AMSL Ch: 9

No plan was perfect, and Luke didn’t even have that much.

He was supposed to watch Harry from a distance, not interact with him directly. But, however cheesy it may sound, something in Luke refused to sit by and watch what was about to happen, and with it, all his hastily formed plans over the last few hours, were thrown out the window.

But in that moment, none of that mattered; all Luke could think about was helping Harry.

Maybe it was because Luke felt this was his fault on some level. He poked the bear, and worse, he did so in front of an audience, which included Dudley’s lackeys. Luke’s knowledge of Harry’s cousin may only stem from his brief scenes in the movies and the three times he had encountered him today, but even with that little to draw from, Luke felt like he should've seen this coming.

There was no way Dudley was going to stew quietly in a corner after Luke openly defied him in front of everybody. It made sense that as soon as he realized he couldn't do anything to Luke, Dudley would switch targets and go after someone he viewed as weaker than him. And to Dudley, there was no one weaker than Harry.

Dudley was like a gorilla doing its best to reassert dominance over its troupe, and like a gorilla, he'd do it the only way he knew how— Through violence.

Luke didn't have a plan as he rushed to Harry's side. All he knew was that he had to stop what was about to happen.

“Freak!” He heard Dudley’s minions shouting at a terrified Harry. For whatever reason, Luke couldn't sense the boy's magic, but he was sure it had to be churning violently. Sadly, he wasn't the first to arrive at the scene.

"What's going on here?" One of the two teachers responsible for watching over the playground had beat him to it. Luke couldn't see her face from where he was, but she sounded angry. Standing next to her was the kid who rushed off after his friend had dropped to the ground, screaming in pain. He was no doubt already blaming Harry for everything.

All of Dudley's crew were trying to explain themselves at once, but as Luke got closer, he could hear the boy on the ground saying repeatedly that Harry had shocked him while clutching his hand to his chest.

Luke hadn’t seen the beginning of the conflict, but he caught the tail end of it. The boy on the ground had been holding Harry by the shoulder as his cousin was no doubt threatening him. Harry must have been terrified because his magic had turned violent when it exploded out of him, zapping the boy holding him.

"One at a time," the teacher tried to get them to speak one at a time, but they were too excited to listen to her. They were like piranha, mindlessly frenzying after smelling blood in the water.

Luke smartly realized that this was his one and only chance to intervene. It was human nature to focus on the first side of the story told, and if he played it cool, he might be able to get Harry out of this.

“I saw everything," Luke calmly called out as he approached.

All heads turned to him, each with a different expression. The teacher gave him a questioning look while Dudley and his friends looked like they all had lemons shoved into their mouths. The only one who looked excited to see him was Harry, the poor child, staring at Luke with a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"And you are?" The teacher drolled out.

"Luke Walker," he introduced himself with an enormous fake smile plastered on his face, politely offering her his hand. “I was relaxing under the tree over there and saw everything.”

The teacher didn’t take his hand; instead, she remained silent, prompting Luke to talk fast.

Luke knew that if he blamed Dudley, it would turn into a 'he said,' ‘she said’ sort of thing, so instead, he spun a tale, one filled with so many lies that he deserved an award for coming up with it on the fly. “Well, I saw Dudley approaching his cousin. Based on his smile, it looked like he was inviting Harry to play with him and his friends." Luke spun a fantastic tale.

“We did—," One of Dudley's followers started to say, but Luke cut him off before he could finish.

“The kid on the ground placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder, but Harry must have been dragging his feet a lot because he pulled back as if shocked. I think he got a bad case of static shock. Isn't that right, Harry?"

Luke hoped Harry was smart enough to recognize what he was doing because if he said anything other than to collaborate on his story, things could get dicey for them.

Harry’s eyes flickered from Luke to the boy on the ground next to him, and eventually, a look of understanding dawned on him. “That’s exactly what happened,” Harry replied meekly. "Dudley came up to me, but when his friend touched my shoulder, he was shocked."

