Chapter 1:

"You're hired!" Sirius said cheerfully.

"Seriously?" Harry retorted, face full of skepticism as he looked around the seedy bar. There was a group of bikers smoking hand rolled cigarettes in one corner, and awkward looking man in the other that gave off serial killer vibes, and bullet holes were littering the bad wallpaper job that surrounded a group of men who were twirling pocket knives on the table like a sinister game of spin the bottle. And it wasn't even noon, so Harry hated to see what kind of vibe the bar gave off around midnight.

"Come on, this is my pride and joy!" Sirius argued, his puppy dog eyes staring straight into Harry's soul. "People like me here!"

"Yes, well you also managed to get out of prison unscathed despite your well known reputation as a hitman," Harry pointed out dryly. "I'm pretty sure people like you everywhere."

"Not true! I got out of prison unscathed because of my reputation," Sirius countered with an easy grin. "Come on, pup, I promise you'll like working here. It'll be even better than your last job! Also, Hermione already accepted."

"You offered her a job before you offered me one?" Harry's offended voice rung out.

"Yea, well, I knew she'd accept," Sirius laughed. "Your first shift is tomorrow. I'll put you both on morning and afternoon and we'll slowly work your way up to nights."

Harry thought it over for one more second before agreeing with a nod. His last place of employment hadn't exactly been nice, but at least it wasn't a grungy bar in the middle of the well established gang district. Everyone knew to be careful around this part of town and to choose your alliances carefully. But Sirius wouldn't put his life in danger, so if he offered him a job, he must have felt it was safe enough.
At the very least, it was closer to his and Hermione's apartment.

"Shift starts at 9:30 tomorrow and we open at 10. Do you want me to call you a cab?" Sirius asked as he followed Harry out, weaving through the tables and mingling patrons with ease that spoke of familiarity.

"No thanks, I'll call one myself," Harry lied easily. Sirius still thought he and Hermione lived on the nicer side of town. In fact, he'd explicitly told Harry the zip codes they were allowed to live at. Which Harry had every intention of obeying, until they'd gotten suckered in by an apartment that boasted ridiculously low rent and utilities included. It would've been dumb to pass it up, even with it being smack dab in the middle of the inner city. Of course, being the godson of a pretty notorious criminal helped smooth the way when negotiating with things like a landlord who refused to fix the broken water heater.

"If you're sure," Sirius reluctantly agreed, holding the door open for Harry but not letting him past without a one armed hug. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow!"

"You too," Harry responded, voice full of affection. He returned the hug easily then darted away into the street, walking in the direction of the nicer area of town until he could be sure Sirius wasn't looking from the bar's front windows, at which point he turned and instead made a beeline for his apartment.

It only took him around 10 minutes to make it back, and Hermione immediately greeted him with an open door and an expectant expression.

"Yes, I took the job offer," Harry sighed, unable to stop his own lips from twitching into a smile as Hermione squealed gleefully. "You know what this means, right?"

"We can finally afford groceries after being laid off?" Hermione suggested.

"That, and we're going to save so much money on cabs."

"So did Sirius mention how he even affords that bar?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the couch and motioning for Harry to take a seat next to her. "I thought he used up most of his money on defense lawyers and trying to bribe your case worker for custody back in the day."

"Deal with a friend, I guess," Harry shrugged, slumping down on the worn cushions. "Wasn't too specific and I'm not sure I want to know."

"Fair point," Hermione agreed, look a bit pale as she considered the implications. It was best not to ask too many questions about Sirius's life. He'd always told them that he'd answer any questions, but followed it up with a warning to be really sure they actually wanted to know the answers.

Their conversation turned into silence, something the two of them were more than content with. After living together for three years, the silences offered quiet companionship without the expectation of words. Harry love it. Harry loved Hermione. They'd been together through thick and thin, bad breakups, the death of Harry's parents and moving away of Hermione's, and Sirius's arrest which had sent Harry into a destructive tailspin that only Hermione was able to pull him out of, even though it had meant traveling to a dozen different countries for a year just to get away.

"Shift starts at 9, by the way. It's about a ten minute walk," Harry yawned out.

"12 minutes, actually. I'll set the alarm for 8:30," Hermione answered. "Best to get a good night sleep before our first day."

Harry snorted at that less than subtle nudge. "Goodnight, then."

The rays of sunshine made Harry open his eyes and grasp around for his phone, fishing it out to find that his alarm wasn't set to go off for another half-hour.

Curtains. They needed curtains desperately. Almost as much as they needed groceries, instead of the sad peanut butter and toast they'd been living off of for the past two weeks.

