A/N: Hi everyone! Here is my Life is Strange/Harry Potter fic which I mentioned and published first on my Tumblr (Allons-y-tardis . tumblr. com). This is my first fic in about 4 years, so I'm kind of nervous! This is the prologue – I have a lot of ideas floating around and I'm not quite sure exactly where to pin them all down yet, so for now here is a taster of what's to come.
Pricefield, obviously – as for the other pairings, I'm not sure yet!
Disclaimer: Clearly I am not DOTNOD.
Max Caulfield was beyond excited. She bounced on her converse clad heels, one hand tightly clasped with her mother's while her other rested atop the cool metal of her brand new camera. Her cheeks puffed outwards as she stared at the little walking man on the stoplight across the street – it's colour a deep red. The road waiting to be crossed was busy with midday traffic; the sounds of car horns beeping meshed together with the sounds of the wind rustled trees.
Her cheeks deflated, mouth twisting into a small pout, as her mother let out a chuckle "Be patient Max! We'll be at the park soon." She chided playfully.
Max huffed "Make it go faster I want to try out my new camera! It's my birthday!" she whined – it wasn't everyday she turned seven! This road was the only thing separating her and the park, and Max didn't like it. Her mother simply let out another chuckle and rolled her eyes at her husband, who had an identical impatient pout as his daughter.
Sighing, Max glared up at the stoplight once again, tapping her fingers against the cool metal surface of her camera as she waited. I wish I could make time go faster she mused. After a moment or two of intense glaring, the red man flashed to a brilliant green making her grin. Tugging her mother forward, she made a beeline to the gates of the park.
It wasn't long before the family had managed to claim a park bench close to the playground. As it was school holidays, the park was crawling with parents and children. Max listened dutifully to her mother about playing safe and not running off as she slathered her in sunscreen and pulled a hat over her brown locks.
"Do you remember how to take photos, Maxie?" her father asked, winking at his daughter who was rocking on her heels in another attempt to remain patient.
Max grinned before raising the camera up and snapping a photo of her parents. Her mother blinked confusedly while Max giggled, gently pulling out the photo the camera had produced. She handed it to her father, who hummed happily.
"Nice shot Maxie! This is a great photo!" He exclaimed, showing her the photo. In the photo, her mother was glancing over at her father, who was looking directly at the camera, eyes sparkling in amusement.
Max smiled at him before handing it to her father for safekeeping and running towards the playground, the crisp green grass crunching slightly against her shoes. It's shaped like a Pirate Ship! Best playground ever! She thought happily as she approached it.
The ship looked like it was riding a big wave. A ladder was visible inside the swell of the wave leading up to the main part of the ship. On the deck, the base of the sails were like a mini jungle gym, some children were standing on the top of the jungle structure reaching up toward the pirate flag waving in the wind. A telescope sat at the front of the ship near the Captain's wheel. As Max walked around the side, she could see other kids through the peepholes of the ship. That must be the Captain's Cabin! She decided. After seeing the twisty slide at the back of the ship, Max was sold. Wasting no more time, she jumped into the white sandpit and clumsily ran towards the ladder.
Careful not to bump her camera against the ship, Max climbed up onto the deck and wondered where to start her pirate adventure. She could hear kids below deck making loud pirate noises and bit her lip. It's a mutiny! Maybe I should stay away for now… Max shifted her gaze to the jungle gym and, again, hesitated. She didn't want to accidentally drop her camera off the top. That left the slide and the Captain's wheel for her to explore. The abandoned telescope was far too tempting to resist. Walking over, she knelt down and pressed her right eye against the telescope and giggled as the world contorted around her – she could see her parents from all the way over here! Moving the telescope to the left, and to the right, she examined her surroundings.
"Wonder if there's a giant squid out there?" she whispered to herself.
Max yelped as the Captain's wheel beside her twisted wildly "Giant squid you say? Not near MY ship!"
Pulling her eye away from the telescope, Max looked up and to her right nervously. Another girl stood confidently at the Captain's wheel, both hands firmly gripping it. Max couldn't help but gape at the girl's attire; she had a big pirate's hat sitting atop her strawberry blonde head, as well as a matching eye patch covering her left eye. Her uncovered eye was crystal blue and looking back at her with a mischievous sparkle. Is she a real pirate? Max wondered in amazement.
