The Temporary Spouse (Harry Potter X Tony Stark)

Chapter 1: Truth or Dare

"Of all the places you had to get married at," Kendis asked after knocking back another shot of whiskey. "Why the hell did you pick Vegas?"

"Because it's iconic!" Seamus exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "And the big elaborate wedding mother was planning was making me want to die inside."

Dean and Seamus clicked their glasses together. "Same, love. Same." Dean turned back to give Kendis a long-suffering look. "The colors are bubblegum pink and yellow."

Kendis, Ron, and Neville all shuttered.

"She knows you are both men, right?" Ron asked as he waved down the waitress.

"My mom thinks being gay means that I magically turned into a girl," Seamus snorted.

"Did they mistake you for Kendis?" Ron shook his head.

And Kendis flicked him off. Kendis wasn't a girl or a boy. They were non-binary, and with some very expensive potions Kendis had taken, they had gotten the feminine body they wanted. And with the latest gender-bending spells and potions on the market in America, Kendis could have a dick one day, a vagina on another, or a mix of both.

Yet, every time Kendis or Hermione tried to explain, Ron's eyes would glaze over. Kendis was just thankful that Ron used the right pronouns and left it at that.

When you were non-binary, you often had to pick your battles.

"And the solution was for you two to run off to Vegas?" Kendis asked, with a put-upon sigh. "It's so cliché." It was also hell on the sensory issues. Kendis was autistic, and the flashing neon lights and the pounding loud music were hell to their senses. It was one thing when it was noise or music they could control, blasting their favorite songs through their earbuds.

Kendis tapped on the table and hummed under their breath. It was an easy and subtle way to stim, and they needed all the calm they could muster .at that moment Everyone had dropped everything to come to this little impromptu trip, and Kendis hoped that their employees Hortense and Isiaha could handle the workload without them.

They much preferred to spend the night working on a bike or on one of their newest craft projects. But no, Kendis was in Vegas on a Tuesday night.

Kendis turned to watch the pretty blonde woman dancing in a string neon yellow bikini on stage. The stripper flipped up onto the pole, her legs obscenely wide, and her white platform heels glinting in the strobe lights as "Cherry Pie" by Warrant blasted over the speakers.

Kendis threw a twenty-dollar bill onto the stage, and the stripper, whom Kendis thought was called Crystal, blew them a kiss. They felt their cheeks get warm, and the table laughed as they also went to throw Crystal some money.

If Seamus and Dean had to drag them to a strip joint, then this one would do. Honestly, Kendis would rather be at the SPA with the girls, but Seamus, Dean, and Ron would never let him hear about it. And Kendis couldn't leave Neville to the tender mercies of the rest of the group.

Hermione had disapproved, but living through a war and marrying Ron had caused her to soften her need to follow the rules strictly. Also, Seamus had made Dean use his lethal-grade puppy eyes on her.

And that is how they had ended up in Juicy Lucy's strip club, just off the Vegas strip on a Tuesday night. They were lucky that the club was all but empty. Kendis discreetly traced the thick black lines of the rune tattooed on the side of their neck. Even if it was unlikely that they could secretly be filmed by an enterprising muggle-born or half-blood with a smartphone.

The tattoo would make her face in any photo unrecognizable. The spell had been a necessity after Kendis had killed Voldemort for good. For a while after the war, it had seemed like they couldn't even go grocery shopping without a camera being shoved in their face.

Kendis was feeling grateful that they could get drunk in peace. It was already hard to slip into the old Harry Potter mold. It felt like wearing an ill-fitting mask. Kendis had spent most of their adult life chipping away at the illusion of a neurotypical cishet icon of the light.

And now it felt like Kendis was back at point one. . Seamus, Dean, and Ron were switching between cocktails, while Neville was still nursing his virgin wine spritzer.

Seamus drained the rest of his drink and leaned forward with a shit-eating grin. "A little birdie told me you had a stripper pole installed in your bedroom."

Kendis turned and glared at Ron. Kendis had only told Ron and Hermione when they had floo called them last week.

Ron threw them a sheepish look. "Sorry, mate."

"And what about it?" Kendis challenged. They took another sip of their electric blue cocktail. "It's great exercise and fun."

"I'll give you ten gallons if you get up on stage and dance," Seamus said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kendis snorted. "How about no?"

"Har—" Ron started.

"Don't call me that," Kendis interrupted, and Ron's cheeks flushed red as he looked away. Kendis glanced at Dean in disbelief. "You okay with your fiancé asking me to strip?"

"You're hot, and I have zero problem watching hot people take off their clothes." He shrugged when Kendis just stared at him. "I'm bi, not blind."

Kendis gazed at Neville, who had been silent all of this time. "Please tell me you don't agree with them." Neville had always been a sensible bloke. He would see reason.

Neville gave them a soft smile. "If you don't want to do it, that's fine." He looked around the table at their friends, who gave Kendis guilty looks. "But I wouldn't say no if you wanted to. Besides, Ginny will be green with envy that she missed this."

Kendis's eyes widened as he gazed at his friend. They had thought that Ginny's feelings for them had disappeared after the transition. Kendis Black was no longer Harry Potter, a cishet icon of the light. Kendis Black was non-binary and unapologetically bisexual. It was strange to imagine that Ginny might still have some lingering feelings for them.

Kendis pushed those thoughts aside as they took a deep breath and downed the last bit of their drink. They were in a strip club in Vegas, and this was Sin City, after all. They stood up and stretched, and Seamus, Dean, and Neville grinned.

"Okay, I'll do it." Kendis gestured toward the bar. "I'll be right back."

Kendis approached the bar and requested to speak with the manager. They were surprised to be met by the bar owner, Lucy Nielsen. She was a gorgeous white woman in her late fortiesor early fifties who vaguely resembled Julie Newmar.

"What do you want?"

Kendis managed to convince Lucy that since it was a slow night,it was absolutely a good idea for them to strip on stage. And if Kendis gave a ludicrous amount of money as a bribe, no one was the wiser.

Kendis hurried over to the DJ, gave them their name, and requested the song they wanted to dance to. The owner showed them the entrance to the stage, and Kendis ignored the dancers who gave them strange and bewildered looks.

Crystal gave them an incredulous once-over as Kendis waited just outside the stage .

"We have a special treat tonight," The DJ said. "We got the debut of a hot new dancer all the way from the UK! Welcome on stage, Kendis Black!"

Kendis rolled their eyes as they heard the hollers and screams from their friends while they stepped on stage. Their heart was beating a mile a minute as the spotlights nearly blinded them.

Kendis suddenly regretted every choice that led them to this moment.

----

Please take a moment to support real trans people. Mermaids is a U.K. based charity that supports and gives resources to the trans community. I will also urge you to donate to Hannah is a Scottish trans woman who needs money for a medical transition.

Well, that was the first chapter of The Temporary Spouse! What do you think? I had so much fun putting my own Black trans autistic twist on Harry Potter and I'm so glad that ya'll are coming along for the ride. I plan to post a new chapter every two weeks (bi-monthly) and the next chapter will drop September 26th! See you folks, then!

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