"So what time are you gonna be done helping that guy shop?" a voice came through the speakers of Peter's phone.

"I'm not sure," Peter answered, head bowed in concentration as he tried to focus. "We're meeting up around noon and I'm taking him to that big place on 17th, in Manhattan, but I don't know how long it'll take. I'd call him and postpone it, but I already did that last week and I don't want to be rude."

They were meant to get it done last Tuesday, but Spider-Man business came up. Peter ended up making an excuse and they ended up rescheduling for the following Tuesday - which was today. Only Peter forgot and agreed to let Ned come over that day.

"That's fair. I can just come over later, like at six or seven," Ned told his best friend. They were going to build the new Star Wars Lego set Ned got from his Grandma. It was a First Order Star Destroyer with over 1400 pieces, and Peter knew Ned was just bursting at the seams to see it come to life.

"...Peter you there? Did I disconnect?"

"Shit, sorry Ned. Got distracted by something," Peter finally responded. "Yeah six is good. We'll be done way before that, and it'll give me a chance to get some patrolling done."

Peter received Ned's affirmation and then said his goodbyes and hung up.

He would normally spend more time talking to his best friend, but he was pretty caught up in his current project. If his calculations were right, Peter had figured out a way to increase the pressure used to propel the web, and with Karen's help he was interfacing with his workstation at Mr. Stark's spare lab and making changes to the schematics. When he was done she would have it 3D printed and sent to him in a secure location.

He was just finishing up when he was startled by a knock on his door.

"Peter, it's me! Erm, Harry, that is! May let me in," he heard Harry's voice call out.

Peter quickly shut down the projected interface, panicking at Harry's earlier than expected arrival. He wasn't even sure the door was locked - fuck.

"Just a second!" he yelled back, darting out of his chair and scrambling to stash his Spider-Man gear away. The last thing he needed was for someone else to find out about his identity.

When he was sure he was safe, he opened the door - noting that it wasn't locked and kicking himself for it.

'Note to self: lock door, or tell May when I'm doing Spidey stuff.'

On the other side of the door, Harry was standing in the hallway, dressed in a skinny pair of jeans and a form fitting striped sweater. It was a good look, and Peter couldn't help but admire the way he made it work.

He felt a little self conscious, what with Harry looking like that while he was in sweat pants and a raggy old t-shirt.

"G'day Peter," Harry greeted with a friendly smile.

"Hey Harry," Peter replied. "Aren't you a little early?"

Harry's face scrunched up. "Oh am I? I didn't think I was..." He pulled out his phone, checking the time. "No, I'm right on time, it's noon. See?" Harry outstretched his arm, holding the phone to Peter's face.

"Oh shit. I guess I lost track of time, sorry," Peter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's fine though, I just need a few minutes to get ready. Won't take long."

He told Harry to take a seat in the living room, then rushed back to his room and, in what could only be described as a whirlwind of activity, changed into something more presentable.

"Alright I'm ready, let's go!"

They took a cab to Manhattan.

The ride was about half an hour long, which gave the two time to chat. They'd gotten to know each other better over the last week, spending a little time in either apartment each day. Harry had even joined Peter and May for a game of Monopoly one night.

That hadn't gone well - he was bankrupt within half an hour and had to take loans from a very predatory May Parker who made him team up with her against Peter. Peter still won though, somehow managing to roll near exactly what he needed most of the time. May kept calling him out for cheating but Harry had no clue how Peter would have cheated.

It had only been about a week and a half since they met, but Harry was comfortable calling Peter a friend by now - and vice versa, he hoped.

After some time spent navigating the chaotic streets of Manhattan, the cab pulled up at the side of a road. The cab driver turned back and said, "Sorry boys, this is as close as I can get ya. The road's blocked." He pointed at the road ahead. There was some sort of construction or renovation being done. "Could take you another way but traffic's insane. Walk a couple of blocks from here & you'll get there in no time."

They thanked the cab driver and Harry paid him his fare and tip.

