Chapter- 38 : Fire and Fury Part - 4

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Harry looked down, feeling sheepish. "You're looking at Hogwarts' new Professor of Divination."

"Really?" she said, eyes shining in mirth. "Good thing I agreed on the draw then, because I'm suddenly very afraid of how you would punish me when I misbehave, Professor."

She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Harry's face exploded in yet another blush.

"Rosie!" he squeaked loudly, causing the barmaid to seek them out. "I need another drink before she kills me."

"Just for you?" Amada purred suggestively.

Harry shuddered even as he eyed her warily. "If I buy you a drink, will you promise not to try and embarrass me to death?"

"To be clear, you're acknowledging that I won, right?"

"Yes, woman, you're the goddess of embarrassment, all men will fall or flee before you. Now please, please promise to behave."

She smiled widely. "Who am I to turn down a free drink. I accept your offer, kind sir."

"Oh thank Merlin," Harry mumbled as Rosie topped off both their glasses.

"Shall we find a booth?" Amanda offered.

They carried their glasses and walked slightly unsteadily – her a little more so than him – through the pub until they found an empty booth in the back corner. They settled down opposite each other and with the candlelight and the noise of other customers lessened Harry suddenly realised this was quite a romantic setting.

It was – dare he think it – an intimate one and he quickly took a sip and let the feeling of the burning liquid trickling down his throat distract him. She hadn't even needed to say anything, his thoughts now embarrassed him all on his own.

"So, where are you from?" Amanda asked.

Like he was drenched in ice-water his pleasurable thoughts screeched to a halt and Harry's eyes turned distant as he stared unseeing to the side. "Far, far away," he muttered.

"Well, that sounds ominous. Your accent's really good if you weren't born in Britain, though."

Harry shook his head. "Oh, no, I was born in Britain. Lived there all my life too."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wherever you're from can't be that far away then, can it?" she asked teasingly.

Harry sighed and took her in. Her eyes were lit up with genuine interest and aside from how flattering it was that a stunning slightly-but-not-too-much older woman was paying attention to him she was the first almost-friend he'd made in this world. The thought of lying to her made his skin crawl uncomfortably.

He was pretty sure she wasn't a Death Eater either; she was wearing far too little to be hiding a Dark Mark.

He took another sip of his drink to buy himself some time and mull it over, swirling the amber liquid in the glass before putting it down hard, causing some to almost slosh over the edge.

"To hell with it," he muttered. This could be a spectacularly bad idea, but he didn't want to build a new life here based on lies. "How good are you with weird shit?"

She blinked. "Um, pretty decent, I think. I've seen magic do some really funky things."

"Well, hold on to your seat because this one's going to take the cake." He took a deep breath. "I wasn't born in this world..."

He told her everything he told Amelia Bones. About the ritual, the scars, the interrogation and his desperate efforts to get a little control over his life in the week that followed. After he finished the pair of them were silent.

It surprised Harry how much it felt like a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. The opportunity to talk, not vent but talk to a friendly face was one he hadn't had in weeks and it made him feel miraculously lighter. Still, he was well aware of how badly this could backfire and his skin went a little clammy as he waited for her to respond.

Just to have something to do he sipped from his glass and held it in front of his face, watching Amanda from just over the rim. Her stormy blue eyes had turned ice cold during the story and right now the flush on her cheeks caused by the firewhiskey was the only warmth left in her face. Her jaw was clenched and her posture tense as if she was barely restraining herself from strangling someone. Harry watched her warily, just hoping that he wouldn't be her victim.

"That's horrible," Amanda whispered minutes later. "You've no family or friends here at all?"

Harry shook his head sadly. Well there was his counterpart, fifteen year old Iris Potter, but that felt too weird and he wasn't sure if she qualified as family. More importantly, he couldn't tell anyone that.

"I think I remember hearing about a White family, though. I don't know any of them, but I'm pretty sure they're still around."

Harry's sip went down the wrong hole and he coughed and sputtered. "No relation I'm afraid," he choked out.

Amanda pursed her lips and frowned. "Well that's disappointing." She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "This is getting way too depressing. Tell me something good about your world."

At once the lines on his face relaxed and as he ran his fingers through his hair a soft smile lit his face.

"Teddy," he said with conviction, sitting back and staring unseeing in the distance as he thought of the tyke and his antics.

Both Amanda's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Wow. I hadn't figured you swung that way. Are you at least attracted to women?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, he's my godson," he sputtered. "I'm not gay."

"Nothing wrong if you are, you know," she said lightly, but her shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch. "Might have explained your inexperience at flirting with beautiful women like myself."

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If you're eager to delve deeper into the story, consider joining my Patreon for exclusive content and early access to new chapters

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