HP : TRIUMPH

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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He glanced around and saw a few goblins mulling about, a vampire at one of the tellers. Harry tried to think of what to do. A pepper-up potion would allow him to stay awake until at least ten pm. A reasonable time and which would help him fall back into a regular sleeping pattern. Until then? He had no idea. Nothing would be open in the muggle world till seven or so and he had no idea about the magical side.

He brushed himself off and headed for the doors, deciding it wouldn't hurt to look around.

.-.

Harry stepped into the soft glow of the bar and felt himself hit by a wave of spicy smells and warm air. The door swung shut behind him on its own and Harry glanced about curiously. He'd learned quite quickly that even at one in then morning there were places open in Knocturn. Harry had in the end, decided to enjoy a meal at one of the pubs. The one he'd entered was easy to miss hidden down a dead end alley with no windows.

The inside of the bar was…nice. The walls and floor were all hardwood, stained a golden brown color. Booths and round tables took up most of the area with a long counter straight across from the entrance. A set of stairs next to the counter suggested rooms on a second floor. Most of the tables were at least partly full, but there were no humans. Harry saw some hags muttering over a bleeding package while two vampires were playing what looked to be a dice game in the far corner. A group of werewolves were singing drunken ballads with a tall black creature with white hair and pointed ears snorted at them from the booth to their right.

A dwarf sat with a goblin muttering over some parchment and a Banshee watched them blankly from a ways away. Another group of werewolves was playing a card game and a group of four vampires were talking with smiles a ways away. There were a bunch of other tables of beings also.

Harry was more interested in the group of goblins in the center playing what looked like a card and dice game. Harry grinned as he headed straight for the group. A few saw him but quickly ignored him. Harry snuck up behind one of them and leaned over his shoulder.

"Hey Switchblade."

The goblin jumped from his seat, cursing as he swiped a dagger at Harry blindly. Harry laughed giddily as he dodged the swipe easily. Switchblade saw who he was and relaxed, grumbling as he tucked the knife away.

"Grim." He greeted sullenly.

Harry grinned showing off his teeth at the nickname.

"Can I join you?"

"I do not care." Switchblade grumbled.

Harry was acutely aware of the eyes of more then a few people in the bar as he was the only human, but he ignored said eyes and snatched a chair form a nearby table. He took a seat right next to the surly goblin and another who merely sneered at him. The game resumed and Harry was steadfast ignored by the other goblins. He watched closely as the game continued before he finally realized the rules. Partly at least. Half the time he had no idea what was going on. But when the dealer started a new game Harry leapt into the fray and joined. He ignored the raised brows and sneers and mutters.

Half an hour later he was standing on his chair fuming at the goblin that was uttering curses at him and trying to kill him with a knife. Harry and the goblin went down in a tangle of limbs as Harry snatched a dagger from Switchblade's belt. For a few seconds Harry fought wildly against the goblin. He dodged a swipe that would have taken his throat and lashed back just as viciously. He hissed in pain as a clawed hand slashed his cheek, barely missing his eyes. He returned the attack and heard a shout of pain. He rolled out from under the goblin and to his feet to find the goblin cursing as he pressed his hand to the wound across his throat. It wasn't deep, but deep enough to draw blood.

Switchblade clapped him on the back and took his dagger back.

"And Grim wins this round."

Harry looked at him a moment in blank surprise. Then he gaped.

"You mean that fight was supposed to happen?"

"Yes. The two with the highest score fight it out."

Harry snorted but grinned at the muttering loser as he raked in his winnings; a couple galleons, a rather nice knife, and some trinkets. He immediately tucked the knife at his waist and shoved the galleons and trinkets in his satchel.

He played two more rounds, getting a score high enough to fight in the second. He lost and came out with a long thin wound across his neck for it. He just grinned with the goblins. The third round was somewhat interrupted when two of the goblins went at each other's throats before the final round. Two tried to drag them apart and were instead dragged into the fight. Soon the group of ten goblins and Harry were in an all out brawl.

Harry came tumbling out five minutes later with more then a few scratches and bruises but a wild grin on his face. The only reason he'd been dragged from the fight was because a non-hostile magic had grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him out. From his position, lying on the floor on his back, he looked up at Griphook with a wild smile.

Griphook gave him a stern look and slapped a small stack of bandages in his hand.

"I would suggest you clean yourself up. The brawl should die down in a moment."

Harry grinned but thanked him for the bandages and took his suggestion. He sat down at a different chair and applied the bandages. They were like muggle bandages but looked more resilient to wear and some were larger and better fitting.

The brawl died down a few minutes later and the table and game was set back up. Griphook, after making sure Harry was fine, joined in the game. Harry decided not to and instead wandered to the bar counter and asked for something to eat. He soon found himself munching lamb and potatoes. He was also sipping at a drink that was a mixture of cranberry juice and carbonated water.

When he was full and feeling a bit more rested he stood and smoothed out his clothes. He also re-did his now very loose braid and tucked his scuffed up fedora in his satchel which had escape unharmed except for a few drops of blood.

He made his way back towards the goblin game when the group of four vampires grabbed him and dragged him into a game of dice. After a few minutes of hesitation and caution he warmed up and was soon sniggering at them as they lamented his good luck. They weren't betting anything beyond a few sickles each but Harry still cackled when he won. One muttered he had to be cheating and another had pointed out it wasn't cheating if no one caught it.

Harry then found himself with the drunken werewolves who cajoled him into singing a song. He gave in after a while and sang. More then a few tables turned to listen. When he was finished he got a round of applause and was soon off across the bar with some other patrons.

He hopped tables, even sitting with the banshee who just stared at him silently as he chattered. The oddest had been with the black skinned creature. Upon closer inspection the 'creature's' skin was actually a deep coal brown with a slight scale like pattern in even darker ink, and his hair was more silvery then white. His eyes were a soft gold color with slit pupils and his teeth were all sharp and pointy. Other then that he looked human. Harry found that he was a 'Dark Elf'. Harry had no idea what a dark elf was and didn't ask as he was dragged into a conversation on muggles. The dark elf, Zahavi, was quite fascinated with the 'mundane creatures' as he called them. And Harry himself was fascinated with the elf.

Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.

You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.

Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!

http//patreon.com/BLAKE025

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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