A Rosier Legacy (HP AU M-SI)

The taxi dropped us off just a short distance from the very center, right at the start of the pedestrian zone. The place was packed with people. I felt my vision slowly clearing—for how much firewhisky I had knocked back in the lounge, I was sobering up surprisingly fast. And that meant only one thing: I urgently needed more alcohol.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Sirius asked, genuine laughter dancing in his voice.

I was glad he was enjoying himself. Honestly, I had never been to this neighborhood before, but I knew exactly what we needed at this moment.

"Nope, no idea," I shook my head. "But we need a better bar. Packed with people, with a perfect one-to-one ratio of men and women, and some louder music playing. There should also be enough tables and spacious booths."

"Uh... and why exactly a bar like that?" he asked, his head jerking from side to side like a starved wolf taking in London's nightlife.

"Because you spent a decade in Azkaban, and I want to give you the perfect environment to experience something truly pleasant after all this time," I laughed amusedly, pulling him along through the crowd.

After a few minutes of walking, we found the perfect bar. It was also located on the pedestrian zone, on the right side. The wide entrance doors were wide open, and on the left, an outdoor terrace stretched out—four small drink tables with chairs, every single one of them occupied. Even from the doorway, I could see the bar counter, where two bartenders were working their heads off. A huge crowd jostled in front of them, everyone trying to grab a drink. Along the left side of the interior, there was wall seating with smaller tables and chairs. Every single table was full.

I was sure this was the perfect spot. Music poured from inside at just the right volume so that we would have to sit close and raise our voices slightly if we wanted to hear each other. And best of all—even though the bar's name was written in a font I couldn't even read, the gender ratio inside was definitely perfect.

"Sirius, we have the perfect place for tonight's fun."

"Finally, I've almost sobered up," he snorted amusedly and headed straight inside.

But I caught him by the elbow immediately. "Wait. We need to agree on the rules and a game plan!"

"Game plan? What rules? What on earth are you talking about?" he blurted out in surprise.

"We're not just going to get shit-faced under the table. We're going to socialize and have fun. So: not a word about the magical world. From now on, you replace the word 'Quidditch' with 'football'. If anyone asks for details, you played defender. Furthermore, don't shower women with useless compliments. Try to show actual interest in them. Talk less; they'll do the chatting for you." I paused for a moment, wondering if I had forgotten anything.

And right at that moment, a bright light flashed in front of us. Some pot-bellied dickhead with a camera snapped our picture without asking.

"That's going to be an amazing shot!" the guy blurted out enthusiastically. "Can you smirk at me like that one more time?"

Instead of answering, I quickly pulled a laughing Sirius inside the venue. Two tipsy retards in white togas in the middle of Soho would undoubtedly be a great catch for him. Entry was free, no bouncer anywhere, just pure, laid-back vibes and people having fun.

As soon as we stepped inside, we stopped. It was so packed we were literally standing in a queue. Quickly scanning the space, I noticed the restrooms—surprisingly just a single ordinary door with a long line of waiting people already stretching out. A bit further, a staircase led down to the basement, topped by a glowing sign that read "Dance Floor & DJ." So the bar was actually much larger than it seemed at first glance. I quickly pulled some cash out from under my toga.

"Sirius, can you handle hunting down some drinks?" I asked just to be sure. "In the meantime, I'll secure us a table and some pleasant company."

"Sure, no problem," he nodded with a smirk, taking the cash from me. "Fortunately, Muggle pounds haven't changed over the years."

"Get me a draft beer, in a pitcher if possible. And ask for a clean glass to go with it. Get yourself whatever you fancy," I instructed, handing him a decent stack of bills.

Sirius took a decisive step forward to push into the crowd at the counter, while I headed deeper into the bar at a slow, casual pace. Right nearby, at one of the high tables, two women were sitting on barstools. Judging by their body language, they were talking to each other quite boredly, which was the perfect opportunity for me. The only catch was that, due to the alcohol, I couldn't focus properly to judge whether they were attractive. They had slim figures, but their faces were lost in a gentle haze.

