AMSL Ch: 10

The rest of Luke’s first day of school was utterly boring compared to the first half.

Though, it was probably a good thing nothing else had popped up because Luke wasn’t sure if he could handle another Earth-shattering revelation or cosmic backhand to the face. He had learned the energy inside him was magic and that he was living in some sort of Harry Potter universe. That would be a big enough revelation by itself, but it didn’t end there.

Of all the schools he could’ve been enrolled in, out of all the classes he could’ve been placed in, Luke ended up in the same classroom as Harry firkin Potter himself. His original plan was to watch the boy from a distance, but fate had seen otherwise.

After only a few short hours, Luke somehow befriended the boy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead and, in turn, made enemies with his cousin Dudley. Dudley, who has been steaming in his chair since they came back from lunch, constantly shooting Harry dirty looks whenever possible. Luke received a few odd glances himself, but the boy had seemingly decided to direct his considerable fury at Harry.

He was a walking sack of rocks, but even Dudley knew that when something weird happened, it likely had something to do with his cousin. It was just a coincidence that, for once, it didn't.

It was good that Luke offered Harry the chance to come over to his house after school because he didn’t want to think what would happen if Harry walked home with Dudley as he was.

Harry noticed the murderous looks directed at him, but what was sadder was how he reacted to them. He didn't look bothered by them in the slightest, like his cousin giving him nasty looks was normal, like it was an everyday occurrence; it disgusted Luke.

P.E. had been a simple affair; Luke was introduced to Mr. McDowel, their Irish gym teacher. He assigned them lockers and told them what was expected of them this year. Back in Tacoma, kids not yet in Middle School didn't have to dress out for P.E., so when Luke was told that they did so here, it came as a bit of a shock to him, but he supposed it made sense. They were getting older, and staying in their gym clothes wasn't healthy after P.E. anyway.

Humanities had been much more interesting, but because it was the first day, Mr. Harris took it easy on them, focusing primarily on review. Luke enjoyed getting an overview of Great Britain's history and how it was divided, but that was the extent of what he learned. In fact, excluding his revelations on his abilities and the situation regarding Harry, it was the only new thing school-wise Luke learned all day.

Professor Harris had just asked them if anyone had any questions before the bell rang, and Luke was visibly itching to leave. A few people raised their hands and asked about the homework assigned to them, but Luke felt it was all rather explanatory. They were to fill out the first five pages of a review packet so that they could discuss it tomorrow in class.

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of school, Luke and everybody else quickly grabbed their bags and headed for the door. The only reason Luke didn't rush downstairs towards his sister, whom he sensed on the floor below him, was that Luke wanted to guard Harry from his cousin.

Luke didn’t miss the glances Dudley and his boys were exchanging with one another as class was nearing its end. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that they would try something once they were out of sight of their teacher.

"Stay next to me, Harry," Luke whispered as they left their classroom together.

“Are you sure?” He asked back, worry evident in his voice.

“It’s my fault Dudley is pissed at you,” Luke reminded his new friend. He felt it was only right that he took responsibility for it. If he could, he'd tell Dudley that it was him, not Harry, that embarrassed him in front of everyone, but he doubted the dunce would accept that.

“It’s okay,” Harry tried to reassure him. “I’m used to it.”

“That isn’t something you should be used to,” Luke was furious on Harry’s behalf.

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,” Harry told him as Dudley and his goons slowly closed the distance between them.

As they walked, Luke instinctively looked for a teacher but was dismayed when he didn't see any around. All the sixth-year teachers, including Professor Harris, were still in their classrooms, doing end-of-day paperwork; no one was watching the halls.

It was when they reached the stairs that they struck. “Where are you going, Freak!” Harry was pushed from behind by his cousin. The only thing that stopped him from falling down the stairs was Luke grabbing his arm and holding him steady.

“What’s your problem,” Luke growled at Dudley.

"Stay out of this, Yank," Dudley postured at the front of his gang. “He knows what he did.”

“And what is that?” Luke placed himself between Harry and his cousin.

“He knows,” Dudley refused to elaborate further, too embarrassed to say it.

"Oh," Luke pretended to have an epiphany. "Are you talking about that thing with your pants?" He raised his voice to attract as much attention as possible. "I hate to break it to you, but Harry was beside me across the playground when your belt finally gave out. It’s not his fault everyone saw your stained underwear.”

