Love in a photograph

1V

The train ride to Boston is a day and a half, and Harry only cries a little after Ma and Gemma see him off at the station in Hastings. Gemma took him for one last ride around Hansen and Hastings the other day, and Harry's got it all burned into his memory as he chugs steadily away from it.

He's got enough sandwiches packed to last him the journey, courtesy of his mother, and a canteen filled with water. He's also got a map in his satchel marked with the directions from South Station to the law school on Tremont Street, where he's supposed to check in when he arrives. He's terribly anxious, nails chewed down to hardly anything. He's been distracting himself by drafting letters to Ma and Pa and Gemma in his head, but as it gets darker out the window of the train, he thinks it might just be better to settle in and sleep.

The train arrives in Boston late the following morning and Harry's eager to stretch his legs, to explore this city he's found himself in. He eats his last sandwich in the train station and then pulls out his map to find his way to the school, staring down at it as he makes his way outside.

Left on Atlantic Ave, right on Summer Street, across Washington Street and then left on Tremont Street for about a block and a half. He memorizes each turn he needs to take and then stuffs the map back into his satchel, wanting to be able to take in the city as he walks.

The biggest city he's ever been to is Hastings, and that's hardly even a city. He feels like a fish out of water, shouldering his way through the bustling streets of Boston, eyes wide for street signs and apologizing heartily to every person he bumps into. They must be able to tell that he isn't from around here, sparing him hardly a glance as they rush onwards to wherever they're going.

He feels a bit more at ease once he turns on to Summer Street, the busy crowds dwindling into meandering ones. He's found himself amidst a sea of shiny shops, and he can't help but peer into the windows as he passes, still careful to keep out of everyone's way. There's a bunch of lovely little shops, clothing stores and smoke shops and markets and everything Harry can imagine. There's even a drugstore that reminds Harry of Troy's in Hastings, and he makes a mental note to come back to it as soon as he has time.

He finds the law school eventually, checking his map once more as he rounds the corner onto Tremont Street that he's found the right place. The sign that's etched into the building above the doors reads Suffolk Law School, and Harry grins, stuffing the map away once again and pushing through the doors.

There's a man at a desk behind a window immediately inside the front door. Harry steps up

cautiously, giving him a friendly smile, and slips his acceptance letter through the small slot in the window.

"My name is Harry Styles," he says, watching the man at the desk glance at the letter and slide it back. "I'm here to check in?"

"Straight through these doors and all the way to the back," the man says uninterestedly.

Harry grins and snatches the letter back, pushing through the second set of doors and into the building. It's a large open room, marble floor to ceiling, and his footsteps echo loudly as he walks toward the next set of doors at the back. He pushes through those and into a small corridor, faced with yet another set of doors that leads to a function room, where he finds people milling about and chatting.

He walks up to the first table he sees and finds another man, but this one smiles at him like he's actually happy to see him. "Name?" the man asks, sorting through a box of papers in front of him and handing Harry one with his name on it. "This is your identification. Don't lose it," the man says.

There's a brief orientation with someone else and then Harry gets a quick tour of the school, which includes three floors of classrooms, a bookstore, and the law school library. Harry learns that there's another library across the street, but this one is specifically for law students, and he needn't worry about any of the other buildings at the college.