Dysfunctional

16 - The Holiday - Part 2

Sirius was pretty sure James would have been laughing himself silly if he could see him right now. He had just turned down a girl, an admittedly beautiful one at that.

It had been entirely too long since he had slept with a woman. If his twenty-year old self saw him right now, he would have died of horror. Azkaban had done a number on him and being on the run wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

Staying in Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the past year had made him gain some weight so that he didn't look too sickly, but it was ultimately the past month that had changed him.

Twitchet's cooking and the health potion Twitchet made for him every day had made him gain some significant weight though he was still rather lean. His face had filled out and his skin wasn't waxy anymore, but his hair still lacked its healthy shine. Otherwise, he was better than ever considering what he had been through.

He decided to visit the local salon later to get himself a good haircut instead of the self-trimming he was wont to since Azkaban. It would be one more step in the right direction that could make him feel like himself again.

He drank his cold beer and watched as a fit-looking woman in a rather skimpy swimsuit winked at him, looking up for it and he automatically smirked in response.

Perhaps, he wasn't as sickly looking as he thought he was?

On second thought, shagging a stranger didn't seem so bad an idea. After all, he was desperately in need of practice.

oOo

Wednesday, July 31

Their final day in Provence was the most interesting day of all. After the day spent at the beach, they had gone hiking around the local villages and had seen the beautiful lavender and sunflower farms. It looked nothing short of magical at this time of the year, the air smelling sweet and flowery as they sampled lavender honey drizzled over warm croissants.

After the last two days of rock-climbing the world's second largest canyon, the Gorges du Verdon and white-water rafting in the Verdon river, the wine and cheese-tasting session in Marseilles sounded almost rather boring. It was definitely anything but.

Harry and Sirius uncommonly bonded over a mutual love for cheese. From Roquefort to Camembert, Brie to Fontagne, they both loved the creamy, piquant cheeses which, when paired with wines, was nothing short of astounding. From white wines, sparkling rosé and full-bodied reds, Harry had been dazzled with the variety of wines available. Sirius had ended up spending a considerable amount of money buying a lot of it to take back home, when Jane reminded them they couldn't possibly take all of it through immigration. Sirius had been confused by that but bought them all anyway.

The afternoon was spent at the local market sampling juicy melons and succulent peaches, ripe tomatoes, Nyon black olives atop just-baked bread and wandering around Marseilles snacking on sweet nougat and calisson and then a light lunch of bouillabaisse, which reminded Harry strongly of Fleur Delacour and the Yule Ball while he sat under the large umbrellas outside the café.

Harry stopped when he saw something outside a hipster T-shirt shop where there were blokes with tattoos discussing up front. Sirius was buying a water bottle a few shops away and Harry entered the shop to buy the thing soon before Sirius got to him. It was a rather crude gift in his opinion, but if Harry knew Sirius at all, he was bound to like it. Grinning, he quickly paid for it and exited the shop before Sirius could notice, stuffing the gift into his backpack.