Liquor and a Letter

Saving People Thing

Harry dearly wished he hadn't invited Justin to the bar with him or he wouldn't be in this situation right now. His mouth was left agape at just how much the man knew of him and his 'saving people thing.' It's not that the man wasn't nice and kind, it was that he was such a bloody fan of him. It felt like he was talking to one of those hero worshippers in the wizarding world who kissed the ground he walked upon.

"But you see, Harry. I need your saving people thing to work for me," Justin leaned closer so no one could hear them, "I need you to save me."

Harry's annoyance turned to shock in an instant. Justin was hiding something or must have gotten himself into a load of trouble. If that were the case, why did he come to Harry? Surely, there were better options out there than a depressed drunkard.

"Mate, if someone's trying to kill you or you're in trouble, I highly recommend you go to the police. I'm just a regular guy," said Harry in a mixture of surprise and caustic humor.

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Justin adjusted the collar of his shirt, "it's that I know you know Hermione well and that you'd do anything for someone if they asked for help. What I'm about to ask you is something only you can help me with, I'm sure of it."

Against his better judgment, Harry's curiosity was piqued. He questioned what exactly Justin needed from him.

"I need you to save me from this marriage."

The beer that was in Harry's mouth was promptly spat out at the man's words. He took a moment to compose himself and turned to the sheepish looking man with widened eyes and a mouth hanging open like a dead fish. Just what in the hell was going on? He decided to take another swig of his pint and Justin must have taken it as a motion to continue on.

"I can't get married to Hermione, Harry, because I'm gay."

For the second time that night, Harry's beer flew out of his mouth. The man next to him was taking it all in stride as he watched the myriad of emotions play though his face. Harry looked up to the ceiling and questioned any deity as to why they decided to put him of all people in this situation. He barely knew the guy and yet, here he was confessing that he was gay and decidedly not up to the task of marrying Hermione.

"Are you sure?" Harry dumbly asked, still looking completely taken aback by the news.

"Of course I'm sure. His name is Andrew and we've been dating for two years now," Justin indignantly told him.

Two years, that meant he was dating this guy before he even met Hermione. Harry was beginning to lose his marbles as the proverbial rabbit hole went deeper and deeper. This was getting bad real quick.

"And you got engaged to Hermione because?" Harry left the statement hanging as a question.

"My parents didn't know I was dating Andrew because I was too scared to tell them. Around the time Hermione asked me out, they were going to arrange someone for me. When Hermione asked me out, I saw an opportunity to hide who I was to them and keep them content until I found a way to tell them the truth. Then, I proposed to Hermione to keep them even more happy once they started asking when I was going to get married."

Harry slapped himself across the forehead twice as he listened to the convoluted and stupid reason the poor guy got engaged to Hermione. He couldn't blame him, though, because his parents more than likely would disapprove of his lifestyle choices. He still didn't see where he fit into all of this, though.

"How do I factor in?" He questioned Justin.

"When Hermione told me about your world and you, how you always help those in need, I saw a chance to enlist your help. See, there's this potion you have that can turn you into another person. Since Andrew is scared to death of my parents and is currently in New York, I want you to take the potion and come with me so I can finally confess all of this to my parents."

Harry wondered if this could get any more ridiculous. The poor bastard wanted him to take polyjuice potion and pretend to be his boyfriend in front of his parents. Why couldn't he just tell them the truth by himself?

Justin must have sensed the mental question and elaborated, "I can't do it by myself because, knowing my parents, they'd try to cut me off from Andrew and pass it off as just a phase if he wasn't there with me. However, if he was, I can show them how much I love him and he does me and they'd be more open to it. Help me Harry Potter, you're my only hope."

Harry definitely wasn't Obi-Wan Kenobi, Justin definitely wasn't Princess Leia, and this definitely wasn't a situation out of Star Wars. He said, "I just think you need to have an honest chat with them and Hermione. If they don't accept you, then that's their problem."

Justin began crying at that notion and the green eyed wizard hesitantly held the man's back, ignoring the looks the other patrons were giving him. "I can't, I'm too afraid of them. I need someone there with me to help me tell them the truth. Please, Harry, you have to do this for me."

If he could curse himself for his stupid saving people thing, Harry would. This was stupid, ridiculous, convoluted, and just all around mad. He was going to take polyjuice potion, pretend to be gay, and then break apart Hermione's engagement. He held no qualms about the fact that this was the right thing to do but it almost certainly would put the final nail into the coffin of his and Hermione's friendship.

"I'll...do it."
———
"If you kiss me, I'll curse your bits off," Harry menacingly threatened the brown haired man as he mixed the polyjuice potion with a strand of hair collected from Andrew's pajama shirt that Justin liked to sleep in and conveniently.

"How long have you been planning this?" He felt the need to ask. This was carefully precise down to the strand of hair and Harry didn't think this was some spur of the moment thing.

"Since we got engaged and I learnt she wanted to come home," Justin flippantly told him, clearly proud of himself for his genius plan. "I knew you'd help me," he added with a gleeful grin that, despite his frustration, Harry couldn't help but return.

The wizard figured that there were worse ways to break up hermione's engagement, not that he was actually planning to. He was helping two people find love and acceptance and that was good in and of itself. Hermione definitely was going to hate him once she found out but he hoped Justin would explain everything to her and she would understand.

"All done." Harry stirred the potion one last time and let it simmer a bit before rising to his full six foot two length. He languidly stretched out his legs and arms, letting his shirt ride up his waist, and completely missing the blush on Justin's face as he did so. "Alright, I'll take the potion and turn into your boyfriend before we head over to your parents."

He was nearly bowled over by the missile that was Hermione's soon to be ex-boyfriend as the man launched into his arms and hugged him for all he was worth. He felt a few tears beginning to soak their way through his shirt and awkwardly patted the guy's back.

"Alright, you can let go now," Justin didn't let go, "Justin, I said let go." He was promptly released from the hug and the man shot him a watery smile while smoothing out the wrinkles on his shirt.

Justin made to thank him but Harry waved him off quickly. "You don't have to thank me, I'm just doing the right thing. Anyone else could've done this," Harry told him with no absence of modesty.

"Thank you, Harry. Only you would have agreed to a plan as ridiculous as this one."

For once, Harry didn't have a reply to that. It was true, this plan was utterly stupid and here he was helping to carry it out. He really was an idiot with a savior complex. He reminded himself that he was perhaps Justin's only chance at being with his true love and the thought of it comforted him a tad.

"Let's get this show on the road," Harry said sarcastically as he bottled the polyjuice and then gave it one more shake. "Here goes nothing," he murmured to himself before downing the potion in one gulp and crumbling to his knees as the pain of the transformation began to set in.

A few painful minutes later, Harry was completely transformed into a man with blonde hair and hazel eyes with a slightly scraggly beard. The guy was thin as a wire and short which meant his clothes were now too oversized. Reflexively, he used his wand to shrink the clothes while Justin watched the whole thing with awe.

"Andrew?" A tentative Justin called to Harry who now looked like his boyfriend,

"No, it's me, Harry."