Harry wasn’t the best liar, but his quiet voice made it sound like he was sorry, which helped sell Luke's made-up story.

“But he shocked me!” The kid on the ground yelled shrilly.

“And I’m sure he feels bad about that," Luke lied. "But aren't you making a big deal out of nothing?" Luke reproachingly shook his head. “It’s not like the shock could’ve been that bad.”

“I can’t feel my fingers,” the boy angrily crawled to his feet, looking like he wanted to kick Luke in the groin.

“Please,” Luke rolled his eyes, ignoring the boy’s hostility outright. "It was a static shock. It's not like he tased you. I mean, how would he even do that?" Luke motioned at Harry, who was empty-handed.

“Do you have anything?" The teacher asked Harry, her voice more than a bit heated.

"No, ma'am," Harry quickly turned out his pockets, which were indeed empty.

The teacher didn’t look all that convinced by the annoyed look on her face, but she couldn't ignore that Luke had a point. To normal people, Harry couldn't have done what they were accusing him of, so she had to accept Luke’s story, however fabricated it might sound.

“Is this true?" She finally turned to Dudley. “Did you come to ask Harry to play with you?”

"Like we would ever want to play with him," Dudley snapped back with a large frown.

This was the moment Luke was waiting for. Even though Dudley had just contradicted him, he wasn't worried yet. "Then why are you all here?” Luke knowingly smirked at the large boy.

“I’ll be the one asking questions here,” the teacher reminded him with a pointed glare, no doubt already having an inkling of what Luke was implying.

“What Dudley meant to say,” Piers saw where the conversation was going and quickly added his own lie. “Dudley thought Harry had left his lunch at home. He wanted to make sure he didn't, and we came with him," he gestured wildly at himself and the rest of them. "As his friends."

If looks could kill, Dudley would’ve burnt a hole through Luke’s head with the way he was scowling at him, but he didn't contradict his friend’s story.

“So, you're telling me this is all one big accident?" The teacher glanced over all of them, looking at them with a look that said she knew they were lying to her but couldn't call them out on it.

When none of them said anything further, her focus again zeroed in on Harry. "If that's the case, then I suggest you leave your cousin alone. Get going,” she jerked her head in a shooing motion, which was all the incentive Harry needed to skedaddle. “I’m watching you,” she warned him as he ran past her to reach Luke.

"Come on, you can sit with me," Luke waved for Harry to follow him. He didn't need to be told twice.

Harry was about to look back, but Luke shook his head. He led them back to the tree he had been sitting under, stopping momentarily when he saw his sister giving him a thumbs up from across the playground, surrounded by her friends.

“Is that your sister you were telling me about in class?” Harry asked as Luke waved back to her.

“Sure is,” Luke answered with a smile as he leaned against the tree.

Harry looked slightly uncomfortable being smiled at, like he wasn’t used to it. He was shifting his weight back and forth, rubbing his hands together anxiously, not knowing what to say. Luke didn't comment on any of that; instead, he patiently waited for Harry to calm down and find his voice.

Eventually, the boy spoke. “Thank you,” Harry said, bowing his head, refusing to meet Luke’s eyes. “No one has ever done that for me before.”

Luke sighed. “I shouldn’t have had to if the teachers were doing their jobs correctly,” Luke waved off Harry’s thanks. He still felt partially responsible for what had happened and for initially planning to keep his distance.

An awkward silence fell over the two, neither knowing what to say to the other. Harry had never talked to another kid his age who wasn't bullying him, and Luke wasn't much better. Luke knew how to talk to other kids but never with the intention of befriending them, so he and Harry stood there silently.

In a daze, Luke considered what he should do now. He didn’t believe in fate, but even he had to admit it felt like the universe was pushing him to interact with Harry. He felt it was time he admitted to himself that he wasn’t the stand-back and watch-from-a-distance kind of person, no matter how smart it was.

