Even Stranger Magic

Harry blinked at Hop, Hop didn't blink.

"But…"

"No."

"I'll be quiet."

"I said no, Harry."

Harry tapped his fingers on the table, trying to get the shaking in his stomach out through his fingers. It was energy transference, all science. If Harry's stomach shook, Harry needed to move that energy out to the table.

Hop sounded serious, he sounded like he wouldn't change his mind, but Harry needed him to.

"Siri's going to be at Chrissy's, El is going to stay with Max," Harry said again, trying to make Hop understand. "I'll be home alone."

"You're fifteen, I don't have a problem with that," Hop said.

It was a problem - a big problem.

Harry didn't want to be left alone.

"Please," Harry asked carefully, tapping his fingers faster to get the shaking out of his body. "I'll be quiet, I won't bother you."

Hop let Harry go to the police station with him before, Harry didn't understand why he wasn't letting him anymore. Harry wasn't noisy, he didn't poke around in case files or locked rooms. Harry mostly took his backpack and read while Hop took a nap or answered phone calls. When Hop had to drive around town, Harry sat in the passenger seat and didn't touch anything.

"Kid." Hop scrubbed his face with both hands and Harry slid the ashtray on the table closer to him, recognizing the sign that popped up just before Hop lit a cigarette. It was stress and exhaustion and it was Harry causing it.

"I'm not being a dick," Hop said, dropping his hands to grab his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pausing to light one. Harry's hand twitched at his side and he silently opened the windows in the dining room, trying to keep the smell away from him.

"You know I don't give a damn when you come hang out at the station, but you're fifteen," Hop said again, maybe thinking Harry didn't know his own age. Harry didn't, for a long time. When he was with the White Coats, the wizards that experimented on him and his sister for years, Harry didn't know his age. But Harry did the math when they got free and he was fifteen.

Harry knew he was fifteen.

"You should be making friends, going to parties, doing teenage shit on the weekends," Hop said, waving his cigarette in a small circle. "Hell, you should be pumped to have this place to yourself tomorrow night, you could throw a whole party and your sisters and I would never fucking know!"

That… that didn't make sense.

Why would Harry want to have a party without Sirianna or El? And why would Hop want Harry to do something in his house that he didn't know about? That sounded like a trap, like Hop was angry at Harry and trying to trick him into doing something wrong.

Hop didn't usually do things like that… but Harry didn't understand what was happening.

"Please," Harry asked again, quiet and desperate. He didn't want to be home alone while Hop worked and the girls were at their friends houses. And if Harry told Sirianna or El that, they would cancel their plans and Harry would be ruining it for them.

Hop tapped his cigarette on the ashtray with a sense of finality.

"No," he said. "Call some friends, have a party, do something fun for once. Be a teenager, Harry."

Harry was fifteen, he knew that. Harry was a teenager, fifteen, everything he did was something a teenager did because Harry was a teenager.

It didn't make any sense at all.

Harry went to his room when Hop wouldn't budge and laid on one of the beds, trying to not think about when he would be in the house alone and unable to think of anything except for that.

It would be too quiet, the echoing kind of quiet where Harry would hear his own heart beating and he would start thinking about how many beats it had left. It would be dark too, Hop would be at work all night and the girls would be sleeping in someone else's houses. Harry could turn on all the lights, he knew he wouldn't.

The darkness was already creeping up on him, squeezing his lungs and making it harder to breathe. It was quiet too, so quiet that Harry could hear the air getting trapped, ripping in and out of his lungs, exhaling in the wrong places and burning his throat.

It only took one thrash of his legs to kick away the darkness that was tangling him, trapping him, before Harry was falling - falling - and struck something hard enough that he felt his nose crumble and warm blood to begin puddling beneath his face.

There was noise then, the sound of a door being opened and a heavy sigh that Harry recognized when the oxygen returned to his brain and breathing only caused the normal amount of pain.

"Harry, for the love of God… what did your sister say about the top bunk?!"

Siri said that Harry couldn't sleep on the top bunk because he had nightmares and he would squish her on the trundle bed if he fell on her.

"Wasn't sleeping," Harry said, wheezing and stuffy sounding as he pushed himself up, ignoring Hop's hand, and pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the blood. It hurt.

"Fine, no pouting on the top bunk either," Hop said, getting loud. "Harry, I'm not fucking punishing you, okay? All you have to do is invite over a few friends, see that being left home alone is the greatest thing to most teenagers!"

"I am not like them!" Harry snapped, actually snapped. The energy transference didn't work and Harry would be suffocated and strangled and beaten by the silence and the darkness and all Hop had to do was let Harry go to work with him. When it was hard to yell and pinch his, probably broken, nose, Harry healed it, proving how different he was.

"I don't want to have a party because I don't have any friends and I don't understand what you're telling me to do!" Harry yelled. "Why would I have people here if you're not here to say it's okay? I know I'm fifteen! I am a teenager and EVERYTHING I DO IS A TEENAGER THING TO DO!"

"Oh, yeah, you're a fucking teenager all right," Hop said. He yanked something from his pocket quickly and Harry threw an arm up over his face when he saw it moving toward him.

Hop breathed slowly and Harry kept his arm up until Hop didn't sound like he was going to throw him across the room.

"You've got blood on your face. Here."

Harry moved his arm, peered through the bend and saw that Hop was holding out a handkerchief, the black one that he carried in his pocket during work. Harry took the handkerchief and used it to wipe the floor, to make sure there wasn't any blood left behind.