Shower first, then he'd see about making something for breakfast. Their bathroom wasn't big, but it was a fair tradeoff for having a two bedroom apartment that included a full kitchen. They got around it by keeping all their shower supplies in their own rooms. Harry gathered up everything he needed and carried it to the bathroom, setting it down so he could close and lock the door before stepping inside the shower and turning on the spray, not even bothering to let it warm up before submerging his head. The icy water did the job at waking him up, then he took his time doing some much needed grooming as the water slowly turns hot, taking his time to thoroughly wash his legs and feet and attempting to scrub away the calluses that had formed on his feet after so much walking. He figured the time spent was worth it, especially considering most men had to shave weekly and Harry had really lucked out in the department. He didn't like having facial hair and he didn't like his partners having it either. Way too much stubble burn in places he decidedly didn't want it.

By the time he was finished with his own grooming Hermione was up and groggily knocking on the bathroom door, so Harry swung the towel around himself and let her have the room, retreating to his bedroom to get dressed in a pair of simple dark jeans and a button down, which he assumed would be an acceptable bartender outfit. Their last place had a dress code, but Sirius hadn't mentioned anything and he really doubted that a place like that would require their bartenders to be dressed to the nines.

"Nervous?" Hermione asked as Harry entered the kitchen, hair wet from the shower but otherwise as ready as Harry was.

"A bit. Mostly I just want to get started," he admitted as he snagged a piece of taste from the plat Hermione had left on the counter.

"It'll be great. At least we won't have to deal with Snape anymore," Hermione pointed out, taking her own piece of toast that she absently mushed on while she gathered her side body bag and started taking stock of the supplies she had in it, making sure she didn't forget anything like her phone or a charger.

"Oh god, so true," Harry agreed. "What a dick. He hated me. I hope he enjoys his newfound freedom from us and chokes on his next whiskey."

"Harry," Hermione said reproachfully.

"Fine. I hope he misses us dearly and live a long and happy life. Better?"

"Actually, no, now that I think about it, I prefer the first. How he earned a managing position with his disposition is completely beyond me," Hermione sniffed, finally deeming her bag ready and snapping it shut.

"Threats and glares, I imagine," Harry said drily, "You ready?"

Hermione nodded and Harry grabbed their apartment keys and shut off the kitchen light, letting Hermione out the door first before closing it and locking it. He checked it twice, a paranoid measure that was decidedly not out of place in this neighborhood, then Hermione placed the key in her purse and they set off in the direction of the bar.

The walk was quiet and calm, not much activity this early in the morning. When they finally arrived at the bar, Sirius greeted them with a beaming smile and a hug for them both.

"You ready to get started?" Sirius asked, not even waiting for their answer before he led them through the empty bar, showing them the drink list, procedures, his office, and finally ending in a back lounge where he introduced them to what Harry could only assume were the bouncers.

"Kingsley, Dave, I'd like you to meet Harry and Hermione. Harry's my godson and Hermione might as well be family too." The words were friendly but Harry could the undertone of steel in Sirius' voice, something which Hermione caught too, judging by her raised eyebrow.

"These are the bounces or bodyguards, whatever you want to call them. If there's any trouble, they'll handle it," Sirius directed towards Harry and Hermione.

Kingsley rose from the couch he'd been lounging on and Harry looked in awe as he realized the man was much taller than he initially assumed. He must have been at least 6 feet and covering in tattoos and heavy muscles. Harry would've thought he was beyond attractive if he didn't look to be pressing into his 50s.

"Pleasure to meet you," Kingsley rumbled, reaching out a hand to shake Harry's and Hermione's in a surprisingly gentle fashion. "You run into any trouble, let me know. There's a button on the bar that sends a message to us both just in case, but generally Dave handles more behind the scenes, so you'll be seeing more of me."

"Button?" Harry asked.

"Let me show you." Kingsley led them all back out and towards the counter, where he showed them a small switch on the underside of the counter facing out. It was small and innocuous and Harry dearly hoped it didn't have to be used too often.

"Don't worry about it," Kingsley said quickly, correctly interpreting Harry's expression. "Like I said, I'm here in case there's any issues. Normally it's just the usual, someone gets too drunk and pisses off the wrong person. Just make sure to watch you mouth at the bar, you never know who your costumer might be. Or do."

"Kingsley," Sirius warned.

"Sirius, it's okay," Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not like we don't know what you do. We both assumed there'd be a fair share of drug dealers and whatnot here."