More than one person who stopped to watch the conflict giggled at that, causing Dudley to turn red with embarrassment and rage.

“You better shut up,” Dudley threatened Luke, raising his fists as if to slug him, but Luke didn’t back down.

"What are you going to do? Beat me up here in front of everyone?" Luke challenged back, not fazed by the boys' posturing. “All I have to do is yell loud enough, and the teachers will come out and see what you are doing." Luke, in fact, was not sure if that would happen, but Dudley didn't know that.

"You're dead. " At this point, Dudley only had eyes for Luke, forgetting that Harry was his target in the first place.

“That’s fine,” Luke replied lazily. "As I said, find me outside of school, and we'll see what happens," he grinned, baring his teeth.

If it wasn’t for Piers and his other friends holding him back, Dudley might have swung at Luke then and there, the consequences be damned, but they were more intelligent than their dumb leader. They dragged Dudley past Luke and Harry, down the stairs and out of sight.

"You didn't have to do all of that for me," Harry looked sad, as if it were his fault that Dudley wanted to kick Luke’s teeth in.

“I only did what was right,” Luke told Harry, not bothering to lower his voice as he wanted to be heard. “You didn’t do anything to him. Bullies are trash, but people who stand by and do nothing are worse than trash.” Luke's little speech was meant for himself as much as for the kids around him.

More than one person flinched, while others looked suitably chastised. Some people scoffed and rolled their eyes as they walked away, but they were in the minority.

There may have been hope for this school yet.

"Come on, let's go meet up with my sister," Luke smiled reassuringly at Harry, confirming to those still watching that they were indeed friends and that this wasn’t a one-time situation.

Luke led Harry down the stairs he was almost pushed down, but they didn’t have to go far before they ran into Hailee. She was waiting on the third-floor landing surrounded by an even larger group of kids than at lunch.

“Luke!” She happily called out and waved as soon as he stepped onto her floor. “Who’s that?” She asked, noticing Harry, who was walking a step behind him.

A few of Hailee’s friends openly made faces at Harry, and obviously, some had strong negative thoughts about him by the way his sister twitched, but Luke didn't remark on any of that. Knowing his sister, he’d give it a day before she changed their minds.

“This is my friend Harry. Harry, this is my little sister, Hailee," Luke introduced the two to each other, pretending not to notice his sister's shit-eating grin.

"It's a miracle," Hailee proclaimed loudly, startling a few of her friends and drawing more attention to themselves. “My brother has finally made a friend; alert the news,” she cheered excitedly.

Luke rolled his eyes while Harry did his best to hide the faint smile he was sporting. Like everybody else, he was already getting sucked into Hailee’s orbit.

"You're going to scare Harry off," Luke joked with his sister. “He’s walking home with us,” he added as if it were no big deal.

“He’s coming to our house!?” Hailee was rightfully surprised. She knew Luke had talked to other kids before, but he’d never invited any of them home. "Mom isn't going to believe this."

“It’s okay, right?” Harry asked nervously.

“Of course, it’s okay,” Hailee happily twirled in place. “Do you know how long we’ve waited for my tsundere brother to make a friend? We thought it might never happen.”

Those of Hailee’s friends who were with her at lunch giggled, now knowing what tsundere meant, much to Luke’s embarrassment.

“What does that mean?” Harry innocently asked, cocking his head to the side.

“It’s not important,” Luke tried to steer the conversation away from the subject, but Hailee didn't miss a chance to strike at her brother's weak point.

“I’ll tell you later,” she grinned happily at Harry.

“I look forward to it,” Harry said, only hesitating a second to reciprocate her smile. Doing so still felt alien to him, but he had been slowly getting used to it since befriending Luke at lunch.

"Can we get going? I'm sure Mom is waiting for us outside," Luke reminded his sister.

“Sure, just give me a minute,” Hailee held up a single finger as she turned her attention to what had to be the majority of her class.

Luke shook his head as his sister took forever to say goodbye to everyone, promising that she would see them all tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Harry watched the sibling’s interaction with barely hidden longing in his eyes. He’d never met someone as outgoing as Luke’s sister before, and he couldn’t help but compare her and Luke’s relationship to his and Dudley’s.

