Hello All, if you did not see in the previous chapter, I left quick character sheets and their connection to the story. I also realise the first chapter seemed really rushed and I acknowledge that some people might not like that, but there was a lot of information and set up that needed to be done, I'm hoping that now the story will progress at a much slower and even pace.
To all of you who have both seen the Harry Potter movies and played the Life is Strange game, I also acknowledge that I skipped some dialogue from the game but there is just so much that every chapter would be too long, then add Harry's introduction and they would be way too long and not compelling enough.
Last note! Life is Strange is a choose your own adventure type game with dialogue options and multiple choices scattered throughout, this story will be based on MY OWN choices that I made through the game and dialogue responses from there on.
A lot of the dialogue is from the game itself and I apologise for that! Next chapter will include Harry a lot more and the dialogue will change to incorporate that! I just needed to do this to establish where the story is at this point.
Okay done! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2
While riding around Arcadia, Max took the time to look at some of the buildings in the area. As they travelled along Max couldn't help but notice just how similar everything was since she had last lived here five years prior. It was like stepping into a time capsule. She smiled as she noticed the truck stop and stood to get off the bus. She didn't notice the boy from earlier doing the same thing.
Once she exited the bus and took a look around, she was pleasantly surprised to see that all looked the same. Maybe a fresh coat of paint and a change of flashing lights but ultimately the diner looked the same as it had when she was a little girl. She smiled and walked over to the diner doors and noticed a few patrons inside, including two truckers, a cop, a dude who looked like he partied way too hard the previous night and two boys; Justin and Trevor from her school.
After a quick hello and exchange with the boys Max walked over to the last booth at the diner and claimed a seat. This had been Max and Chloe's booth from their youth and sitting in it just brought forth many memories of childhood youth and happiness. Max smiled at her memories before a voice cut them short.
"And there she is – a lovely young woman. How are you doing, Max?"
Turning to her right, Max saw Joyce holding a pot of coffee and smiled sweetly at the woman she considered a second mother.
"Hi, Joyce. It's nice to see you again. You look the same." Max said as Joyce poured her a cup.
"Like I'm still a waitress at Two Whales after all these years?"
"No, like you still look pretty."
"Nice save, kid." Joyce said with a small smile. "You're still smart."
"But I wish you had been here to help save Chloe. She got busted smoking out. Again." Joyce told her with a tired sigh.
"I know. Chloe told me that her step-father hit her..." Max said in a small voice.
"I'm sorry that was your introduction to David. I hope you get to know him on your terms, not Chloe's. He's a good man... He just-"
"Yeah, I'm sure he is, since you married him, but... don't be so harsh on Chloe."
The two spoke about Chloe and David a little more, Max mentioning that Chloe probably understood everything she was putting her mother through but she simply needed time. Joyce mentioned that David would be punished for hitting her daughter.
"So. Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What do you want to eat?"
Max thought for a second before turning and smiling at Joyce.
"I was dreaming about your bacon omelette."
"Now finish your coffee." Joyce said with a small wink before walking over to the counter and placing Max's order.
"Bacon at 12 o'clock high!" she heard the cook acknowledge before she turned and looked out of the window, once again lost in thought.
-Magic is Strange-
Harry sat in the booth overlooking the menu while awaiting the waitress to finish her conversation. Once she had placed the order of the girl behind him she made her way over to him.
"Hello there sweetie, I don't think I've seen you around here before." she greeted as she approached him.
"Good morning, yes I just transferred to Blackwell Academy from England. So I'm completely new here."
"Well, welcome to Arcadia Bay, where we don't have much in common with the UK except the weather." she said with a smile.
"Oh I don't know I've seen the sun more on my first day here than I have my entire life in England." Harry joked back.
The older lady laughed and pulled her notebook out.
"So what can I get for you, honey?"
With her happy disposition the woman reminded Harry of Mrs Weasley, before the war and immediately felt more at ease.
"Could I please get some of your Belgian Waffles and some coffee, please?"
"Coming right up." she said with a smile and placed the order with the cook.
Harry smiled once more before looking around and realised he needed to find a store to buy stuff for his room.
"Excuse me. Sorry." Harry called getting the waitresses attention.
"What can I do for you, sweetie?" she asked.
"Sorry to bother, but do you know where I can go to get some furnisher for my dorm room? I still don't know the town very well."
"Oh not a problem, if you go down this road around five stores you should see one there that's reasonably priced." she said pointing out the window and down the road.
"Thank you very much, ma'am." he said politely.
"Now, none of this ma'am business, you call me Joyce."
"Only if you call me Harry." the boy agreed with a nod of his head.
"Will do, Harry."
"Order up!" came a shout from the back.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to work."
Joyce walked towards the back of the counter to collect the order while berating one of the truck drivers who complained about a lack of beer in the establishment.
Harry frowned, it was 8:45 am. Who the hell drank this early?
He heard the two ladies talking behind him and tuned it out, it would be rude to intrude. Just then the door bell rung and a taller girl entered the diner. She had bright, blue hair, a rather impressive sleeve tattoo and had a very punk rock vibe about her.
