The Crow Was Not Final PV Adam Harringtom Closed

There was no precedence for this odd interaction, and Max was suddenly struck by the very real realization that he wasn't sure how to proceed from here. He'd called out purely on a whim because he'd recognized a previous classmate and someone he'd nearly made enemies with, yet there was no conscious thought in his head about what the conversation he wanted to have was about. As Adam approached him, he did the only thing he knew how to in a situation like this; he improvised.

"I am," he answered, rather impressed by the tone of Adam's voice. Despite everything, Adam was speaking as if there'd never been any dispute between them and they were mere acquaintances in passing. He could still remember the hospital wing, the harsh snapped questions and words between them, and it brought the ghost of a smile to his face. How very silly that interaction had been over bloodlines he hadn't understood back then. Besides, as far as he knew, Adam was wizard-born so there was no need for conflict between the two of them. It was time to turn over a new leaf.

His eyes briefly dropped to other boy's crossed arms and then up again, and in the back of his mind he wondered if things weren't quite as forgotten as they'd seemed. Rosalyn had told him body language was important; crossing one's arms meant putting a barrier up between them and the person they were talking to. That, or mimicking a hug to themselves because they were uncomfortable. Was Harringtom uncomfortable with this interaction now? While it wouldn't be surprising, Max instinctively wanted to put him at ease so he didn't make a future enemy among a wizard.

"I haven't seen many third years around," he began, slipping his thumbs into his pockets and keeping his posture open and casual. "It appears a lot of our peers have transferred out or simply stopped going to school altogether. A lot of new faces here, so it's good to see a familiar one." That's right; their year had to stick together. He didn't like the curious stares of second years he'd never met, nor the Muggle-borns like Maggie Parker giving him the stink eye.

"You know something, Adam, I've been thinking," he continued in a friendly manner, but he found that fake friendliness didn't really suit him so he dropped it for a more sincere approach. It would've been easy to take the small-talk path, but taking the easy way out never led to results as extraordinary as bulling ahead through the hard one. "I was an arse in first year, to be blunt. Some people deserved it and some didn't, but I think I ought to apologize to you because you fall into the latter class. You stood up to me and I respect that, you're quite the lad and you certainly make a good Ravenclaw."

It actually felt kind of good, to put it all out in the open and rid them of the awkwardness of an elephant in the room. His faded smile turned into a real one as he took a hand out of his pocket and stretched it out between them, a peace offering if Adam was willing to take it. "I'm still pretty much an arse now, but not to people I respect. What would you say to starting over?"

Standing next to Max felt like being inside of a lion's cage. Somehow, Adam had ended up on the wrong side of the barrier, and now he was trapped. A sense of imminent danger hung over the two boys as they made flimsy small talk. He'd come up with an adept analogy, if he did say so himself; the only difference was that lions were huge, wild killing machines, while Max was just a boy. Even still, that fact didn't do much to put Adam at ease.

When the Gryffindor boy spoke, he felt his heart jump, even though it turned out to be nothing more than two small words. When Max's glance fell to Adam's crossed arms, he had to fight the urge to instantly uncross them. He couldn't explain why he was so nervous, since Max had never attacked him, personally. Just the knowledge that he was capable of such a thing was enough to do it, maybe. Although Adam had punched someone once -- why wasn't he just as scared of himself?

It could have also been Max's towering reputation. Adam had heard a lot about him from Eris over the years they'd been in school, who seemed to admire all the things in Max that gave Adam pause. He was supposed to be a bully, a jerk, and a snob -- that's how Adam remembered him, at least, and that's the image he had built up from the few tales he heard. If this went at all like Adam thought it was going to, he would be paying a visit to the infirmary very soon.

Max, however, had a few surprises in store. He was acting against all of Adam's expectations: first a near-compliment, and then an apology? Just when the Ravenclaw had abandoned the naive notion that people could change, here was Max, seemingly changing in front of his eyes. He was so caught off-guard that he barely noticed Max offer his hand for a handshake. Struggling to remove his own hand from the pockets of his robes, Adam gripped Max's and shook it firmly, meeting his eyes.

