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Harry later retracted that thought as he inconspicuously observed Jasper and his siblings sitting together at their lunch table. This mystery was an issue. They all had that silky feeling of death clinging to them, and it was an absurd anomaly. He resolved to speak with Hermione on it later. He sat at a corner table of the cafeteria, alone and back facing the wall. It was a wonderful advantage point to have, and nobody could sneak up behind him this way. As he sipped idly from a water bottle, he listened to the loud chatter from a table nearby filled with teenagers.
Earlier, he had hastily departed from History, trying to make it to his next class while avoiding the congestion of students roaming the halls during the passing period. His second period had been 12th grade English with a Mr. Berty. It had been uneventful and quiet, thankfully, and Harry thought already that he might enjoy this class. Despite what he acted like at Hogwarts, reading books was actually one of his favorite pastimes. Years of “correction” from Vernon had taught him not to publicly indulge in this, lest he make Dudley appear a dolt. Harry personally thought Dudley did a fine job of making himself look like an idiot anyways, but he still avoided reading outside of his cupboard and later room, if only to avoid the pain that followed otherwise.
His third period was Trig, something he wished he had paid more attention to when he had gone over material with Hermione. He figured he’d be flooing her for help often. His fourth period was a free one, as he had tested out of the language requirement. Turns out teaching Latin to himself through the years at Hogwarts and becoming as fluent (as he could be) had actually paid off for more than just understanding spells. He spent that time in the library, cuddled up in a comfortable chair and reading.
He had made his way to the cafeteria afterwards, and after finding an empty table to sit at, sat to gather information about the students around him. Harry had immediately latched onto the table with an apparent new girl sitting with them, mildly surprised that he hadn't seen her retrieving her schedule, before remembering that he had been running late earlier.
“Who are they?”, the girl asked.
“The Cullens.”, another answered her.
A third girl leaned into the conversation, beginning her spiel of gossip.
Harry was silently fuming by the end of the exchange, fists clenched white, angry at the unfair descriptions of the family. He knew all too well the feeling of being constantly disparaged for things that weren’t true, and having no control to absolve those false notions either. The comment about Mrs. Cullen's medical issues was uncalled for, he thought, and was not something to discuss amongst peers as a point of gossip- especially when it was clear from the anger he felt radiating from the Cullens that they heard this jab against their dear mother.
As he gathered his bag to leave the cafeteria for a smoke, he paused by the table, stating idly, “It sure would be awful if someone would be saying similar nasty things about you and your parents, wouldn’t it, Jessica? A few… negative aspects of your character already stand out to me.”
The slight smile on his face as he turned and walked from the indignant sputtering of the girls belied the quiet rage simmering in his gut. Eyes cutting over to the Cullen’s table, he noted the surprise on their faces. A set of amber eyes met his, and the boy, Edward, Harry noted absently, mouthed ‘Thank you.’ Smirking slightly, he nodded in acknowledgement towards the family.
A brief presence at his occlumency shields made his mouth twist in confusion, but he quickly shook it away as paranoia and continued on his trek to the doors.
He ambled out the doors towards a corner of the building tucked away from view, leaning against the brick walls as he fished a cigarette out of his jacket pocket. Placing it in his mouth, he looked around discreetly before snapping his fingers to produce a flame. Now lit, he inhaled deeply, savoring the rough taste and the rush it always gave him. He stared out towards the forest, a content expression on his face as plumes of smoke billowed around him.
The shrill ringing of the bell interrupted his peace, and he scowled as he realized he’d now have to go back to class. After one last drag, Harry flicked the stub to the ground before extinguishing it with his foot as he ground it into the dirt.
He quickly strode back into the building, making his way through the crowds to Biology. Walking through the door frame, he stole an empty seat behind Edward Cullen and deposited his bag to the side of his table. His eyebrow raised in interest as he watched the interaction between Cullen and Bella as she walked through the breeze of the fan. Harry’s sharp eyes took in the tenseness of Edward, as well as the fact that his breathing had seemed to cease. Yet he was fine.
Pale, with amber eyes, good hearing, able to go a prolonged time without breathing, and feels like death.
‘Oh.’, Harry thought numbly. The puzzle pieces that had been nagging at him since he first saw the Cullens this morning finally connected. Hysterical laughter threatened to bubble out his mouth as the humor of the situation became realized to him. Of course he had found vampires in the smallest town that he had randomly chosen. Draco would die of laughter when he told the blonde.