That said, Luke couldn’t go into this without at least a semblance of a plan. Telling Harry or anyone else about the future was off the table— Or at least until he had a good enough reason for doing so and could do so safely. And if Luke couldn't tell Harry about the future, he'd have to keep many things to himself, but not everything. Luke could tell Harry about magic, so long as he didn’t call it that.

Now— How did he go about doing that?

Luke had no idea how to break the news to the Chosen One without sounding crazy, so he decided to start small and lead Harry into it. “So…." he trailed off awkwardly. "Pretty cool thing you did back there. Though, if you were going to zap him, you could've done a better job than that," Luke clumsily joked.

Harry’s eyes widened in fear before quickly turning sad. “I didn’t do anything,” he replied in a quiet voice that sounded far too rehearsed for Luke’s liking.

Luke had to remind himself that this Harry wasn't the one at the beginning of the first movie. He was ignorant of his true capabilities and the world around him, not thinking twice about the weird stuff that happened around him. And it was too late for Luke to walk away.

Of course, he could if he really wanted to. But he didn’t.

After he scrapped the idea of avoiding Harry, it was like Luke suddenly felt free to make his own decisions, and he wouldn’t start second-guessing himself now.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Luke felt like Morpheus offering Keanu the red pill.

“Know what?” Harry was genuinely confused.

Luke leaned forward, deliberately playing up the suspense of their situation. “You have powers,” he said, trying to sound mysterious. “Abilities nobody else has.”

Luke expected Harry to doubt him, so he wasn't surprised when Harry started laughing as if he had heard a hilarious joke.

“Come off it,” Harry forcefully smiled as if he didn't want to be rude to the only person who'd ever treated him fairly.

On the one hand, Luke understood why Harry was skeptical, but on the other, he wondered how he could ignore all the strange things around him. Was he truly never curious, or had he mentally blocked them out?

“You think I’m joking?” Luke folded his hands in front of him, adopting a rigged posture.

"No, it's just—" Harry fretfully fiddled with his hands. “Stuff like that doesn’t exist.”

“And who told you that?” Luke asked, already knowing the answer.

“My aunt and uncle— Everyone, really," Hary opened his arms wide. “Things like that only exist in movies or Dudley’s comics.”

Luke nodded along as if he agreed with Harry. "True, most of the world thinks superpowers are make-believe. But what if I could prove that they weren’t?” Luke smirked confidently.

“…. How?” Harry was hanging on to Luke's every word like a life preserver at sea. There was a longing in his eyes, a deep hope that what Luke was saying was true and that he wasn't messing with him, that there was an explanation for all the weird stuff that always happened around him.

“I’ll show you,” Luke boasted and immediately started kicking himself for going into this half-cocked. What could he show Harry? He could levitate some pebbles, but Luke felt that wasn't significant enough for this moment.

Luke remembered the fire scene with Hagrid from the movies. He wanted to do something spectacular like that, but it had to be subtle enough not to draw attention to themselves. He started to look around for ideas, and then it came to him.

A wicked smile split Luke’s face as he spotted Dudley across the playground, stomping around as if he were about to explode. Everyone, including his friends, were moving out of his way as he paced back and forth.

It would be tricky at this distance, but it could work so long as he had a line of sight.

"See your cousin over there," Luke pointed Dudley out to Harry.

Pushing his glasses up, Harry nodded.

“Good, now keep your eyes on him,” Luke instructed.

Summoning enough magic into his hands until it was mildly painful, Luke concentrated on his target. His eyes didn’t leave Dudley for a moment as he willed his magic to act. This was the farthest Luke had ever tried to channel his magic, and the only reason he was confident in doing so now was because he finally had a name for the energy inside him. Luke had faith that he could do it, and that mattered a lot.

Bringing his hands up, Luke mined, grabbing something invisible in the air with both his hands.