'Oh well, worst-case scenario, I'll just ask them outright,' flashed through my mind with alcoholic logic, and with absolute confidence in my Roman toga, I headed straight for them.

"Hey!" I greeted them with a charming, years-practiced smile.

"Hey," came the dual reply. I immediately sensed amusement in their voices, which played right into my hands.

"My friend and I just arrived, and if you have some free space, we'd love to join you," I tossed out casually. "He just went to the bar to get something to drink."

"Sure, you can join!" the younger-sounding one with black hair replied immediately. "But your friend is probably going to be waiting a while. We stuck around at the counter for about half an hour."

"So, why are you wearing a Roman toga, anyway?" the brunette asked, laughter in her voice.

"I'd actually like to know that too," the black-haired girl joined in amusedly, scanning me curiously.

"Now, now, girls, calm down," I laughed. "Something for something!"

"Oh really? And what would you want?" I caught a teasing smirk in the brunette's voice.

"Well, to start with, your names, of course."

"I'm Sarah, and this is Emma," the black-haired girl introduced them with a laugh. "And you are...?"

"A super-cool anonymous guy," I replied with a smirk. "My friend and I are acting students, you see, and we're practicing our roles around town in togas. It's actually quite fun," I threw out absolute nonsense, but delivered it with the utmost seriousness.

"Really?" Emma blurted out. "Have you been in any movies or TV shows yet?"

"But I want to know your name first!" Sarah chimed in right after, refusing to be brushed off so easily.

"Sirius had better get over here soon, because I can't handle you girls on my own," I laughed amusedly. Then I turned to the black-haired Sarah. "What's in it for me?"

"I don't know... a drink?" she suggested with a smile.

"No way. If you had to go wait at that packed bar, I'd definitely miss you here," I shook my head with a smirk. "How about rock, paper, scissors? If you win, I'll tell you my name."

"Deal!" Sarah blurted out.

"I'm playing too!" Emma chimed in immediately.

I was having an absolute blast; all that was missing for perfect satisfaction was that beer. I held out my hand between them with a wide smile. "Alright, who goes first?"

Emma went first. We conscientiously counted down three hand movements. Emma ended up choosing scissors, while I left my hand as paper. With a smile, I returned to her previous question.

"No, we haven't really been in anything major yet," I shook my head. "But maybe in time. Some guy already managed to snap a photo of us out on the street," I added with a laugh.

"My turn!" Sarah interrupted combatively. "You won't be a super-cool anonymous guy for much longer!"

With a teasing smile, I extended my fist toward her, and we got down to it. But Sarah apparently couldn't wait to win, because halfway through the third movement, she impatiently started opening her fist into paper. I immediately took advantage of it in a split second and changed my shape to scissors.

I burst out laughing in amusement. "Bad luck. I remain a super-cool anonymous guy!"

"Pff," she snorted amusedly. "Let's play again."

"We can't just do that... Surely there needs to be a break for drinks and conversation between games," I smirked at her triumphantly. "What are you sipping on, anyway?"

"Gin and tonic," Emma replied.

"Want some?" Sarah offered with a smile, nudging her glass a bit closer.

"You're very sweet, Sarah, but I can't mix my drinks that wildly."

"Am I sweet enough for you to finally introduce yourself?" she suggested immediately, making Emma burst out laughing.

"You really should introduce yourself to her, super-cool anonymous guy, because she won't leave you alone all night," she noted.

I was about to shake my head in amusement when a deep, raspy voice suddenly sounded from behind my back.

"I finally got out of that wilderness, Patrik," he spoke to me, and the next second turned to the girls with leonine confidence. "Hi, girls, I'm Sirius!"

He introduced himself nonchalantly with an amused smirk and, with a muffled thud, set a pitcher of beer, two clean glasses, and a generously filled glass of firewhisky for himself onto the table.