She walked past him and the conversation between the two woman behind him stopped.
"Mom and Max, together again!" she said in a way of greeting.
This girl was Joyce's daughter? Harry had to force himself to not turn and stare at the two of them in shock.
"And Chloe, looking for a free meal. You've put your whole damn college fund on your tab." Joyce spoke again.
"I'm treating Chloe for breakfast." the girl who Harry now learned was Max said.
Joyce refused and insisted that the meal was on her as a thanks to Max for keeping her daughter from trouble. Chloe jumped in with snarky response about how she didn't need to be looked after.
"Unless you set your room on fire smoking out..." Joyce said sternly.
"Oh, God, here it comes. Didn't you and Sergeant Pepper already read me the riot act last night?"
"Call him David if you don't want to be lectured. You only get one damn slice of bacon today." Joyce said shortly before turning and walking away from the pair.
"Order up!" the cook called once more. Joyce walked to collect the plate and came back to place it in front of Harry who smiled in thanks and began enjoying his breakfast all while keeping an ear on the pair behind him.
"What is this shit on the Jukebox?" Chloe muttered before approaching the machine and changing the song to a more rock tune.
Once she settled down she turned to Max. "Let's talk about your superpower..."
Harry almost choked on his bite and had to quickly drink some coffee to stop himself, ignoring the bitter, hot burn at the back of his throat he concentrated back on the conversation.
"This is all happening so fast..." Max said in a timid tone.
"Then we'll start slow." Chloe whispered excitedly.
"I can tell you everything you've got in your pockets." Max declared confidently.
"You've got x-ray vision dude? Even I don't know what's in my pockets!" Chloe responded.
Harry heard some rustling before Chloe spoke again.
"Okay, Max, impress me."
"Your keys."
"Duh! Way too easy describe my keychain."
Harry focused, was she using a detection spell? No that wouldn't provide details to things, simply stating that things were on her person. Was this Max a witch with latent magic? Or was she a witch who attended a magic school before returning? If so, this was a massive violation of the Statue of Secrecy. She could very well be thrown in prison and have her wand snapped if that were the case.
"A bullet keychain like your necklace." Max responded.
Harry waited with baited breath.
"That was so... wrong, Max." Chloe said in disappointment. "Okay, let me show you what I really have in my pockets."
Harry heard many things hit the table behind him and figured that Chloe was emptying her pockets.
"That was beyond fail. You even made me want to believe you..."
There was a moment of silence before Harry felt that sudden pull on his magic again. He grasped the table in shock and surprise, it was always so sudden! He looked around and saw many of the patrons in the diner, move backwards and speak backwards. The feeling finally stopped and he could breathe again.
"So this is me, telling you what's in your pockets" Max said confidently.
Harry paused, hadn't she already done this?
"Your keys."
"Duh, way too easy! Describe my keychain..."
Harry discreetly turned to the window and looked at the pairs reflections. He couldn't tell exactly what their reactions were doing but he at least could somewhat see them.
"A panda keychain." Max said confidently this time around.
"Not bad, Super Max." Chloe said with an impressed expression.
Chloe watched in awe as Max named several more items in her pockets, even detailing some of the finer things, such as the number of cigarettes in her box, the time of her parking ticket and the exact amount of change in her pockets. Chloe was floored. Harry, not so much.
Just then Joyce walked back to the girls carrying another plate of food.
"Now get that crap off the table, Chloe!" she commanded.
"Sure mom."
Once Joyce placed the plate and left the conversation continued.
"Okay that was so trippy, but you have to do something else so that I'll believe you without question!" Chloe said excitedly.
"Hmm, I will predict the future." Max responded ominously.
Harry's eyebrows rose. Just what was this girl up to now? There was a moment of nothing as he watched Joyce walk out from behind the counter, one of the truckers dropped his cup and had Joyce berate him for breaking yet another one. The police officer received a call on his radio and let out a yell of frustration as his partner in the cruiser drove away. The two boys near the entrance started an argument before Joyce stopped them and the jukebox suddenly started playing a disjointed song.
"Well, Max?" Chloe asked impatiently.
Harry felt the pull again and once more braced himself, it was much more bearable after feeling it multiple times in a row. Just how much magic did this girl possess in order to do this more than once?!
Once the pull stopped Max spoke again.
"I will predict four events that will happen in the next 30 seconds or so..."
And true to form all that she spoke happened. Now Harry was floored. Blocking out their conversation his mind raced with questions. Was this time-travel? No, time turners wouldn't do this, sure they would send her back, but by the hour not by the second. Unless she found a way to counter that? But then they'd be two versions of her at the diner at once which would cause a paradox and collapse of... everything. So just how the hell was she doing this?!
"This isn't a toy, Chloe."
Damn right it isn't! Harry thought desperately. Looks like he'd need to do something about this immediately which meant coming up with a plan for the furnisher later.
The two girls stood and walked past the wizard who heard Max mumble. "Fine, take me to Chloe's cave."