Harry looked at him like he was crazy but didn't say anything.

This wasn't a controlled exercise like Luke was used to; there was no minute energy control; it was 100% emotions and willpower.

“This is payback for making fun of my sister,” Luke spoke aloud as if to cement his will as he pulled his hands down in a quick motion. Across the playground, Luke’s magic fulfilled his desires. In front of everybody, Dudley’s pants were yanked down around his ankles, exposing his fat thighs and stained underwear to the world.

Dudley was caught entirely off-guard and tripped over his pants. He screamed like a pig being butchered as he toppled to the ground. For a moment, nobody said anything; they just stared at Dudley as he rolled around, but it only took one person to point and start laughing before everyone joined in. Even a few of Dudley’s group laughed at him, making it all the sweeter for Luke.

Luke could barely breathe; he was laughing so hard. He knew he was supposed to be the bigger person here, but come on, if anyone deserved to be pantsed in front of everyone, it was Dudley.

“How was that?” Luke playfully nudged Harry with his elbow without looking. He was still too busy watching Dudley's desperate struggle to pull his pants up as he flopped around like a fish out of water.

When Luke didn’t get a response from Harry, he finally turned and looked at him, only to see Harry staring at him with his mouth wide open in disbelief, which only made Luke laugh harder.

“You’ll catch bugs like that,” Luke teased.

“But that’s impossible,” Harry stammered.

“For most people,” Luke held his hand out and levitated a leaf off the ground into his outstretched hand.

“How?” Harry asked, staring at the leaf as if trying to spot hidden wires attached to it.

“Come on,” Luke offered Harry the leaf so he could inspect it more closely. “Are you telling me zapping that guy was the first time something weird has happened around you while you were scared?”

“No,” Harry answered without thinking before pausing. "I mean, what does being scared have to do with it?" Harry looked up questioningly from examining the leaf.

“Everything,” Luke motioned for Harry to sit. Once they were both situated comfortably underneath the tree, Luke took the time to explain to Harry how their abilities worked. It was only a quick overview. He primarily focused on how their powers centered around willpower and desire, but most importantly, Luke explained how their abilities could run rampant whenever their emotions were high.

Harry listened to every word with rapt attention, so engrossed he sometimes almost forgot to breathe.

“One time, when my sister was six, she laughed so hard she popped the heads off half her Barbies. I managed to reattach them before she noticed anything, but it was around then that I realized I needed to start teaching her to control her powers,” Luke fondly reminisced.

“Wait, your sister can do stuff, too?" Harry interrupted, but Luke didn't mind. "There are others like us?" He asked fervently.

“What, you thought we were the only ones?” Luke chuckled rhetorically.

“Are there a lot of people like us then?”

That was a good question. Luke pondered how to answer for thirty seconds before deciding to be honest, though he did leave out a few key details. “You know, I’m not sure. I've definitely seen more people like us since my family moved to England," Luke thought back to his first day in London and the old man on the street. He was still disappointed in himself for not recognizing the robes he was wearing. It may have been a long time, but he should've noticed wizard robes, even if the Harry Potter franchise wasn’t the first thing that came to mind.

“But there are others?” Harry pressed.

“Oh, definitely,” Luke smirked. “Groups of them, hidden from normal people.”

“Does…,” Harry hesitated. “Do your parents know?” He asked innocently.

That innocent question was enough to wipe the grin from Luke's face. "No, we never told them,” He answered solemnly.

“Why not?”

“Honestly?” Luke sighed, staring up at the tree branches above them rather than meeting Harry’s bright green eyes. “I've been asking myself that a lot more these days. I told my sister it was because we were superheroes— that we needed to have secret identities, but I just said that to get her to agree with me. She would love nothing more than to tell our parents everything.”

“Then why don’t you?”

