"There was something terrible inside of him, something evil." Harry Potter is sick of being the Boy Who Lived, of being a bystander in his own life. He's sick of having to save everybody's lives every year, sick of being locked up all the time, sick of the media slander, sick of the incompetent Ministry of Magic - but most of all, he's sick of being helpless. Joel Lincoln is an outrageously bad influence, a muggle with a smirk that screams "punch me". He's jaded, he's interesting, he's cunning and sharp witted - and he's on his way back to New York, escaping St Brutus' disciplinary institution over Winter Break. Their worlds collide during the weeks of winter vacation and they're drawn to each other almost immediately, becoming inordinately close. After an eye opening experience, Harry decides to join his new friend Joel as he makes his way to America until he's of age - his only intention carving out a life for himself where he has a semblance of freedom before it's too late: but what he finds is so much better. Join Harry and Joel as they are thrown into the deep end of adult life while saving enough money to start again in New York, face a new and dangerous enemy, and fall in love. Will they find happiness, or will their pasts consume them? *Originally posted on AO3 but it got pretty popular so I'm posting it here too*