Eventually, Hailee said all her goodbyes, and the three could walk down to St. Grogory's ground floor without being surrounded by her adoring fans. Hailee was busy telling Luke and Harry about the incredible day she had had as they walked out of the school building and were greeted by Shannon, who patiently awaited them with a handful of other parents.

“How was school?” Shannon Walker greeted her children with a stunningly bright smile as they approached her.

“It was great,” Hailee beamed.

“I told you it would be. And what about you, Sweety?" She focused on Luke.

“It was okay,” Luke shrugged and tried to play it cool, but Hailee wasn’t having it.

"Mom, Mom," she bounced in place. “Aren’t you going to ask who this is?” Hailee gestured at Harry, standing rigged like a statue in oversized clothes.

"Are you my little girl's newest friend?" Shannon bent down to be closer to Harry's eye level as she greeted him with a smile. Harry looked so small in his oversized uniform that Shannon thought he was closer to her daughter's age than he was to Luke.

“Um, not exactly,” Harry blushed and hung his head in discomfort.

“Oh?” Shannon gave Hailee a questioning look, but Luke noticed something Harry and his sister didn’t. His mother was trying to hide it, but she was examining Harry. Luke half expected her to comment on his clothes that didn’t fit him or how malnourished he appeared, but she did neither, simply maintaining a polite smile.

“He’s not my friend,” Hailee could no longer hold it in. “He’s Luke’s,” she proclaimed.

"Oh, my!" Shannon covered her mouth as she reeled back and gasped exaggeratingly as if she had been told something exceedingly shocking. “Is this true?" Funnily enough, she asked Harry and not Luke. "Are you really friends with my son?"

“Yes…?" Harry was slow to answer when faced with Luke's mother's jubilant smile.

“Your father isn’t going to believe this,” Shannon cooed.

"I know, right," Hailee agreed with her mother.

“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal,” Luke told them as he blushed slightly. "Can we get going? I promised Harry that we could do our homework together and that I’d show him my room.” He did his best to move the conversation along.

“He’s coming home with us?” Shannon's smile was brighter than a kid's on Christmas morning.

“If that’s okay?” Harry again asked nervously.

"Oh, stop. We would love to have you," Luke's mother said. She was so excited that she reached in and pulled Harry into a quick hug.

Luke stood back and allowed his mother to indulge in her happiness, but mostly, he was letting things play out for Harry's sake; he needed to know Luke's family wasn't going to immediately hate him.

Harry remained stiff for the first few seconds but visibly turned to putty in Shannon's arms. Luke knew how desperately Harry needed hugs in his life, so even though he felt embarrassed by his mother and sister, he stood back and weathered it.

“What are your parents feeding you? You’re skin and bones,” Shannon fretted over Harry after releasing him.

"I'm—" Harry stammered, his mind having trouble processing his whirlwind of emotions.

"No matter," Shannon continued, regardless of Harry's stammering. “I’ll make something for you when we get home.”

"Can we have grilled cheese?” Hailee asked.

"Hailee, it's polite to let our guest decide," Shannon lightly scolded her daughter. "What would you like, Harry? I can make you a grilled cheese sandwich. I can boil some hotdogs. We have a bunch of snacks to choose from." She offered a variety of options.

"You don't have to—" Harry was about to say, but one sad look from Luke’s mother made him stop. "A sandwich would be lovely," he eventually gave in.

“I just love your accent; it's so adorable how polite you are," Shannon shamelessly praised Harry as the four of them finally started making their way home.

Luke hung back with his sister as his mother chatted Harry's ear off.

“Exciting day?” Hailee whispered to him.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he cryptically replied.

“Is he a part of it?” Hailee gestured over her shoulder. Luke had been so caught up in introducing Harry to his mom that he completely missed Dudley standing off to the side, glaring daggers at him. “I’ve never felt someone so angry before,” Hailee frowned with concern.

"Ignore him; I'll tell you about it later,” Luke promised.

“Need some help?” Hailee adorably punched the air, making Luke chuckle.

"Thanks, Darth Adorable, but I can handle this one alone."

“Okay,” Hailee tentatively agreed with her brother. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Will do,” Luke smiled as he playfully messed up his sister’s hair.

“Do you need to call your parents when we get to the house?” Luke was pulled from his conversation with his sister when he heard his mother ask Harry from up ahead.

“I live with my aunt and uncle,” Luke could hear Harry’s reluctance to discuss his family situation with his mom. “They won’t care if I come home late.”