"At first, it was because I didn't want them to overact, accidentally expose us to people who might harm us. Now…. I think I'm just afraid to tell them I've been lying to them all these years,” Luke didn’t know why he was telling Harry all this. This was supposed to be Harry’s big moment, the moment he finally learned he wasn't alone in the universe— wasn't a freak. Instead, Luke was airing his biggest insecurities to somebody he knew had it far worse than him. It was just so easy to talk to him.

“It isn’t because you’re afraid they might hate you? I think my aunt and uncle know," Harry's voice quivered. "I think it’s why they hate me. They always tell me, ‘No funny business,' like they expect me to do something weird. I thought it was just something they said, but if you’re right….” Harry’s voice trailed off.

“They sound like a bunch of assholes,” Luke gave Harry his honest opinion, which earned him a genuine smile from the boy. “To answer your question, no, I’m not afraid that our parents will start hating us. My sister and I could have horns and tails, and I'm sure our parents would still love us. It’s not them…. it’s me.”

What Luke didn’t tell Harry was how much this really bothered him. In truth, it was even worse than he was letting on. If a Hogwarts letter really came for him, Luke would have no choice but to come clean to his parents about everything.

It was only a matter of time before they found out. Luke could try to hide his abilities, but the idea of doing so made him feel horrible inside as if someone was crushing his heart.

“Must be nice,” Harry lowered his head sadly. “To know your parents care about you.”

It was good that Harry had his head lowered right now and wasn't looking at Luke because he would see a murderous look flash across his face if he was. Luke's hands were balled so tightly into fists in his lap that, at any moment, they might start bleeding. He had never felt this angry on someone else’s behalf before.

How could two people willingly do this to a child— A child related to them, no less? Luke wanted nothing more than to march over to the Dursley's house and set it on fire. Not with anyone inside, mind you, but a primal part of him wanted the family to pay in no small way. But first—

Luke leaned forward and finally did something he should've done the moment he met Harry; he hugged him. It was a little weird hugging somebody he had just met this morning, but at the moment, it was the only thing Luke could think of. Luke was in the weird position of knowing very little and, at the same time, too much about Harry.

"I never met your parents, but I'm sure they loved you very much," Luke assured Harry because even if he couldn’t remember their names from the movies, he was sure they would’ve done anything for their son. Some things were still fuzzy for Luke, but he remembered one thing: Harry’s parents gave their lives to save him. Luke wished he could tell him that, but again, like telling his parents the truth, Luke's fear of the unknown won out in the end.

Luke couldn't see Harry's face, but he could hear him sniffling in his ear. "Thank you," Harry mumbled.

“Anytime,” Luke pulled back about to suggest they find a bathroom for Harry to clean himself in before lunch, but the words caught in his throat.

What Luke hadn't realized was that other than nudging him a second ago, this was the first time he had made physical contact with Harry for any significant amount of time since meeting him.

The first thing that sprung to Luke's mind was Mrs. Figg's cats and how he hadn't noticed their inner fire until he touched Mr. Tibbles, but this wasn’t that. Harry’s fire wasn’t so small that Luke needed to be aware of it to sense it. Up until now, he couldn’t sense anything from the boy, and now he knew why.

He may have pulled back slightly, but Luke's hands were still resting comfortingly on Harry's shoulders, and that’s why he could see it now, the reason he couldn’t sense Harry.

Harry’s inner fire was nothing to write home about. It was only slightly bigger than his sister's, and she was three years younger than him. But it wasn’t Harry’s fire that was leaving Luke at a loss for words; it was what was surrounding him that was doing that.

The only way Luke could describe what he was seeing was a woman made of light embracing Harry from behind. She looked like a guardian angel without wings. Her hands were wrapped around Harry, protecting him as if hugging him from behind. Her eyes were glowing orbs with no pupils, but for some reason, Luke knew she was staring at him— judging him.

The woman looked no older than someone in her early twenties, but what stood out the most were the deep cracks running up and down her ethereal body. They originated from her forehead, where Harry’s scar would be if their positions were swapped.