Acting quickly he pulled his wand and fired a tracking charm which landed on Max's jacket. He then stood and quickly left 150 dollars on the table, he wasn't sure how much the food or tip was but right now he didn't care. He had to contact Johnson.
He passed Max who spoke quietly on the phone to a girl named Kate and Chloe who was arguing with her mother and made his way to the exit before...
"Leaving already, Harry?" Joyce asked sweetly.
Shit. "Yes, thank you very much for the food, it was truly delicious. I've left the money on the table."
"Oh hello there." Chloe said with a saucy smile.
"Hi." Harry said with a small nod and smile before turning to the door.
"Harry, was it? The name's Chloe. Why haven't I seen you around before?"
Harry mentally cursed he really had to go. "I just got here today. In fact there are some things I have to go buy for my dorm at Blackwell."
"Ahh, fresh meat." Chloe said while wiggling her eyebrows at the boy.
So far Harry had an American Muggle version of Kingsley and Mrs Weasley and now he could add Tonks to that list.
"Chloe, you leave this nice boy alone. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal, Harry you're always welcome here." Joyce said cutting her daughter off.
"Thanks M- Joyce. I'll be leaving then." he said with a happy smile before turning and exiting the diner. He turned and saw the two watching him for a bit before Joyce went back to work and Chloe was rejoined by Max.
Quickly diving into an alleyway. America sure had a lot of these, he pulled out the mirror and looked into it.
"Johnson." It took a few seconds but Johnson answered.
"Mr Potter, calling so soon?"
"Yes, I believe I may have a lead on what may be causing the magical disturbance."
"Go on."
"A young girl, all I know is her name is Max, she seems to be at the centre of it."
"Hmm, what else can you tell me?" Johnson asked of a minute of thought.
"Not much else. I'm going to go keep an eye on her. So far I suspect she may be a witch misusing her powers but I would like to confirm that before taking any further action." Harry said as he watched Max and Chloe drive off.
"Understood. We'll start looking through the files, see if any Max's with large magical core strengths turn up."
"Alright, I'll contact again with more information." Harry said as he hung up the call thinking for a bit he realised he wouldn't be able to get the furnishings for his room as he would have liked... unless.
"Kreature?" he called out uncertainly.
It took a little bit before the aged house-elf appeared in front of Harry looking slightly confused.
"Yes Master Harry?" Kreature asked while wearing a dapper looking suit, with the Black family crest etched into the breast pocket. After the whole débâcle with the locket and raising the house-elves to assist in the last battle the two had gained a mutual respect for one another. Harry felt the little old guy deserved something that would reflect the importance of House Black.
Well that's what he told the elf after Kreacher thought he had been given clothes, Harry made sure he understood that it was a uniform.
"If I gave you my Gringotts key, could you get me a few things I need?"
"Certainly Master Harry."
"Great!" Harry handed over the vault key and conjured up a piece of paper and a pen. Scribbling all that he'd need he gave it to the elf and smiled.
"Alright keep this stuff with you until I call you later to my room, okay?"
After a nod Kreacher popped away to get his duties done and Harry focussed on the tracking charm and cast a revealing spell only to see that the two were still moving. After a second he realised that he barely ate his food and that he was still hungry... Dammit. Looking around he spotted a what he assumed was a hot dog place. Shrugging he walked over to get something in his stomach.
-Magic is Strange-
After ten minutes and a delicious hot dog Harry checked the spell again and noticed that the pair had stopped moving after paying the bill he quickly left the establishment and immediately felt relief that his paranoia made him carry his invisibility cloak with him at all times. Smiling he went into another bloody alleyway, honestly it seemed this town had more secrets than it initially showed. Draping the cloak over himself Harry focussed on the tracking charm on Max and apparated.
Immediately he was pulled by the naval and landed with a slight pop.
"The fuck?!" Harry heard Chloe shout while spinning around to look for the source of the sound.
Harry looked up and found two things. One he was directly in front of a scared looking Max, like immediate vicinity and he had a revolver pointed in his direction by Chloe. He realised his stupidity and in his haste didn't account for apparating directly next to the girls.
Acting quickly he pulled his wand and cast a silencing charm on his feet before backing away quickly and standing a good distance away from the girls.
"What was that?" Max asked her companion nervously.
"Probably nothing. No one usually comes here." Chloe responded after taking a calming breath. "Anyway, back to what I was saying, bottles, please?"
Max didn't look to convinced at the dismissal but went on her way, after using her rewind ability twice to stop the bottles from shattering and taking a picture of something Harry couldn't see the girl went back to Chloe and handed them to her.
"Thank you!" Chloe said with an impish smile.
Harry watched as they lined up the bottles before Chloe raised the gun.
"Now you're going to use your powers to make sure we don't waste a single bullet."
"I don't know about this Chloe..." Max started.
"It'll be fine. Now come on, let's rock."
The rest continued in the way Harry suspected. Chloe shot and missed then Max rewound time and corrected her aim. The pull on his magic with every rewind was less startling and more uncomfortable now.
Then everything took a left turn.
"Give me something to aim at!"