Luke could tell that his mother was moments away from asking Harry more questions he didn’t want to answer, so he stepped in—literally. “It shouldn’t be a big deal,” Luke said, leaving his sister behind to stand between Harry and his mother. “Harry lives only a few streets away from us anyway."

Shannon didn’t miss what her son was doing. She recognized that she had touched on a sensitive topic and wisely decided to discuss her concerns with her son later. “Alright, we’ll see about it when we get to the house.”

Harry didn’t want to lie to Luke’s mother after she’d been so nice to him, so he remained silent. There was a good chance his aunt and uncle would punish him for not returning home immediately after school, but Harry was used to that. He’d much rather experience what it was like to visit a friend’s house and deal with the consequences later.

“Did you boys get a lot of homework? What about you, Hailee?” Shannon was quick to switch topics.

“You guys were already given homework? On the first day of school? Gross,” Hailee looked sickened by the idea. “Mrs. Faraday had us play a bunch of games to get to know each other,” she bragged.

“Yeah, well, Professor Harris is rather strict,” Luke didn’t go into detail about his day.

"Good strict or bad strict?” Shannon pressed her son when she recognized that he was purposely being ambiguous.

"I'm not sure yet," he told his mom. For Luke, it all depended on how receptive his teacher would be to Harry. If he recognized that he was wrong about Luke’s new friend and changed how he saw the boy, then Luke might consider Harris one of the best teachers he’d ever had. But if he didn't— Luke didn't want to think about it.

“What about you, Harry? What do you think about your teacher?" Shannon switched targets when it became apparent her son wouldn't give her a straightforward answer. "Are you in Luke's class, or did the two of you meet at lunch?"

“We actually sit next to each other in class,” Harry explained. “But we didn’t become friends until lunch,” he smiled, remembering how he met Luke and the conversation leading up to their friendship.

“Then you’ll be with each other for the entire year. That's great,” Shannon clapped happily.

“What about me? Aren’t you going to ask how my day was?” Hailee puffed out her cheeks as she joined the conversation.

“Ask her how many people she had to say goodbye to,” Luke playfully smirked his mom.

“It wasn’t that many people,” Hailee tried to look offended but botched the execution.

“It was like her entire class,” Luke deadpanned.

“Was not.”

"Was, too."

Harry and Shannon watched with smiles as Luke and Hailee bickered back and forth with each other. “Do they do this a lot?” Harry asked Mrs. Walker.

“Every day,” Shannon smiled fondly. “Luke is an amazing older brother, but he has trouble opening up to kids his own age. Thank you for giving him a chance."

"Please, it's me who should thank him," Harry said, holding up his hands to Shannon’s amusement.

From there, the four of them talked among each other, mostly about school, until they turned down Wisteria Walk and approached the Walker’s home.

“Luke, Hailee, how was school? Did you—Harry?” Mrs. Figg called out to them from her porch, sipping a glass of wine in the same bathrobe and slippers she wore this morning as they passed her house. However, she was caught off guard when she spotted Harry walking home with them.

“You know him?” Shannon asked Arabella, pleasantly surprised.

“Do I?" Mrs. Figg commented as she stood up from her patio furniture and walked down the driveway towards them. “I watch him from time to time for his aunt and uncle. How did you come to find him?”

“He sits next to me in class,” Luke explained with a simple shrug. “We talked and hit it off.”

“I know, it shocked us too,” Hailee giggled at Mrs. Figg's dumbfounded expression.

“I see,” there was a twinkle in Mrs. Figg’s eye. “Does your family know that you are here?”

“He was just about to give them a quick ring,” Shannon explained.

Mrs. Figg nodded approvingly, but Harry wasn’t as excited. The last thing he wanted to do was call his aunt and uncle and explain that he was at a friend’s house. They would probably make a fuss just because he was having fun.

“Would you like to have tea with me?” Mrs. Figg offered to Luke’s mother.

"Arabella, I've been having 'tea' with you all day. Besides, I promised to make snacks for the kids," Shannon politely turned down their neighbor's offer.

“Fine, do what you must," Mrs. Figg sighed loudly. “But come by once you are free. Oh, and Harry." She turned her attention to Luke's new friend. "Make sure you behave,” she wagged her finger at him.

“There’s no need for that,” Shannon pulled Harry closer to her, giving him a half-hug. “He’s been nothing but a little gentleman since I’ve met him.”

