the latest nights h.s. -a.u

i

"for on that day he received a gift, a gift that would change his life."

***

It was considerably early for Harry to be up at this hour of the morning, for he was usually still burrowed beneath heaps of lazily thrown blankets, his head buried deep in the crevice between his two pillows and his arms loosely crossed over his chest, occasionally letting soft snores escape from his pout mouth. So when he heard the loud ring of his doorbell echo throughout his flat at approximately 8:52, he was quite confused.

He rolled, quite ungracefully, out of bed and found himself raking through piles and piles of clothes looking for an outfit to quickly slip on, muttering soft curses as they rung a second time. He ruffled his hair and rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes as he dragged his feet to the door, tripping over some clothes that were scattered randomly around the flat.

The door opened with a squeak to reveal an impatient mailman holding a small package, the bright yellow color of it making him squint his eyes. Harry politely says a tired "good morning" while reaching out to sign his signature on the small screen. After not getting a response he took the package from the man, telling him to have a lovely day before turning around and kicking the door shut with his foot.

Once sat at his kitchen table, he ripped open the little yellow package with his hands, somehow managing to scratch the table and break the nail on his right middle finger. But, he did manage to rip the stubborn package open in the end, reaching a hand in to pull out a novel.

His eyebrows knit together in confusion, for he had never seen the small book before in his life. He turned the book over to the front, the title not ringing a bell to him. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was painted across the cover of the well-loved and beautifully worn book. A small smile rose on his now awake face, for he loved old books like these. He fanned the pages of the book, taking note of the yellow highlights, little notes, and the lovely scent of the old, yellow pages, when suddenly a thin bracelet fell out onto his lap.

The bright white of the bracelet was vibrant against the black of his jeans, the small letters in the middle of the fabric being the only design on it. He picked it up and looked at the small black letters 'a.d'. More confusion showed on his face, for he had no idea what the two letters meant. Regardless to his confusion he put the bracelet on, struggling to tie it into a little knot. He twisted it around on his left wrist so the initials were face up for him to see. He picked up the book and started fanning the pages a second time, when it came to a stop in the middle of the book.

A small card was wedged in between the two pages, undoubtedly being used as a book mark. The card had a picture of a cozy looking coffee shop, the 'Landonbrooks café'. The address was in the bottom right corner, it wasn't too far from Harry's apartment, just down the street he was almost certain.

In a split seconds decision he got up from the table, threw away the yellow package, jammed his feet into his brown boots and slipped into a green coat, heading out the door with the card for the coffee shop in his right hand. The cold of the London winter engulfed him as he quickly walked to his car, careful not to slip on the thick layers of ice that coated the parking lot.

Once in his car he turned the heat on high, holding his hands in front of the vents and shivering as the warm air acted like gloves for his hands. He punched the address for the coffee shop into his GPS, for he had just moved to London and had a hard time finding his way around the busy city.

Snow embedded all the trees that were on both sides of the road and also the road itself, making Harry smile because winter was his favorite season by far. Although, he really didn't like driving in the snow and ice, it was undoubtedly the prettiest season in his mind. Before he knew it he had arrived at the small coffee shop, thinking to himself that the picture on the card didn't do nearly enough justice to the little brick building. It was located on a little quiet corner of the street, and Harry guessed not many people knew about it.

He pushed the door to the shop open and was engulfed by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods, making it feel like home to him. It reminded him of the bakery he worked at back in Holmes Chapel, and that made him very happy.

The atmosphere was very home-like; there were many different pieces of furniture such as couches, chairs and tables. There was quiet music playing throughout the tiny space, music which Harry had recognized instantly. In a little corner there was a bookshelf in front of the brick wall, adorned with hundreds and hundreds of books. Small yellow Christmas lights hung on the ceiling and on the tops of the walls, making it not too bright, but just bright enough to read and enjoy a cup of coffee.

After taking in his surroundings he walked up to the front counter where an older woman stood with a soft smile on her face. She looked to be in her mid-sixties, for her hair was grey and her skin wrinkled. Harry assumed she was the owner, her name tag confirming his assumption. The gold name tag had the name 'Susan' printed on the top in black lettering with the word 'owner' underneath it. He gave her a warm smile before greeting her.

"Good morning," Harry said and was pleasantly surprised by how kindly she looked at him, a stranger.

"Good morning! Would you like something to drink, sweetie? How about something warm? You poor boy, you must be freezing," she said cheerfully and turned to make him a drink before he could actually give her an answer. But, he did appreciate her kindness, since she's the first person he had met since moving here last week.

"That sounds amazing, thank you."

He watched as her shaky hands poured the coffee into the white mug, following by making a heart design with cream which made him smile. She carefully handed the cup to him, careful not to spill any of the steaming drink.

"Thank you," he said and blew on the drink to cool it off.

"No problem, honey. If you happen to need a job we're looking for another hand, it's getting difficult for my husband and I to keep up with everything," she laughed quietly.

A job? Harry thought to himself. He was in need of a job, even though his parents had volunteered to pay for his flat, he still needed money for groceries and such. This would be a fun job, he loved the atmosphere, and also it wasn't very far of a drive from his place.

"That would be lovely, thank you," he smiled.

"Great! If you don't mind I'll interview you right now, it's not too busy at the moment," she said and grabbed an application and pen from behind the counter and led him to a table. He actually didn't mind at all, the sooner he could land a job the better.

He started filling out the application while answering questions about himself that she politely asked him, and he decided he like Susan. He also learned her and her husband had opened this shop around ten years ago, and that her two daughters, (which were her only children), had decorated the whole things while her husband made the coffee and she herself made the baked goods. Harry finished the application and handed it to her, watching her read over the information, occasionally asking him what this or that said, for his hand writing was not the best.

After a few minutes her shaky hands put down the application, a warm smile taking place on her wrinkled face.

"You've got the job, son. When would you like to start training?" she asked happily, probably relieved she had another hand to help her and her husband out. He also wasn't sure what he would need to 'train' for, but quickly understood she meant to make the drinks.

"I can start today if you'd like, I don't have any plans for today," he said and she nodded, taking my hand and pulling me behind the counter.

She threw an apron at his chest which he slipped on and tied in the back, looking down to see the name of the café knit onto the black fabric. He smiled and walked over to where she stood, carefully following her instructions for the next couple of hours as the snow fell harder and harder.

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A/N: I hope you all like chapter one of the latest nights! This will be a harry a.u :) More characters will be introduced soon, so keep reading!

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