Chapter 6

Harry exited his room and closed the door before facing Victoria. Her deep blue eyes narrowed showing her patience quickly waning. He took a breath and tried to explain himself.

"Listen, I just... I found you to be more dynamic than the model, is all."

She gave him a look that showed that she did not buy his excuse. Harry sighed, he hated that he had a bad poker face... note to self; don't lie point blank.

"Fine, I told you I wasn't comfortable sketching a nude person, right? Well, I wasn't lying. I wasn't brought up in the... healthiest household. Any talks of sex were strictly forbidden. Eventually I was given a scholarship to attend a school my parents had attended, for a few years I was terrified of the thought of seeing someone nude. Hell, I had a daily struggle to shower because I was terrified of being nude myself. Eventually I met someone who gave me a... lesson to show me that nakedness wasn't as evil as I was initially taught."

"This is all very interesting, really. But when are you going to explain your creepy sketch?" she asked cutting him off.

"I'm getting there." Harry took a breath and figured he'd just go for broke. "Remember I mentioned a girl from my old school, Daphne Greengrass?"

Victoria took a moment to think and remembered Harry mentioning that name the first time they had met. She nodded and let him continue.

"She was the first girl I ever... you know, saw naked."

"I thought you said you didn't date her."

"And I didn't. We had our reasons, mainly family issues. But it had gotten out that we were friendly and well, some of the boys who were associated with a group of... rather bad guys found out and decided they'd teach her a lesson for hanging out with someone who was supposed to be less than what she was."

"Less than what she was? What does that mean?"

"They came from old money... and were very bigoted. Don't get me wrong, my family wasn't dirt poor or anything, in fact they were quite well off, but see I was cast in a lesser light because my father had married someone the older generations deemed unworthy and thus they taught their children that I was lesser."

"Okay, kinda fucked up, so what happened?"

"I found her... they had assaulted her... left her there for me to find, they hurt her badly. When I got her to the school nurse, the school had to contact her parents, who were quick to blame me when they arrived. She was pulled out of school soon after." Harry told her, his eyes downcast.

Malfoy and his croonies had been smug about what they had done to Daphne at every turn to get a rise out of Harry. It was an absolute pleasure watching him boil from the inside out during the final battle.

"What does that have to do with not liking to see someone naked?" Victoria asked, not understanding what he was trying to tell her.

Harry took a moment to consider his words before speaking.

"When I found her, they had left her stripped... the first girl I saw naked, and had been friends with, bruised and broken, naked, with all the scars. I can't help but see that whenever I..." Harry stopped speaking, shaking his head to dispel the thoughts.

"But... you said that you weren't a vir-"

"And I'm not, my ex, she was very understanding. We took our time, but... it wasn't easy but, we eventually worked something out. She was great, but I know it hurt her that I couldn't look at all of her without feeling light headed."

Victoria then looked at the picture once more and turned to Harry.

"So then you chose to draw me instead..." Victoria said softly. "I don't know if I understand it completely, but that sounds completely fucked. I'm sorry that happened to your friend. You know what, it really isn't that bad. I think I'll keep it. Maybe rub it in Courtney's face that you have a crush on me and not her." Victoria said with a glint in her eye and smirk on her lips.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell people that. But, thanks for understanding." Harry responded with a smile of his own.

The blonde haired girl smiled at him and began walking away before she paused down the hall and turned back to him.

"And if you wanted to be friends with me, I wouldn't find it too disgusting." she told him with a smile.

Harry was immediately taken back to his fourth year; when he had used an abandoned classroom to get away from the mindless idiots who accused him of putting his name in the Goblet, there he ran into Daphne for the first time. The initial hour was filled with awkward silence until Daphne told him that she thought the idea of him entering his name into the tournament was laughable at best. The two then spent three hours speaking about various topics before leaving and going their own way.

The two had met up in the unused classroom several times after the initial meeting before Daphne turned to Harry one evening, and in her monotonous voice uttered the words which officially began their friendship.

"You know Potter, I wouldn't find the idea of being friends with you too vomit inducing."

Harry smiled and looked back to Victoria and repeated the words he had said to Daphne back at her muggle clone.

