A/N: Hello, people!
I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight.
I have no beta.
ENJOY!
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON.
TAGS: Humor, Homophobia, Body-Shaming, and Drama.
-Yes, I made the cover of the fic. It was a simple edit of the Twilight cover
where I added another hand and used the HP font for the title.
She had gone over to Harry's house the moment Charlie left for work, and found him twisting back and forth in front of a long mirror in his living room. His hair, which she hadn't really taken not of before, was curly and messy atop his head, and his boxy glasses, which looked dorky on their own, actually looked good on him somehow. They also made his eyes look a bit bigger than they were, enhancing the green.
"Alright, I'm not the most fashion conscious person in the world. Never have been and never will be, so I need help."
Bella was shaking her head before Harry could even finish speaking. "I'm really not the person to come to about fashion. Have you seen what I'm wearing?" She gestured to her own body for reference. "The comments I've gotten on my wardrobe choices aren't the most kind, even from people like my mom who feel it's their duty to let me down gently."
That morning she'd thrown on a pair of skinny jeans and a light blue, long-sleeved shirt. Over it she'd tossed on a simple, short-sleeved, green shirt. It was a go-to for her in colder climates to layer on the shirts. Her shoes were a pair of black and white Chucks. Also, a brush had been hastily pulled through her brown hair which she then did nothing with. She wasn't exactly the person known for style. Sometimes she got called a failed lumberjack.
Not that anyone would trust Bella with an ax, of course. It was safer for everyone that things like that remained far away.
Harry looked her over with a critical eye that didn't make her feel weird oddly. It wasn't an ogle like she'd seen many men do when invited to look at a woman. It was just him honestly evaluating her choice of style and nothing more. "You look comfortable," he said frankly, "which should always be your choice. I just need to know if this seems like overkill for Washington weather."
He pulled open his coat to reveal what he'd thrown together. Dark jeans, smooth black boots, a skin-tight, black t-shirt, and over it was a charcoal blazer that he'd left unbuttoned. Over that he had a black, double breasted pea coat that gave him a sort of model look she often only saw in magazines or on fashion websites when she felt like browsing.
"I mean, you look fine for the weather, but aren't you going to be hot with all those layers?" That was three layers of not very thin clothing and Renee told her that men would sweat a lot more. "You kind of look like someone who'd be a poster boy for Burberry."
The flush that came over Harry's face made her smirk. "Is it Burberry?"
"Yeah," he admitted, buttoning his coat back up. "I look rich but not too rich, right? Like I can support myself just fine but won't be rubbing it in your face every day? I hate people who do that."
She shrugged. "People will probably still talk anyway, so beware of that."
He sighed. "I am in fact very wealthy from money that I inherited from my parents once I turned seventeen, I just don't think it's that important. After having a best mate who was incredibly self-conscious over his family's poverty, I got used to staying in my cousin's hand-me-downs and not buying new clothes just so he wouldn't feel so threatened all the time."
There was so much to unpack from that and she wondered if she should say something. Typically this would be where normal people offered comfort, right?
Thankfully, he carried on with his business, meaning she wasn't expected to say a thing that she wouldn't even know to say anyway. His bag was more of a leather satchel unlike her heavy-duty, waterproof backpack. "I got used to using these," he explained when he saw where she was looking. "They're really strong and can hold a lot of weight."
Harry stopped in his kitchen quickly to grab an apple. "I'm too nervous for a big breakfast."
She could relate! Bella hadn't even eaten anything, too caught up in her anxiety on how the day would go. She'd been the new kid enough to have a basic idea of what would happen, but that didn't mean she wanted it or welcomed it. People would be staring, which meant attention. And from what Harry had said yesterday about Charlie being excited, it meant he'd talked about it. Which meant people would probably be expecting her. Meaning she'd have expectations to dash all day.
It was going to be her personal hell, she just knew it.
But there were two new kids at the moment, so she felt less alone in it all, since Harry had that calm thing about him that made her feel less like a spazz.
"I'm ready!"
Having to attend muggle school again wasn't something Harry had been looking forward to, but apparently seventeen year olds being out of school already wasn't normal in the States? It was bad enough that he was emancipated and an orphan. Just to get to Forks and get things set up, random adults he didn't even know, had accused him of truancy more times than he could count. Could they not mind their own business?
