Don't Panic 4

Disclaimer. As before fanfiction not the owner of these people.

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Harry paced he could tell this wasn't going to go as he wanted.

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He sighed as he got up to answer the door. He had hoped that he wouldn't see Hermione tonight. He gathered himself and opened his door.

As he feared Hermione was there. Much to his surprise so was Cleo or Chloe or whatever her name was. Hermione was looking happy but still wary as if she still expected things to go wrong.

"Your ice cream is safe for another night." Hermione told him.

"He has ice cream? Don't just stand there Harry, invite us in."

Harry stood to one side and allowed the women in. Hermione showed Chloe the way to his living room. Grimmauld place was tied up in a legal dispute. Something about destroying sections of Gringotts. He was more than happy to never return to the place and its elf heads and memories of Sirius.

The ministry was still confiscating death eater assets and using that to pay reparations to those affected by the war this including the goblins. Once that was done he would if he wanted to return, until then he lived here.

His flat was modest and with the minimum of utilities as he lived magical not muggle. He followed the two women into his living room doing his best to ignore Hermione guiding Chloe by touches on the small of her back, hinting at casual intimacy.

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She was late, or maybe she was already in there or maybe she hadn't waited the last time he looked in.

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Harry returned from the kitchen. He discreetly asked Hermione whether she had she told Chloe about magic before he floated the bowls, beers and ice-cream back. He was showing off slightly keeping everything orbiting him.

Chloe's eyes widened at the show. "Why do you never do things like that?"

"If I did magic like that all our electrics including your PC would never work again." Hermione snatched a bottle of beer out of the air and huffed at Harry.

Harry discovered that Hermione had told Chloe everything not just about being a witch but about her parents as well. That explained Hermione's mood. She'd cried like a child while telling him the news. It was the thing that pulled her away from the magical world the most. As if by moving away she would never cause anyone harm like that again.

It wasn't long before Hermione excused herself to use the toilet leaving him alone with Chloe.

"Hermione offered to give me her wand. Is that a big thing?" Chloe asked as soon she was out of the room.

"Huge." Harry paused. "Let me try to explain. A wand and a magic user is a relationship. I could use Hermione's wand and do some things but it would feel wrong, unnatural. Even if she had given me permission the wand hasn't. We both for a time used other wands and then put lots of effort to get our originals back. It's not like giving up a possession more like a hand. I can still do things left handed but it's hard and not as good."

"Why would she do that?"

"It's to reassure you. She messed up with her parents and while her motives were good. Every day she is paying the price. She has told you about our world and her deepest hurts she must love you a lot."

"I think she does." Chloe looked up with a challenge in her eye. "I love her too. I never thought I'd ever say that, least of all about a girl. Now we're moving in together and thinking about a bigger place. Does that bother you Harry, that you best friend is gay?"

"Not while she is happy."

Chloe's stare held a challenge.

"I'm bothered about the lap dancing. I don't understand how you got my friend dancing for men's pleasure."

"I'm not." Hermione said from the doorway.

"Ah Hermione I..."

"Don't worry it's a perfectly normal question, one I asked Chloe, until I went to the club. You've seen me on stage Harry. Stripped down to my underwear. Lap dancing in the booths until I have nothing on except my panties." She paused watching Harry shift uncomfortably in his seat "Am I turned on Harry?"

Harry looked down unable to look her in the eye.

"That's why I do it. That feeling of power. You knew me in school. The buck toothed, bushy haired, know it all, mud blood, bookworm. I've been rejected and insulted most of my life. The man I slept with didn't have a lot of nice things to say about me. There are few places I can really be myself. Always with you, even when we've argued we never got personnel. With Chloe is another place I can be myself, now I've told her about everything. Another place is on stage. I walk out there and strip. What do the men say who watch? Hey look it's that buck toothed mud blood or something else? I love it up there. It gives me power like nothing else. I'm showing off my body and I enjoy it more than they do."

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He hadn't expected much but he'd thought she'd turn up at least.

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"Have you asked that police women out?" Hermione changed the subject from herself back to Harry.

He squirmed slightly embarrassment talking about things like that in front of Hermione was one thing but in front of Chloe was something else. "Um, not yet."

"Harry take the risk. Love can be found in unexpected places." Hermione glanced at Chloe as she spoke. "If she says no, then it's not a big deal, you don't get a date, which is the same result as not asking her. If she says yes then who knows what will happen."

"When did you get so wise?"

"When I allowed Chloe to talk me into bed even though I thought I was straight. I couldn't understand my feelings but I took the chance."

"Not how I remember it. I had to be a lot more persuasive than that. I snogged you senseless stripped to my underwear and told you to join me or go."

"Hush, my story is better. Your version is the stuff of porn films."

"Yes but it's also true. Speaking of which we have unfinished business. Can you do that teleport thing from here straight back to bed?"