Once again, Harry was blushing, but this time, he couldn’t hide the big smile on his face. This was the first time an adult had stood up for him, and it made him unbelievably happy.

“If you say so,” Mrs. Figg didn’t apologize for her remark, which rubbed Luke the wrong way—and he wasn't the only one. Hailee looked at Mrs. Figg like she was confused, the same way she did when people said one thing while feeling a different emotion entirely.

"Alright, let's get you all something to snack on," Luke's mother told them as they walked away from Mrs. Figgs' house and into the Walker residence.

“Look familiar?” Luke asked Harry as his mother opened their door and let them inside.

“Yeah,” Harry looked around. “There’s no wallpaper, but this is almost the same as my house.” Harry smiled until his eyes landed on their broom closet underneath the stairs. “It’s almost exactly like my house,” he repeated, though this time with less energy.

Luke placed a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder, not missing his friend's sudden emotional shift. It looks like he had his first goal: to get Harry out of his broom closet and into an actual room. Should be simple enough, Luke smirked.

“Do you boys want to do your homework at the table, or do you want to take it upstairs?” Shannon asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“Thoughts, Harry?” Luke asked for his opinion.

“I’m good with either,” he timidly replied, giving your standard non-answer.

Luke's second goal was to raise Harry's confidence. Magic practice would help with this, but Luke didn't want to wait until they were at Hogwarts for Harry to grow a spine. At the very least, he shouldn't be afraid to give his opinion on something as simple as where they should do homework.

"Then why don't you do your homework down here so you can eat at the table?” Shannon suggested. "What about you, Hailee? What are you going to do?"

Instead of immediately answering their mom, Hailee turned to Luke. "How long will it take you to finish your homework?”

“Don’t know, thirty minutes or so. Our teacher didn't assign us that much.”

“That’s forever from now,” Hailee groaned loudly.

“If you’re bored, you can help me make the sandwiches?” Their mother offered.

“Okay,” Hailee readily agreed. While she pushed one of the dining-room table chairs up to the stove so that she could help their mother cook, Luke and Harry pulled out their homework and got to work.

The review packet included various questions on different subjects, but they were easy. Luke and Harry paused briefly to eat but finished everything relatively quickly.

"Can we go and play now?" Hailee asked excitedly as the boys put their homework in their respective bags.

“I don’t know,” Luke teased his sister. “How about it, Harry; want to see my room?”

“Sure,” he smiled.

Hailee didn’t need to be told twice. “Let’s go," she shouted as she rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Does she ever run out of energy?” Harry asked Luke, genuinely curious.

“Never,” Luke snorted. “If you need a moment to relax, just tell her.”

“Wait a minute, boys, aren’t you forgetting something?” Luke’s mother stopped them before they could leave the kitchen. When both of them gave her a blank look, she pointed at the phone hanging on the wall. “I know you said your aunt and uncle wouldn’t care, but Mrs. Figg was right; you should really call home and let them know where you are.”

“Does he have to, mom?" Luke asked in Harry's stead. Harry obviously didn't want to call them but was too afraid to tell Luke's mother.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she insisted.

“I’ll just get it over with,” Harry declared quietly as he walked over to the Walker's landline bolted to the kitchen wall.

Luke stood beside Harry for emotional support as he dialed his home phone number slowly. Luke was close enough to hear the line ringing as they waited for someone to pick up. Eventually, a woman’s voice answered.

“This is Petunia Dursley; who is this?” Harry’s aunt’s shrill voice echoed out of the plastic phone.

"Hi, Aunt Petunia, it's me, Harry. I just wanted to call you and let you know I’m over at a friend’s house." Harry rushed through his explanation without pausing, and the silence that followed was deafening.

After what felt like forever, his aunt replied, just as Luke and Harry had expected she would. "Don't lie to me," she shrieked. “You don’t have any friends. Are you in detention at school again? I told you I’m not coming to get you after last time.”

“Let me see the phone,” Luke held his hand out to Harry.

“Who was that?” He heard Harry’s aunt say on the other end as Harry nervously passed Luke the phone by reflex.

"Hello, is this Harry's aunt?" Even though he wanted to shout into the phone, Luke kept his voice flat.

“And who are you?” Harry’s aunt huffed angrily on the other end of the line.