Cramming a bunch of knowledge he hadn't been aware of into his brain at the last moment had left him ill for days. Just so he could be with people his own age at the very least. And with how quickly things had progressed since he'd entered Hogwarts, he was shocked. There was so much he had to familiarise himself with now. Social media, and improved technology like computers and laptops, and mobile phones!
Thankfully Bella was there. He could tell that she would become a good friend, especially since they were equally awkward and unsure of what to do with themselves in public spaces filled with too many people. Harry hated crowds and attention. Being new was going to subject him to a lot of it and he hated that fact. But at least no one knew anything about him or about how much money he had. He wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived or the Man-Who-Conquered here. He was just Harry. All he'd ever wanted to be.
Forks High School was just a smattering of buildings that looked far too much like houses, off the side of the 101 going north. Enough for Bella to almost drive past the place entirely. She had sworn under her breath and then went pink when she realised he had heard her.
It was a very small place. He wondered if that was a small town thing, or an American thing.
"Not like your old school, huh?" she asked as she pulled in front of the building labeled FRONT OFFICE and the roaring of the great truck Chief Swan had gotten her, died off.
He snorted. "Yeah, that was a castle in the highlands of Scotland. It's been standing for a thousand years."
"Damn. Sounds pretty cool."
"It is."
They went in to get their schedules, because that was how it was done in the US apparently. Teachers didn't come up to you with you class schedule, you had to get it yourself? Or maybe it was just a transfer student thing?
Harry felt relieved when he learned that they had half of their classes together. And this school provided a map! Hogwarts could take lessons! Since the building only changed once at the beginning of every decade, making a map wouldn't be that difficult! He never got why the suggestion made people all confused.
English was their first class of the day. After Bella relocated the truck to the common side of the car park so she couldn't get in trouble for parking without permission, they met back up at Building 3 and went inside.
Both ended up seated beside one another in the back after getting their own copies of the syllabus. And it was just… hell, to put it lightly. Harry leaned closer to say, "I hate nearly every book on this list. I've read all of them and I hate all of them equally." He had read them under Hermione's direction and no, they just did not appeal at all.
He couldn't believe that this was what English class was like in the States.
Bella shrugged. "I've also read all of 'em and done reports on 'em too. It's a bit dull having to redo them now. Forks doesn't have AP classes though so I'm not really shocked I have to do all of this again."
Class droned on. Mr. Mason bore a striking resemblance to Binns in his teaching style. Harry would not like his class, especially if most of the time was dedicated to 'classic literature'.
Bella had Government next, while Harry had Biology II, so they ended up being led in different directions by different helpful locals. Bella got an Asian boy named Eric Yorkie, and Harry got a bubbly brunette named Jessica Stanley She didn't shut up the entire time they walked and wanted to know everything about everything involving Britain.
After Biology, in which Harry realised that he didn't know as much as he should and that he was going to have to study more for that class, he and Bella met back up for Trigonometry with Mr. Varner, who was a dick. His subject was shite, as Harry had always hated maths of any sort, and he made them introduce themselves, which no one else had done!
After that, they made it to Spanish where he felt a lot more comfortable. European magic was heavily based in Latin, and Spanish was a derivative of Latin. Harry had begun learning Latin at the behest of, once again, Hermione, and could now see how useful it was to him in other ways. Spanish was probably the second most important language in the States because of their southern neighbors. So this was the one thing he had a bit of a head start in.
No, he did not speak Spanish in the least, but reading it was easy and if someone spoke it at him, he understood them just fine! His pronunciation didn't need too much work and he had to memorise new spellings, but considering how bad it could have been if it was German or something similar in sound, he'd say it was a good class period for him and probably his best thus far.
After that was lunch, where Jessica Stanley from before, led he and Bella to the cafeteria building, babbling the whole way there about classes, and food, and what they'd done in their former schools.
The lunch line was crowded and there was even a snack bar. Forks currently had about five thousand people in permanent residence, so he was shocked that such a thing was even available in their school. The prices were a bit high though, which made sense in a way. Small town still trying to make ends meet.
He got a fizzy drink and a banana while Bella simply got a lemonade, and followed Jessica to her table soon after.
