December 20th, 1888 - Great Hall, Hogwarts

Harrison could hardly believe that half of his fifth year was already drawing to a close. That meant, when he got back, he'd have to actually focus a bit more on his studies. OWLs would be looming over him. And though he was confident in his abilities (perhaps a bit too much), he knew he needed to put a little more effort into things. He couldn't very well let Calvin get the better of him on the tests, after all. And as sad as it may be, Harry was all about always doing better than his little brother.

But he didn't need to worry about that right then. It was his final dinner at Hogwarts before he'd be leaving to go home for the holidays. He'd seriously considered staying at the school but had changed his mind in the end. Going home seemed the best option, even if it meant it might be a bit more boring. At least then he'd be comfortable in his own bed and in his own home. Not that his bed there at Hogwarts would be considered anything but comfortable. It still just wasn't the same, at least not to him.

He'd been dishing up his dinner plate that evening when someone bumped him from behind. The resulting mess was quite irritating as the front of his robes got a good dose of gravy. "Excuse you," he said in a tone that was far from amused, eyes narrowed as he turned to face the culprit.

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#NolanSet

Archer wasn't sure if it was just him, or if the Great Hall was truly more packed than usual. At least, the volume level seemed to be elevated, making the skittish first year a bit overwhelmed. The upcoming holidays had everyone chatting more than usual, either excited to be returning home or anxious and dreading the break to come. He seemed to hover somewhere in the middle. Home meant it was a bit more quiet, but he wasn't so sure he could cope with his mother and sister's constant company again.

As laughter erupted to his right, and a few more boisterous classmates started jostling each other, and, in turn, him, Archer decided it was best he moved to a different location at the table. The noise had his shoulders scrunching up toward his ears. He desperately wanted to cover them, but he didn't want to draw unneeded attention to himself.

He nearly tumbled off of his seat at the bench, and, in his hurry to relocate to the other end of the table, he found himself inadvertently bumping poor Harrison. The small Ravenclaw didn't even realize what he had done until the boy's annoyed tone reached his ears. Slowly, he swiveled to face him, face growing to be a color somewhere between pale and puce. He hadn't meant to cause a mess.

"O-oh. I'm...I'm s-s-sorry."

His sweaty hands clenched a bit of his robes, and his eyes darted about as if he were having trouble focusing in the madness.

"S-s-sorry."

  

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MJ is the best!

Of course it would be one of the timid and fearful little first years to make the mess. Harrison couldn't help but to roll his eyes at the stuttering apologies being made. It only added to the frustration of the fifth year and it was becoming quite evident that he was annoyed. Though the annoyance had increased simply because of the other boy's behavior. It was sad, really, to be such a stuttering fool.

"S-s-sorry doesn't quite cut it," he answered in a mocking tone, mimicking the stutter of the the other boy with his eyes darting back and forth as if he were looking for the quickest escape path possible. He rolled his eyes again. "You should know better," he added, not about to let the kid get off that easy.

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#NolanSet

When Harrison began to mock him, Archer's palms started to sweat. His heart dully echoed in the space behind his eyes; the way it was racing started to make him feel dizzy and a little bit ill. Between the noise and the closeness of everyone in the Great Hall, he was already near his limit. His present encounter with Harrison Vance, had him teetering over the edge.

"I-it was just an a-a-accident," he stated, clearly apologetic. He couldn't seem to reign in the stuttering, and his legs had even started to shake, but that was probably at least partly hidden by his robes.

Why was he so hot all of a sudden? It was winter; he shouldn't be sweating. He tugged at the neck of his shirt, trying to make it easier for him to breathe, a heaviness forming in his chest.

"I...I'll help you clean it up."

  

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MJ is the best!

Harry rolled his eyes as Belby continued to stutter and tried to make it seem as if it was all okay simply because it was an accident. It wasn't okay though. He had gravy all down his front now and he was a boy that cared very much about appearances. He didn't like being dirty and he didn't like smelling. Both of which he now was thanks to the stuttering first year.

But when he said he'd help clean it up, Harry was quick to shake his head and ever brush him away. "No, you won't," he said in a tone that didn't allow for argument, "You'll just make it worse than it already is, I'm sure." He'd forgone mocking the boy's stutter but there was an obvious venom to his tone and with the way he sneered at him. With a mumbled curse of sort, he turned back to the table and grabbed up the nearest napkin without caring if it was someone else's or not and began trying to clean up the mess.

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#NolanSet

Why was his heart so loud? Was this what dying felt like?

Trembling hands raked down the side of his head, fingertips digging into his temples and folding over his ears. Was The Great Hall always so noisy? The chatter seemed almost deafening, as if the sea of people would soon begin to close in on him, trample him. Swallow him whole.

He couldn't breathe. The collar of his shirt was too tight. He had managed to pull his tie free from his throat. It dangled loosely from one shoulder, but it didn't seem to provide him any relief. Every fiber in Archer's body screamed at him to retreat, but he was frozen. He couldn't will himself to take a single step. It was a miracle his knees hadn't already buckled beneath him.

"I...I..." he stammered, but the small boy couldn't seem to be able to form any real words, even if it would just be an echo of his previous apologies.

The Ravenclaw managed to move one of his hands, silently inspecting the dampness that suddenly formed on his cheeks. When had he started to cry? With a sharp inhale, he struggled to find his breath, silent tears turning into shoulder shuddering sobs.

He couldn't stop. Why, Merlin, couldn't he stop?

  

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MJ is the best!

Harrison had been rather intent on just putting the puny first year from his thoughts. He was a nonissue at that point, a simple nuisance that had caused him to start forming a headache. Really, he'd focused instead on cleaning up the mess. That was, until a friend nudged him and nodded his head in the direction of where the first year was still standing.

Dark eyes were turned to Archer then. He'd been scowling initially, ready to give him more of a piece of his mind until he saw the way the boy looked. Was he crying? Merlin's bollocks, he hadn't even been that mean. Clearly this kid wasn't cut out for the real world. It was a shame he'd stayed where he was though as Harry was far from the type to console such things.

Instead of words of comforts, a bark of laughter left the chaser's mouth. And, as it was often the case, more laughter began to echo his own as the less than kind friends of Harrison Vance joined in of the mockery of the poor boy.

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#NolanSet

The laughter felt as though it were surrounding him and cutting off his air. He'd hoped that he would be able to hide the tears, but there was no controlling them at this point. Archer tried not to even glance in Harrison's direction, mourning over the fact they both were in the same house and could very often cross paths. Thankfully, it was right before break, and, maybe, the excitement of the holiday would dash the memory from the older boy's brain.

Jelly legs nearly tripped over each other as Archer made a hasty retreat. Tears blurred his vision, and he nearly toppled into yet another student as he dashed from the Great Hall. He wasn't certain where he was fleeing to; he would find out when he collapsed there.

  

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MJ is the best!