‘So', he continued, 'Perhaps that really was someone trying to see past my shields this afternoon. Well, no time like the present for a little experiment.’
Mind made up, he took a deep breath and partially let his shields down, just enough for someone to hear thoughts directed towards them. Staring at the back of Edward’s head, he projected, ‘Hello there, Eddie.’
The vampire jumped in his seat as if struck by lightning, tenseness in his frame only furthering.
Harry continued, ‘Struggling with the blood of your singer a bit, are we, hmm? Ah, you and the rest of your vampire coven’s secrets are safe with me.’ Edward’s frantic eyes met his as the man turned around to look at Harry. ‘Really, it’s no worry. However, I must ask that if it was you trying to get into my mind earlier, please never try it again. I won’t be so nice next time.’
The man hesitantly nodded, confusion shining clear in his eyes. Confusion bled away into a glare aimed at Harry, making it clear he wanted an explanation. Harry’s mouth quirked up at the side, and he lightly nodded in agreement. Appearing assuaged for the time, the russet-headed man turned back around to the lecture. Bella was none the wiser as she sat quietly next to him.
Edward was up and out of the room as soon as the bell signaled for the end of the period, leaving Bella frowning in confusion at his hasty departure and disappearance from the halls. Harry amusedly trailed behind the plain girl as they traveled to the administration office. Entering into the room, he noted the presence of Edward trying to sweet talk the middle aged woman into letting him switch to a different sixth period science. Without yield, it seemed, as his voice became increasingly pleading. He cleared his throat lightly, bringing attention to himself, and by extension, Bella.
Edward’s expression soured as his now dark eyes met the sight of the girl, and he tensely turned back to the staff member. From the corner of his eye, Harry watched Bella shrink into herself, looking frightened.
“I’ll just… endure it.” Edward quickly made his way out of the building, nimbly stepping through the crowds in the parking lot as he reached the silver Volvo and his siblings.
Harry silently turned in his slip, before also disappearing in the parking lot amid the students lingering. Mounting his bike, he prepared to start it and drive off before he felt the sudden presence of a person appearing beside him.
Looking to his side, he met the eyes of one Alice Cullen, smiling widely at him as she thrummed in excitement.
“Hi! I’m Alice! You’re Harry, right?” At his nod, she continued, “We are going to be the best of friends, I know it! You and Jasper, too!” A playful light entered her eyes at that last part, and he shuddered in dreaded anticipation at the similarity to the Weasley twins’ expressions before one of their elaborate schemes. Her decisive tone was not lost on him, either. ‘A seer, perhaps?’, he mused.
“See you around, Harry!” Alice pulled him into a quick hug before flitting back over to Jasper and Rosalie.
Harry remained motionless for a second, reeling from the contact before shaking it off and peeling out of the lot, motorcycle engine rumbling.
—
He toed off his shoes at the foyer, slinging his bag off his back and onto the wooden floor. The man finally let his body untense, now that he was alone and away from the horrors called public school. He spelled his school clothes into comfy sweats and relaxed further. Sighing deeply and roughly rubbing his face with his palms, he ambled into the kitchen before grabbing a bottle of liquor out of the cabinet. Sinking miserably to the floor, he took a deep gulp, foregoing a glass. The harsh burn of the vodka sliding down his throat was invigorating.
‘Cedric’, he mourned. Hiding his initial reaction to Edward’s face had been hard. Seeing the familiar features of his long deceased schoolmate on a living (ha) person had been like a slap to the face, a cruel joke of the universe. He wondered if the jagged chasm within his heart would ever be healed, the memory of seeing Cedric be murdered before him, as well as dozens of others during the Battle of Hogwarts, filled him with a deep set agony. A haze settled within his head as the alcohol began to course through his veins. He sat morosely on the cold floor in the dark for hours, barely cognizant, with glass bottles strewn around him.
He was broken from his drunken stupor a time later as the sound of heavy knocking reached his ears. “Who could be at my door?”, he slurred as he pushed himself up and stumbled clumsily to look through the peephole. There on his porch stood Bella Swan and her father. Squeezing his eyes closed, he pressed his forehead to the door while muttering curses under his breath at their inconvenient timing. At least it wasn’t a bunch of Ministry asses, he supposed. Composing himself fractionally, he accio’d a sobering potion (kudos to Draco for that one, it was a lifesaver sometimes) and downed it before sighing resignedly and opening the now unlocked door to face the father daughter pair.