"So Hadrian, where exactly are you from?" a girl named Angela Weber asked shyly, from behind large, wire-framed glasses. She was picking at a piece of bread, but hadn't eaten any of it.
"Surrey, England. It's not far outside London. You can call me Harry, by the way."
Vampires going to school with humans. It was more likely than one would think!
Alice dropped into her seat at their chosen lunch table, no lunch tray in sight for once. "Today's the day the new kids arrived! And it's been great already! You guys need to pay attention when they come in! Just trust me!"
Edward shook his head. The thoughts of his siblings weren't very favorable when it came to this idea, but typically when Alice insisted they do something, it was just best to follow along. Besides, they'd most likely end up doing it anyway if they tried to fight it. Alice always got what she wanted.
"So Hadrian, where exactly are you from?" Edward heard Angela Weber ask quietly. Mentally, she was running through the various English accents she knew of. London? I think it's a London one? But there are so many London ones that you can't really choose, can you? Maybe not London? What is the fancy one called? Queen's English?
"Surrey, England. It's not far outside London," the boy answered her calmly and with an easy smile Edward could see perfectly in Angela's mind. He had a very attractive voice for a human. "You can call me Harry." He was small, though not as small as Alice, with pitch black, messy hair in a halo around his head. His eyes were the most abnormal shade of green Edward had ever seen, and his bone structure was very attractive for a non-vampire. If he became a vampire, he could probably rival Rosalie with his looks.
It took him a few seconds to realize that he didn't hear anything from Potter's mind in response to Angela's question. Not a peep.
Confused, he looked over to where the new kids were sitting, and found himself staring at a heart-shaped face. Bella Swan. He'd seen her face in the minds of students all day. Her face flushed an attractive shade of pink as she looked away with haste. Edward was shocked to learn that he heard nothing from her either. Nothing at all from either of the new kids. And they weren't related either, so it couldn't be attributed to familial ties.
How?
"Is England really all foggy and dreary like I see people say online?" asked Jessica Stanley, who was sitting across from both marvels at their long lunch table. My Twitter friends say it is.
Harry shrugged. "Depends on the place. It rains a little more than I'd like. Though it does seem like I've traded one rainy place for another in moving here."
Still nothing was reaching out to Edward about either new student. It was so… strange for him. He'd been hearing people's thoughts for over a century, but now he couldn't?
Mike Newton dropped into a seat in front of Bella since Harry was seated in the only space to her right. On his other side was Angela and on her other side was Lauren Mallory. Across from them were Mike, Jessica, Eric Yorkie, and Tyler Crowley.
Mike held up his iPhone 7 for all of them to see, his mind relaying his excitement ahead of time. Through Angela's eyes, Edward saw a knife that was red hot, slicing through a piece of bread and toasting it on contact. It looked almost like the bread knife version of a lightsaber. "Imagine stabbing someone with this knife," Mike proposed in all seriousness but with enough good humor to not be seen as a lunatic. He even imagine a faceless man being stabbed with it!
In Mike's mind, the vision of Bella's frown was clear as day as she said quietly, revealing her voice to Edward's ears for the first time, "Mmm. It would instantly cauterize the wound so it isn't a very effective tool." She was correct of course.
Harry snickered then, coming into full focus in Mike's vision then and his smirk turned dark. "If you want information that someone doesn't feel like parting with then it is pretty effective." He was also correct, though morbidly so.
And Angela, the innocent that she was, leaned over the table with all sincerity and bafflement and asked in minute horror, "Why would you stab a person when you can have toast?!"
Mike laughed loud and long and chucked a grape from his tray at her, which she batted away like a pro who'd done it many times before. He then looked to the new students and asked, "You guys going to get some lunch?"
Bella shrugged and stood, leaving her bag on the table. "I suppose. I wasn't hungry before but I now am." Her head remained angled downward as she walked away, Mike leading her like a loyal puppy.
On the other hand, Harry held up a banana and a can of Coke and shook his head at Jessica's curious look. "I don't really eat much of anything during lunch periods since I prefer to get homework done quickly so i can have free time later. And judging by what this school serves, I'm pretty certain I won't miss out. I'll bring something more filling tomorrow. I'm thinking of baking chocolate chip biscuits too."