The girl furrowed her brow confusedly "Hey, what's wrong? We gotta get away from that giant squid, remember?"
Max smiled shyly before pointing off into the distance "I think it went that way, Captain!"
Her new companion nodded, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she moved the ship's wheel sharply. The pair continued the game for a while until the still unnamed Captain let out a gasp of shock "We lost the squid, but there's a storm coming! Better get below deck, First Mate!" she exclaimed, holding out a thin hand for Max to grab.
She did so, and only a few moments later, the pair was giggling as they hid in a corner of the Captain's Cabin, both slightly flushed from the exertion. The blonde pulled off her captain's hat and ruffled her hair before throwing Max a big grin "My name's Chloe, I'm seven and a half. What's your name?"
"I'm Max, It's my birthday today, I'm seven too" She replied quietly.
Chloe threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug "Happy Birthday! What's this thing around your neck, huh?" she asked, her finger poking the protruding item between them.
Max held it up proudly "It's a p…pola…polaroid camera! My mummy and daddy got it for me!"
Her new friend remained puzzled "What does it do?"
"I'll show you!" Max said excitedly, grabbing Chloe's hand again to lead her up onto the deck of the ship. One ride down the slide later, Max was looking around the playground for something awesome to photograph for her new friend. Chloe looked down at her from the top of the jungle gym, hanging upside down with a reddening face.
"Tell me when you find something' cool, Max!"
Walking around the playground once again, Max searched. Maybe I could take a photo of the ship, or some flowers…I could take a photo of Chloe? None of these options seemed cool enough, so she plopped onto the edge of one of the bricks lining the sandpit with a huff. Beside her was a scratched red bucket and spade, left behind by another kid. She was ready to push it into the sand in frustration when something caught the corner of her eye.
A bright blue butterfly fluttered over the bucket. Once. Twice. It then landed softly on the edge; it's beautiful wings moving slower in rest. Max sucked in a breath before lifting her camera quietly and aiming it at the butterfly. Click!
At the sound of the camera, the butterfly flew away, leaving Max with a freshly produced photo to show her friend.
She all but bolted back up onto the ship and waved Chloe down from the jungle gym. Once back on the ground, Chloe took the offered photograph curiously and gaped at the butterfly "Woooow! This is really cool!" she exclaimed.
Max pushed the photo back to Chloe when she tried to give it back "Y-you can have it." She stuttered out.
Chloe's eyes lit up with joy "Thanks Max! Since you showed me something cool, it's my turn!" she whispered secretly before leading Max back down to their corner of the Captain's Cabin.
Whipping off her pirate hat, Chloe plopped it on Max's head, which made her giggle. Chloe grinned before placing a finger to her lips in the universal shush gesture and looking around the now empty Cabin.
"You gotta keep this a secret, Max. Mum says I'm not supposed to do this outside of home." Chloe pleaded.
Max nodded vigorously and held out her pinkie finger; once again confusing her friend "It's a pinkie promise! Means I won't tell ever!" She explained, grabbing Chloe's hand and latching their pinkies together.
Chloe looked down at their joined pinkies and nodded before taking back her hand and pointing at the butterfly in Max's photo "I can make my hair turn blue, like this butterfly!" she whispered.
"What!" Max squeaked. Chloe groaned and poked her arm "Geez Max, keep it down!"
Max rubbed her arm and muttered an apology, while Chloe just rolled her eyes and grinned, "Check it!" she said smugly before scrunching up her face in concentration.
"W-whoa!" she gasped after rubbing her eyes furiously to make sure she wasn't daydreaming. Chloe's hair really was bright blue. Chloe giggled joyously "Your face! Pretty cool huh?"
She nodded dumbly "B-but how?"
Chloe shrugged "It's magic, like your photo thingie."
Max looked down at her camera "T-this isn't magic Chloe! I just press a button, look!" she assured her before snapping a quick photo of her friend to prove it.