Max provided many targets including a rim which ricocheted the bullet into one of the other bottles, then they set their eyes on an old car sitting just above the bottles. They shot the gas tank which caused the car to explode but not damage the bottles, rewound, got the window which caused a squirrel to scurry out of it, rewound then shot the bumper, Harry watched as the bullet moved in a flash, bounced off the car and back at Chloe.
"Ah, fuck! I shot myself, rewind, rewind!" she called out in pain.
Max rewound once more and immediately chose the tire which caused the car to roll forward and destroy the rest of the bottles below it. After a celebratory shout, Chloe tried to hand Max the gun, before she stopped and adopted a look of concern.
"Max your nose..."
"I don't feel so super..." Max slurred before she collapsed.
What Harry didn't expect was to collapse as well. He was suddenly surrounded by howling sounds, harsh winds and painful rain. He looked around and saw himself in a wooded area, he noticed a light house in the distance he was about to start moving towards it when he suddenly woke up.
Looking around in a bit of a panic he remembered where he was. American Rust; a junk yard on the edge of Arcadia Bay and he was here because of the two girls he saw sitting on the hood of a broken down vehicle. Calming down he gathered his bearings and thought about confronting Max, it was obvious her powers were too powerful and dangerous to be used in such a flippant manner.
But before he could step up another man appeared and approached the girls.
"Hey, its Thelma and Louise. Or is it Bonnie and Clyde?"
"Excuse us, Frank." Chloe said harshly, contempt easily noticeable in her tone.
Frank looked like every drug dealer from every American show Harry had ever watched, he stood tall, taller than Harry who was about the same height as Chloe and taller than Max. He wore a dirty leather jacket zipped up with a low cut faded red shirt beneath it. His dirty blond hair fell limply on his head like a mop and had a bunch of tattoos on his neck and chest.
"Oh, sorry, Chloe. Don't let me get in the way of your bonding. I heard the gunshots and breaking glass. It's cute that you're playing with guns. Just like me at your age." the man; Frank said in a patronizing tone.
"We're nothing a like, man." Chloe denied immediately.
"We both need money." Frank shot back without missing a beat. "In fact, you need it so bad you owe me a shitload, don't ya, Chloe? Huh?"
Now Harry was curious, just what the hell did this girl do to owe a guy like this money?
Frank and Chloe traded a few more words before he turned to Max.
"What are you hiding there, girlie? Let me see!" he commanded as he approached a scared looking Max with what Harry assumed was the gun behind her back, seeing as how Chloe wasn't carrying it.
Harry blinked and suddenly Chloe was back on Frank yelling about the bracelet he was currently wearing and claiming it belonged to the missing girl, Rachel. After a bit of arguing back and forth Frank suddenly pulled a knife on the girl. Seeing that it was being taken too far, Harry pulled his wand and pointed it at Frank, but before he could utter a single word all the action stopped. He looked over and saw Max pointing the gun at Frank and the tension rose exponentially.
"Please... please step back." Max stammered nervously.
"You're kidding. Put that down."
"Jesus Christ." Harry muttered with a shake of his head.
"Come on, girlie. Shoot me." Frank said confidently as he walked towards Max who looked really scared at being in the whole situation in the first hand. Frank took the gun from Max and laughed.
"Oh, Christ. You're more like Abbot and Costello. Nice piece. I'll consider it an interest on your loan. You have 'till Friday to pay me. Or I'll track you down with this interest. Play safe kids." he said with another laugh as he walked away.
"You really stood your ground there." Chloe said shortly after Frank had left.
That, Harry had to admit was a good point, Max did nothing. Were she a witch who had no qualms about the statue as he had previously thought she would have done some sort of magic to prevent Frank from getting the best of them... right?
"I freaked, I don't like guns." Max responded defensively, while rubbing her arm soothingly.
"It'll be harder to keep Nathan off my ass... My step-shit will have his other guns sealed in an electrified bunker by now." the blue haired girl went on while pacing around slightly.
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I've never held a gun a human being before. Not cool."
Chloe seemed to have a moment of clarity and turned to address her soft, brunette friend.
"I know, Max. Really. I'm actually relieved it worked out this way instead... And there are more guns out there... Let's blow. My secret lair didn't feel secret today. At least Frank's gone; he won't fuck with us again. He just wants his money." Chloe said as she turned and headed towards the tracks to go for a walk. After a quick deliberation Max sighed and jogged to catch up.
Harry went along with them. As it appeared this was going to be a long day. He had classes scheduled for today but luckily only later in the day. As he tailed the two girls he had to admit the dynamic between the two of them was rocky. Chloe seemed to be a very angry person, for some reason. Harry didn't know the story well enough to judge either of them but they had their moments of clarity, where the relationship was almost... cute.
"I can't believe you basically gave him my gun. 'Here ya go, Frank.'"
"You can't keep getting mad at me. Especially for stupid shit." Max shot back.
"I'm not mad. It adds up in my mind as people letting me down. And I just liked having that gun, man."
That was depressing, Harry thought as he watched the two walk on the railing of the tracks and briefly hold hands to prevent the other from falling.