Harry wasn't worried about his face, faces didn't stain with blood, wood did. Wood would be stained with Harry's blood and every time he walked in the room he would see his blood and remember when he couldn't breathe and then stained the floor.

"Harry." Hop kneeled down so they were on the same level and Harry scrubbed the floor harder, didn't want to listen. "You finish up with this, then we will make a plan for you to do something fun tomorrow together, got it?"

Harry did not ‘got it'. But Harry nodded because he was supposed to nod and then finished scrubbing the floor while he counted how many circles with the handkerchief it took to get his blood off the floor.

Nineteen.

Harry added one more so that it was an even twenty and wasn't nineteen. Being a teen was not exactly as thrilling as Hop seemed to think it should be.

Hop was in the living room when Harry stepped out of his bedroom, he was sitting in his chair with a notebook open on his lap and a pen caught between his teeth.

"Come sit down," Hop said, frowning at the notebook. Harry did that a lot, mostly when he had pre-algebra or health homework. "I'm making you a checklist."

A checklist?

Harry inched forward, curious what would be on a checklist. He stopped beside the chair and looked down at it, but Hop pointed at the couch and so Harry sat there and tried to be patient.

"Okay, kid, here's the deal." Hop turned the notebook around so Harry could read it. There weren't many boxes, it looked simple… in theory.

Friends. Food. Drinks. Entertainment. Fun.

"Friends." Hop tapped the top line with the pen. "At school tomorrow, invite some friends over. And don't start that ‘I don't have friends' bullshit because Harrington is up your — Harrington is here almost every fucking day."

"Okay," Harry said. He wasn't going to start anything, except Steve was there because he gave Harry rides to and from school sometimes and they would study together sometimes. Steve was good at math, he explained things to Harry.

Hop nodded sharply and tapped the next line. "And then after school, take my checkbook to the store and get some snack shit. I don't care what it is, just grab a bunch of shit that you like."

Oh. Harry hated shopping. Harry hated shopping and he hated signing a checkbook. The last time Hop made Harry sign a check Harry had blanked on what name to write and ended up signing it ‘Harry Hoper'.

"Sign it Harry Hopper, Harry Potter, I don't care," Hop said, somehow knowing what Harry was thinking about. "You take a check, buy food. Enough for you and all your friends. If you remember, I wouldn't say no to some more Pringles. Now, drinks." Hop tapped the next line and Harry filed away ‘Pringles' to absolutely not forget.

"You take cash and ask a senior to get you drinks, got it? It's a right of passage, kid. You do not give them a check, you give them cash and a list of whatever it is you want to have here tomorrow night."

Harry did not ‘got it', except if it meant that Harry didn't have to go shopping for it, then good. He didn't know where to find a senior - did Hop mean a student in their twelfth year or an old person? - but he still nodded anyway.

"Entertainment is easy, just rent a video or watch a game or something," Hop went on. "As long as it leads to this last one," Hop tapped the bottom box, "have fun. That's it, Harry. All I'm asking you to do is have fun."

Hop was actually asking Harry for a lot of things, too many things. That was five things and one of them involved shopping. Hop passed Harry the notebook and Harry felt those five things settle deep in his stomach like an impossible weight.

"I've seen you tackle monsters and crazy wizards like it was nothing," Hop said, leaning toward Harry and trying to catch his gaze. "Kid, this is nothing, okay? This is the good shit, the normal shit."

‘This' was an impossible weight that would drag Harry down until he couldn't move, couldn't think - until he was trapped.

"I can't do this," Harry told Hop, working hard to even make the words audible. Harry wasn't Siri who could walk in any situation and make friends and plans and understand what was being asked of her. Monsters? Sure. Harry was a weapon, They made him one in their laboratory. Picking out food and entertainment? That - Harry couldn't do that.

"You can," Hop said, reaching out to squeeze Harry's knee. Harry jerked his knee, he was only trying to dislodge Hop's hand from where it scratched his skin beneath his trousers, he didn't mean to kick him. It didn't matter though because Harry did kick him and Hop pulled away and he was wrong - wrong.

"You're right." Harry jumped to his feet, stepped back to get some space, air. Harry could, if he were Siri. If Harry were more clever and understood the rest of the world like Siri did, then maybe Harry could do it all.

But Harry was Harry and Hop didn't understand that it was an impossible checklist.

"I won't," Harry explained. He dropped the notebook on the floor and went back to his room, his room where there wasn't any blood staining the floor and no impossible expectations.

Harry couldn't do it because he was Harry and he wouldn't do it.

Suffocating in the silent darkness would be easier, Harry was sure. Dying was painful, not difficult.

Harry only had to spend an hour in his room, the bedroom he shared with Siri and El, refolding the clothes in the dresser and making the beds neat and tidy. Siri had cheerleading practice and El went to the arcade with her friends, but they both returned at the same time.

Billy's blue car pulled up in the driveway and Harry watched through the blinds when Siri and El left the car, both of them with smiles. El headed straight for the door, Siri paused to talk to Billy. Harry dropped the blinds back in place, he didn't actually want to see his sister snog Billy.

But why was it so easy? Not the snogging, though probably that too, but - but Siri and El went places, did things. El didn't talk much, but she still had an entire group of friends that called and talked to her and invited her out places.

Why was it so easy for everyone else? What was wrong with Harry that he kicked Hop when he was just being kind?

Harry flew out of his room before either of his sisters could get inside and he saw that Hop hadn't moved, he was still in his chair and the notebook was on the floor and Harry was stupid and selfish.