Probably has anorexia, came the rude thoughts of Lauren. He's so skinny it's embarrassing. Try hard fag. As usual, Edward was reminded of why he didn't like the girl. Her shallow intolerance and superficial attitude were very unappealing.
Edward's attention was drawn back to his siblings, who were each expressing a level of shock over the conversation that had just occurred. Jasper was particularly mortified.
"Newton really just proposed the idea of stabbing someone and Swan and Potter were just fine with it!" Emmett said, looking like he wanted to laugh so hard. He was barely holding back because his laugh with like the roaring of a bear. Rosalie was shocked internally but stone-faced outwardly. Alice was smiling wide still.
For a moment, Edward considered informing them that he couldn't hear the thoughts of the new students, but decided against it. It wouldn't really matter anyway.
It wasn't as if they were a threat to him or his family. They were just... interesting.
"Who are they?" asked Bella, gesturing to the table of very attractive people on the other side of the cafeteria. Her attention had suddenly caught them on her way back to the table and their collective beauty had literally stunned her for a moment. How was it possible for one person, let alone five, to be that attractive?
The blond girl was especially unlike anything Bella had ever seen before!
Harry looked over to where she was blatantly staring and whistled. "Hot!" he declared before returning to his Biology homework, which looked to be puzzling him somewhat. Harry had said science and math weren't his area of expertise and she supposed he was right. Maybe she should tutor him later on.
Jessica smiled and leaned over the table with a confiding smirk. "They're the Cullens. They moved down here from Alaska like two years ago and they keep to themselves."
Angela nodded. "In order from left to right is Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen. They're a thing. Then Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen, they're a thing. And finally Edward Cullen. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen adopted all of them. From what we heard, Alice, Emmett, and Edward have been with her since they were eight or nine since she's technically their aunt."
Her heart practically warmed in a show of intense emotion and admiration for a couple she didn't even know. "That was sweet of them." Very sweet of them to do. So many people wouldn't be willing to take in children not physically their own.
Harry nodded along his agreement. "Not many young and new couples would take on that kind of responsibility. Even for a relative. And it's obvious they're all well-cared for. They're very fortunate and I sincerely hope they appreciate their adoptive parents." The dark look in his eyes made Bella wonder what had put it there. She didn't want to ask in front of anyone though. Didn't want to intrude on his privacy like that.
Oddly, after his words, Edward Cullen looked over at him for a moment, mouth working in a heart-stopping smile before looking away just as quickly. It was like he'd heard what Harry had said.
"Mrs. Cullen probably can't have kids," said Jessica in what had to be a minor fit of jealousy. As if that lessened the kindness of the couple's actions. "That's probably why they keep adopting instead of having their own."
"Well adoption means five less children trapped in the system of foster care," said Harry frankly. "Overpopulation is very much a thing and helping existing children in need is always a noble quest." Bella had to agree.
His words seemed to make Jessica settle down with how intensely he'd spoken them. And the entire Cullen table seemed to magically loosen up a bit, looking less stiff and bored. Like they'd heard him.
Lunch went on normally, with Bella only looking over a few times to get another look at the beautiful Cullen kids. The last one, the model-like one, Edward, never looked back in their direction again. Being the new kids really didn't interest the Cullens, but since they were the most recent new kids, it made sense in a way.
When the bell rang, they all stood and collected their things. "How was Biology?" Bella asked Harry as they were leaving.
He shrugged. "Not my thing, that's for sure, but the teacher was nice. Are you good at it?"
"I was in Advanced Placement in Arizona," she said quietly, so she didn't sound like a braggart and didn't want anyone else to know.
"Then you'll do fine. I've got Government now, so I'll see you in Gym." He'd walked her right up to the door of the building Biology II was held in and then took off at a run toward his next class.
She found Mike Newton beside her as she walked into class and handed her slip to the teacher who had been expecting her unlike all the others. When she turned to go to her seat, she found that she'd be seated next to Edward Cullen, who looked like he wanted to die, hand pressed to his mouth and eyes staring out the window with discomfort.
When she sat down, he leaned away from her as subtly as he could manage, and she took a second to discreetly sniff at her hair and found nothing offensive. To her senses at least. The dead silence coming from him was awkward though because everyone else had been staring at her all day and some were brave enough to draw her into conversation even. But he didn't do anything but push her copy of the classwork across the table in her direction, and stare.