"Well, now you have me to protect you." Max joked with a smile.
Chloe smiled back at Max. "I'm just glad you were here."
"Me too... I think. Chloe, why are you hanging around scary losers like Frank? It's weird."
"Let's take a break and I'll talk."
Harry watched as the two girls laid down on the train tracks and spoke.
"Well that isn't safe." Harry muttered quietly to himself.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked turning to the girl beside her.
"Seriously, Chloe, this is scary. What if Frank tries to track us down?" Max asked frantically.
Chloe sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry. But Frank isn't as hardcore as he fronts. All he cares about is his cash, stash and mangy dog."
"Chloe, are you serious? Frank just took your gun and threatened us! He's armed and clearly dangerous."
"I know. Crazy shit is the new normal for me. That's why I planned to leave Arcadia Bay without paying Frank off..."
Max paused at that. Harry watched the two from a little distance away, so Chloe had planned to skip town and Max either didn't know that or was uncomfortable with the idea.
"Tell me exactly what's going on between you and Frank – does he have a last name?"
"Fank Bowers. Obviously don't get my pot from you, remember? Anyway, Frank and I kinda hung out."
Max made a disgusted face and turned to Chloe.
"Hung out? You don't mean you..."
Chloe was confused for a second before her eyes doubled in size and she adopted a look of disgust herself.
"No, we didn't have sex! Gross, man. He never even tried. I just made the mistake of borrowing money so Rachel and I could bail out of here..."
There was that name again, Rachel. Harry had seen a missing persons poster in the halls of Blackwell. Was it of this Rachel girl? He'd check. But for a person who was potentially missing, her name came up a lot and it seemed so did her jewellery. He'd have to do research on this girl as well. There were too many points with no connections.
"I want to know how Frank got Rachel's bracelet..."Chloe stated angrily, before turning to Max. "What do you think?"
"I think we need to be careful and keep an eye on this guy without him eye-balling us, okay?"
"It's weird talking to you about this insane crap. We haven't hung out this much since we were tweens... and it's like no time has passed. I wish Rachel was here to meet you."
"Do you think Rachel and I would've been friends?"
"You're not that different. She had – has a great eye for images and art. Plus she's a smartass like you. We would all be hella best friends forever."
They spoke about the mystery of train tracks for a bit and Harry honestly couldn't even give a crap about the conversation. This was becoming bothersome, he needed to talk to Max about her ability but he knew Chloe would get in the way and the conversation would go nowhere. He was about to leave when he heard Chloe scream.
Her leg was stuck in the track. Max came over to help but couldn't do much, her boot was truly stuck.
"Max, I'm stuck help me!"
"I'll look for something."
She quickly ran up the small hill and looked for something to help Chloe with. Then Harry heard something that made his stomach drop. It seemed as though Chloe heard the same thing.
"Max, the train it's coming! Please hurry."
The smaller girl looked around frantically but couldn't get in the building, she looked around all over and Harry saw the train coming. He could step in, free Chloe but that would mean revealing himself before he had a chance to talk to Max and would probably been seen as a stalker for following the girls all over town.
He then heard a lot of grunting before a large cable drum rolled down the hill and destroyed the control box freeing Chloe's foot but ultimately damaging the train tracks.
"That was close! Are you okay?"
"You saved me again! Crazy we're totally bonded for life now! I mean I've got splinters in my ass and leg and now the trains can't get to the lumber mill... oops."
The two shared a hug and turned to leave, Harry knew he wouldn't be able to follow them from the junkyard he resolved to learn more about everything when he spoke to Max.
Before apparating away he looked at the damaged section of the train tracks and raised his wand.
"Reparo" he said watching the wiring and metal pieces straighten and correct themselves. No need to inconvenience others.
-Magic is Strange-
Popping to his room, Harry took a breath and removed his cloak.
"Kreacher!" he called out.
The elf popped in front of him and greeted him.
"Did you get them?" he asked while stretching his arms.
"I did, Master Harry." with a snap of his fingers all of the things Harry had requested appeared before him.
"Thank you, Kreacher." checking his watch he noticed he still about thirty minutes before his photography class. A class he knew Max took, he was extremely lucky at that coincidence. He began with the pictures of his friends and family which he placed on his desk. Followed by the bedding and finally a bag which held his books and stationary.
"Will that be all, Master Harry?"
"Yes, but before you go, could you take a letter to my friends?" at the elf's nod, Harry pulled a page from one of his books and wrote a quick note to his friends just to inform them that he was perfectly safe and that he was on a mission from Kingsley.
Kreacher popped away once he was done and Harry breathed a sigh of relief, he imagined Hermione was freaking out and coming up with some ridiculous theory that revolved around him leaving because of his break up with Ginny. Shaking his head he checked his watch and saw that it was time to leave. As he stepped out of the dormitories he felt the pull again and noticed several woodland creatures moving in reverse. Max.
Moving quickly he walked towards the school briskly and entered through the double doors. He saw students meandering about and started looking for the brown haired girl so they could speak. He didn't see her in the hallway but he was seen by a short haired girl sitting by a wall.