"I'll do it," Harry said, picking up the notebook the same second that the front door handle turned. Hop lifted his head and Harry didn't look away, didn't let it be easy.

"I'm sorry, I kicked you," Harry rushed to say. "It was an accident. And I'll do this, all of it. I got it."

"You barely kicked me," Hop said, lifting an eyebrow at Harry's sudden acceptance. "But alright then, if you want to make up for it by making yourself have fun, be my guest."

That - that wasn't why Harry was doing it. If Hop thought so though, it was probably fine. All Harry had to do was follow the checklist, follow the orders he was given.

It was impossible, but Harry had done impossible things before. He died seven times, he could probably check off five things on a list.

For Hop, he would try, maybe succeed.

Probably.

Siri thought he could, when Harry laid on her bed that night and showed her the list Hop made.

"Ugh, you're having a party?" Siri groaned and jostled Harry's shoulder with hers, Harry didn't mind. "Well, you have to invite Steve and Billy, obviously. Also, Jonathan's your friend, I don't know why you pretend like you two aren't friends."

Harry shrugged, he didn't have to talk, Siri did it for him.

"Invite them and tell them to invite their friends," Siri said wisely. "Everything else is easy. Do you want me to come home after school and help you with it all? I don't mind."

Harry shook his head, knowing Siri would feel it even if she didn't see it. Siri already had plans, Harry had a checklist. Harry was fifteen, he could follow a list. Even if it wasn't easy, not to him.

"Okay, you know you can call me at Chrissy's if you need anything, right?" Siri said. She laced her hand with Harry's and he moved so he could lay his head on her shoulder. "If you need anything at all, I'll come right home. And Billy will be here, he can take care of things if they get out of hand."

"Okay," Harry said. He closed his eyes and tried to think of if he forgot anything else to tell Siri. "Hop said I can't pout on the top bed," Harry reported.

"Good." Siri yawned and Harry was tired too, tired but dreading the next day. "You thrash when you're upset, you'll end up breaking your nose, Harry James."

Which reminded Harry of the last thing he needed to tell Siri before she was caught up on his day…

"I thrashed. Then I broke my nose."

"Damn it, Harry. Just - just stay off the top bunk. That's El's bed, only her bed. Don't even make it for her."

Harry didn't agree because if El forgot or didn't make the edges just right then he was going to fix it. Harry was a teenager, he could make a bed without getting hurt. Harry was fifteen.

Apparently at fifteen he was expected to do a great number of things.

Billy was the first person that Harry counted as a friend to go to his house that afternoon. Harry didn't even have to ask him, Siri told him he was going to show up.

Siri was bossy, very bossy. Harry didn't mind and apparently Billy didn't either.

"You have to come to Harry's party tonight," Siri told Billy after they dropped Billy's sister Max and El off at the middle school. Max didn't have to ride with Billy every day, she rode with her mum most days, but Billy still picked her up sometimes.

Harry wondered what her mum thought about Billy picking her up. Harry didn't ask, he didn't want to start a fight over Harry's own mistake.

"Harry is having a party?" Billy said, his eyes flicking to find Harry in the rearview mirror. "No shit?"

"No shit," Siri said. "You're - you're like security, okay? If anyone gets too wild, you have to make them leave."

"Sure," Billy agreed easily. "Someone screws with baby bird, I kick their ass."

"Exactly," Siri said. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Harry repeated, it was his checklist. "Oh. Bring a friend," he added, like Siri told him to do.

"Be fucking serious." Billy parked the car at the high school and Harry saw him roll his eyes so hard it made Harry's own eyes twinge like they were in pain. "Who the fuck would I bring?"

Harry didn't know, he didn't care. He did need to go find Steve before class started. Jonathan would be in Harry's first class, Harry could ask him to show up then. He would, Harry would ask. He wouldn't ask his sister to ask him. Harry was told to do it, he said he would, so he would.

"Do you want me to invite Jonathan?" Siri asked, looking at Harry with the same eyes he saw every day in the mirror, if more interesting and not hidden behind glasses.

Yes, Harry did want that.

"No." Harry sighed, tried to shift around the weight on his chest. "I told Hop that I'd do it."

"Okay," Siri said, skeptically. She didn't think he could do it, which was fair because he didn't think he could either. Except Harry already sort of had one item done and the others he would have to do later.

"I'm going to find Steve, I'll see you in class," Harry said, forcing himself step by step to walk toward the school where Steve would be waiting. They usually met at his locker, sometimes they talked about homework or the weather, Harry hoped that Steve wouldn't mind the change when Harry had to invite him to a party instead.

Steve didn't seem to mind, actually.

"You're having a party?" Steve leaned back on his heels, rocked forward on his toes. He was grinning and it probably wasn't mocking. "Gee, thanks for the last minute invite."

"It's not until five," Harry said again. That was when Hop had to be at work, when Harry would be home alone. "You can't be late."

"I won't be," Steve said.

"Oh. And bring a friend," Harry told him.

Steve rolled his eyes which was interesting because Billy did that too when Harry told him to bring a friend.

"Be serious," Steve said. "Who would I bring with me?"

Harry didn't know, he was relieved though. Harry liked when Steve was around him and they were by themselves, with nobody more interesting for Steve to talk to. It was selfish though, so Steve should bring a friend.

Harry wouldn't mind if he didn't.

Jonathan was at first hour, just like usual, in the desk beside Harry's. Harry sat beside him and quickly invited him to his house before Sirianna took her desk on Harry's other side and class would begin.