"This is Luke Walker; I'm a friend of Harry's from school."

"Harry doesn't have any—" she tried to say again, but Luke cut her off.

“Harry is my friend,” he replied firmly but not overly loudly. “My mom wanted him to call you to inform you that he would be at our house. We can give you our number if you need him for any reason. We live next to Mrs. Figg," Luke informed her. “He’ll be back before dinner. Is that okay with you?”

There was another long pause on the other side of the line. Luke could picture Harry's aunt on the other end looking dumbfounded, trying to process what she was hearing. Finally, after almost a minute of silence, she spoke again. "I don't care where he is. Keep him as long as you like.” There was a click as the line abruptly went dead.

Luke stood there in disbelief, with the phone still to his ear. How could an aunt say that about her nephew?

Harry must have heard what his aunt had said because he looked sadder than usual. All he wanted was for his aunt to show him a fraction of the love he deserved, and he couldn’t even have that much.

“What did they say?” Luke’s mother asked once he hung up the phone back on its receiver. She had started doing the dishes across the kitchen when Harry dialed, so she had only heard their half of the conversation.

“They said it was fine that he stayed as long as he wanted," Luke left out the rest of their conversation. He didn’t want to involve his parents in Harry’s situation until he absolutely needed to. There was a very real chance that they might make a scene once they learned about Harry's living conditions, and Luke didn't want to risk Dumbledore or another witch or wizard showing up to wipe their memories.

“That’s great,” Shannon happily called over her shoulder, unaware of Harry’s downtrodden expression.

“We’re going up to my room now,” Luke dragged Harry out of the kitchen before his mother noticed.

“Okay, have fun,” he heard her call back as they climbed the stairs.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Harry apologized as Luke led them to his room.

Luke sighed, "Dude, I keep telling you— you have nothing to apologize for. It's your aunt who should be apologizing. I mean, really, who says that?” Luke was steaming on Harry's behalf. "I always told my sister she should never use her powers in anger and never more than as a practical joke, but come on! I only talked to her for a minute, and I want to burn her house down,” Luke vented.

“You can do that?” Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.

Luke gave Harry a sheepish look. "That was just an exaggeration. We haven't figured out how to do elemental stuff with our powers yet. Though, not for lack of trying,” Luke thought about his sister and her obsession with conjuring lightning from her fingertips. That actually gave Luke a great idea.

“We’ll talk more about it in my room. I’m sure my sister is anxiously waiting for us,” he said as he opened his bedroom door.

“You darn right I am,” Luke heard his sister call out as his pillow from his bed smacked him square in the face.

“That was a cheap shot,” Luke grumbled as he threw his pillow back at his sister.

She smirked as she dogged the fluffy projectile before sticking her tongue out at Luke. For a moment, he wondered why his sister was being extra obnoxious today, but one concerned look from Hailee directed at Harry answered all his questions. She was being extra bubbly to cheer him up; she probably felt his sadness all the way from upstairs.

Luke appreciated what Hailee was doing, but he had a far better way of cheering Harry up. “Not that this isn’t fun,” he waved for his sister to calm down, “But I have something else in mind.”

“Like what?” Hailee paused. “Are we going to play a board game, cards?"

“Maybe later,” Luke shelved those ideas for later.

“Then what?”

“Well, I was thinking we give Harry a proper introduction,” Luke called upon his magic to levitate his and his sister’s foam swords into his hands from where they were resting against his desk.

“Wicked,” Harry watched the feat of magic, transfixed.

“Luke!” Hailee exclaimed. He'd told her a thousand times never to use her abilities in front of anybody else, and here Luke was breaking their number one rule.

Luke just smiled at his sister as he tossed her sword at her. “You’re leaving yourself open,” he said as he rushed her.

With a bit of magic and her reflexes, Hailee caught her sword and blocked Luke's first strike but could not defend against the second that bonked her on the head.

"That's five points for me,” he proudly proclaimed.

Hailee’s eyes narrowed competitively. She still didn’t know what her brother was doing, but that didn’t stop her from retaliating.

“Harry, do me a favor and shut the door?” Luke asked his friend as he blocked Hailee’s counterstrike. He heard a soft thunk behind him, indicating that Harry had listened to him. Luke could sense that his mother was downstairs, so he wasn’t exactly worried about her catching them, but it never hurt to be careful.