He had no clue where to go so he let Peter pull him along. They walked through the crowded streets, weaving their way through the locals and tourists, for about five minutes. Peter stopped Harry when they arrived at a large electronics store.

It was a rather impressive place, but he wondered why Peter brought him all the way here instead of a closer store. So he asked just that and Peter explained that this place was one of the best in terms of both price and selection. To be honest, Harry didn't see why he'd need so many televisions to pick from, but Peter seemed excited so… might as well?

What followed was a half an hour of Peter looking over many televisions in such precise detail that Harry actually managed to pick up a surprising amount of information just by listening passively. At some point the sales assistants stopped coming over to offer their help, realising that Peter was well past being an informed customer.

Harry only had two requirements - he wanted it to be reasonably priced and not small. Everything else was up to Peter.

After a while Harry wandered off to look at some of the other products available. He was amazed at all that he saw, ooh-ing and aww-ing at all sorts of things. At some point he wandered into a section where two kids appeared to be playing a game.

It sort of reminded Harry of Dudley's Playstation that he was never allowed to use. In fact, there was a Playstation console right there, though it looked quite different. Harry walked around the section feeling quite tempted by the idea of having his own video game console for once. Everything seemed affordable but he decided not to buy anything without Peter's input.

He went back to find Peter, but he got lost and went the wrong way. He was about to cast a Point Me when he was briefly distracted by the laptop section. They were quite common in the television shows he chanced a glimpse of, and he knew May had one, so maybe it would be a good purchase. He made a note to ask Peter about that as well.

Eventually Harry managed to find the other bloke. He was standing over a large cardboard box, looking proud of himself.

Peter's face lit up when he saw Harry. He gestured at the box and gave it a solid pat.

"Harry! I got the perfect TV for you! It's a 4K, HDR compatible smart TV - it comes with-" Peter started to rattle off features at a speed Harry couldn't keep up with, so he just nodded his head and made affirming hmm noises when needed.

"Sounds perfect Peter, thanks for picking it out," he said, when Peter was done talking. The price was surprisingly low - thank god for sales - and the television was fairly big, plus it had Peter's seal of approval, so Harry was pleased.

"You're welcome dude," Peter replied. "I actually had fun picking one out and actually getting to buy it for once - or well, you're buying it, but still," Peter chuckled and shrugged. "Our TV at home was free from a timeshare seminar aunt May went to, so didn't really get a say in that one."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself then," Harry said, receiving a bashful grin from Peter. "Besides, it's not like you won't get any use out of it," he added.

"What do you mean?"

Harry rolled his eyes and gave Peter a cheeky grin. "Oh my mistake. I must have mistaken you for the other bloke lounging around my flat every other day," he teased, drawing a laugh out of said bloke.

"Fair. Fair."

Having picked out what they came for, Peter was looking for an employee to flag down, when Harry surprised him by asking about videogame consoles and laptops. That led to another rabbit hole where Peter had to explain the differences between the different devices to a clueless Harry whose last experience was a console from the 90s.

In the end Harry walked away with a Playstation console and three games that Peter picked out. Then they stopped by the laptop section where Peter picked out an inexpensive notebook that he said would suit Harry's needs - or lack thereof - well enough.

The cashier lines were pretty small when they pulled up, so it wasn't long before everything was paid for and scheduled for delivery.

'Well that was an interesting experience,' Harry mused as they walked out of the store and back onto the streets.

It was past two in the afternoon by now. Harry felt a little bad for taking up so much of Peter's time. He knew he could have tried doing the research on his own, but it was a lot easier and less frustrating to have Peter with him.

He decided to pay Peter back by treating him to some food at one of the nice looking restaurants surrounding them, before they got back home. Unfortunately, much like the Chinese restaurant from that second night, Peter's pride was very much in play and he wasn't having it. As a compromise they ended up grabbing hot dogs at a nearby cart. Honestly, it tasted quite good so Harry wasn't going to complain.

On Peter's insistence they took the subway. He wanted Harry to have the full New York experience. What followed was a trip that Harry would never forget and one he certainly never wanted to repeat. The train was crowded, there was a faint smell of body odour everywhere and oh god, the farts - the farts.