The whole class period was spent with Edward leaning as far away as he possibly could with the limited space the table offered, while Bella curled in on herself, trying to think of what his problem could be.
Nothing came to mind. She'd never met him before. Had never spoken to him before. She couldn't think of anything she might have done to offend him.
When she peeked at him for the millionth time, right before the bell for the changeover rang, she regretted it, finding dark, almost black eyes glaring down at her. She hadn't done anything to deserve such a look! What was his problem?!
Bella wasn't confrontational by nature though, and wasn't brave enough to demand an explanation as a result.
Edward was out of his seat and out the door in a motion that was too fluid for how rushed it had been, when the bell rang. Bella blinked, wondering just what the hell was going on.
Harry frowned the moment he saw Bella in Gym. Her mood had taken a serious dive since Lunch and when he appeared at her side in concern, she shook her head at him and mouthed the word 'later'.
Gym was Physical Education. Hogwarts never had anything like that and the closest he got to it was Quidditch Practice with Oliver Wood. Bella was not happy about it obviously. She wasn't of the physically inclined sort it seemed.
As for Harry, he'd never played Volleyball in his life and Coach Clapp had to literally coach him through a mock game for him to understand just what was going on.
It was actually kind of fun. He had a good spike.
Once everything was finished, they made their way back to the office to hand in their papers for Mrs. Cope to mark down. They found Edward Cullen in the room already, trying to switch out of Biology II. And when they walked in, Harry saw him stiffen and then look over his shoulder, aiming a glare at Bella.
"There are no other open places. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in Biology, dear," Mrs. Cope was saying to him.
"Thank you for your help," he told her in a tight but respectful tone, and then he stormed past them and out the door. Harry could feel Bella shudder beside him.
Edward Cullen was now on his shite list. He didn't know what had happened, but he doubted the teen would ever manage to set things to rights.
"You can't go yet," said Alice the moment he made it to the Volvo. She was waiting with everyone else, all of them looking concerned and confused over what was happening. Jasper instantly tried calming him down, piling on the calm as much as he could.
"Why?" Edward demanded through gritted teeth. He was still reeling over how… appetizing Bella Swan smelled. He'd never been near a human who made him nearly break his control before. He'd seen it happen to Emmett and Jasper. Had seen the events in their minds even. But it had never happened to him and he'd assumed he was just used to their way of life like Carlisle was.
Animals were food, not humans.
The urge to just grab her and drain her dry in the middle of a class full of children was too much. His control had been pushed to the limit. And it was his loyalty to Carlisle and his desire to coexist with humanity, that kept him in line long enough to get away. He'd held his breath the entire hour.
Alice shook her head. "It's important that we stay and listen. I couldn't see why, but it will help us understand Harry at least and that's something that is necessary."
"Why does he matter?" Rosalie demanded rudely, only to get a quelling glare from the Seer among them.
With his siblings around him, ready to wrestle him away if necessary, they waited in the Volvo, listening and watching as Bella and Harry left the school office together.
"So what the bloody hell was Cullen's problem?" Harry demanded as they walked.
And Bella, poor Bella whom he wanted to hate so much but could only pity for being the unfortunate victim in all of this, shrugged and tightened her thin arms around her bag. "I guess he just doesn't like me. Mike said it was unusual behavior, even for him."
This obviously didn't not sit well with Harry, who glared up at the sky. It was frustrating not being able to hear his thoughts. Or Bella's. "Do you want me to kill that guy for you? 'Cause he sounds like an asshole and I will totally kill that guy for you." He said it so plainly and with a straight face even.
Emmett burst into surprised laughter. What the hell?!
Jasper's thoughts were relatively the same.
Both Rosalie and Alice were stock still in shock.
Bella's face betrayed her horror and confusion. "I… really can't tell if you're joking or not. You wouldn't kill someone, right?"
There was silence between them as Harry's face split into a very charming smile that did not reach his eyes. The kind of grin that made Edward shiver a bit in discomfort, since he didn't know the thoughts accompanying it. "Did you hear about the string of gas leaks in Britain in the past few years that mirrored the ones from twenty years ago?"
