Chapter Text
Mention of abuse, possibly triggering themes, angst
I checked the journal again after dinner. Nothing had changed. With a sigh I fell back on the couch, pretty soon the common room would fill up with students and I would have to evacuate to the dorm. It was the unpleasant downside to being a introvert in a boarding school.
"What was your life like before this happened?" I heard. I rolled over to see Harrison staring up at me with unsettlingly green eyes. His scar peeked out from coming his messy bangs, and he pulled his knees to his chest.
"You have an affinity for asking question at the most random times." I commented.
"Apologies." He said, but he didn't mean it.
"I never had a lot of friends. My father scares people away and I prefer brewing alone, than talking with people." I told him. "I got my piercings done all at once when I went to Diagon Ally for new robes. A spur-of-the-moment decision that I don't regret. I have a little sister named Rosalie who looks more like Mom than I do. My favorite color is purple, and my birthday is August first."
Harrison bit his lower lip. "I never had friends because my cousin would threaten anyone he thought might like me. Back home, I'm really close to Draco and most people are pretty supportive. I usually make decisions by deciding whether or not my aunt and uncle would approve. If they wouldn't, I do it." I grinned widely at him. That was good logic.
"Both my parents are dead and everyone loves to milk it to try to get under my skin." He continued. "Also, I befriended a ghost who lives under the school."
"I have a journal that I found in a room a few floors up when I went looking for how to get home." I admitted. "It keep writing cryptic messages inside itself."
"I actually don't really want to go home."Harrison told me after that. We both paused and I fixed him with a confused stare.
"Why not?"
"Because you were right." He admitted. I wrinkled my brow in confusion and he looked away from me.
"You were right that first day here when you said they were... hurting me. My relatives." He said. "I figured this was a good escape because I still have Draco and they can't hurt me. " Harrison's voice sounded strained toward the end and it took me several moments to respond. What would I do if he broke down. Harrison didn't really do emotions.
"Why haven't you told anyone?" I asked quietly, trying not to trigger anything from him. I failed.
"I have!" He shouted, a loud sob caching in his throat. Harrison pulled his knees to his chet and buried his face in them. I slid down to side beside him and placed my hand on his shoulder. I knew some people didn't like to be touched when they were hurting like that. But Harrison leaned closer and wrapped his body around mine, burying his face in the crook of my neck and trying desperately to stifle his sobs. I froze for a moment before awkwardly rubbing his upper back with one hand and placing the other lower on his back.
He took several long moments to sob quietly into my shoulder before he raised his head just enough to speak.
"I told Dumbledore-my Dumbledore- in first year so I wouldn't have to go back that summer. The bastard only gave me the same "it's the safest place" bullshit and sent me away. My relatives were scared of me for a little while, but then my uncle took all my school things away and he-" Harrison choked on his words. I reached up to stroke his hair and he swallowed thickly.
"McGonagall had to come get me and all my things for the next year. She begged Dumbledore to at least investigate but he refused." He told me quietly. He sniffed loudly. "I'm sorry to do this to you." He said then, but he didn't pull away.
"It's alright. You clearly needed to get this off your chest and I happened to be here." I said.
"I'm not very good at emotional things.
"Neither am I."
"I'm not very good with friends either. Especially not ones I'll never see again."
I was quiet for a little bit, collecting my thoughts before responding.
"We all grow apart from people, even people we've poured our heart out to. But even over there, you have Draco and Blaise and Theo and whoever else. I bet they'll listen." I said.
"But they wouldn't understand it." Harrison said, he scooted back to face me. "You understand. You don't have a lot of people you trust and you aren't very good at being nice." I laughed quietly at that. "They're all pureblooded rich kids. They could buy friends if they got desperate, and their parents may not really love them, but they've likely never actually been hurt by their family."
"It'll be okay, Harrison." I said.
"It won't!" Harrison said sharply, shouting again. "It won't be okay! I can't do anything about it!"
"Have you ever thought about going to the Muggle police?"
Harrison was silent. He was thinking.
"No." He finally told me.
"Try them." I said. "Muggles take these kind of allegations seriously."
He nodded. "And what if nothing happens?"
"Run away."
"What?" Harrison looked a cross between alarmed and amused.
"I'm serious." I said. "Go stay with a friend or under a bridge or something. It's better than with them."
"That's true." Harrison looked thoughtful before he faced me again. "Thank you, Violet. You've helped me a lot." He said. Gently, he pressed a kiss to my cheek before he stood up and went to his dorm. I watched him go, then I stood and went up to my own dorm.
"There's a girl at the entrance to the common room. She says she won't go away unless you go with her."
I rolled onto my side and groaned. Hazel gently shook me.
"Please, Violet. She won't leave."
With a dramatic shout I sat up and stripped off my shirt. Hazel yelped and jumped away to give me privacy, despite how little I cared given that I'd been changing in front of them all for the whole term. I pulled on my uniform, grumbling about getting up early. I wasn't quite sure why I was getting up, but halfway through the common room it hit me as I pulled my hair inro a messy ponytail.
"Son of a bitch!" I shouted. Collectively, nearly the whole room shouted at me to watch my mouth and to shut up but I just pushed my way out of the common room and directly outside where Clara was waiting with Ginny Weasley.
"What the bloody hell do you want at the actual crack of dawn, Clara?" I hissed.
"We're getting coffee." She told me. Ginny watched me apprehensive.
"Oh. Good. I was very close to ending your life right here, but since coffee is in the deal, I'll let it slide." I said. Clara grinned, gripped Ginny's hand, and pulled her down the hall. I followed with a sigh, shoving my hands into my pockets.
We left the dungeons and went towards the Great Hall then stopped and went over slightly to where a large group of students gathered. It was mostly tired looking older students with books stacked over their heads, but there were some others in our years who were just there to see what was going on.
"That's Ruka Han." Clara told me. She gestured vaguely toward an Asian girl with shoulder-length white hair and a Ravenclaw tie. The girl was fiddling with the buttons on a strange looking machine and hading out hot cups of coffee to tired students who dropped a few sickle each in a little bag beside Ruka.
Suddenly the crowd parted and Professor McGonagall swooped in, took a cup from Ruka who held it out for her, dropped sickles into the bag and left without a word.
"Did that just happen?" Ginny whispered. I laughed and surged forward toward Ruka.
"What do you want?" She asked in a sweet voice that didn't match the time of day.
"I literally don't care." I told her. She laughed and pressed a few buttons on her machine before handing me a cup. I dug a few sickles out of my pocket, dropped them in the bag and turned to leave.
"Coffee acquired, now I'm going to get food and do my History of Magic work so I can take a nap once I come off my caffeine high." I told Ginny and Clara.
"Does McGonagall always come by?" I heard someone ask as I entered the Great Hall.
"Yes." I heard Ruka respond. "Gingerbread latte at eight o'clock sharp every morning except weekends."
I laughed to myself, sitting down at the table and grabbing a few strawberries. It always took me a moment to build up and appetite in the mornings. I yawned as I ate. The coffee was wonderful, but it really wasn't worth waking up earlier for.
1529 words
6/28/20