"You have to bring a friend," Harry said, tacking it on quickly before he could change his mind.

"I'll be there, but I don't know what friend you think I'll bring," Jonathan whispered back. "You're already there and I'm guessing that you already invited Steve?"

Harry did and he nodded.

"That's all my friends," Jonathan said. He scowled when Siri threw a paper ball at his head and leaned back to aim the scowl at Siri. "Sorry, do you want to go to Harry's party with me tonight?"

"I can't," Siri said immediately. She held her hand out and looked at her painted nails. "I do appreciate being invited though."

Siri didn't need invited, she lived there. She did make Jonathan laugh and Harry wished he could do that, make people laugh that easily.

Instead, Harry had a checklist in his pocket that he marked ‘friends' off of.

Which left food, drinks, entertainment, and fun left to take care of.

Harry had too much energy thrumming through him when it was lunch and he only had five hours left and still had four things to do. Harry tried to sit down, but his leg was transferring energy and Siri was staring at him and Harry decided to go to the library.

The library had entertainment inside of it. It wasn't a movie or a game, but Harry liked the library, he liked the way that nobody was allowed to talk and he could touch all of the books and nobody cared. There wasn't a restricted section like Hogwarts had, but Harry didn't mind.

It was still a place where Harry could transfer his energy in the doorway and wander freely for thirty minutes. The librarian knew Harry, she lifted a hand when Harry walked in and he ignored her and went straight to the history section.

Nobody was ever in the history section, normally. Normally, it was shelves and shelves of books with suspicious stains and no students there to ruin the peace.

There was a student that day, two of them at first.

Harry turned in the history aisle and stopped when he saw two boys standing close together, their heads bent toward one another. The taller one, the one with the long black curly hair and the denim vest on, saw Harry first. He quickly pushed something in a bag toward the other boy and then pocketed the money he was handed. The second boy shouldered Harry when he took off, hard.

The other boy threw his arms up and wiggled his fingers in Harry's direction.

"These are not the droids you are looking for," he said, his voice deep and strange. "You will not report me, you will forget you saw me."

"Are you…" Harry stepped closer to the boy and he didn't get the sense that he was a wizard. Harry didn't feel the warm and familiar feeling when there was magic nearby, but he was trying to control Harry's mind and muggles couldn't do that.

"Are you a wizard?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"A wizard?" The boy's voice wasn't deep anymore and he dropped his hands and seemed to be happy about Harry's question. "I'm more of a bard, really. Are you a wizard, young Merlin?"

Harry was, but he wasn't supposed to keep telling people that. Most people knew anyway, the people Harry saw every day.

"No," Harry said, waiting to see if the boy would know he was lying. He didn't and Harry was sort of disappointed.

"But you know the deep and mysterious ways of magic?" the boy asked.

Well, yes. Harry only went to Hogwarts for one year, but he knew how to use his magic. The wizards in white coats made sure of it. Harry was the perfect weapon.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Wonderful!" The boy threw his arms wide and Harry stepped back so he wouldn't be hit. "A new prodigy, a young wizard on a quest for answers in this grand hall of answers! Tell me, little Merlin, what answers do you seek?"

"I… need a senior and a game," Harry said, wondering if the boy could help him with his problems or not. He acted like he could, but Harry didn't know him.

"A senior? You're in the best of luck," the boy said, waving his arms around again and taking up a lot of space. He swooped one arm to his chest and bowed at Harry with a flourish of movements. "I, Eddie Munson the seventh, am a senior with experience in being a senior. I also specialize in games, I happen to be the finest of dungeon masters in these lands."

Harry didn't want a dungeon master, Snape had always been particularly cruel to Harry. Harry did need a senior though.

"If I give you money, can you buy coke?" Harry asked. Hop said have a senior buy the drinks Harry wanted, don't give them a check. Harry had money, Eddie was a senior, coke was good. Steve liked it, he always had it at his house in the fridge.

"No shit?" Eddie asked, straightening up from his bow and staring at Harry. "You want coke?"

"Yes." Harry took the money from his pocket and offered it to Eddie, he didn't know how much it would cost, but he hoped he had enough.

"Fuckin Mary on a cross." Eddie took Harry's money and maybe it wasn't enough. "How much do you want? Like an eight ball?"

"Is that enough for four people?" Harry asked. Eight drinks sounded right, that would be two for each person.

"Uh… yeah, four people could die on an eight ball." Eddie laughed and he didn't pocket Harry's money, he still held it while he looked at him hard. "Are you having a party or something? Some D and D night with a zing?"

"Er… yes," Harry said, it was a party, though Harry didn't understand the rest of what Eddie asked. That happened a lot, Harry didn't speak the same language everyone else did.

"Oh. You can come," Harry said. "It's at five tonight."

"Man." Eddie laughed and he ran a hand through his hair, then bounced in place with too much energy. "You need this by five? That's going to hurt the quality, young Merlin."

Harry didn't care about quality, every soda he had tasted the same to him anyway. Harry told Eddie he didn't mind, gave him his address, then agreed to see him at five that night.

Which meant that Harry had marked another thing off his list without even trying really.

Food. Entertainment. Fun.

That was what Harry had left at the end of the day. It was three and Harry only had two hours left to mark them off.

"Are you riding with me?" Steve asked, catching up to Harry outside of the locker room. Harry had been walking slowly, because he was distracted with his list and not so that Steve would catch up. That wasn't why.