"Hey there, you lost?" she called out to him.
Turning to her he blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry?"
"Ooh, I love your accent." she purred while smiling at him. "I asked if you're lost?"
"Right, thank you. I'm looking for Jefferson's class?"
"Hmm... I'll tell you."
Harry sighed in relief.
"If you tell me your name."
"Oh, of course, sorry that was rude of me, I'm Harry. Harry Potter." he introduced.
"The name's Courtney." she replied with a smile. "Say, would you like to come to a party on Thursday?"
"A party?"
Before Courtney could respond Harry felt the pull once more and watched as Courtney animatedly reversed, then it stopped.
"The name's Courtney. Say would you like to come to a party on Thursday?" she asked again, in the exact same way she had a few seconds ago.
"Yeah sure, I'd love to." Harry said with a smile and nod. He needed to find Max, now!
"Sweet, I'll put your name down."
Courtney's dark purple hair cut short and heavy mascara reminded Harry of a less conservative Pansy Parkinson, her attitude especially gave him the vibe of Draco's arm piece from school. He suddenly wondered what had ever happened to Pansy after the war. He hadn't seen her with the rest of the Death Eaters and not even at the funeral of her school sweetheart; Malfoy. Maybe she got smart and had left the country. For all Harry knew Courtney was actually Pansy in disguise and she would curse him the moment he turned his ba – Jesus he was turning into Moody.
"So Jefferson's class?"
"Oh right, so you take a left down the hall and it should be the last door on your right." she directed him.
"Thank you."
"I'll see you Thursday." she called as he walked away. He waved to indicate he had heard her and continued walking until a small mass bumped into him.
"I'm sorry." he apologised.
The girl who had bumped into him kept walking not even acknowledging him in any way, shape or form. Harry paused as he watched her retreating back. Had she been crying?
Shaking his head he continued on his way and found the classroom, but it would seem as though Jefferson was busy on his phone. He peaked into the room and saw multiple teens, some drawing most just biding their time until class started. Then Harry heard something that made his mind stop.
"Hey, Doctor Who!"
Dear God, please, no.
Turning he saw the boy he had spoken to earlier when he had arrived.
"Warren, right?"
"That's me! Are you in this class? Come on, let's grab you a seat." Warren said not bothering to wait for Harry's response and pushed him into the class.
Looking around he found a desk opposite Max and it seemed as though it was unoccupied. He immediately grabbed a vacant chair and pulled it with him. Once he sat down and started removing his books and such Warren spoke again.
"Hey Max, this is my friend, Doctor Who-"
"It's Harry." the wizard responded tiredly.
"He's British!"
"That I am."
"Well, hello there."
Hearing a new voice enter the fray Harry turned and saw a girl with short blonde hair, fashionable clothing and a beautiful symmetrical face. All in all, she looked really good.
"Hi." Harry greeted wearily, who would she remind him of? She did look a great deal like-
"The name is Victoria, Victoria Chase." she said while sticking out her hand for him to shake.
"Harry Potter."
"This is my friend, Nathan Prescott." she introduced a blond boy wearing what seemed to be a school jacket. Something about his face made Harry instantly on edge.
"'Sup, if you need anything, just let me know. I basically own this school." Nathan said in way of greeting.
"Well, I found Malfoy." Harry muttered softly to himself. "I'll keep that in mind thanks." Harry said with a nod of his head.
"So why are you sitting with the hipster and revenge of the nerds? I guarantee you'd much prefer sitting with me." Victoria said slowly running a finger down his arm.
Harry blinked in utter surprise. Was this just the muggle equivalent of Hogwarts? What the hell was going on with this town?!
"Are you there? Hello. Earth to Harry." Victoria said waving her hands in front of his face.
"I think you broke the new kid, Tor." Nathan said with a small laugh.
Harry snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, you remind me of someone I went to school with; Daphne Greengrass." he said shaking his head slightly.
"Oh? Was she a girlfriend of yours?" Victoria asked in a sultry tone.
"No, she was part of the group that tormented and bullied me actually."
"Excuse me?" Victoria asked stepping back slightly.
"She had her reasons, but she was a nightmare for a majority of our years together. I really hope your reasons are worth it." Harry said with such sincerity that Victoria didn't know what to say and simply walked away.
"Not cool." Nathan said with barely restraint anger.
Harry looked at the boy and the similarities between him and Draco grew by the second.
"Right, well. I believe people should be told of their short comings, it's never a bad thing to reflect." Harry commented, feeling a bit like Dumbledore.
Nathan huffed and walked away to rejoin Victoria, turning back Harry saw the shocked looks on Max and Warren.
"That was so gangster!" Warren said with a laugh. Never before had Harry heard the word gangster sound so white and he was a fucking Brit.
"Just speaking the truth. By the way, we haven't met; I'm Harry Potter." he said with a smile.
"Max Caufield."
Harry smiled, now he had her full name.
Warren then turned to Max. "I saw Kate go past. Was she crying?"
"Yeah, I tried talking to her but she just walked right past me."