Luke had never seen anything like it before. He could sense magic so clearly that sometimes it felt like he could see it, but Luke knew that was his mind just interpreting what he felt. But this— Luke saw this. She was hovering behind Harry, as plain as day.

There was no doubt in Luke’s mind that what he was seeing was Harry’s mother. In the movies, it was said Harry's mom loved him so much that she could protect him even after her death. Luke couldn’t have said it any better himself.

Just looking at the figure embracing Harry made Luke tear up and want to go hug his mom. He had never felt anything like it before. It was like the figure was love in physical form.

A part of the woman's soul was in front of him, judging him, deciding if he was a threat to her son. Luke wanted to pull his hands back and cut the connection, but he was too scared to move and accidentally risk the specter’s wrath.

Luke didn’t need to be told that the apparition was alive; he could tell that much by himself. Harry had no control over it, and for a fleeting moment, Luke pictured Professor Quirrell turning to dust at the end of the first Harry Potter movie. He thought that was just because he was hosting Voldemort inside his body, but now he wasn’t so sure.

He was moments away from panicking when the figure did something that sent a shiver down his spine. Until now, her face had been a mask of indifference, but now she was smiling at Luke.

And just like that, poof, she was gone.

Luke still had his hands on Harry’s shoulders, but he could no longer see the visage of Harry’s mother protecting him. He couldn’t sense her at all.

Tentatively, Luke pulled his hands back, half expecting her to reappear in a jump scare like ghosts often did in scary movies, but nothing like that happened. She was truly and utterly gone.

There was one key difference, however. Though Luke was no longer touching Harry, he could still sense his magic. It was no longer hidden from him. Did that mean the apparition approved of him? Luke had no idea and didn't intend to force her to reappear to ask.

One thing was for sure, though: Harry's mom loved him fiercely. Even if he were on his deathbed, Luke wasn’t sure if he could conjure something like that, and he would gladly lay down his life to protect his family if it came down to it.

Luke rubbed at the corner of his eyes, wiping away the tears before they could fall. Harry was worse. He sniffled as he wiped the tears from his face with his oversized uniform sleeves.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “You saved me, and this is how I repay you."

“Think nothing of it, please,” Luke reassured him. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m Luke Walker, transfer student from the US,” he offered his hand to the sobbing boy.

“Harry Potter,” he introduced himself back, shaking Luke's hand while trying to smile.

Luke was prepared to see the figure of Harry’s mother again when their hands met, but again, she didn’t appear, lending more credence to the theory that she wouldn't now that she acknowledged him. Luke was very thankful for this because it would be pretty annoying if he were nervous to interact with Harry simply because he feared the enchantment protecting him.

“Nice to meet you, Harry.”

“Likewise.”

They only exchanged pleasantries, but somehow, that was enough to lessen the sad air hanging over them like a sinister fog.

“What do we do now?” Harry asked after he wiped the last tear stains from his face.

“I think we should head to the bathroom,” Luke suggested as he stood up, offering his hand to Harry.

Harry snicked as he let Luke help him to his feet.

“What’s so funny?”

"It's just—" Harry snickered. “Why would we go to the bathroom; do you need a bath?”

“What….?” It took Luke longer than he would have liked to admit that Harry was messing with him. "Ha-ha, very funny. Let’s all mess with the American and the funny things he says," Luke waved his hands exaggeratedly to appear silly.

Secretly, Luke was happy; it meant Harry was comfortable enough to joke with him, even if it wasn’t the funniest thing in the world.

“Sorry,” Harry gave a token apology.

"Let's go." Luke started walking, and Harry, who was smaller, had to jog after him to catch up.

“Do you need to use the loo? If so, we should head to the third floor,” Harry suggested.

"That, and I want to splash some water on my face.”

“Sorry,” Harry apologized again gloomily.

"Stop apologizing," Luke playfully shoved Harry like he did with Hailee. "There's nothing more manly than crying with your friend."