"Can I?" Harry asked. Steve and Billy had a strange car routine that Harry couldn't figure out, it changed every day and followed no order at all. Sometimes they rode together, never in Steve's car, sometimes Billy would pick Harry and Siri up, sometimes Steve would pick Harry up. Harry hoped they had a schedule at Steve's house with it all written down, otherwise it was going to be a headache to continue tracking.

"Yeah, duh." Steve's arm brushed against Harry's and then he leaned down to look at the paper Harry had and his hair was so close to Harry's face that Harry could smell his shampoo - hair products? Harry could smell something that he liked.

"Food, entertainment, fun?" Steve read, looking at Harry's face with half of a smile. "Did you make a checklist?"

"Hop," Harry said, a one word explanation. Then he explained more because he didn't want Steve to think that Harry couldn't have made a list on his own if he wanted to. "He had other things he added too, it's a lot."

"Yeah?" Steve fell neatly in step by Harry and they walked together toward his car. It was parked by Billy's and Harry saw his sister on the hood of Billy's car, waiting for him to finish in the locker room.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Like what?"

"Like… pringles."

Steve laughed and Harry bit his lip, hating the language barrier that always seemed to exist. Harry wasn't being funny, Hop did say to buy pringles.

"So do we need to stop by the store?" Steve hopped up to sit on the boot of his car beside Billy's and Harry shrugged, pointedly not looking at his sister. Siri would take care of it if Harry asked her to, but he told Hop he'd do it and he would.

"Cool," Steve said, as if Harry answered instead of shrugging. "Party food, sounds fun."

Harry liked Steve. Steve was interesting and kind and Harry liked being around him even if sometimes it made his stomach hurt and his skin to burn.

But Harry looked at Steve and wondered if he had been - been… dropped on his head, or something. Because there was nothing about shopping or food or a party that sounded fun.

Harry expected that to be the box he didn't check off his list.

"Have fuuuuun," Siri said when Harry made his way to the passenger seat of Steve's car after Billy joined them. "Tell me all about it tomorrow!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure this is going to be an absolute rager," Billy said, something sarcastic about his tone. He scooped Siri off his car and she shrieked when he tipped her backwards, almost letting her fall but not. "You should ditch your girlfriend and come party with us."

"Chrissy and I have very important plans," Siri laughed. She waved at Harry over Billy's shoulder when he carried her to her side of his car. "Love you, bubby!"

Harry lifted his hand and wished that Siri's plans weren't so important.

"Love you," he called back. He didn't know if she heard him or not, but she probably did.

"Ignore Billy." Steve had a wide smile when he got in the car. "This'll be great. We'll get food and people will come over and it'll be awesome."

Maybe… maybe Steve was dropped on his head multiple times when he was a baby and his brain was still developing. Harry had been cursed, Steve was dropped.

Harry would have preferred to have been dropped.

Shopping wasn't actually absolutely horrible. Hop had been vague, he told Harry to buy things he liked in quantities big enough for everyone he invited, which took some time to figure out.

The lights were buzzing loudly above Harry's head, but he distracted himself by listening to Steve as he did the math out loud to make sure they were buying the right quantities.

"Serving sizes don't account for like body mass," Steve said, sounding so smart that Harry nodded when he threw two bags of Doritos in their cart. Harry added five cans of pringles and then followed Steve while he asked what else Harry wanted.

"Get what you want," Harry decided. Steve had good food when Harry was at his house and Steve would know what everyone else liked.

"Oreos or Chips Ahoy?" Steve stopped and held up two packages. Harry shrugged and Steve shook them. "Come on, which is better? Oreos with their crisp cookie outsides and soft center or chips ahoy with their crunch and chocolatey goodness?"

"I…" Harry blinked. Steve was holding the Oreos a little higher than the other cookies so Harry pointed at them. "Oreos?"

"Score! Alright, salsa? You want nachos? No, you don't like spicy food, hm… oh! Onion dip!"

They did that for a few aisles before they reached the beverage aisle.

"You need drinks?" Steve asked.

"No, a senior is bringing them," Harry said. It probably wouldn't have been hard to grab a case of soda, Harry could see it there, but Hop said have a senior buy drinks.

"You had a senior buy drinks? Oh, like beer?" Steve tilted his head and Harry could see the gold flecks in his eyes, the few freckles on his nose. "I would have brought it, if you said you needed it."

"Hop said a senior," Harry explained. "I would have asked you."

Harry wouldn't have, Harry didn't even drink beer, but Steve seemed to like that explanation.

Checking out at the register was as frustrating as it had been the last time Harry went shopping. The lady asked Harry too many questions, nothing about snacks or food, and Harry could feel the curious gazes of other shoppers on him. When Harry's gaze wandered, away from the looks from everyone else, he saw one of the last things he needed.

"Steve." Harry nudged Steve and then pointed toward the colorful display. "Can you get one of those?"

"Those?" Steve turned and looked where Harry gestured. "A - Monopoly?" he asked.

"That's… a game, right?" Harry checked. Watch a game, entertainment. Monopoly looked like a game, a colorful game with money and little houses.

"Yeah, sure." Steve stepped out of the lane, smiling politely to the customers he darted around, and grabbed one of the boxes.

Hop… Hop definitely told Harry to rent a movie or watch a game… they didn't have any games at their house, none that Harry had seen. Surely he wouldn't be mad about Harry buying one to watch?

If he was, Harry might have Siri explain to him what exactly Harry did wrong.

