Drarry One Shots

Relax, Harry...

'Please, Harry!' Hermione had begged. 'It'll do you good—it might even help you. It's just a short break and when was the last time you took any holiday anyway?'

'Why don't you take your mum? Isn't it more suitable for women, all that pampering spa stuff?' I sighed, running a hand through my hair in exasperation.

'I'd prefer to go with you. Anyway, men go too.'

'Yes, but you know as well as I do that it will be mostly women wandering around in white fluffy dressing gowns smelling of lavender oil or something.'

'Well...'

'And there I was wondering why Ron volunteered for the Rice-Radley case in Austria.'

'He didn't! I'm going to kill him! He knows I've been looking forward to this for months.'

He hadn't volunteered at all, but as Ron wasn't there to defend himself, it was fair game. In fact, the search for Julian Rice-Radley had suddenly taken a new direction a month previously after an anonymous tip-off and as Ron was leading the investigation, it was no small surprise that he was the one who needed to follow up the lead in Austria. 'Hermione, you know I can't take time out of the department with half my team away, I'm understaffed as it is, if anything happens.'

'I'm only asking for two days and the weekend,' she wheedled. 'Anyway, as your boss, I say you can take two days off. Angelina will manage perfectly in your absence, for just two days.'

To be fair to me, I hadn't stood a chance once Hermione had set her heart on this particular course of action. She'd been sent a random discount voucher for these particular dates and after a bit of research that determined it was a legitimate offer, she decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up on. It was, after all, one the most renowned spa resorts in the UK (apparently). It was unfortunate that Ron was away but I supposed I would struggle through. And she was right, it was a long time since I'd taken a break so a few days couldn't do me any harm.

'And it's 100% Muggle, so no one will recognise you. You can just come along, get pampered, relax, sleep, cry, let it out. It'll just be me, so I'll understand if you don't feel like talking.'

I had sighed heavily. The break-up had taken its toll on me despite it all being my fault. I knew, in the depths of my heart, we should never have got married but expectations had weighed heavily on me and Ginny. That, apathy on my part, and a heavy dose of running away from the truth. But I was well and truly to blame, I'd been so complacent and it meant I treated her badly. Our divorce was a wakeup call as to what a shit I'd been to her. She deserved far better. At least there weren't children caught up in the mess. And at least the marriage had been relatively short and I hadn't prolonged the torture for either of us. The thing was, I felt like such a failure now and the Daily Prophet were positively thriving in running with any angle they could find from her affairs to my bad partnering skills. Even six months after the official announcement the Prophet was having the time of its life pulling me apart. Nothing like kicking a man when he was down. And they did so like to twist the world and read everything from the worst perspective. I knew I should be used to it by now but I'd spent my whole life only ever trying to do my best for others, yet the times I fail to do that for those closest to me is all they focus on.

'Harry James Potter, as your boss, I'm telling you to take a few days off. As your bestfriend, I demand that you come with me.' She tenderly brushed back a piece of my dark unruly hair from my face. 'It will do you good to get away, Harry.'

I went. Of course, I did.

And regretted it the moment we checked in and I saw a group of older women eyeing me up and down savagely as they wandered past in their white fluffy dressing gowns and flip-flops, leaving behind a trailing scent of lavender oil. I felt like I'd just walked into a cougar's den.