“We’re friends!?” Harry perked up.

“I mean, I guess?” Luke awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He hadn't made a new friend his age since back in his past life. Was it too soon for them to call themselves that? "Only if it's okay with you?" Luke was second-guessing himself.

"It's fine with me," Harry replied happily. His smile was almost enough to shatter Luke's heart. It was so genuine and pure that Luke felt bad for not talking to him sooner. "I've never had a friend before," Harry admitted nervously.

"Don't think too much about it," Luke told him. "I'm not much better. My only friend is my little sister; pretty lame, right?"

“I think it’s sweet.”

“Yeah, she’s sweet enough to give you cavities,” Luke joked before circling back to the bathroom situation. “By the way, why are we heading to the third-floor bath—lavatories?" Luke corrected himself, to Harry's amusement.

"During lunchtime, fewer people use the bathrooms on the higher floors,” Harry explained, taking great joy in saying the word bathroom.

“In that case, why aren’t we going to the fourth floor?” Luke asked.

“We’re less likely to run into Dudley and his gang if we use the third-floor facilities,” Harry explained as if he were a professional at avoiding his cousin.

Speaking of Dudley, Luke scanned the playground for the beached whale but found no trace of him. He almost wanted to suggest they head to the fourth floor regardless of the possibility of running into Dudley but thought better of it after a second thought. After pantsing him, Dudley had to be on his last straw, and while Luke would love a reason to put him in his place again, it would undoubtedly lead to a fight.

Luke didn’t want to give his teacher any reason to be cross with him; he gave it a week max before Professor Harris realized he'd befriended Harry after saying he wouldn’t. Kids were already giving the duo looks as they passed them by, so it shouldn’t be long before news reached the teachers.

“After we clean up, can we talk about— You know?" Harry whispered the last part as they passed a group of fifth-years.

"You know, whispering only incentivizes people to listen in more," Luke quipped.

“Then what am I supposed to say? How do you and your sister talk about— It?”

“Huh?” Luke paused. "Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've talked to somebody other than my sister about our abilities. We don't normally talk about our gifts around other people.”

“Does that mean you can’t teach me?” Harry looked crestfallen.

Harry made an interesting point: How was Luke going to teach him? Getting him to the point where he could faintly feel his magic like Hailee could would take months. Hailee took eight to sense hers, and that was with him helping her multiple times a day. Luke couldn't do that with Harry.

But, there was only one thing Luke could do.

“I guess you’ll just have to come over,” Luke said as if it was the easiest thing for Harry to do.

"You mean, come over to your house? Is that okay; your parents won’t mind?”

Luke snorted. “Please, my parents have been trying to get me to find a friend my own age for years now; they'll be ecstatic to have you over. Plus, we live really close to each other,” he added.

“We do?” Harry was more than a little surprised to learn that.

“Yeah, I remember seeing you and your cousin on Privet Drive when we moved here." Luke was careful to explain how he knew what street Harry lived on. “My house is on Wisteria Walk.”

“Oh, I know that street," Harry exclaimed. "Whenever my aunt and uncle take Dudley anywhere, they leave me with Mrs. Figg."

Ignoring how incredibly depressing that was, Luke found it more than a little suspicious that the one person Harry was left with had a colony of Magical cats. Was Mrs. Figg someone he should know? That was something else Luke would need to investigate.

"What a coincidence!" Luke feigned ignorance. “We moved into the house next to hers.”

“That place?” Harry seemed to know the house in question. "It's been on the market for years now; I’m surprised your parents bought it.”

"I believe it. We had to do a lot of work to it the first few weeks since we moved in; it needed a lot of work," Luke said, making small talk as they walked into the third-floor men's room. They did their business quickly and continued talking out in the hall.

“So, you really think it’ll be alright if I come over to your house?” Harry seemed hesitant.