Kingsley looked like he was about to open his mouth, but one more look from Sirius had him rethinking. "Yea," he chose to say instead. "Like I said, mate, just watch your mouth and call me if either of you need any help."

And from there, it as just Sirius quizzing them on the basics and getting the place ready for opening.

Their first costumer was a man who looked like he hadn't slept in the last decade and Hermione look the lead, pouring him his well drink under Sirius' watchful eyes. And then they kept trickling in, slowly at first until around noon when the business started picking up. Sirius had left sometime around 11 and Harry and Hermione were managing just fine. They were used to working together and their flow was effortless, both of them taking costumers with silent communication. As promised, Kingsley stayed near the bar the entire time, his looming presence taking turns scanning the room and monitoring the patrons at the counter, making sure none of them got too handsy or rude.

It had only been a few hours, but Harry could already tell that this bar had two types of costumers. The solo stragglers who came up to the bar, ordered a drink, and stayed by the counter making small talk. And then he transactions. Harry hadn't noticed it at first, but after the third group had come in, snagged a back table, and left an hour later having exchanged envelopes and handshakes, Harry had finally realized that perhaps this bar had a little more to do with Sirius' other business than he'd initially assumed.

Harry reflexively raised his head when he heard the door open, eyes searching out the newest patron. The newest straggler was a tall man with aristocratic features, dressed in a suit that looked expensive enough to make Harry nervous to serve him. His smile was friendly enough, but Harry didn't believe it for a second. The man radiated power, and everyone else noticed it too since they all eyed the man before turning back to their conversations.

Harry's mouth went dry as the man approached the bar and leaned over, making the shirt tighten around his arms in a way that had Harry blushing and looking away. Hermione caught his expression before he could duck down and her smile said enough.

'Please don't,' Harry mouthed at her.

Hermione took mercy on him thankfully, taking the man's order quickly and efficiently, a smirk firmly planted on her face the whole time until the man accepted his drink and found a spot at a nearby table.

"So -"

"Don't," Harry cut her off with a harsh whisper, face still flaming as he desperately tried not to steel a glance He was pretty sure eye fucking a costumer on your first day at work was not allowed, even if the man was arguably the most attractive person he'd seen in months and the owner in charge happened to be your godfather.

3pm was a dead time apparently. Most of the patrons had trickled out and weren't being replaced as quickly either. The man still sat at the same table, though now he'd pulled out a phone and seemed to be engaged in a rapid fire communication with someone, judging by the speed in which his fingers attacked the keyboard. And Harry was still struggling not to look over too often, instead making himself busy cleaning glasses and re-straightening the bottles of alcohol on the shelves for the fifth time, ignoring Hermione's not so subtle pointed looks.

Sirius's form emerging from the door that lead to the back had Harry sighing in relief.

"Hey, pup!" He said cheerly, the greeting sounding out loud in the relatively empty room.

Harry flushed as a few patrons turned to look in his direction, quickly gleaning who the greeting had been meant for. "Can we not call me that in public?" He hissed, sending Sirius a rage-filled glare. They had talked about this already.

"Sure thing, Munchkin," Sirius smirked, clearly not affected at all by Harry's ire.

Harry heard a snicker sound across the room and the man sitting at the table also had the gall to turn around to see the commotion. Harry's face suddenly got even brighter, an angry flushed red, and Sirius at least had the presence to look somewhat guilty as he also noticed their sudden onlooker. And nervous. Huh.

"So how's it going then? Any trouble?" Sirius kept his eyes on the man at the table as he asked that last question and Harry filed it away to analyze later.

"Nope, everything's been fine."

"You must be ready for a break then?" Sirius asked, finally tearing his eyes away so he could look at Harry properly. "Gov mandates 20 minutes and you look a bit tired."

"Dad," Harry said firmly, using the title that always made Sirius melt. "We agreed, no babying at work. Or anywhere, but especially work."

"I'm not babying you!" Serious defending, not minding his voice at all even though Harry had said his at a quiet murmur. "See, I think Hermione should take a break too! How about you take 20 then Harry can take his break?"

Hermione looked from Sirius to Harry before agreeing with a one shoulder shrug and exiting the bar to walk towards the back door.

"Alright, now your turn," Harry nudged Sirius in the same direction Harry went, groaning when Sirius playfully refused to budge. "I promise I'll take my break if you promise not to hover."

"Ugh, what did I do to deserve such an unloving godson," Sirius pouted dramatically, but he finally allowed Harry to push him in the direction of the door, making a pointed motion towards the clock as he exited which Harry rolled his eyes at.