"The girl who was crying earlier? I ran into her near the entryway." Harry said. "Is she alright?"
The two shared a look before Max spoke again.
"She's been depressed these past few days."
"Oh?"
Warren spoke next. "There was – is a video going around of her getting... frisky with a few guys at a party."
"A sex tape?" Harry asked scandalised.
"No, no! Nothing that bad, she just kissed a few of them, but someone recorded her and it somehow got leaked."
"Did she have a lot to drink?"
"She swears she only had a sip of wine, nothing else." Max said adamantly.
"Alright then, a drugging." Harry said as the next logical leap.
"You really think so?" Warren asked, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"I mean, you lot know her better than I ever could, so I can only assume." the wizard responded with a shrug.
"She's a Christian through and through. Hell, she started and ran the Celibacy club until it happened." Max added staring out of the window.
"I mean, having a religion is cool and all but I don't think I'd be able to wait until marriage." Warren said with a small laugh. Harry did not miss the "subtle" glance he shot at an either oblivious or avoiding Max.
Soon Jefferson entered the class and chased out the other students before turning and doing a double take when he saw Harry.
"Ah yes, the new student, Harry Potter, yes?"
"Yes sir." Harry agreed with a nod of his head.
"Our new transfer from across the pond. Well I hope you all treat him as a friend and I hope to see some of your work, Harry."
Harry nodded and the lesson commenced. The topic of the day was about Chiaroscuro, the contrast between Black and White. Harry had to admit, he was actually learning something when a boy burst into the room.
"Yo! Some crazy shit is going down at the girl's dorm! Check it out!"
Ignoring the admission by Jefferson the class, including Harry stood to go investigate. He had a bad feeling about this, and the look Max wore revealed her own sinking feeling at what could possibly be happening. Logically all the girls should be in one class or another, all except one; Kate Marsh.
As they rushed out of the school they were violently pelted with heavy rain drops, heading towards the boy's dorm they came around the corner and saw everyone looking up. There stood Kate Marsh on top of the building one second and suddenly falling the next.
Harry wanted to act but there were too many people here!
"Kate no!"
He heard Max yell before time once more reversed, but it wasn't enough as she didn't seem to be able to reverse it further than where Kate stood on the ledge. Harry felt his core flicker once more before everything froze. Everything around them was suspended in time. Oh, this was definitely bad.
Looking around, Harry saw Max's nose running a river of blood.
"Can you do this?" he asked softly.
Max turned to him an expression of shock and surprise on her face.
"Calm down, you have to hold this and make sure to not touch anyone, crazy things happen when you fuck with time too much. Now we don't know how long you can hold this so let's get to the roof shall we?" he asked grabbing her by the shoulders and leading her to the roof.
They moved as quickly as Max could up the stairs and through the hallways before they reached the roof. Once they made it the thing Max was doing stopped, she tried again and grunted in pain.
Surprised by the sound, Kate turned around.
"What are you doing here, Max? Stop! Don't come near me!"
Max took a cautious step towards Kate.
"Max seriously, don't come near me. I will jump!" Kate warned dangerously.
"Okay, okay. I'm right here. Kate, please."
Harry watched tensely as the two traded words between themselves.
"Don't worry, Kate things will get better. I promise."
"I want to believe that..."
"Your life is still yours and we can get through this together... Let me help." Max begged desperately.
Harry saw the look on Kate's face he had seen that face before. Padma Patil had that same look when Harry, Hermione and Ron, got her out of one of the Death Eater camps, it was the same look she wore when she placed her wand to her temple, complete and utter hopelessness. He took a step forward towards the girl, hoping he would be able to say something that could help or at the very least ease her mind.
"Kate, yeah? That's your name?"
"Who- Who are you?"
"My name is Harry, I'm new here."
"So you don't know what's going on?" Kate asked taking a step backwards.
"Hold on, I may not know what's happening here, I've heard whispers here and there but I don't take any stock from rumours, but I did go through something similar."
"What? How?" Kate asked her eyebrows furrowed.
Harry took a breath.
"I know the hopelessness you feel, you feel like no one in the world understands you or cares what you're going through, that you're drowning in a sea of emotions with no life jacket. I know you can't stand to look yourself in the mirror or feel that you don't deserve love or happiness after everything that's happened."
"How...?"
"I had a friend back in my old school, she was captured by some... bad people. We managed to get her out, but she wasn't the same. We don't really know what happened, she either couldn't or wouldn't share, not that it was anyone's business. She was safe, she was home, but people didn't care, they still demanded answers, and when she didn't provide them, they just assumed it wasn't as bad as they had thought." Harry said.
"What- what happened?" Kate asked curiously.
Harry paused once more before pushing forward. "I found her in a similar position to you now, I tried, I begged her to reconsider, she told me that I couldn't understand, that no one would. I watched someone I became friends with take her life that day."
Kate and Max both gasped, Harry had honestly forgotten that she was there.