"Why the nervousness; is it your aunt and uncle? Will they get mad at you if you don't go home immediately?" Luke voiced his concerns, hoping it would help Harry do the same.

“It’s just…. Adults don't like me very much,” Harry replied sadly.

"Trust me." Luke placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "My parents will love you. Though I warn you, my sister will freak when she hears you're like us. You're the first kid like us either of us has found.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I’ve sensed other kids with abilities with their parents, but you're the first to go to school with us."

"Wait, you can sense people like us!?" Harry's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Not everyone," Luke clarified. "I've only recently been able to sense you. Usually, the closer I am, the easier it is to sense people like us."

"Will I be able to sense people?" Harry excitedly asked.

"Sorry," Luke felt bad about bursting Harry's bubble so soon, but it was best to do so now. "Sensing powers is my thing. Technically, you might be able to, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Maybe you can do something else," Luke suggested leadingly.

Harry only looked dejected for a second before rebounding back. “Does that mean everybody has their own special ability? Does your sister?”

"I'm not 100% sure," Luke admitted. He and his sister had unique gifts, and he knew that, for a fact, Harry could talk to snakes for reasons, but he wasn't sure if that stood true for all witches and wizards. It was just one of many things he didn't know.

“As for my sister, I’ll leave it up to her if she wants to tell you about her ability. Knowing her, you won’t even need to ask." Luke could already picture introducing Harry to his sister.

“Wicked,” Harry smiled.

“We can discuss this more after I introduce you two, and we’re in my bedroom,” Luke told Harry. Lunch would be over any minute now, and it was best they head up to class before the halls became busier than they already were.

"I can't wait," Harry's smile was infectious, just like Luke's little sister's.

Luke felt things were moving quickly for his tastes, but he knew it only felt that way because of his situation.

As soon as he realized who Harry was, it was like an invisible clock counting down had appeared above Luke’s head. His adventure in Great Britain had officially begun, and there was no going back. He had exactly a year to prepare for what was coming. That was both a lot of time and not nearly enough.

While Luke was busy thinking about the future, Harry sneaked glances at his first-ever friend. He was still nervous about meeting Luke's family, but for the first time in his life, Harry didn't feel alone in the world. He didn’t care if Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia punished him for coming home late; he was going to his friend's house—

He had a friend; Harry could hardly believe it; it still didn’t feel real. He wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, but he didn't want to look weird in front of Luke. And if he was dreaming, he didn’t want to wake up.

Both boys were lost in thought, though for different reasons, as they reached their classroom. A few students who were already inside gave the duo passing glances as they entered, but most of them thought nothing of it. To them, there was no way the new kid had befriended weird Potter.

It was 12:47 on September 3rd when fate changed forever. What would come of these changes remained to be seen.

Two people who had faced death in separate ways became friends, and the world was a better place because of it.

-X-X-X-

Deep underneath Londen, in the darkest recesses of the Ministry of Magic, no one heard a faint cracking sound. The noise came from a sphere in the Hall of Prophecy, a subsection in the Department of Mysteries. The glass orb was one of thousands contained inside. The crack was imperceptible unless a person was deliberately looking for it, but it was there. And it mattered.

For the first time ever in recorded wizarding history, fate was being altered. For good or for bad, no one knew, but it was changing nonetheless.

-X-X-X-

Author's Comments:

So, what do you think about Luke and Harry's meeting? I debated a lot about whether I should've had Luke watch Harry from a distance for the whole week as he originally planned, but ultimately, I settled on this.

Was it spontaneous—Yes. Was it fun to write—Also, yes.

For those of you wondering, I'll be taking some time in the buildup to their Hogwarts letters arriving, but I think it will be a fun read. I already have a few things planned that won't draw things out for too long.

I don't know how active I'll be with this story, as my focus will be Magic-Smithing, but the plan is for it to be semi-frequent.

Thanks for reading. Please comment below, and see you tomorrow with my tenth and last prewritten chapter.