"Gee, I'm glad being friends with me is only slightly nauseating." he replied with a grin.

Victoria smiled again and made to walk away before once more stopping to face Harry, she shot him a small smirk and raised an eyebrow.

"But you're not getting to see me naked any time soon. So you'd better not even think about it."

Harry smirked back before replying, "Wouldn't dream of it."

The blonde grinned and nodded before finally turning and leaving the hallway, making her way downstairs to the ground floor. Harry watched her go with a smile on his face and when she disappeared he leaned up against his door for a moment.

He thought back to Daphne, he had missed her. They hadn't spoken since she was forced to marry Zabini and move to Italy. After the war they had run into each other in a nice little muggle bar just off the Leaky Cauldron, it was accidental but not at all unpleasant. She claimed that she did not blame him for what had happened to her. She was just in shock and couldn't bring herself to do anything. They had hung out a few times after that, much like at Hogwarts, when Harry needed a break from an argument he was having with Ginny, to just needing a drink. Daphne was there ready to entertain him with her monotonous, dry view of the world.

Eventually though like all things, their time came to an end, when her fiancé; Blaise Zabini was offered the management job to a local Italian team on the rise. Their last meeting in the little bar was much like their first ever meeting; quiet and awkward, that is until Daphne turned to Harry and apologised for being such a prick to him when they were in school. Harry laughed and reminded her why that had to be the case, but her response stopped him cold.

"I know why we did it. But it didn't matter in the end. Malfoy still found out, I was still... I still had to leave... maybe if I was a little braver we could've been friends earlier on. In front of the whole school and not just in some classroom. I would've liked that; Walking to class together, eating lunch, riding the express to and from home... going to Hogsmeade... But instead we spent our time pretending to hate each other... and I really hated saying that crap to you... so you know. I'm sorry."

Harry was at a loss for words... even thinking about it a year later... he had no idea what he could've said, it didn't matter though, Daphne gave him a small peck on his cheek and chuckled before pulling out a small handkerchief and rubbing her lipstick off gently.

"I'm glad I met you, Harry Potter. And I'm glad we became friends, I'll miss you."

With that Daphne stood quickly and left the pub before apparating away, leaving Harry feeling cold and empty, much like when he had at the end of his sixth year when Daphne's parents pulled her out of Hogwarts.

He shook the memories away and was just about to head back in to his room, before he heard a scream followed by a yell.

"What the fuck?! Get off him!"

Frowning he quickly dashed downstairs to the ground floor and rushed down the hallway before rounding a corner and seeing a sight which made him blink in shock. Warren stood over Nathan Prescott, kicking him repeatedly. When he heard Victoria scream at Warren to stop, Harry suddenly moved, pulling the lanky, brunette off the Draco of this school.

"What the fuck?! Oh, it's you..." Chloe said her eyes narrowing at Harry.

"What's going on here?" he asked looking between all of the parties.

"Oh God, Nathan, are you okay?" Victoria asked suddenly rushing to her friends side.

"Get off me!" Nathan yelled in anger, and what Harry assumed to be embarrassment as he shrugged Victoria's hands off himself.

Nathan then quickly moved and grabbed a fucking gun.

"What the fuck was that?" Harry asked the boy, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"None of your fucking business, prick! And you three, just wait till I tell my dad about this... you're all fucked! He fucking owns you!" he exclaimed angrily as he stumbled away, presumably to his dorm room.

Victoria made to follow him when she was grabbed by Harry.

"What are you doing? He needs me!" she said angrily, while trying to pull herself free.

"Victoria! He has a fucking gun and is unstable right now! What you need to do is give him space, go to your dorms and let him be. He's dangerous!" Harry yelled trying to get her attention.

"Yeah well, he isn't the only one." he heard Chloe muttered behind him.

Harry resisted the urge to turn on the girl and put his attention back on Victoria.

"Listen, I can't really explain right now, but I need you to trust me. Just go back to your dorm, or find Courtney and that other blonde friend of yours..."

"Taylor..." Victoria provided.

"Okay find Courtney and Taylor and just hang out with them for a while. Alright?"