"Hi, Sirius!" the girls greeted almost in unison, and Sarah immediately turned to me amusedly: "So, Patrik... Nice to meet you!"

"Thanks, Sirius. Thank you so much," I said with mock offense, but laughter in my voice.

The girls laughed while I, smiling, offered Sarah my hand. She accepted it immediately.

"Nice to meet you," I shook her hand. I gently held her small hand in mine just a bit longer than necessary, fixing my gaze on her face, though due to the alcoholic haze I still couldn't make out all the details.

"Me too, super-cool anonymous Patrik," she smirked at me, but we kept our hands joined over the table.

"Alright, alright, lovebirds, save it for later," Emma interjected with a laugh. "I'm Emma, and this is Sarah," she introduced them to Sirius, immediately offering him her hand too.

Amused, I let go of Sarah's hand, reached for the pitcher, and poured myself a generous, full glass. The draft beer was brilliantly chilled.

"To new and pleasant friendships," I raised my glass to eye level in a toast. Everyone gradually joined in, clinking their glasses together.

"To new and pleasant friendships," Sarah repeated, putting a seductive undertone in her voice while watching me over the rim of her glass the entire time.

After clinking glasses, I brought mine to my lips again and took another hearty gulp.

"Patrik said you're actors," Emma turned to Sirius with a smile. "Do you enjoy it?"

"Amateur actors, just for fun," I corrected her quickly and amusedly to maintain our cover. "But Sirius here is exceptionally talented. He has a natural gift for it."

"Really?" Emma caught onto it immediately, looking at him curiously.

In that second, Sirius stared at her as dumb as a fish. He clearly had no idea what role I had just saddled him with, so I had to rescue the situation in a flash.

"Yes, but he's terribly modest and doesn't like to brag," I added with a smile, kicking him hard in the leg under the table.

"And what do you two do when you're not in a bar?" Sirius brought up immediately after my kick, not even batting an eye as he instantly seized the initiative.

"We study medicine," Emma shrugged. "We still have three years left and yay... we'll be doctors," she bragged with pride in her voice.

"Three years... that's still an eternity," I noted understandingly. "Which year has wrecked you the most so far? Anatomy, or did something even worse come along?"

Emma giggled amusedly. "Anatomy was pure hell. But pharmacology is currently kicking our asses."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "And then clinical rotations. That's where you quickly find out that textbooks are just... a very gentle introduction to reality."

Sirius casually tossed his glass of whiskey from one hand to the other and then set it down on the table with a quiet clink. "Wait... pharmaco-what?" he asked with absolutely no shame.

"Pharmacology. Drugs, how they work, side effects, interactions... that kind of stuff," Sarah replied amusedly.

"Ah," Sirius nodded understandingly, a glint in his eyes. "So you're basically learning what can kill me and what, on the other hand, will keep me alive," he added with a rugged smirk.

"Very simplified... yes," Emma agreed with a laugh.

Smirking, I finished the rest of the beer in my glass and poured more from the pitcher. Since I was drinking it alone, I had more than enough. But the alcohol was doing its work, and at that moment, I desperately needed to use the restroom.

"Excuse me for a moment, girls, I have to step away," I announced to them with a smirk worthy of a Roman emperor.

"You're going to be waiting a long time there," Sarah noted amusedly, eyeing me up and down. "There are four people in line for the one and only toilet."

"You'll miss me here... but nature calls," I laughed, shrugged, and headed off to join the queue.

Exactly as Sarah had said—four people were standing ahead of me. I knew if I didn't get in line right away, I wouldn't get a turn until morning. Directly in front of me stood a blonde in black leggings that perfectly accentuated her well-shaped ass. She was wearing a crop top, leaving a bit of her lower back exposed. She clearly felt my gaze, because she kept turning nervously in my direction over her shoulder.

The queue hadn't budged at all for a good two minutes, and I was starting to get incredibly bored. So, I decided to act. Slowly and casually, I took a step forward and stood right next to her so I wouldn't have to address her from behind like some creep.