"You were terrible in first year," he agreed with a smile, "and you're definitely an arse. But I really appreciate this, Max. Thank you. I think it would be great to start over." He didn't want to be the first to end the handshake, but he wasn't sure how long it was supposed to last -- he'd just be safe and leave his hand there until he felt Max pull away. Hell, he might even give the Gryffindor boy a hug, if it was offered. The more time he had to think about the kindness that Max had just showed him, the more it meant in Adam's heart. He was in need of some decency.

"You know, I was actually wondering, if it's cool with you..." Realizing he didn't know exactly what he was asking for, Adam took a second to realign his thoughts. "I need to learn how to be more confident. I don't want to let people walk all over me anymore, you know? I want to show people that I can take care of myself, or that I mean business, or something like that. I don't really know how to put it into words, but do you get what I mean?" He sighed, hoping he wasn't overwhelming Max already. "Really, I think I just need to be more like you. Do you...have any pointers?"

First-year Adam would've been shocked to hear the question coming from third-year Adam's mouth. But times were changing, and if Max had gotten over the past, it was only fair that Adam joined him. Deep inside of him, there was still the unshakable feeling that he was heading down a treacherous path. After two equally-treacherous summers, however, he was ready to take some risks.

Risks like Max Avery.

Max gripped Adam's hand back just as firmly, shaking it as he scoffed. "You weren't supposed to agree with me," he said, but from his voice and grin made it was clear he was just kidding around. He continued shaking Adam's hand, wondering when the Ravenclaw was going to let go. It was great that they were 'making up' in a way since they'd had such a tumultuous first year, but the longer the handshake went on the more awkward this was going to get. Was this how normal wizards who weren't purebloods did it? Out of courtesy, Max continued the handshake.

At Adam's next words, Max's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. He'd never found Adam lacking confidence or being the type to let people walk all over him, but sometimes people perceived themselves differently from the inside than others did from the outside. It was hard to believe that the Ravenclaw boy wanted pointers from Max of all people; as much confidence as he tried to project outwards, he'd been beaten up a couple of times and had zero strength. But strength itself didn't make someone menacing, and if Adam really thought he needed some help with it then Max had no problems becoming a de facto teacher. Adam had the potential to be extremely intimidating. This could be a lot of fun.

"I'm honoured you feel that way," Max answered, considering their next move as he continued shaking Adam's hand. "Yeah, I'll help you to the best of my abilities. We'll turn you into a wizard that can even scare purebloods." He could picture it now, especially since Adam was a Ravenclaw and so should be able to easily develop the proclivity to look down at people who were being idiots. There was something about the blond that was naturally calming too... like being in his presence made you relax. That was new since first year, and it was a trait that already automatically added to one's confidence level. People who were outwardly calming at all times seemed good under pressure.

He had a ton of things in his head he could do to help out, but his father's words from when he was very young suddenly came back to him, giving him pause. 'The people you most want to impress will know if you're faking it. You have to work with what you actually have, not with what you'd like to have.' That's right; just like Max could never seem scary from having a large muscular body, there were probably things Adam didn't have either. For this to work, he'd have to get to know the Ravenclaw. Like, really get to know him so they could figure out his strengths and use them to create a true persona, not just a mask.

"First, I need to get to know you better. You'll have to tell me more about yourself, and since we've already come this far, why not skip today's class?" That's right; the prefects should already all be in class by now and it wasn't like a professor was going to come searching for them when the profs had classes to run. If caught they might get in trouble later, but right now they had the time. It would be a perfect way to kill the afternoon. And maybe, somewhere along the way, Max and Adam would stop shaking hands like they were still doing.

It was very nice, holding -- er, shaking hands with Max. It created a physical connection between the two boys that reinforced the words they were saying, adding another layer of forgiveness to the exchange. A handshake didn't mean everything, and Adam knew that; Max could easily be conning him, lying through his teeth as he led Adam into some dark dungeon where he'd be at the Gryffindor's mercy. Though it seemed unrealistically cruel, Adam knew what some of his classmates were capable of. This handshake felt like a promise, however, that there was nothing lurking around the corner for Adam to fear. There was just Max, repentant Max, who was looking for a fresh start that Adam was happy to give.

That being said, it was also the longest goddamn handshake in the history of...anything. Every time Adam thought that they were about to pull away, Max reaffirmed his grip and they just kept on shaking. He had never seen an adult handshake last this long. He was almost positive that they were past the point of normalcy, but he didn't want to be the one to break it off. That would be a sign of weakness, wouldn't it? Adam didn't want to show weakness in front of his confident new friend. Or maybe it would be just the opposite, a sign of strength, of command -- it was all so confusing. Such complicated politics over such a small gesture. It was making the Ravenclaw's head start to spin, and that didn't bode well for the blonde boy at the brink of a world of pureblooded sharks.