Victoria turned to look at Harry before casting one last look in the direction Nathan had disappeared in and sighed. She nodded to Harry and turned to exit before turning to Max and her little gang.

"Three against one, huh? And you call Nathan the bad guy." she commented with a sneer.

"Victoria, I would explain what we're doing here, but you aren't worth the time." Max said with a wave of her hand.

"I know what you're doing here, sticking your fucking nose where doesn't belong again, right Max? Oh and you got the ex Blackwell slut with you this time around."

"Oh, eat me, bitch." Chloe shot back.

"Victoria... please." Harry spoke up, wanting the whole ordeal to end, but was ignored.

"No thanks, don't want whatever venereal disease, you've got this week." the blonde spat before leaving the door.

Harry watched the entire exchange, and sighed tiredly.

"So you hanging out with Victoria Chase now? Fucking fall from grace..." Chloe muttered before leaving the boys dorm followed by Max who simply looked disappointed and Warren who looked between Chloe, Max and Harry in a confused manner.

Harry moved to quickly follow them, he needed to speak to Max. He had a bad feeling, and he usually made sure to not ignore those, they'd saved him, more times than he'd like to think.

-Magic is Strange-

As Harry left the building he found the three of them talking quietly amongst themselves and waited, knowing them for as little a time as he did, he assumed teaming up with Warren was a one time event, Chloe was too proud to ask anyone else for help, especially after the incident they had earlier that day and Max was too loyal to go against her friend. A true Gryffindor and Hufflepuff pairing those two were.

Once Warren had walked away he approached the girls and was immediately subjected to Chloe's glare.

"What do you want?" the blue haired girl demanded.

"Listen, I know you guys are pissed about what I did. I get it, really I do. But this isn't the time to get caught up in it. There's something seriously big going on and I just want to help you guys!" Harry tried.

"Listen, we don't need your help! We didn't before and we don't now. Just, leave us alone." Chloe said angrily as she stormed away. Harry saw Max looking slightly torn as she watched the two.

"Max look, I know you feel it too. Something big is going to go down, hell at this point it's too late to change fate, but you don't have to tackle it alone." He saw smaller girl start to fidget before he raised his hands and showed her that he meant no harm.

"No wand... so no tracker, I swear. Okay, if you don't want my help, I'll accept that, but take this." Harry reached up and removed the necklace he wore, it was the symbol of the deathly Hallows he had received from Luna's dad as a thank you for saving his daughter. "If shit gets too much, grab this and say my name, I'll be able to find you."

At her look of slight panic he reiterated.

"It will not track you. I will have no idea where you are, until you say my name and I'll pop over immediately. I swear on my life." he said.

Max had a moment of thought before gently taking the necklace.

"Fine, but only because I think we could need the help later on." she said. Stuffing the necklace in her pocket Max heard Chloe call for her and gave Harry a single nod before running off to catch up with her friend.

Harry watched the two girls leave and have a quiet argument between themselves. He didn't know what else to do and as such went back up to his room. Once he arrived he shut the door and cast a locking charm on it before calling out for Kreacher, when the the house-elf arrived he came along with the ward stones. Figuring Johnson wouldn't pull a stunt so soon after the two had spoken he put them down.

He was taking a moment when he couldn't bring himself to focus on anything. He wanted to help Max and Chloe but knew they wouldn't want him anywhere near them, as such he decided to do a bit of research on Rachel Amber; the girl Chloe was so adamant in finding.

He walked around the campus asking various people what they knew about the girl, but was met with very generic responses: she was either a sweetheart or a bitch/slut, depending on who you asked. So he figured he wouldn't get much information on her from simply her time in Blackwell, which meant he had to go look into her past for some answers.

He ran into his second roadblock when he realised after speaking to a little over twenty students that Rachel Amber was an enigma, no one knew who she was before she came to Blackwell, it seemed the girl didn't enjoy sharing her past. Harry frowned and nodded, he had to figure out who this girl was and the best way to do that would be to see her transfer papers, which were in the Principal's office... yay.

Making his way to the main building Harry looked out at the setting sun, night seemed to be coming on a lot sooner than he was aware of, he needed to get that file quickly. As he looked back at the path he accidentally ran into someone and apologised.