All of them nodded subconsciously, even if only one person listening could actually be seen. They didn't know what that had to do with anything though.
"Those weren't gas leaks," said Harry. "They were the actions of cult faction trying to purify the world of what they deemed to be an inferior race of humans."
"You mean like- like Nazis?" was Bella's dumbstruck reply.
Harry shrugged. "I guess, but dressed like the KKK in black robes. I was the son of prominent leaders in the opposing cult faction. Both factions came from the same community of pagans and the main leader of the Nazi Cult decided that we as a community were superior to all other humans and got a considerable amount of the community on his side to begin exterminating everyone not sharing our levels of intelligence, talent, and blood history. Plus those in the community who didn't agree with his actions and beliefs."
The Cullens were as baffled as Bella was, all of them just blank, unsure of what to think or how to react. Edward's incredible thirst even died off as he pondered this strange information, understanding why Alice thought this was important to hear.
How did something like that go unnoticed by authorities? How could they be tricked by 'gas leaks' as an excuse?
"Wh-what happened?" asked Bella, voicing the question they all had in mind.
The two had made it to Bella's old truck now and were seated inside with the heat on. Harry shrugged again. "So he started his campaign but a stop was put to it when he and his followers fucked up the night they targeted my family. My mum did something and the entire house blew up, taking out almost all of us. I was the only one found alive, but his robes were found without him in them. People hailed my name and decided that he must have died because the thought of him still living was something nobody wanted. I was then sent to live away from the community with my mum's Catholic sister in hopes of keeping me away from the fame.
"But then I learned my parents set up my entire secondary education at the school they'd attend with the majority of the community, and so I entered this new world of things I didn't understand, and I still don't understand everything yet. People knew my name and I was famous for not dying like my parents and it was awkward because they reasoned it out with their beliefs.
"Not everyone in the Nazi Cult were caught though. A lot of them lied about their allegiances to get out of going to prison, or were never open about their allegiances in the first place. One was my teacher. He tried to kill me when I was eleven, as revenge for the death of his master. I had to kill him."
It was horrifying. An eleven year old being indoctrinated into a cult was so unnerving. Being attacked by members of the opposing cult for things outside his control was another. What the hell was happening over in Britain?
"Harry, you do realize how messed up this all sounds, right?" Bella asked quietly, looking properly horrified. He nodded and shrugged.
"It took awhile for me to realize that it wasn't normal that his followers kept trying to kill me at school every year. And then he came back in my fourth year! He wasn't dead, he was hiding out and recuperating after being almost irreparably damaged in the explosion. And he started all that shite up again. And the leader of the not-Nazi faction, decided to take me on as an apprentice to finish off the bad guy should he get killed. And he got killed not long after. And all these people he encouraged to believe in me as some prophesied hero or whatever, looked to me to finish off the Nazi faction. So I had to.
"So long story short, I've killed people. Quite a few. And while my actions were in self defense and got me a commendation from The Crown - I can show you the gold award later, it's really cool and really heavy - and an offer to join MI5 as a special operative, I still have experience in killing. So if you do need me to handle someone, I can do it, and know how to make it never trace back to me," he finished with surety. "All you have to do is say the word."
And they all sat in silence, contemplating his story and the subsequent offer.
"Charlie is a cop, you remember? Should you be so open about these things?" asked Bella while Edward started his car and placed it in Reverse.
"You wouldn't tell him. Anyway, I was literally awarded. I got Knighted by the Queen. No one would see my actions as bad with that on my side. Besides, I left the cult entirely and decided to finish my education away from their madness. And I'm not going back unless it's to check on my godson. But I just thought you should be aware. If someone is a problem, I will my solve it, no matter the kind of problem they might be."
And Edward could feel the sincerity in his words. Something told him to take Harry Potter's claims seriously. Alice had been insistent that Potter was important for a reason, even if she couldn't See it yet.
Something was going on.
And as they were pulling out of the lot, the last thing they heard Bella say was a soft, "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."
That was when Edward decided that revealing what he'd learned that afternoon, was important to share with his family. "I can't hear their thoughts."
A/N: Another is done!
-Yes I used a popular Tumblr post and a John Mulaney reference. I regret nothing.
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