He tried not to let himself get distracted from the person in front of him, because when Max started talking again it was a relief beyond measure. He was going to help! That was phenomenal news, although Adam had no idea where they would even start. He hadn't had much of a plan in mind past the asking bit, so he was glad to hear that Max did. The finer points of that plan, however, caught him entirely unaware.

"Why not skip today's class?" The question came so easily from Max's lips, but it absolutely stunned Adam. The surprise was enough to jolt him into breaking away from his treasured handshake, all of his attention focused on processing what Max had just asked of him. Skipping class -- was that even considerable? It had certainly never come to Adam's mind, not in any serious ways, at least. He might have joked about it once or twice, but the action was next to inconceivable. Even if he was brave enough to do it, Adam had just never had reason. That did beg the question, though: now that he had a reason, could he do it?

It wasn't like Max was asking Adam to run away with him. They'd just miss one class, a lesson that could be easily made up. And they'd be replacing it with a lesson of their own, if Max really did want to get to know him. Maybe there was only one answer here. After all, the Gryffindor had asked it so casually, like it was nothing. If Adam wanted to be more like him, shouldn't he answer in the same way?

"Y-yeah," he replied, voice quivering to his dismay. Clearing his throat, he tried to put himself together before answering again. "Okay, yeah. Yes. I'm really glad you can help." His eyes flickered to the doors every second now, half-expecting Headmaster Lear to burst through and incinerate the two boys for the notion of cutting class. "Why waste a beautiful day inside, right? It's much nicer out here."

Now that he knew they would be here for a while, Adam searched for a bench they could sit down on. It wasn't exactly beautiful out, like he'd described, and the cold wind was enough to bring a red tint to Adam's cheeks, but it wasn't like they could go inside for a while. They were delinquents, practically fugitives. They'd be hunted down the minute they set a foot in the corridors. Much better to hide out here in the courtyard, as long as Max didn't mind it. Luckily, there was an old stone seat a few paces from the boys, and Adam beckoned Max to follow him over to it. Once he was comfortably seated, his hands sitting restlessly in his lap, he looked up at the Gryffindor boy and smiled unsurely.

"So, what do you want to know?"

Adam finally broke the handshake, and Max couldn't help an amused eyebrow raise at the hesitation in the other boy's voice. It made sense; it was no great sacrifice to Max, who'd already taken the classes he was being forced to attend, but for Adam the subjects were all new. Not to mention the fact that he was from the House known to love learning - Max could understand his consternation and was rather impressed how easily he'd agreed. A strength already; prioritizing which type of learning he felt was the best and making a split-second decision based on what he thought would bring the most benefit.

As if deciding had given him more confidence, Adam's tone became more casual and Max bit back a smile as he followed the other boy to the seat. Lightly stomping some warmth back into his feet, he considered both Adam's question and the answer to the cold problem. Holding up a 'just a moment' finger, he took a second to pick up a bunch of small stones from the ground. Setting them up in a small circle on the bench beside Adam, he furrowed his brow thoughtfully before he realized his robes didn't matter since they weren't going to class. "I think the first thing that's important is the way you deal with conflict."

He shrugged off his coat, then his robe. "So, say you're on a sinking ship with a bunch of people but you only have room for four on the lifeboat." Setting his robe aside, he put his coat back on and suppressed a shiver. "There's... a young twenty-something banker, a seventy-three year old doctor, a middle-aged priest, a woman with a child, a pregnant woman, the old doctor's wife, the ship's captain, a famous sports player, and you. You have to pick four out of that lot." He picked up his robe , measured it with his eyes, then lifted it to his mouth to bite into it and start tearing strips off with his teeth.

"Woman and kid count as one each," he said, voice muffled as he tore another strip off his robe. "No help's around, there's no way to save 'em all. You figure there's an island about a half-hour paddle away." He finished tearing about half the robe up and took the majority of the strips, piling them into the stone circle he'd made. Taking his wand out, he pointed it at the strips and muttered a quick 'Incendio.' A small flame flared up and quickly caught the fabric, growing to a tiny, cheery fire that gave off just enough heat for someone sitting on or right near the bench.

