Potter. Not me,” he paused, “It’s okay though, I don’t mean to complain.”
“No it’s okay,” Blaise assured.
They had wandered over to a river. Blaise leaned against the railing and looked up at the now dark sky. Harry followed his gaze and looked up at the stars. He came to the conclusion that even though he was always out at night, he never really saw the stars. He took a deep breath and stared at the sky.
After a few moments, he realized Blaise was watching him. He looked down.
“Well, I guess it’s getting late,” he said quietly.
“It is,” Blaise said, turning around so his back was against the railing.
“I don’t want to keep you,” Harry said.
“I had a nice time tonight,” Blaise answered.
“Me too.”
“Would you want to go out again sometime?” Blaise asked carefully. Harry paused and looked at the river before immediately answering. He wanted to say yes. He liked him a lot. But what was the point? He didn’t know what Blaise wanted. Blaise laughed, “Don’t think too much about it, would you like to or not?”
“Yes, that would be nice,” Harry said quickly before he could change his mind.
“That wasn’t so hard was it?” Blaise teased, “I’ll send an owl?”
“Sounds good,” Harry nodded. Blaise looked around.
“I suppose we can apparate from here?” he checked. They were relatively secluded and there was no one around. Harry nodded.
“Okay, well then, I’ll see you later,” Blaise said, looking down at him. Harry’s heart started beating in excitement and nervousness as he looked back up. Blaise leaned in, but moved to the side, and placed a gentle kiss on Harry’s cheek. Harry closed his eyes.
CRACK
Harry opened his eyes and Blaise was gone. He felt a smile spread across his face as he reached up to touch his cheek. He stood stupidly by himself for a few moments before he apparated home as well.