He turned around to finish drying the glass he'd been working on before the interruption when movement caught his eye. The man had finally raised from his spot, back ramrod straight, but instead of heading for the exit since he'd been there all afternoon, he turned and walked smoothly towards the bar.

Harry turned fully around just as the man took a seat, body hanging languidly off the barstool in a way that looked unfairly comfortable and confident. Harry got the fleeting impression of a panther. Or perhaps a snake. Something powerful and dangerous, at the very least.

"What can I get you?" Harry asked, voice higher in pitch than he would've liked. He avoided the man's gaze as he accepted the empty glass.

"Scotch, please. The nicest you've got." The man's voice sounded amused but Harry ignored it as he poured the drink, flushing when the man reached out and purposefully dragged his fingers against Harry's as he took the drink instead of waiting for it to be put down.

"I've heard rumors of Sirius Black's elusive godson," the man said with a smirk circling the rim of his glass as he took a long sip.

"Have you?" Harry tried for nonchalant, keeping a wary eye on the man even as his heart fluttered against his chest and a blush once again threatened to overtake his cheeks. Sirius tending to make just as many enemies as friends and it wouldn't do for Harry to be too caught of guard.

"Would you like to know what I've heard?"

"I don't really care much for rumors," Harry countered, taking a step back and growing a bit more nervous when he noticed that not only had the few remaining patrons cleared out, but that Kingsley was suspiciously missing also. So much for always staying close.

"Neither do I," the man smiled. "I'm Tom Riddle."

He waited, as if to see if Harry recognized the name, but when the boy simply said, "Harry," in return, the man's smile widened even further.

"Not one for rumors, indeed," Tom noted and Harry got the distinct impression that he was being laughed at.

"I already said that," Harry snapped back, face steadily growing more grumpy. He didn't like being stared at and he definitely didn't like being laughed at.

If anything, his grumpiness only made the man more amused though. An endlessly frustrating loop, it seemed. "Harry Black," Tom tasted the name on his lips, finally breaking his unwavering gaze so he could stare into the amber liquid as he took another drink.

"Potter," Harry corrected by habit, before promptly flushing and widening his eyes. "Nevermind, forget I said that. It's Harry Black." He was an idiot, giving his full name to the first stranger in a bar that had introduced himself. At this rate, he'll have given away his address and email password by the end of the conversation.

"Harry Black, then. Pleasure to meet you. First day on the job?"

"Ah, yes, and I really do need to get back to working," Harry tried to turn away from the conversation, but like a viper Tom snagged his forearm, forcing him to remain. The hold was gentle but Harry could feel the current under the fingertips and the hidden strength that told him he wasn't being freed until Tom wanted to.

"I imagine conversing with those at the bar is a part of the job, no?" Tom said in a steady voice, giving Harry a firm look that instantly had Harry's heart fluttering again. Apparently Hermione was right, dangerous and demanding was his type.

"Look, Tom -" Harry sighed, catching the delight that flashed in the man's eyes at the use of his first name, " - Riddle. Mr. Riddle? I really do need to finish cleaning the glasses, and it wouldn't look good to be found slacking off on my first day of work." Harry gestured with his eyes to his forearm that was still being held securely by icy fingers.

"Tom, if you would. I'd prefer if you called me by my first name."

"Fine. Tom," Harry corrected, this time tugging on his arm in a pointed way until it was released.

"I'm sure your boss wouldn't be upset," Tom chuckled. "And if he is, feel free to direct him to me."

"Just because Sirius is my godfather, doesn't mean -"

Harry was cut off by the sudden appearance of Hermione storming to the counter, eyes zeroed in on Harry with such an intensity that Harry wondering what he'd done this time.

"Oh my god. Did you tell Sirius that we were living in the suburbs?" She huffed, before stopping dead in her tracks when she noticed the figure sitting across from Harry and paying very close attention.

"Um…maybe?" Harry tried for innocent. "Told is such a strong word. I prefer implied."

"Yea, well, I just scheduled a lunch date with him at our place and he's going to kill you when he finds out," Hermione finished, glancing between Tom and Harry as she realized that she had definitely interrupted something.

"Uh oh," Harry said lightly, grimacing as he thought about Sirius's reaction to where they lived. "Please tell me you scheduled for February 29th? We could hold him off for a year or so that way, I'd imagine."

"You're an idiot," Hermione informed Harry with a long suffering look aimed in his direction. "Go and take your break. Sirius is in the back. Have fun trying to work your way around this one."