"Who are you picking and why? There isn't any real right answer, but your justifications will say a lot about you." Scooping up the remaining robe-strips, Max wrapped them around his hands like makeshift gloves, warmth suffusing through his fingers as he stretched now-clothed hands out over the small fire he'd made. Preparations for comfort made, he crouched beside the bench and peered up at Adam expectantly, curious what the answer would be since every person seemed to give a different one.

When Max had said that they were going to deal with conflict, Adam had half-expected that he was about to be hit in the face. Given the behavior he'd seen from the Gryffindor boy in the past, it didn't seem like an irrational assumption. His eyes flickered nervously to the collection of pebbles Max had arranged on the bench, knowing (also from experience, but that was a whole different story) that they'd make great ammo. Luckily, Max seemed to have changed just as much as Adam had since first year. There wasn't any physical conflict to worry about.

Instead, they were going to focus on the ethical side of things. Or was this moral? Ethics, morals...he didn't know the difference. Whatever way you labeled it, Adam was in charge of the fates of a whole cast of characters now. He'd heard of these sorts of games before, even played a few, but he'd never been able to come up with a confident answer. He had a feeling that wasn't going to fly this time around. As he listened to the story that Max laid out, he had to admire the other boy's attention to detail. Each of the characters had something designed to trip him up, some small detail that made it that much harder to choose. The scenario was just as tricky, and it left Adam with a very uneasy feeling. He knew that all of it was just imaginary, but that didn't make anything easier. He was trading lives.

"Okay, so..." Adam began as Max finished instructing him, moving closer to the miniature fire blazing between them. He flashed Max a grateful smile for the extra warmth before retreating into his head to think about it. A banker, a doctor, a priest... The doctor was most practical, but the priest could keep people level-headed and at peace. Was that worth one of the limited spots on the lifeboat though? A mother, a child, a pregnant woman... He couldn't bear the thought of separating a kid from his mom, or the other way around. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving the pregnant woman to die, either. He'd have to come back to this one. The doctor's wife, the captain, the athlete... If he took the doctor, it was only right to bring the wife. The captain would know how to command the lifeboat, too. He'd be a natural leader. Me.

There wasn't much trouble with that one. Adam had known from the start that he wouldn't be saving himself. If asked about it, he could give no real reason for staying behind, other than that it just felt right. Why would he, Adam Harringtom, be more worthy of a spot on the boat than a mother or a doctor? Wouldn't it just be selfish to do it any other way? No, he wasn't going to be on the list. That left four spots still open. Thinking through the cast once more, running through a mental bracket, he dwindled down to four options and leaned forward to tell Max.

Something was off. With the first of the names on his lips, Adam hesitated and thought back over the prompt. Sinking boat...four saves....island. There was an island nearby, but they had to row to it to make it there. "Shit," he muttered quietly, biting his lip and throwing an apologetic look Max's way for the curse word. This newly-remembered information changed everything. He hadn't thought twice about saving the pregnant woman beforehand -- now, he wasn't so sure. Could she make it all the way to the island?

Okay, okay. He had this. He could get through this. Adam ran through the mental gauntlet more slowly this time, evaluating each of his choices carefully. He tried to picture himself on the sinking boat, surrounded by these people. Finally, when he thought he knew what his decision was, he looked back across the fire at Max and nodded.

"Alright. Four people get saved, no more than that." He winced a little bit as he thought about the imaginary victims he was getting ready to leave for dead. Adam held up one finger as he named his first choice. "The doctor's first. He's got the best chance of saving the other three if something happens. People trust doctors too." Another finger went up. "Two. The sports player. He's probably young, and probably strong, if he's famous. He can row for a while and there'll be people on the lookout for him." A third finger, chased by the fourth and final, joined the other two. "The mother and the child. Three and four. I just...I needed to. I don't really have a logical reason, but I guess it gives the group something to live for if there's a kid, you know?"

He was quiet for a little bit, giving Max time to comment on his choices if he felt the need to. Adam didn't know if he'd passed or failed the test, or if it was a test at all. Maybe there really wasn't a right answer. He wondered what Max had gotten from this game, what he'd discerned about Adam. Even Adam didn't really know what had been discerned about Adam. He'd just have to wait and find out.