When at last they were above ground, and able to breathe fresh air, Harry turned to Peter and told him, "I am never stepping foot on that infernal thing again. Even if there're no ruddy cabs, I'll bloody walk if I have to."

Of course, Harry's words were only received with laughter.

Peter, Harry decided in that moment, was a sadistic bastard who shouldn't be trusted.

"It wasn't that bad," Peter finally replied, mirth sparkling in his pretty - no, his wicked, evil - eyes.

Harry just grunted and crossed his arms, rather than dignifying that statement with a response.

"Well, we're in Queens. Where to now?" Harry asked, after looking around and scanning the unfamiliar area.

"Follow me, we're just a couple of blocks away."

When they got home, Harry thanked Peter again for his help and they went their separate ways.

There were still a few hours of sunlight left, but Harry had been up since early morning and he felt a little tired. The wizard collapsed on his sinfully comfy couch - thank you magic - and closed his eyes.

When Harry woke up he was in Hogwarts, standing in the middle of a corridor, under the cover of his invisibility cloak. He was heading to the Astronomy Tower, for some reason, and he knew he had to be quiet - why?

He slinked through the corridors, looking out for danger around every corner. He reached the base and took small, light steps up the winding staircase. Once at the top of the tower, he was greeted by an unexpected view.

When the sight before him didn't change, Harry took small faltering steps forward. He sat down, legs hanging off the ledge of the tower, and frowned with confusion. Where there should have been a blanket of trees, stretched between black waters and great mounds of earth, there were dimmed skyscrapers and dark streets instead. This sleeping city stretched up into the lower boundaries of the dark sky above - the eternal sunless sea.

Such a contrast to the wilderness that typically surrounded the castle.

It was striking, mesmerising, wrong.

That was when he clued in.

Out of the blue, he felt the solid grip of a hand on his ankle.

A chill crept up through his legs, draining the warmth from his blood, and yet… he didn't hate it. Harry tore his gaze away from the cityscape and peered down at his leg to get a glimpse of the intruding hand.

Only to find there was nothing there.

Harry leaned forward, wondering if the night was playing tricks on his vision.

The grip tightened and pulled. For a moment, Harry felt weightless. Then came the fall and the harsh sensation of the freezing gales battered his body as he fell towards the abyss.

He didn't yell. He didn't scream. His limbs were stiff and his lips would not part.

Harry fell into a dark chasm that had silently opened up in the ground below. He could see hands made of wisps of black smoke reaching out for him.

The indecipherable cries of a great many voices rang in his ears, demanding his attention like a rising chorus.

His eyes rolled back into his head as he plummeted into the chasm with only a single gasp, and then he was awake.

Unlike previous nightmares, Harry didn't wake up sweating or panting - neither fear nor adrenaline. Instead, he simply opened his eyes and lay there unsettled, staring up at the ceiling.

Harry didn't know how long he laid there before he decided to get up. Heaving himself off of the sofa, Harry looked out of the window and noted that the sun was beginning its descent. He mustn't have been asleep for more than a couple of hours.

Looking around his flat, Harry had no clue what to do with himself. He was out of sorts for reasons he couldn't explain. Something about that dream was different.

Those hands. Harry could still feel their touch.

Those voices. Harry could still hear their call.

In an attempt to distract himself from that lingering nightmare, he spent some time watching funny videos on his phone.

After the third compilation of people getting hit in the bollocks failed to elicit any laughter, he figured he'd go out again and see if life had any more surprises in store. A few nights ago he had stumbled onto some sort of amateur theatre production at a park, which he greatly enjoyed.

With an unexplainable weight on his chest, Harry slipped his shoes on and stepped out of the apartment.

The walk that followed was relaxing. The sun had yet to set, so it was still too early for much to be happening, but Harry managed to keep himself distracted. He stopped by a few trinket stores, amusing himself with all the tacky things the store clerks pretended were magical. Afterwards, he stopped by an ice cream shop and got a small cone. And another. And then a third, with hot fudge.

