𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓

Chapter 18

Previously...

After Draco's backup plan went down the tube and Harry's past became public knowledge, Harry found refuge in his new friendship with Zach. After finding out just what kind of friendship that was, Draco took his envy out on Harry, ultimately forcing the raven to realise how little his friends really know about him.

Mother Knows Best

Chapter Eighteen

Lullaby

Through the cheaply painted, pealing brick walls and industrial-grade linoleum tiled floors of a public high school's hallways, a younger, ganglier Harry practically sprinted in effort to get to his next class on time, knowing the Dursleys' would give him hell if the principal asked them to come in and speak with her again about his tardiness. He skidded to a stop in front of his homeroom, sniffing his clothes to make sure the evidence of what he'd done the night before wasn't fragrant. Though it had to have been over six hours since his marijuana-impaired reflexes caused him to spill his beer all over the sleeve of his jacket, he still smelled like Corona, weed and cigarette smoke. He sighed, but knew nothing could be done about it now.

The second bell had already rung nearly ten minutes before and with an exasperated roll of his eyes, Harry's homeroom teacher gave the raven a disapproving look, but otherwise didn't mention it and told him to take a seat in the only available desk at the back of the room. In his assent, dropping his book bag heavily down on the desk, Harry dropped equally heavily in his seat. He was still tried and a little hung over, but he was nevertheless able to make out the murmured whispers of his chipper classmates commenting on his late arrival, rough-looking appearance and existence in general.

"Whose bed do you think he rolled out of this morning...?"

"My sister said she saw him at the movies last weekend with some older guys. He was driving a motorcycle..."

"I dare you to ask him if he's stoned..."

Harry didn't understand why they just couldn't ignore him. He'd been going to this school for years, and you'd think they would be used to his presence by now, but everyday was the same thing; his classmates spreading rumors and talking amongst themselves about him like he was newsworthy and him trying in vain to block them out. Normally, he'd pretend he was alone in the room and let them talk, but today, he felt a pair of eyes on him, and since staring openly wasn't something his classmates usually did, Harry looked up, and it was the second biggest mistake of his life.

Gray eyes widened when they were caught staring and the boy quickly turned back in his seat. Harry couldn't remember ever seeing him before, so he must've been new, and even though Harry usually tried to ignore the student body as a whole, this boy caught him a bit by surprise. This was the poster-boy for what a fifteen-year-old boy should look like, Harry thought, like the pictures of the healthy, happy-looking kids featured in middle school text books.

"Who's he?" Harry heard the unfamiliar boy ask a moment later in a covert whisper, a new recruit for spreading rumors about him, no doubt.

"Harry Potter," a girl to the boy's right answered. "A total lost cause. He usually comes to class drunk or high, or both, if he comes in at all. Last week, he started a fight with my best friend's brother's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend and broke one of his front teeth in. There was blood everywhere and he didn't even get suspended for it..."

As the girl continued telling stories about him, Harry found himself angry at one of his gossiping classmates for the first time in a long time. He couldn't explain it, because normally, he wouldn't care what they had to say about him.