Harry did take his break, but he definitely didn't mention anything about their living situation. Especially not after Sirius excitedly told him that he couldn't wait to see their nice apartment and how proud he was that Harry was living in a decent place. So Harry just hummed along noncommittally, accepted a hug when it was given, and kept his mouth shut until his break was over.

When Harry returned Tom was still sitting in the same barstool as before, eyes flickering between his phone and the door. Harry felt a flash of irritation. I mean, sure it was a Saturday and all, but didn't this guy have something to do? The only thing he'd seen him do all day was take a few phone calls and have a handful of minute long conversations with people filtering in and out.

"So…" Hermione prompted as soon as Harry came around the bar. Harry turned to her, trying his hardest to ignore the look that Tom sent him once the man noticed him approaching. He did not have time to deal with the arousal the came with noticing Tom's attention, thank you very much. Nor the want to explore his dangerous attraction to people who were way above his league.

"How would you feel about bribing one of your more normal friends to pretend like their apartment is ours for the day?"

Hermione's dead expression said it all and Harry groaned.

"You have a week to tell Sirius. We're having lunch on Thursday," she sniffed.

Harry huffed, "Hermione, I can't just tell Sirius that we live in this city's equivalent of skid row."

Her silence said it all and Harry morned the loss of his freedom from an overprotective godfather. He just knew the man was going to be even more ridiculous after this. Especially if he caught sight of their crack dealing neighbor and the man underneath them that they were pretty sure might be a serial killer. Or just really interested in local news, going by the newspaper article that covered all his windows.

"Fine, but you should know I'm assigning you equal blame when Sirius finds out."

"Finish cleaning, our shift is almost over," Hermione ordered.

Harry sighed but followed directions, picking up where he left off and making sure the glasses were all polished. Then, when he ran out of things to do, he reluctantly turned to face Tom, who had put down his phone and was now staring unashamedly at Harry.

"Would you like another drink?" Harry said as politely as he could.

"No, but I would like to walk you home." The words were said calmly and firmly, as if it was an expectation rather than a question.

"Um…no?" Harry said, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the man across from him. "I mean, no offense. You are -" he cut himself off before he could add any adjectives like 'ridiculously attractive' and 'scary in both a good way and a confusing way,' " - way too busy I'm sure." He finished lamely, mentally stomping on his foot as he realized that sounded more like an invitation to prove him wrong than an actual denial.

Hermione, of course, was pretending to be out of ear range.

"I insist."

"I decline," Harry countered easily. "Besides, I'm not supposed to go home with strangers."

"We're not strangers, Harry. You know my name and I know yours. From the conversation you just had, it seems that you don't live in the best area. I'm afraid that I would be remiss if I allowed you to walk home unaccompanied."

Harry sent a look towards Hermione, begging her with his eyes to step in. Her face showed confusion, but thankfully, she didn't ask any questions after seeing the seriousness in Harry's expression.

"Thank you for the offer, sir, but we'll be okay. Harry?" She then said, holding out her arm and gesturing towards the front door where Harry saw Sirius entering, followed by what he assumed were their shift replacements.

Harry accepted her arm and sent one look back towards Tom, who was staring at them with a calculating expression that sent a brief tingle down Harry's spine. "Have a nice night," Harry offered up as a final end to their conversation.

They only made it a few blocks away from the bar before Hermione was whirling around and jabbing a finger at his chest. "What was that?" She asked, trotting backwards to maintain her demanding look.

"What was what?"

"That! That ridiculously attractive man that you were definitely ogling earlier in the day. The man who decided to come and flirt with you while I was on break then offer to walk you home after."

"Walk us home," Harry corrected.

"Harry," Hermione demanded back, just as easily. "Admit it. You think he's attractive and he's clearly interested in you."

"I mean, yea," Harry admitted cheeks getting pink again. "He doesn't exactly seem like the good type to date though."

"Since when have you been interested in the 'good type'," Hermione snorted.

"Hey, remember Victor? He was good," Harry argued.

"Yea, good in bed maybe," Hermione rolled her eyes, turning back around so she could walk normally again. "I bet he would be good in bed."

"We're done with this conversation. He's way out of my league anyways," Harry dismissed, trying to ignore the tingling in his stomach and the hot flush in his cheeks at Hermione saying that. "Don't bother me in my room tonight."

"Okay, ew," Hermione replied, nose wrinkling.

Harry laughed and grabbed her arm as they continued down their street. And though Harry didn't mention it to Hermione, the hair on the back of his neck gave the feeling that they weren't alone on their walk home.