Carridwen

"And my friend comes after work,

When the features start to blur.

She says, 'These bars are filled with things that kill,

By now you probably should have learned.'" - "We Are Nowhere And It's Now" Bright Eyes





Harry quickly meandered down to a darker street of downtown London, where the roads began to twist quickly and contract while the surrounding buildings cast dingy shadows along the grey cobblestone.



The Pub loomed like a dark shadow among the adjacent cobalt buildings trimmed with black windows. It wasn't the most creative name, but it wasn't the most creative part of London, either. Ron had once explained it as the place "a man can just be a man," with their limited mixed drinks since real me only drink draft beers and whiskey while playing pool until they can no longer stand. It had once been a prominent billiard hall in the early Victorian era; it's age showing in the cracked brick walls and dusty mounted fox heads of ages past.



Harry blinked a bit at the steam seeping from the cracks in the heavy wooden door to the pub, taking a breath of the cool fog about him before descending to what he and Ron jokingly referred to as "The Lion's Pit," full of menacing looking muggles that glared at the two clean-cut boys that stood amidst the nearly unbearable heat that overwhelmed The Pub.



He pushed open the door and scowled as the patrons glanced over their iron tankards to see whom was intruding on their sanctuary. That was how it was though, here, and he wouldn't have it any other way. The rough-looking recipients of The Pub never let stragglers in unless they were somehow worthy of their rugged establishment; he had almost been thrown out for being too "poncy," but managed to start a bar fight that was still in Pub-goers minds - he sent five men to the hospital with broken bones and concussions from the simple use of the broken end of a pool stick and some enraged wandless magic.



Ron was only allowed access to the doors after a drinking game that managed to send every bar-goer under the table after too many rounds to count, while the red head stood up victoriously and walked out without staggering. Muggle alcohol had nothing on Firewhiskey, he proclaimed to Harry as they left.



He found Ron sitting at the bar, a mug of something indecipherable in his hand, as he turned to envelope Harry in a bone-crushing hug.



"Harry! Mate, what took you so long? I've had to chat up Aleister here for the past half hour!" Ron clunked his tankard on the polished stone bar-top, referring to the shady bartender Aleister, who nodded at Harry and began pouring him a Jameson in a green stained-glass tumbler.



"Sorry about that, mate. Got caught up in some school things." He moved to drink the dark liquid placed before him, grinning at his best friend as it burned down his throat.



"Alright. Well, Jack is holding one of the pool tables for us, so let's get on, yeah?" Ron stepped shakily from the bar and headed to the darker ends of the premises, and Harry was almost certain that since Ron had won the drinking contest, Aleister only gave him the rumored moonshine brewed in the basement of The Pub.



They started a small game of pool, and Harry always laughed at the way Jack, a man twice his stature who worked at the Port of London and always smelled of brine, would save their pool tables and refill their drinks. Jack had been one of the men Harry sent to the hospital, but he'd come back with nothing but respect in his eyes for the messy-haired young man.



"So how's Hermione been? I talked to her yesterday, she was a bit rushed though..." Harry rubbed the chalk on the tip of his pool cue, sidling up to the table and eyeing the angles before him.



"Eh, you never know with her. She's been well enough, when we do have time. I swear, it's those Hogwarts kids, taking up her every extra free minute with questions or tutoring sessions. It's like I don't exist half the time!" Ron had a faint smile on, but Harry knew he was being honest. Ron never hid his emotions anymore; he'd come a long way from the stubborn boy during the war.



"You gonna pop the question yet?" Harry smirked, knowing he'd have the same answer as their last game.



"Har, you know I'm not good enough for her yet," The taller man settled his cue against a green ball, sizing up it's trajectory. "She's so smart and beautiful, and far more refined than I am. Maybe when I can pay for something like a romantic trip to Paris or Rome, and we can sit in a romantic cafe... Maybe then I'll do it." He hit the ball into a side pocket, and absently patted near his right abdomen; the leather bombardier jacket he wore too often now had a dented marking from the small velvet ring box in the inside pocket.



Harry smiled a bit at his friend's admission, as much he always did, and wondered what the engagement ring would look like. Ron had never let him see it, though he settled on choice of ring just after the war's end.



" 'Ere, mate," Jack stood towering over Ron, though the red head was, at full height, 6'2". The lumbering man handed Ron another tankard of something too strong, and nodded to him, having overheard the conversation. "Oi, m'lass Brandy sounds about right like yourn Lady Luck."



Jack always reminded Harry a bit of Hagrid, with his large countenance and unwieldy nature, but Jack was a terribly selfless man and a loyal friend. He came to The Pub one afternoon and was found crying over a pint of ale in a dark corner, with Harry as the only man unafraid to comfort the hulking day laborer. It had turned out that the woman he loved refused his marriage proposal, saying she couldn't accept while she toiled away at a waitressing job near the wharfs. Harry had calmed him down long enough to explain she wasn't declining his offer indefinitely, and that he should work hard and propose when he could give her the lifestyle she wanted.



Since then, Jack was only seen at The Pub on days when they refused him work, but he always made a point to stay while Ron and Harry had their weekly game of pool - Friday afternoon, right when Ron's office let out.



Ron nodded to Jack as he accepted the drink and toasted it to the man, "Alas, to our beautiful women, who remind us that we are but only men."



Harry fought the urge to snort at the comment, though his sexual ambiguity was known here. That was why they'd tried to kick him out once, after all. But now, under the dark lights of The Pub, no one dared to face his wrath, or worse yet, the wrath of Jack.