What proceeded was an epic duel between siblings. Hailee had an excess of happiness, which she needed to burn off from her new friends, while Luke was happy to vent after the day he had had.

While the two dueled, standing against the wall as a spectator, Harry marveled at Luke and Hailee’s show of swordsmanship. The two seemed to glide across the ground as they attacked and defended. Luke made almost no noise as he moved, while Hailee’s foam sword seemed to have more force behind it despite her shorter stature.

Harry kept track as the siblings called out points. First, it was five to zero, then Luke’s sister got a lucky hit on his left leg, which was apparently worth two points. Hailee seemed to get faster after she scored her first hit, scoring another in rapid succession. Luke countered with a controlled swing to his sister’s arm, bringing the count up to seven to Four.

Harry’s eyes caught it all; he saw every swing and block clearly. He was so entranced that he didn't even realize what he was doing. Up until now, Harry’s eyes had never been tested like this. His aunt and uncle almost never let him watch sports with them, and the other kids in school never let him play with them.

Harry had assumed that because he was nearly blind without his glasses, his eyes had no redeeming qualities, but he was wrong. His dynamic vision was on a whole nother level, practically superhuman. He would need serious training to keep up with Luke and Hailee if he wanted to join the fun, but he could still perceive each attack.

Things heated up further when Hailee managed to graze Luke's ear and called out that she now had nine points. Harry followed it all with rapt attention. He didn’t know how many points either of them needed to win this game, but based on how serious Luke looked, Harry figured it couldn’t be that much more.

Harry’s instincts were right, of course. Luke knew that if his sister hit him again, it would be considered her victory, and what a loss that would be, considering he got the jump on her for a change. It stung even more knowing that Harry was watching them. Luke didn’t want to look bad in front of his new friend, which was the crux of the situation.

Luke wasn’t fighting with a clear head like he usually was. Between Harry being there and everything that happened at school, his emotions were running rampant, and while he’d scored a few lucky hits, his sister had the momentum. If he could put everything aside and focus, he might be able to turn things around, but Luke knew from experience that wasn’t likely to happen.

Sensing that he would lose soon, Luke used his final gambit. As his sister swung at his neck, Luke struck with pinpoint accuracy.

“Hah, I won,” Hailee cheered as her sword impacted against Luke’s neck.

“Look again,” Luke’s eyes drifted downward.

Hailee confusingly glanced down, seeing the tip of her brother's sword gently resting against her shirt where her heart was.

“I believe this means we have a tie," Luke smirked, though inside, he was sighing with relief. If he had been even half a second slower, his sister would’ve won.

“No way, I hit you first. I know I did,” Hailee stomped her feet as she pouted.

“Prove it,” Luke cockily provoked his sister.

It was then that the siblings were reminded that they weren’t alone. “Umm,” a nervous Harry made his presence known, drawing Luke's and Hailee's attention.

“Oh, sorry, Harry,” Luke smiled at his friend. “I hope we didn’t surprise you too much.”

“No,” Harry snapped before apprehensively shifting his weight back and forth. “I mean—she won," he pointed at Hailee to Luke's astonishment.

“She did!?”

“I did!?”

The Walker siblings were equally stunned.

Harry slowly nodded his head. "She hit your neck before you poked her in the chest.”

“Hah, told you,” Hailee didn’t question Harry’s judgment before she started celebrating.

“You saw all that?” Luke’s reaction was more measured, though he was just as surprised as his sister. It didn’t even occur to him that Harry could follow their movements.

His friend nodded as he shrunk in on himself like he was waiting to be yelled at. Harry was under the impression that Luke would be angry at him for siding with his sister over him, a fact Luke didn’t miss. His sister’s victory parade also fell short when Harry’s negative emotions slammed into her like a punch to the gut.

In their own ways, Luke and Hailee recognized what was happening and acted to rectify the situation.

Hailee forced herself to smile while Luke moved to reassure Harry that he wasn't mad. "It's cool, dude," Luke held up his hand for a fist bump. "If you say that she won, then she won. It's no big deal."

“You’re not mad at me?” Harry looked like a kicked puppy.

"Nah, man," Luke kept his hand up, which confused Harry.

Hailee felt his confusion. "You're supposed to do this," she said. She showed Harry how he was supposed to bump fists with her brother while he watched awkwardly from the side.

“Like this?” Harry tentatively followed her instructions.