"It's called apparate and maybe on my own, with you I'm not that accurate. I should be able to get us into our flat."

Harry stood up as the two women did. "Hermione you've been drinking. I'll side along with you; you concentrate on the destination I'll make sure Chloe gets there in one piece."

They both took Chloe's arms and apparated through to her flat. Harry attempted to ignore the items of underwear left lying round the bed.

Chloe turned to him. "Thank you for the help getting home but I have plans for Hermione and I think you'd be uncomfortable watching. "

Harry felt his blush rise that was matched by Hermione's. Just as he was about to leave Hermione took his hand. "Call her Harry. Take a chance."

X

It had taken some time to contact her but he'd taken the chance. Another thing in his life that hadn't worked out.

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He thrust his hands deep into his coat pockets. She obviously wasn't coming. Kicking at a stone then turned away from the pub. Only to come face to face with Dawn.

"Sorry I'm late Harry. Some last minute forms to fill in. Shall we go in?"

He smiled nervously, should he lead or let her go first? His instincts wanted to go first and clear the room. His manners insisted he let ladies go first.

Dawn saw his hesitation and led the way into the pub. It was midweek and they found a table without a problem after he returned from the bar with their drinks. Guinness for him, Newcastle Brown for her.

She was a good looking woman, a little older than him but not too big an age gap.

Dawn took a long pull on her bottle and sighed. "I guess you know this isn't going to go well since I turned down your invite for a meal."

"I did guess but you did agree to come for drinks."

"You're a nice guy Harry so I didn't just want to turn you down flat. Do you know I had to brief my Commander I was going out for drinks with you? Its bad enough I have to report every contact with my sister since she has formally joined the FSB.

There is no way either of would want a relationship like that."

Harry sighed. " I didn't think about that."

" I can guess why you asked me out. You want someone you can trust to like you for you not because of what you have done."

"Yeah, every witch I meet I can't trust that they want to get to know the real me and not some image of me they have created."

"You are in a real bind. All those witches see the guy at the top of the most desirable bachelor list. If you try to date non-magical the poor girl has to be told of the your world and then will find out that her every move will be front page news. I don't want that for my life. If we both came with no baggage we might make this to a second date." She sighed sadly. "Sorry Harry, it's not personal at least."

"A second drink at least?" He offered.

"Definitely. I'm off tomorrow so I'm planning on getting shit faced. You wouldn't believe the stuff I've seen this week."

"Whatever you've seen I've seen worse." Harry offered.

"This week?"

"Probably not. This has been a fairly normal one. Just walking the streets. Showing the colours off. So how was yours?"

"There words. Rogue Dementor Attack."

Harry shuddered. " I can imagine. "

" No you can't. At least you can see them. I find a crime scene and I start to feel sad. Because when you find kids who've had their souls sucked out everyone feels sad. The next thing I know I'm waking up in the hospital ward because I'd gone catatonic. Thankfully my partner is a witch and could see them she triggered our emergency portkeys. I'll have a whiskey liquor next."

Harry knew he'd drunk too much. Even so he'd given up trying to keep up with Dawn. She was drinking like someone intent on getting as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. Her plan was simple she started at one end of the top shelf and worked her way along it. Harry knew he had too much to drink when he started talking about Ginny.

"She's a nice girl, pretty too. It's just, it's just. She wants the high life and I'd be happier never going out in public again. When I played quidditch, I did it because it was fun the team was a family. She loves the crowd. She showboats for them. Then she does photo shoots. I just want a quiet life."

He felt his eyes grow heavy, what he really wanted was to sleep. He'd worked last night and while he was off today and tomorrow he hadn't had enough sleep in the day to stay up all night.

Dawn stood up suddenly. "Toilet, puke." She swayed as she spoke and had a greenish tinge to her face.

Harry somehow helped Dawn home. He was unsteady too but they made it. Then he sat up with her to ensure she didn't vomit in her sleep.

Maybe he should just get used to being alone. Ginny would never work out. Dawn wasn't working out. Things would work out when they worked out. Hermione had love in an unexpected place hopefully he would too.

A.N.

I shall leave this here for now.

The format I have chosen for this story and the alternate voices makes it harder to write than usual.

If I was following a normal narrative structure then I'm sure a chapter 5 would be easy. As it is the next chapter should be Hermione's and I've taken her bit of the story as far as I want to. Although a chapter were she takes Chloe to the Weasley's is possible.

Follow or not but this might be the ending.

As I said last chapter it now seems that there is a mini continuity in my stories.

Dawn Perks first appeared in Sally-Anne and the Random Scenes. (I'm sure that would be more popular with a better title)

Lavender in her underwear is chapter 22 in Odds and Ends which is itself a sequel to a Forest tale.

I have written a one shot story that will turn up in Odds and Ends soon it will move Harry to the place I need him to be so that if I ever finish my Sally-Ann sequel that doesn't contradict the events of this.

Thank you for reading.