Harry sat back on a stool and stared at Ron, who was getting more watery with every sip he took. Better keep his mind off Herm, then. "So, Ron, I know Hermione's been busy with work, but how about you? How's the department doing?"



The men rarely cared that the muggles around them heard what they spoke, none could understand what they were talking about unless they clued in on the literal magical terms. To the standard muggle, it seemed as though Ron worked for an important sector of Scotland Yard, or some other such law enforcement branch.



"Eh, it's been alright. Got this one case come up, it's been a bit baffling, to be honest." Ron lined his cue with another ball, aiming for a corner pocket, "There's been a slew of paperwork missing for some of the community's charities. Everything from the S.P.E.W, " which Neville Longbottom had taken over with a ferocity unforeseen after the war,"To the A.I.F.E. Half of the people in the Corps are starting to believe the rumors in the papers that Kingsley's gone corrupt and is raking in their cash, just because it's easier than finding the culprit.



"But there's no way he could've done this so effectively without Gates's noticing - I swear to god that man is more omnipresent than Dumbledore." Ron held back a brief shudder at the thought of the Head of the Corps, Barrington Gates. His name alone could strike fear into the hearts of would-be criminals.



"And several Dark families are being investigated for suspicion of bribery with Ministry officials." Ron stood as he hit the red ball into the appropriate pocket, " 'Moine says its ridiculous to think all of this could really be Kingsley's fault, with the upcoming election and all, but those damned Skeeter articles have the public blaming him issue after issue."



Harry's expression had darkened noticeably, and even Jack had taken heed to amble back to the bar for refills.



Ron glanced at his best friend, sitting in silence, "You know, Harry, you could write a better piece on this than Skeeter any day, and it'd be a nice change to see some truth in the Prophet. You should pick this story up, mate."



Harry grimaced, "I would, Ron. But honestly, why would the Prophet publish something from me? I'm having a hard enough time keeping rumors of The Chosen One off my name at Carridwen."



"Well, don't you still know that Creevy kid from school?" Ron waited for the brunet's consent of this, "And isn't he a photojournalist now with the Prophet? Try to chat him up and see if he can talk to one of his editors. I mean, like you said, you are The Chosen One."



Harry laughed a bit at this as Ron winked at him, and they continued the pool game in lighter conversation.



When Harry left The Pub, he took the straightest path back to his flat and noted the way the sun had already begun to pull closer to the horizon. I wonder what mischief Luna's gotten herself into at this hour.



After ascending the building, he entered their flat only to see Luna naked and standing beside an easel, thick paint brush and color palette in hand.



"Uh. Lu? Shouldn't you be wearing clothes?" He settled his things on the desk pressed against the outer wall of his room, and looked back at her. He knew Luna was beautiful, her golden hair fell against her pale skin as artistically as her brush settled on the canvass, and he could see the pert curve of her breasts and hips from this angle, but it was so engrained in his mind that she was his sister that he took no notice of these things and instead focused on the canvass in front of her.



"What? No. I was in the shower and I had an epiphany. This must be created." She stroked another purple line on the surface, creating a back drop to a scenario Harry could not yet envision.



Harry moved to the sofa and picked up Dinah, scratching lightly behind her ears and hearing her start purring.



Luna sighed at set down her palette.



"This will never do. I've lost it." Her large blue-green eyes clouded for a moment before she turned to her flatmate, "Sorry. It's not you. We've been invited to a party tonight and now I can't concentrate."



Harry perked up at this.



"A party? Who's... Is it an art party?" Harry grimaced at this, the last time Luna took him to an art opening, she had gone home with Katherine and left Harry in the touchy and tipsy hands of the gallery's owner, Leif.



"No, it's a birthday party. Pansy Parkinsons'."



Harry's eyes went wide at this. "What? How?"



Luna smiled at him, "Aren't you happy? Blaise and Draco will be there." She started for her room, sashaying in her usual dance-like walk, "Pansy and I correspond often for the A.I.F.E. to hold its fundraising events at art galleries. Apparently that put me on her invite list - Plus one guest."



"I mean, yeah I'm happy, I just didn't know..." Harry bit at his lip, "What am I going to wear?"



Luna shut the door behind herself, muffling her reply, "Your clothes are on your bed. Go take a shower and make yourself pretty."



He stood up, smiling fadedly as his thoughts raced with images of dancing with Blaise or Draco, and he felt a faint heat coiling in his stomach.



It was going to be a cold shower tonight.







A/N: ooo there's a hint of a real plot going on O.o haha, i'm excited for the next chapter. i hope ya'll are too!

AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY REVIEWERS! all of you are fantastic!!!

and shout out to my beta cronikartist! best beta evah.



tiggator: ohmygod i've read a bunch of your stories!! i feel bad now. i didnt review cause they were already complete D: i'm going back and reviewing everything i read! O.o

and i'm really glad you like where this is going! i've got the next two chapters kind of set up as more of the forming romance - draco's such a hopeless romantic, and then a handful of this corrupt government thing. :)



MonsterOfMalice: i'm so glad you liked the last chapter!! i hope you think it only gets better ;)



snappy pants: dude, me too. i almost kicked his ass. then i realized, wait, i'm the author! i can change this! O.o so i did lol. hope you're enjoying the outcome ;)



Digitallace: ohmyfreakinggodyoureawesome. i'm so honored. you don't even know. (have i gotten this across enough?) :) and i agree about the update alerts thing... but i dont currently have a big enough following to bother with coming up with my own update alert list. i just troll the first harry/draco page lol. and Aubin is actually one of my friend's cousins name! i'm in new orleans, so we have too many french names around here :) i really hope you enjoyed this chapter!

reviews are appreciated!