Harry and Steve made it back to the house right at five. There was a note on the table to Harry, a list of phone numbers he should call if he needed anything. The top number said ‘911' and Harry quickly stuffed it in his pocket, not wanting Steve to think that Harry was so stupid he didn't know how to call someone in an emergency.

Steve grinned at Harry while he started laying the food they bought on the counter and Harry smiled back, perfectly normally. It wasn't weird, Steve being there, Harry liked it.

"Thank you, for helping," Harry said when they had the entertainment on the table, the food on the counters. Steve was a friend, Eddie would bring drinks.

It was five oh five though and Harry's neck itched.

Eddie was late. Billy was late. Jonathan was late.

"Anytime." Steve leaned against the kitchen counter by Harry and he scooted over, his fingers were very close to Harry's. Harry held his breath and moved just a little closer and their fingers were touching. Steve shifted, he turned toward Harry and didn't pull his fingers away and Harry looked at him and Steve opened his mouth and —

"Party's here."

Billy burst through the front door with Jonathan and Harry slowly pulled his hand away from Steve when the moment, whatever the moment was, had passed.

"Hey, we've got food and… and monopoly," Steve said, seeming as if nothing important passed. Even though their fingers had been touching and Harry had liked that.

"Monopoly?" Jonathan nodded at Harry with a small smile. "Why?"

"Hop said to watch a game, it's a game," Harry said, sick of explaining Hop's orders. If Harry was doing things that teenagers did, why didn't the other teenagers act like it was normal?

Billy sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "Christ. A game, Harry, like fucking—"

"I love Monopoly," Steve said loudly, shouldering Billy just as hard as he interrupted him. Billy shoved him back, Steve shoved harder. It wasn't their usual fight and Harry realized that they were doing it with grins.

Maybe they liked living together. Good, Siri wanted them to be friends.

"Dibs on the car." Jonathan sat at the table, ignoring the fight, and Harry followed his lead. When Jonathan offered Harry a little metal dog, Harry shook his head.

"Make Harry be the hat." Billy sat on Harry's right and took the dog piece then a tiny metal top hat. "The Chief didn't mean for you to literally fucking watch. If I'm playing Monopoly, you are too."

"I'll teach you." Steve took the seat across from Harry and picked a metal boat piece. "It's easy."

"It's complicated," Jonathan disagreed.

"Not if you do it right," Billy said. For whatever reason, that made Jonathan cry ‘dibs on being banker'. Steve launched in an explanation that made Harry's throat swell up because none of it made any sense and Harry didn't play board games when he was a kid. Billy and Jonathan added comments and more explanations that had Harry's head spinning while they brought snacks to the table and got crumbs everywhere.

When Steve rolled the dice, showing Harry how the pieces were meant to move, there was a knock on the door that Harry leaped up to get.

"It's Eddie," Harry said, grateful to get away from Monopoly and crumbs. Maybe Hop told Harry that he should watch a game because he knew Harry would hate playing one. Harry answered the door and saw that it was Eddie… Eddie with empty hands.

"Young Merlin." Eddie did a half-bow, not as showy as the one in the library and twice as paranoid with how much his eyes were flickering around. "I have brought the crown jewels for your kingdom."

"Coke?" Harry asked, rather confused.

"Wow, yes, coca-cola!" Eddie said, straightening up and raising his voice loudly. "I do have some refreshing soda, let's discuss it inside, shall we?"

Harry started to back up, then he bumped into Billy who must have followed him. Billy, for a fit guy, walked very silently sometimes.

"Munson? What the fuck?" Billy let Harry duck beneath his arm to get further inside. Eddie had his hands in his pockets and looked like he was vibrating with too much energy when Steve and Jonathan joined them all in the mud room.

"Wow. Cool, what a party," Eddie said, quickly. Very quickly. "So, young Merlin who I realize now is probably not named Merlin—"

"You told Munson about magic?" Steve asked Harry. Harry shook his head, then nodded. Then he shook his head. Did he?!

"I am digging the energy in here, very motley of your crew. Here." Eddie pulled a bag from his pocket and quickly tossed it at Harry without pausing his rambling. "I think what I'm going to do is leave though. This isn't really my scene, in fact! I don't have a scene, so I'm going to—"

"Hold the fuck up." Billy slammed his hand on the door, very nearly closing it on Eddie himself. His eyes weren't even on Eddie, they were on the same bag that Harry was inspecting.

It was… white powder.

"You said you'd buy coke!" Harry said, throwing the bag back to Eddie in a moment of frustration and having it caught by Billy instead. It - he - Eddie was a liar! And it made Harry a liar!

Friends. Food. Drinks. Entertainment. Fun.

Eddie said he would buy the drinks! Eddie was a senior. Harry gave him cash, not a check. Why would he bring him a bag of powder?!

"That is coke, I swear!" Eddie raised his hands when Billy opened the bag to peer inside of it. "It was actually a huge pain to find on such short notice and I very kindly didn't charge a fee for my troubles or side quests, so instead if you would let me leave without unfairly kicking my ass…"

"Oooh, Coke." Steve suddenly started to chuckle and Harry didn't understand why because Billy looked like he was about to fight Eddie, Jonathan looked rather pale and shocked really, and Harry had no drinks because Eddie was a liar.

"Billy, wait." Steve was still laughing and he had to flap his hand for Billy's attention. "Harry - no, wait." Steve grabbed the wall and Harry stepped away from him, unsure if insanity was contagious and preferring to not risk it.

It also made Harry grind his teeth while his entire body burned because it seemed like Steve was laughing himself sick over something stupid Harry did because he couldn't do anything right, ever.