"I blamed myself obviously and I fell into a dark place. I couldn't stop her, I felt as though I let her down, let her family down. My friends though, they were there for me. Giving me advice, listening when I spoke and helped me to see that I was just a kid, while I had tried, I didn't have the right words, she died because of someone else's cause. I now know she was haunted, I don't blame her, I just wish she had spoken to us, while I might not have understood completely, I could have been a shoulder. I know the pain of losing someone I considered a friend, all I ask is that you give Max and your other friends the chance to see you, to hear you."
Harry looked back up at Kate and saw that she was hooked in now.
"What I'm trying to say Kate, is that I understand, it feels as though the world is crashing down around you and you have no control over anything that's happening, but this moment right now, this is all in your control. The world is going to keep being cruel, people will continue to be cruel, but if you have a strong support system, I promise you. Everything will work out." Harry said before motioning to Max to step forward.
"And I'm here Kate, so is Alyssa and Stella, your sisters and your father. I saw his postcard to you in your room. He really loves you Kate and so do we." Max said stepping closer and reaching out a hand.
Kate hesitated for a bit before looking down and back up at the duo of Max and Harry.
"What about Nathan...? Won't he-"
"Leave Prescott to me." Harry said, before motioning to Max.
Kate took Max's hand broke down crying. Apologising profusely, Harry supposed she was in shock and would need to be looked over by a professional. He heard steps coming up the stairs and turned to Max.
"I wasn't here." he simply before disappearing right in front of her eyes a second later David Madsen burst through the door and saw the two girls clutching one another and Kate crying her eyes out. He wisely chose to not voice his negativity at Max for being up here with her.
Max shot a glare at the man before looking up and seeing the students clapping and most were crying. She shook her head before her eyes landed on a mop of black hair and vibrant green eyes staring back at her from the corner of the boys dorm. She blinked in surprise but didn't say anything as she pulled Kate up and walked her down to the common area. David told students to back up and lead them to an ambulance that someone had thankfully called.
"Principal Wells wants to talk to you." David said stiffly.
"But-"
"It's okay, I feel better now. You can go." Kate said cutting her off.
"Only if you're sure."
"I am, also if you could thank Harry for me, that would be great." Kate said with a small smile.
"Harry? Who's this, Harry?" David asked raising his voice.
"I'll visit you later, okay?" Max said ignoring the man.
At Kate's the EMT's closed the doors and the lights to the ambulance started before the vehicle drove off.
"Now who is this Harry person?" David asked again, and again was ignored as Max turned and headed to the principal's office.
-Magic is Strange-
Once they arrived, Max saw that Jefferson and Nathan were already there waiting for them.
"Ah Max, I'm so glad you could join us. If you would please have a seat." Wells said pointing to one of the unoccupied chairs in the room.
"Now then, what happened today should never have happened at Blackwell. This is supposed to be a place where student feel safe and cared for, not..." he stopped himself and stood to look out the window before turning back to the occupants of the room.
"Max firstly on behalf of the school I would like to thank you for what you've done today. It takes real courage to do what you did and talk Kate down."
"I didn't do much." Max responded with a shrug.
"She's being modest, just like a real hero." Jefferson said with a look of pride.
"Yeah real hero..." David muttered in the corner.
"Now then Mr Madsen, the door to the rooftop should have been locked, as the head of security it was your job to ensure that they were. Care to explain?" Wells asked turning to the man.
"Sir I was occupied with monitoring several students. I admit it slipped my mind." David admitted sourly.
"Mmhm, Mr Prescott as president of the Vortex club had you not noticed that Kate was acting stranger than normal? And do you have any idea who leaked the video?"
"It was a party, how was I supposed to know? I don't keep tabs of everyone there. Besides, she seemed to be enjoying herself."
"You fucking pig!" Max roared.
"What you just call me?!" Nathan yelled back.
"Kate almost died today because you and your little Vortex club just let her get drugged!"
"That is a serious accusation, Max."
"Yeah, you'd better be careful, that's slander, I'll sue you and this school so fast!"
"All right, everyone calm down this instant!" Wells yelled over the young adults. "Now hear me, and hear me well. We will be working closely with the police during this investigation to ensure that they have all they need for their case."
"Mr Jefferson, as a teacher I don't expect you to know all the happenings of your student's lives but you have been reported as working closely with Kate in the past, surely you noticed something was amiss?"
"As you say, Principal Wells, I try to not get involved with my student's lives and Kate, well she certainly had seemed down as of late but when questioned she withdrew. I simply believed she would approach me when she was ready." Jefferson answered looking very disappointed.
Max blocked them out and glared at Nathan. She knew it was his fault, he had drugged Kate. She just knew it. Wells asked her to sign a statement after she had accused Nathan of being the reason for Kate's current state of depression. Once she had signed they were allowed to leave, Nathan shot her a look of loathing, David simply looked at her suspiciously and Jefferson expressed his pride in her.
As she walked back to the dorms she was cut off, once more by black messy hair and vibrant green eyes.
"Who are you?" she asked curiously.
"I think the better question, Miss Caulfield, is who are you? And why are you able to manipulate time?" Harry asked seriously as his eyes bore into her own.