“You got it,” Luke did his best to praise Harry without sounding condescending.

"Now me," Hailee held up both her fists, wanting to get in on the action, which was when she finally remembered what she and her brother had done in front of him.

"Luke! What the heck?" Hailee smacked her brother's arm before judgingly placing her hands on her hips. "You made me promise never to use my powers in front of my friends, and you go and do this! What are we supposed to do now?"

Luke was quick to hold up his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Now, now, Hailee, give me a minute to explain.”

"You have thirty seconds." Like every time she was annoyed, Hailee puffed out her cheeks, making her look like an angry chipmunk.

“Alright then,” Luke straightened his back, trying not to smile. “In short, it's because he's like us."

Hailee obviously wasn't expecting such an answer because she froze in place with a slack-jawed expression. After that, she glanced between Luke and Harry, who did his best not to meet her fervent gaze.

“He’s like us?” Hailee pointed at herself in disbelief.

“Yep,” Luke nodded along, enjoying his sister’s reaction. “I’m sure you felt the commotion at lunch; that was because he accidentally shocked one of the kids bullying him." Luke was all smiles now, knowing exactly how his sister would react to that little tidbit of information, and she didn't disappoint.

“You can shoot electricity!” Hailee rounded on Harry, grasping his shoulders with her tiny hands, and started shaking him violently, just like she had done to Luke on the plane a month ago.

“It was an accident,” Harry cried out as the girl slightly smaller than him shook him relentlessly.

After a minute of fun, Luke came to his friend’s aid. Luke grabbed his sister by her waist, lifted her off her feet, and pulled her off Harry, who had been backed into a corner.

“Calm down, Darth Adorable,” he chided his sister while smiling. “You said at school that you weren’t going to scare him. Look at the poor guy. As he said, he didn’t know what he was doing. Do you promise to behave if I let you down?"

Hailee stopped flailing in her brother’s arms. “I promise,” she forced the words out.

Luke didn’t believe his sister for a second. While she may have sounded like she had calmed down, he could sense her inner fire churning. She hadn’t been this excited since Luke informed her about her abilities in the first place.

Of course, Luke understood why she was acting this way. Luke could count on one hand the number of kids he sensed like them, and none of them had gone to their school. Luke and Hailee never lost control of their abilities in public, and while it was sad how it happened to Harry, to Hailee, it was equivalent to winning the lottery.

That's why Luke slowly lowered his sister, regardless of her true emotions, until her feet touched the ground. She didn’t immediately rush at Harry when he did so, which was a good sign, but both boys could see the stars shining in her eyes.

“You really shot lightning out of your hands? Like in Star Wars?” Hailee asked excitingly.

“Umm, I’ve never seen Star Wars before, but that isn’t what happened,” Harry meekly replied.

“You’ve never seen Star Wars!?” Hailee exclaimed in shock, focusing on the wrong part of the conversation.

“It was more like a strong static shock,” Luke added, reeling his sister in. “I felt it from where I was sitting.”

“That’s why you decided to help?” Hailee’s eyes flashed with understanding.

Luke blushed faintly from being put on the spot but answered his sister nonetheless. "That's part of the reason." Luke awkwardly avoided making eye contact with Harry.

Sensing her brother’s inner turmoil, Hailee raised her hand to her mouth and chuckled. “You saw him being bullied and wanted to help him, didn’t you?” She teased.

“So, you do the same thing all the time,” Luke shot back too quickly, betraying his true feelings.

“Yeah, but I’m me, and you’re you," Hailee stated proudly.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Does too,” Hailee stomped her foot in indignation. She was moments away from demanding another duel when she saw Harry shifting nervously out of the corner of her eye and remembered that they weren’t alone.

“Tell me everything,” Hailee demanded as she grabbed Luke and Harry’s wrists and dragged them to Luke’s bed.

The trio got comfortable, as Luke explained from the beginning, to his sister's overwhelming joy.

-X-X-X-

Author's Comments:

Harry has officially been introduced to most of the Walkers, and surprise-surprise, they each like him in their own way.

I hope I made all their interactions sound normal. Sometimes, it's hard to remember I'm writing most of the dialogue from children's perspectives.

As always, I'd appreciate any comments below, even if it's just to say I'm doing a good job and to stay the course.

Thanks for reading; fingers are crossed the next chapter is ready for Monday.