"Hi!" I greeted her with my tried-and-tested charming smile. "What's your name?"

"Hi," she replied with a soft smile and a very distinct, lilting accent. "My name is Scout. And yours?"

"Wait, hang on... your name is Scott?" I asked curiously, as that's what it sounded like in the noise. "Like the guy from the X-Men?"

"From the X-Men?" she repeated in bewilderment, raising an eyebrow.

"You know... that cool guy who shoots lasers out of his eyes. From the comic books."

"Um, I don't think I do?" she answered hesitantly, though she smiled in amusement. "And what's your name, then?"

"I'm Patrik, nice to meet you," I introduced myself and moved on to more practical matters. "Have you been waiting long? It's pretty bizarre that this entire bar only has one single toilet," I observed, segueing straight into her accent: "But you have a really interesting accent. Where are you from?"

"I've been stuck here for a while, and yeah, it is weird," she nodded. "I'm from Australia, just in London on holiday at the moment."

We chatted casually like this for a bit longer. Scout was happy to kill the boredom in line with me, and she clearly didn't mind my company in a Roman toga at all.

It wasn't long before it was Scout's turn. When she came out of the restroom a moment later, she gently grabbed my forearm, leaned in close, and whispered seductively directly into my ear: "If you want, you can find me down on the dance floor."

Before I could reply that I didn't actually know how to dance at all, so nothing would probably come of it, she vanished into the crowd. I shrugged and went inside.

I pissed what felt like a hectoliter of water and alcohol, quickly washed my hands, and headed back to our table with a wide, amused grin. Instead of returning to my original spot opposite her, I went straight to Sarah from the side.

"Sarah, can I hug you?" I asked with a smile as soon as I reached her, immediately pulling her into my arms.

She returned the embrace at once. I held her tightly, seeing Sirius and Emma smirking amusedly at me over her shoulder.

"I incredibly love hugging," I whispered in her ear. And then, under the influence of alcohol, a saving question occurred to me: "Hey, are you actually pretty?"

At that, Sarah completely burst out laughing. Her whole body shook in my embrace as she managed to answer through her giggles: "Apparently, yes. What, can't you see what I look like?"

"Well, I can see your nice, thick hair, I can smell your fruity scent, and I feel this firm, athletic body in my arms... but your face is a bit blurry because of the booze," I admitted with a smirk.

"Well, I get compliments fairly regularly," she shrugged, snuggling a bit closer to me. On my back, I felt her palms slowly, inch by inch, sliding a bit lower than usual.

Meanwhile, Sirius moved closer to Emma. Although they weren't exactly hugging, they stood really close to each other, whispering intensely. However, over the loud dance music booming through the entire bar, I hadn't the slightest chance of catching a single word.

This scene and the bar itself are actually based on a real-life memory of mine! Instead of Sirius, it was my friend Bran, and instead of a toga, I was dressed in normal, modern clothes (haha).

There really was a girl waiting in line for the single restroom who introduced herself as "Scott" (or maybe "Scout"?). She was from Australia, so I jokingly asked if she was from the X-Men. Since English isn't my native language, it's very possible I misheard her name, but judging by her invitation to the dance floor, she seemed to have a good time! In real life, I can't dance to save my life, so... I just went back to our table.

Fun fact: almost everything our MC says in this chapter is exactly what I said back then (at least according to my memory)!

The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.

Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter

Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(16):

75. Tactical Retreats

76. The Twelve-Year-Old Dark Lord

77. Poking the Snake

78. Of False Heroes and Tethered Minds

79. The Casual Intruder

80. The Silent Partner

81. The Black Inheritance

82. The Frequency of Intent

83. Of Blood and Thorns

84. Thorns, Wards, and Sly Foxes

85. As Peaceful and Civilized as Always

86. The Twin in the Shadows

87. Their Addiction, Our Profit

88. Fake Smiles and Sharp Instincts

89. The Path to Invincibility

90. AD: Piña Coladas and Rainbow Thongs

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