After taking the photo, Chloe's hair slowly transformed back to blonde, her face paling "Oh…your photos don't move. Oh man, you're a mu…Mum's going to be so mad" Chloe moaned.
"What do you mean? What am I?" Max asked worriedly, her eyes watering. Does this mean they couldn't be friends?
Chloe shushed her, meaning she must have spoken that aloud "Of course we can still be friends, you just can't tell anyone about my magic okay?"
Max sniffled and pulled at her purple jumper "I pinkie promised"
"I know, don't cry! Pick a colour and I'll change my hair!" Chloe suggested worriedly.
Wiping her eyes, Max nodded "C-can you make your hair purple?"
For another 10 minutes, the pair giggled as Chloe changed her hair many different colours, she even attempted rainbow, which came out a blotchy mess. Max insisted on a photo of that.
Chloe was still pouting with her rainbow hair when Max heard her mother calling from outside the ship for lunch. Max felt her stomach gurgle "Ask your mummy and daddy if you can have lunch with us, Chloe!"
Her friend agreed and after Chloe had returned her hair to it's natural colour, they clambered out of the ship and met Max's mother outside the sandpit.
"Mummy, this is Chloe! Can she come eat lunch with us with her mummy and daddy?" Max asked, using her best manners. Her mother smiled down at the pair.
"It's nice to meet you Chloe. I don't know Maxine, if Chloe's parents say it's okay, I don't mind." She said thoughtfully.
Chloe snickered slightly and elbowed Max in the side "Maxine?" she whispered.
Max poked her tongue out at her while Chloe spoke "Mum and dad are over there, I'll ask!" she announced before pointing over to a couple sitting on a nearby park bench.
15 minutes later, Max and Chloe were sat on the grass with a sandwich and slice of birthday cake each, their parents chatting at the table. Chloe was making happy noises over her mouth of chocolate cake, icing lining her mouth.
"You've got icing on your mouth!" Max laughed.
Chloe shrugged before exposing her chocolate-coated teeth in smile "So do you, Maxeroni!"
Max crinkled her nose as she wiped away the chocolate with her napkin "Maxeroni?" she whined.
Her friend bobbed her head thoughtfully "Maxeroni and cheese!" She howled out joyously, her laughter infectious to Max, despite trying to remain annoyed.
"That joke was far too cheesy, Chloe!" Chloe's father, William, tutted at his daughter jokingly.
Max and Chloe both groaned at that joke, but quickly perked up when Chloe's mother suggested taking a photo of the girls together. Max passed her camera to her father, while Joyce pulled out a camera from her bag.
"Let's dress up as pirates again!" Chloe exclaimed, rummaging through a canvas bag full of pirate goodies she had brought along. After proudly placing the pirate hat on her head, Chloe offered Max three dress up items, a bandana to tie around her head, an eye patch, and a curved sword. Chloe grinned as she found a hook that could go over one of her hands.
Once the pair was dressed up, they posed for their photographs. Max wielding her sword with one hand, the other swung over Chloe's shoulder. Chloe mimicked Max's hold and brandished her other hooked hand with a grin.
"Say 'Arrrrgh!'" Max's father instructed.
"Arrrgh!" they cried back in their best pirate voices.
After the sounds of cameras snapping concluded, the girls were told it was time to part ways. The girls visibly deflated at that announcement, but after discovering their parents had already passed on telephone numbers, they cheered up.
"Thanks for playing with me, Chloe!" Max said shyly.
Chloe pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Next time, I'll bring the photo of us, but it'll be a moving photo!"
Max gasped in excitement before placing a hand over her mouth, remembering her promise to keep Chloe's magic a secret. The two small families then walked off in opposite directions of Arcadia Bay.
Max Caulfield was beyond excited. She'd made a new friend who could do magic! Best birthday ever! That night, pressing her face into her pillow, Max could only wonder what it would be like to be magical like Chloe.
So, how was that?
I'm looking forward to hearing your responses (any constructive criticism or suggestions is greatly encouraged!).
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this; I had a little bit too much fun writing kid! Chloe and Max!
LittlePiecesOfTime