"Watch where you going!" the man said gruffly.

"Sorry." Harry said quickly, he turned to leave when he felt a hand on his arm.

"You, who are you?" the man asked rudely.

"Harry Potter, now if you'll excuse me..."

"Harry, huh? Hold on Kate Marsh spoke about a 'Harry' the day she nearly jumped. That wouldn't be you would it?"

Harry frowned at the man, he had a good memory. Harry then realised that for everyone else that event only happened a few days ago. Fuck, it felt like months since that incident.

"How could that be me? I only got to Blackwell on Tuesday. It's a rather chaotic place."

"Hmm, I've heard Max and Chloe talk about a Harry as well... what are your intentions with those girls, huh? You another punk loser, huh? Trying to get Chloe back on drugs?!"

"Okay, you're way to crazy to deal with. If you'll excuse me." Harry said turning away from the man.

"I'm talking to you!"

"Oi! Let go of me you bloody lunatic!"

"Mr Madsen! Is there an issue here?" came a voice from behind Harry.

Turning, the dark haired boy saw his photography teacher, Mr Jefferson standing a small distance away, hands in his pockets looking at Madsen harshly.

"Jefferson, this has got nothing to do with you."

"Actually, when it comes to one of my students, it has everything to do with me, now please, let go of Mr Potter."

Madsen looked incensed before letting Harry's arm drop from his grip and turned around muttering darkly as he left. Harry turned to Jefferson.

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem." The photography teacher responded with a smile, Harry was immediately struck with another wave of familiarity, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out from who.

"What's his problem?" Harry asked, pulling his thoughts back to the current event.

"Ah, well that's David Madsen, I don't believe he's a bad guy... he just doesn't know how to act around teenagers, I presume."

David Madsen, or according to Chloe; Step-douche. So that was who he was, Harry fought off a chuckle as another name associated itself with Madsen, and it was only three letters off; MadEye, just as paranoid, minus the scars, wooden leg and magical eye.

There was a dinging sound which broke Harry's musings and he turned to look at Jefferson who pulled his phone from his pocket and frowned.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked curious at the look the teacher provided.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just a notification, I'd better head out, got some business to attend to." Jefferson nodded at Harry and turned to leave before turning back again. "Oh, will you be at the party tonight?" he asked curiously.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed together. "Party?" he asked.

"Yeah, I overheard Victoria's friend; Courtney mention that she added the and I quote: 'Hot new British boy' to the list."

Harry then remembered his first day here and remembered saying that he'd show up, but with everything happening...

"I'm not sure, I have quite a bit on my plate at the moment, you know, being new and all."

"Ah, I can understand that. But don't forget, life is what happens while we're busy making other plans. Being British, I assume you know who said that."

At Harry's blank look, Jefferson looked truly defeated. "John Lennon, John Lennon said it... God I pray for the youth. Anyway, you should go. It's meant to be the party of all parties, according to the Vortex Club members."

With that, Jefferson smiled once more and walked towards the parking lot while making a call on his cell to someone. Harry shrugged and moved on, he didn't have much time.

He entered the building and made his way to the office and looked around, the secretary seemed to have clocked out already, so he knocked on the door of the Principal's office and waited, not hearing a response he tried to open the door and found it to be locked. He took one last glance around and took out his wand, pointing it at the door.

"Alohamora." there was a soft click and he walked in quickly and closed the door softly behind him.

"Now then... where would I put student files if I were the Principal? You know what... fuck it. Accio Rachel's file."

Immediately the file flew into his hands and he placed it down and opened it. He was met by grades at first, she was a pretty intelligent student, and rather talented as well if her grades were to be believed. But that wasn't why he was there, he continued reading until he found what he had been looking for.

"Aha! Rachel Amber, graduated with honours and valedictorian. Graduated top of her class from a prestigious private institution in Massachusetts known as... No fucking way!" Harry whispered in shock.

"Kreacher!"

The house-elf popped in besides Harry and asked him what he needed.

"Kreacher, I need you to take me to Ilvermony, now!"