Harry Potter Modern!AU| Devil's Triangle Part 5.4
The night was still young, so the pub was not very packed. A few tables were occupied by office workers wanting to destress after a long day. Light country music blared from the speakers, accompanying the clink of glasses and raucous laughter.Sitting across from Harry in the cosy corner booth, Hermione giggled as she sipped from her beer mug. “How long has it been since you were on a date?”Harry shifted in his seat and combed a hand through his hair. “It’s been a while,” he chuckled nervously.“Alcohol helps, you know,” Hermione said.Harry eyed his full beer mug and contemplated downing it. Thinking better of it given the nervous fluttering in his stomach, he shook his head. “I’ll wait for the food first.”Shrugging, Hermione took another sip. “Suit yourself.”As if on cue, a waitress materialized in front of their table carrying their plates. She placed it down on the table, gave a quick smile and left after murmuring “Enjoy your food”.Harry took a whiff of his burger and fries and a smile split his lips. It was cooked to perfection, just the way he liked it. He looked over to Hermione who was licking her lips at the sight of her chicken chop. He asked, “Does it look the same as before?”She met his gaze and bobbed her head. “Exactly like how I remember it. I can’t wait to taste the meat! But before that..”Hermione fished out her phone and aimed the camera at her plate. A white flash illuminated the table, followed by the sound of the shutter. Chuckling, Harry picked up his cutlery and stabbed a fry with his fork. “I didn’t know you were the kind to take pictures of your food. Mind if I start eating first?”“Oh no go ahead. I just need to post this on my Insta.” Her gaze was on her phone as her fingers flew over the touch screen. “And…. done.”Hermione plopped her phone down on the table next to her plate. “I only started taking food pics in recent years, I guess.”She cut into her chicken chop and gracefully took a bite, her eyes shutting as she hummed in contentment. “Oh that is good. So juicy.”“So what made you start taking pictures of food?” Harry said as he bit down into his burger.“Professional reasons at first.” Hermione’s voice was muffled as she chewed.“Professional?”“Yeah.” She swallowed and dabbed at her lips with the napkin. “Times have changed. Celebrities need to be active on social media and show how they live. It makes them real to the fans.”“Wow.” Harry’s eyes widened. “That sounds… tiring.”Hermione gave a small shrug. “You get used to it after a while. I find it kind of fun.”Licking his lips, Harry finished the last of his burger and turned his attention to the fries. He didn’t follow any celebrities, so he had no idea how things worked. But he did read the news. And he recalled how crazy fans could be. The internet only made it easier for them to stalk their idols.“But wouldn’t that mean you have less privacy?” he pondered out loud. “I mean I assume fans would bother you online as well.”He looked up from his food to see the slight downturn in the corner of Hermione’s lips. Realizing that he might have hit a nerve, he placed his fork down and reached for her hand on the table. Unaware of Harry’s gesture, Hermione brought her hand to her forehead and massaged it between her thumb and index finger. She gave a cynical laugh, her eyes not meeting his. “You have no idea how much shit goes on in the virtual world.”Harry retracted his hand, watching as Hermione took a chug of her beer. A wave of pity washed over him. He wondered about what she had to go through all alone when she left for the city. Was she happy with the path she had chosen? Is that why she was back here now?He opened his mouth to ask a deeper personal question but was cut short by a peal of laughter from Hermione.“At least they know I’m not dead or in trouble now!” she chortled.Smiling wryly, Harry speared the last few fries with his fork. He suspected she was merely joking to avoid more questions. Were he a closer friend of hers, he would press further. The thought brought on a tinge of sadness as he decided not to pursue the topic.“How about you?” Hermione broke his reverie. “Are you active on Insta? Facebook? Twitter?”He chuckled and shook his head. “None. No one would know if I were dead or alive, I guess.”Hermione threw her head back as she laughed, one hand covering her mouth as she did. “Oh that’s a good one!”Happy to see her enjoying herself, Harry broke into a grin. He lifted his still-full beer mug up high. “Want to toast now since I’m done eating?”