Once he pried himself away from the place, Harry walked around aimlessly. All in all, it was a short and uneventful stroll. One of many that he had taken in recent weeks. The cool breeze and bustling sounds of the city helped to keep his head clear.

Still, it wasn't perfect. New York was rather lacking when it came to the air quality, and the smell in some places was...

Well, that's what bubblehead charms were for.

Harry was reasonably far from home when a loud cry startled him.

Alarmed, he tried to look around for the source of the noise, turning his head every which way to localise the sound.

'There!'

In a narrow alley, across the street, was what appeared to be a mugging or assault. Two bulky men in ski masks and dirty, oversized jackets were strong arming a woman and dragging her further into the alley. One of the men had one of his hands over her mouth, keeping her from crying out again, while he used his other hand to hold her hair tightly, preventing her from jerking her head around. The other thug was restraining her hands and crowding the woman, manoeuvring her into the direction they wanted.

Harry reacted on instinct.

He pulled the elder wand out and ran across the street, narrowly avoiding the cars speeding through. There was no game plan, except that he had to stop the death ea- the criminals from harming the woman.

Harry sprinted into the alley, taking the muggles by surprise. The bigger of the two thugs let go of the woman's hair and seemed to reach for his pocket.

Harry didn't give him the chance.

"Ventus duo!"

Two swirling gusts of wind erupted from the tip of his wand, slamming into the two would be muggers. It knocked them off their feet and sent them skidding back a few metres away. He kept running forward, coming to a stop in front of the young lady, ready to shield her if necessary. He sent two stunning spells their way, knocking them out for good measure, then turned to the woman.

"Are you okay?" he asked the terrified victim. She had fallen to the floor when the men holding her had been blasted back. She was shaking a little - small, barely there tremors - and her eyes kept flitting back and forth between him and the two thugs collapsed on the ground.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. She sat up, and looked him up and down. To Harry's confusion, she started crawling backwards away from him, stopping only when her back hit the wall. "How did you do that? You- you sent them fucking flying!"

"Uhhh…"

"Are you a super?"

"Umm…"

"Uh, are- are you an alien?"

"An alien?"

"What you just did… was- was that magic? You look li- like that L-Loki guy," she seemed to be genuinely afraid now. She staggered to her feet, watching him like a prey might a predator. every move. Harry tried to approach her, but she was skittish and took several steps to the side, eyes darting back and forth, between himself and the entrance to the alley.

Fearing that she would run away and expose him, Harry made his mind up.

"I'm sorry," he told her, and pointed his wand at her.

Her eyes widened and she screamed, darting away and making a run for it.

"Obliviate."

A pale green beam of light shot up his wand and through the air, hitting the fleeing woman in the back.

The changes were instant.

The woman tripped, and almost met the gravel face first as she came to an immediate stop. Carefully, Harry walked up to and around her. She had a dazed expression, looking completely disoriented, the spell having made her forget the last few minutes. In this blank state she was like an empty canvas, so Harry told her that she was walking home. In this version of events, the woman had simply turned the wrong way and was about to turn back and go the correct way.

The instructions quickly took, and she was walking away moments later, leaving Harry to deal with the unconscious thugs.

He returned to the limp unconscious bodies and wondered what to do with them. Calling the police was an option but there was no evidence of any crime, with the woman gone and unable to testify. If anything, it looked like he had attacked two unsuspecting men. It might not be the best idea to catch the attention of the muggle authorities anyhow.

He tried to think of another course of action when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

A man.

He was holding a gun.

Harry felt like time had stopped. He tried to raise his wand and cast a spell but it was no use. His movement was sluggish, and in that moment it was as though he were standing at the bottom of the ocean, his body being crushed by the weight of the water. Everything had slowed down.

The gun fired.

Harry just about caught a glimpse of the bullet. It shot through the air with a deafening sound, and then... there was nothing but darkness.

Emptiness.

Silence.

Well, there's chapter 6! Hope you enjoyed it, and looking forward to hearing what you thought (hint, hint).

And of course, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! Cheers!