Stupid Harry who couldn't check five things off a list.

Stupid Harry who didn't know how to play Monopoly.

Harry wished he could bring Hogwarts to Hawkins - Harry wanted to show everyone that Harry wasn't an idiot, they were just living a different life than he did.

"Okay, listen…" Steve was grinning toward Billy and it wasn't the grin that Harry liked. "Chief Hopper told Harry to have a senior buy drinks, right?" he asked Harry.

Harry nodded shortly while Eddie yelped about ‘Chief Hopper'.

"So Harry asked Eddie to buy coke," Steve said, grinning stupidly still. "Coke."

"Jesus fucking Christ." Billy didn't laugh, thankfully. Billy clenched the bag of white powder and looked at the ceiling again. "Jesus fucking Christ," he repeated. "God damned coke."

"Oh my god." Jonathan started to grin too and Harry was not having fun. "Coke."

Once again, it seemed like everyone was in on a joke that Harry didn't understand. Maybe not Eddie, he didn't look as amused or exasperated as Steve, Billy, and Jonathan.

Harry knew that Hop had asked too much of him.

"Okay, here's what we're doing." Billy grabbed Eddie by the shoulder and pushed him toward the door. "We're going to get the felony amount of fucking cocaine far away from here. Far, far, way the fuck away."

"We? No, no, I'll just go," Eddie said.

Billy snorted and shoved Eddie through the door.

"Your mess, you're fixing it," he said.

The door closed and it wasn't Eddie's mess, Billy was wrong, it was Harry's. It was Harry who had a checklist handed to him and couldn't follow it.

Jonathan shook his head and moved back to the table when Billy and Eddie left. Steve was still grinning and it was Harry who messed up, Harry who did everything wrong, but Steve's grin was wrong and it was making Harry shake.

"Quit laughing," Harry said, loud and rude and unable to shut up. Steve stopped laughing at once and Harry scowled at him. "It's not funny. Now there's no drinks, Steve. Hop said to buy them and STUPID HARRY DIDN'T GET THE RIGHT THING!"

"Woah, woah." Steve's hands shot up, palms out, eyes wide. "Who said you're stupid? It was Munson who brought drugs here!"

Drugs?! Harry let drugs be brought in Hop's house?!

"It was drugs?" Harry felt his vision blur and the floor tilted. Hop - Hop was not going to like that. Not only did Harry not get drinks, he apparently bought drugs.

"It - yeah." Steve did a thing, sometimes. Sometimes he ran his fingers through his hair, flopping it around. He always did it when his eyebrows were pinched and his eyes were tight around the edges, it was stress. That was what Harry read - it was a symptom of stress.

Steve did it then.

Harry was stressing Steve out.

Harry stepped back, quiet again. His fingers twitched helplessly at his side, useless. Harry wasn't going to fix his own mistakes, but he could stop making more.

"Sorry," he said, one word, rough, not enough.

"It's no big deal," Steve said, dropping his hands and softening. He shrugged and tried to smile, a little optimistic grin. "It's not like anyone did coke, so Hopper won't care. You didn't do anything wrong or stupid."

Harry blinked, his finger twitched for his pocket where the list was. Steve didn't stop him, so Harry pulled it out, unfolded it, pointed at ‘drinks' which he had checked off.

"It was a mix-up," Steve insisted. "It happens. I mean, okay, this was kind of insane, but - you know - Hopper would laugh if he knew about. Which he doesn't need to," he said hastily. "We're all friends and Munson isn't going to go rushing to confess that he brought a bag of coke to the Chief of Police's son, so like it's not a big deal."

Except that Harry —

"Oh, shit. Except it was on your list." Steve nodded as if Harry had said it aloud, which he didn't. Harry wasn't going to speak, not if… not if Steve understood him better when he didn't.

The floor was moving again, tilting unsteadily, but Harry's vision wasn't blurred. Steve was just staring at him and sometimes it made Harry sick to be seen. Seen by Steve. It made him sick and made him want it to happen again and again.

Which made it twice as sick.

"So I'll go grab some drinks," Steve said abruptly - it was abrupt to Harry anyway, who stopped listening for a minute and was only staring. "Gas station is open, I'll grab some beer and two liters. What do you want?"

It - it was supposed to be a senior. And Harry was supposed to pay for it with cash, not a check. Except Eddie was gone and Harry already used his cash… on… drugs, apparently. And Steve was waiting for an answer and he was trying to fix Harry's mistake so it was going to have to be good enough.

"Coke," Harry said. "You like coke."

"I, yeah - okay, great, I'll get coke." Steve was the one who looked like the floor was tilting and he shook his head and he smiled and Harry liked that. "I'll be back soon."

Harry watched Steve leave with his list clutched tightly in his hand. Steve was going to fix Harry's mistake and he didn't think Harry was stupid. Mixups happened, that was what he said.

It was only a quiet cough from the dining table that made Harry turn around. He had sort of forgotten that Jonathan was still there, but he was. Jonathan ducked out of sight for a moment to move the seat cushion where Billy had been sitting and he pulled some of the fake money from under there to replace in the box.

"You realize we all almost went to prison because you won't just tell Steve you like him?" Jonathan asked lightly, not laughing or mocking Harry at all.

He was wrong though - Steve knew Harry liked him. They were friends. Also…

"I probably wouldn't have gone to prison." Harry decided to sit with Jonathan until everyone else returned, maybe he would teach Harry monopoly with the same patience he taught him about mitochondria with.