“Ah yes,” Hermione replied as she wiped away the tears of laughter that pooled at the corner of her eyes. “No better time. What should we toast to?”“Hmm,” Harry thought for a moment. “To our meeting after so many years?”“Sure!” She lifted her mug. “And to many more meetings.” Her eyes twinkled at him and he couldn’t help the flush creeping up his cheeks at her implied meaning. He grinned sheepishly and touched the side of her mug with his. “Cheers!”“Cheers!” She chugged down the remaining beer and put it down on the table with a satisfied “Ahh”.He took three big gulps before putting his mug down as well. Seeing her empty mug, he gestured to it. “Want another one?”“Sure,” she chirped.Harry turned and lifted a hand to beckon the waitress over when he caught sight of a towering man at the entrance glowering in his direction. He frowned, looking around to see whether there were any other people that could be the target of such an intense glare. Most of the crowd were huddled closer to the bar and the nearest couple were seated two booths away. His gaze zipped back to the stranger. The two men locked sights and Harry gulped under the intensity of his unflinching glare. Everything about the man spelled trouble - from the bruise on his jaw and unkempt hair to his leather jacket and scruffed jeans. He seemed vaguely familiar, his name on the tip of Harry’s tongue, but he couldn’t put a profile to that face.Instinctively, Harry reached for the holster at his hip. His fingers touched air and he cursed inwardly. Of course he hadn’t brought it with him. He was off-duty, why would he bring a fucking gun to a date?His eyes flickered to the cutlery on the table. Better to be armed just in case anything were to happen. The stranger was probably a local, but that didn’t mean a fight won’t break out. He slipped his hand over the knife handle and gripped it hard, readying himself.Noticing the tense vibe and Harry’s odd actions, Hermione raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. “Something wrong?”When she followed his gaze, she tensed. The piece of meat in her mouth suddenly tasted dry and she coughed as she swallowed it down. Harry’s attention shifted back to her. Seeing the fear in her eyes, his free hand reached over to squeeze her wrist. He kept his voice low and reassuring. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. It’s probably just some… loser wanting to rant.”Hermione shook her head vigorously, her eyes flitting from him to the stranger and back to him again. “I know that guy. He’s a teacher from the school.”“Really?” Harry voiced incredulously. He watched the stranger start stalking towards them, all the while maintaining eye contact with him. He couldn’t tell if the man was packing some heat - his hands were tucked into the pockets of his oversized jacket.“What does he want with us then?” Harry whispered, his eyes never leaving the man.Hermione placed an elbow on the table, her hand cupping the side of her face in a failed attempt to hide herself from the stranger heading their way. Her voice held a slight tremor as she spoke. “I don’t know. He’s a damn pervert, that’s all I know.”Shit. He had a feeling he knew who this guy was. There were complaints about harassment before, but he had never dealt with him before. He breathed in heavily and exhaled. Sparing a glance at Hermione, he gave a stiff smile. “Just remain calm and act normal. It’ll be fine.”He turned his gaze back, just as the man reached their table. His grip tightened around the knife. “Look who we have here,” the man crooned, his gravelly voice causing the hairs on Harry’s arm to raise. “Hermione, fancy seeing you here with a young boy.”The man’s emphasis on the word ‘boy’ had Harry clenching his jaw as he shot a glare at the tall stranger.Hermione reluctantly placed the hand shielding her face down. She cleared her throat and turned to look at the man with a tight-lipped smile. “Fenrir, this is Harry. He’s a policeman.”“Is he now?” The man called Fenrir sniggered and looked Harry up and down. “I don’t see his gun.”Harry summoned his most menacing voice as he fixed Fenrir in a blistering stare. “I’m officially off-duty but that doesn’t mean I won’t enforce law and order where necessary.”Laughing, Fenrir took his hands out of his pocket - causing Harry to lift the knife off the table - and held them up in mock surrender. “Hey chill, man. I’m not here for a fight.”No gun. Harry relaxed a little. His hand lowered but he kept a firm grip on the knife. Fenrir tilted his head towards Hermione. “I just happened to know that Hermione was here.”Hermione’s eyes widened. She stuttered, a hint of fear lacing her tone. “H-how did you find out where I was?”A low chuckle rumbled from Fenrir’s throat. He dug a hand into his pocket and Harry tensed, bringing his knife closer and ready to strike.As Fenrir slowly drew out the object in his pocket, Harry’s heart thumped furiously in his chest. Adrenaline surged through him as he prepared to lunge at the man. He may be smaller in size than Fenrir but his speed would at least catch the man off guard. The tip of the object came into view. Harry held his breath. The glint off the screen had him blinking his eye and it took him a second to realize it was only a phone. He sighed softly in relief.Fenrir tapped on the screen of his phone and turned it to face Hermione. He wiggled it in front of her, taunting her. When she took a closer look, the color drained out of her face. Seeing her reaction, Fenrir sneered. “If you don’t want people knowing where you are, then don’t geotag your pictures.”Harry sneaked a glance at the phone and recognized the picture of chicken chop that Hermione had snapped not more than thirty minutes ago. A surge of anger lanced through his body and he shot out of his seat, the metal legs of the table screeching against the floor as he did. He was a head shorter than Fenrir but that did not stop him from shoving his face into Fenrir’s. Furious eyes burnt into the lecherous man as he snarled. “For that, I can charge you with stalking. You won’t even be able to hold down a job in this town with another mark on your record, you hear me??”Fenrir’s cheeks puffed out as he held back his anger, knowing better than to start a fight with the policeman. He continued the staring contest for a little longer to soothe his ego, and then nodded disparagingly. “You think you’re the boss here eh? Prove it then.”When Harry didn’t back down, Fenrir deflated. His eyes flitted around to find an excuse and he gestured sweepingly at the bar. “Can’t I be here to grab a beer?”The deadly silence that greeted him served as an answer and Fenrir took a step back in defeat. “Fine, whatever.” His shifty eyes swiveled back to Hermione and he threw a smirk. “See you around, Hermione.”Harry’s gaze never left Fenrir until the man had exited the pub. He huffed, ran a hand through his hair, and turned back towards their table. He plunked down into the seat and exhaled loudly. “Wow that was intense huh.”When he looked up, the expression on Hermione’s face shocked him. Her face was pale, her eyes unblinking and unfocused. Her bottom lip trembled as she wrung her fingers in her lap. In an instant, she had transformed from a confident, sexy woman into a small, scared girl. “Hey it’s okay. He’s gone now,” Harry comforted as he reached out to touch her arm.His fingers had barely skimmed her skin when Hermione recoiled in fear, a whimper escaping her lips. Hurt and worried by her reaction, Harry withdrew his hand and murmured an apology.“I… I’m sorry, Harry. I have to head home now.” Hermione mumbled as she gathered her belongings and got up.Hurriedly getting to his feet, Harry said, “Let me send you back. It’s not safe with Fenrir somewhere out there.”Hermione barely nodded as she slung her bag across her shoulder and rushed towards the entrance. Before she could leave without him, Harry quickly took out his wallet, fished out a fifty dollar note and threw it on the table. He caught up to her before she walked off somewhere else and directed her back towards his car.The drive back was blanketed by a total silence that hung over them like a giant rock boulder. He tried multiple times to start a conversation but all he could get out of her was a hum of acknowledgement. When he pulled up to her doorstep, she didn’t even look at him as she said “Thank you for the ride.”He watched her enter her house and when the lights came on in the upstairs room, he finally let out a sigh of exasperation. So much for his date. More than that, he worried about Hermione. Fenrir was an ass, but her reaction to his advances were even more concerning. Although she wasn’t letting on much, he could tell she was hiding something. Something had traumatized her and he only wished he knew what it was.
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