"Because you're the Chief's kid?" Jonathan asked, grinning crookedly across the table at Harry.

What? No. That was bad logic and a bad assumption.

"Because I would tear the prison apart with magic and then walk home," Harry explained slowly, shaking his head. Jonathan was smart, Harry had no idea how he came up with the worst conclusion. It made Harry feel less stupid, thinking of how he at least understood how magic worked.

"What if you were in handcuffs?" Jonathan asked.

"I'd make them disappear."

"What if the prison was on an island and you couldn't walk home?"

"I'd summon a broom and fly home."

"What if it was a magic prison, on an island, and you couldn't wave your hand to tear it apart?"

That… huh.

Harry picked up the hat that was meant to be home and toyed with it while he tried to think through Jonathan's hypothetical situation. If Harry were in a magic prison that he couldn't tear apart and it was on an island… how would he escape?

"I would… fake my death," Harry eventually decided, picturing how he could do it. If it were just Harry in prison, it wouldn't be hard. "I'd wait for another inmate to get sick and begin dying and I would give them my appearance, I'd take one the appearance of a guard. When the inmate died, I'd blend in with the guards to remove the body and help bury it. Then I would ride on a boat - or however the guards get to work - and I would go home and change my name."

Yeah, yeah that would work. It would be easier if Harry knew how to be an animagus, like Professor McGonagall had been, then he could have just changed into an animal and left. That wasn't as subtle, too obvious when he was missing. If Harry faked his own death then nobody would ever go looking for him.

Yeah, it was a good plan, easy to follow, relatively simple.

"That sounds way too complicated," Jonathan said with a huffing sort of laugh.

It wasn't. It would be easy.

"Easier than this game," Harry gestured to the board with all the ‘properties' and train stations.

"Okay, look, it's not hard, you just don't listen when Steve talks," Jonathan said, sort of smirking a bit. Harry narrowed his eyes, but then Jonathan started explaining the game slowly, just as he did when he helped Harry with homework, and it was actually much simpler when Jonathan was the one to explain it.

Maybe Harry did get more distracted when it was Steve, but in his own defense - Steve was a distracting person. He was pretty, Jonathan wasn’t as pretty, though Harry didn’t want to say that to him and risk him getting offended and refusing to teach Harry Monopoly.

By the time Steve returned with drinks and Billy and Eddie returned with no drugs and a bruise blossoming on Eddie's face, Harry thought he had a good handle on Monopoly.

He didn't win, Billy did, but Harry understood it all perfectly.

Harry understood that Billy was a cheater and couldn't be trusted and he would tell Siri as soon as she returned home.

*****

Truthfully, Jim didn't know what to expect when he returned from the graveyard shift.

Joyce said that Jim had been too hard on Harry, that he was pushing him into things he wasn't ready for yet. Maybe he was, or maybe Jim was sick of seeing the world turn and that boy standing in place looking left behind when he didn't need to be.

Sirianna and El wouldn't always be there; hell, Jim himself wouldn't always be there. Harry needed to be able to walk alone, to make some headway in social situations and handle grocery shopping alone.

Jim had worried some that his instructions for Harry to have a party would bite him in the ass, but there were only three cars that didn't belong parked in the driveway and on the curb. Steve Harrington's BMW, Billy Hargrove's Camaro, and a damned van parked in front of the house.

Harrington was decent, Hargrove was getting there, it was the unknown van that had Jim bracing himself with a cigarette before he walked inside. God knew what he would find… though, knowing Harry, the van might have been a rentable library on wheels. Sirianna would be more likely to have some wild party with alcohol and drugs than Harry would be.

Jim finished his cigarette and quietly made his way inside, assuming that whichever boys stayed the night would still be asleep.

The house wasn't spotless and that was a good sign already. Harry had a little compulsive cleaning habit, always when he was upset. If the house was a little messy with shoes and some pop cans and a beer bottle here or there, then good.

There were kids all over the living room, only one that Jim raised an eyebrow at. Hargrove was kicked back on Jim's recliner, snoring. Joyce's older boy, Jonathan, had made a bed on the floor and had his long legs stretched out while he slept on. Harrington…

Jim sighed deeply and told himself it was fine, it was fine, he didn't need to shove the kid to the floor…

Harrington and Harry shared the fucking couch. With their heads on opposite arm rests, their legs were all tangled up together in the middle. Jim snatched a blanket to toss over them, more to not have to see that than anything else, and that was when he saw the fifth boy…

Eddie Munson?

Munson was asleep on the floor as well, curled up and dozing away beneath a blanket that Jim was pretty sure belonged to his own bed. Jim knew Munson, knew the boy was a drug dealer and general pain in the ass to the entire police force in Hawkins. When the fuck he and Harry became friendly enough to have a sleepover was the fucking mystery.

Jim shook it off, resisted the childish temptation to rip his blanket off the punk - the damn kid called him Gramps last time Jim questioning him - and went to check on the kitchen instead. He passed the dining room, paused to wonder who the fuck had decided to throw a monopoly board and the pieces for it all over the floor, then stopped again just inside the kitchen.

On the counter, clear as day, were a stack of Pringles cans. It was a pyramid made of Pringles, but that wasn't what had Jim's lips twitching as he fought back a grin.

It was the list that Jim wrote that laid on top of the pyramid, the one with the boxes for Harry to check off.

Friends, checked.

Food, checked.

Drinks, checked.

Entertainment, checked.

And the last one, the one that Jim worried for twelve hours straight wouldn't be checked…

Fun, checked.