11 September 1890 — The Great Hall; Lunch

It's Friday, the last day before your have a weekend break for classes. Both of you are absolutely relieved, as this next year has certainly begun with you hitting the ground running! During what you both think is going to be an uneventful Friday afternoon lunch, Thomas Montgomery approaches the Gryffindor table and asks Sloane Bixby if he could have the jug of orange juice, as they've run out at the Ravenclaw Table.

The orange juice barely makes it off of the table when it suddenly ends up all over someone!

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THOMAS MONTGOMERY & SLOANE BIXBY
— Billie Farrow | @"Elsie Beauregard" —

  

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After an... eventful morning and skipping out on most of breakfast, Sloane was ready to eat her own arm by the time lunch rolled around. She was absolutely famished, borderline ready to pass out when she finally slumped down at the Gryffindor table. She hadn't even looked around to see if any of her friends were already there, pulling a plate toward herself and piling food onto it. By the time she was done, it was topped with more than her little body should be able to hold, but she was confident she could finish it off.

It was then that she was tapped on the shoulder. Sloane turned around to find Montgomery looking down at her, asking about orange juice. "Oh, sure, I suppose so." Something must have been off about the charm that refilled the pitches. Reaching out to pull the closest one toward her, Sloane lifted it toward the Ravenclaw- but of course the transfer couldn't be a smooth one. Somehow, between them, the next thing she knew she was soaking wet, covered in cold, sticky juice. Letting out a loud squeal of disapproval. Sloane stood up immediately, trying to wipe the stinging liquid from her eyes.

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After having to restart the whole process of keeping a mandrake leaf in his mouth, Thomas had decided to be extra careful this go-around. He had been keeping his anger, mostly, in check. He had attempted to keep life as predictable as possible. He had even been erring on the side of caution and watching what food and drink he took in. The strange diet wasn't doing much for his already gangly figure.

Lunch could be a bit tricky if the foods were more dense and hearty. He needed to be cautious and make the bites extra small, but it was time consuming. To make himself feel more full, he had taken to sipping on juice. However, when he went to reach for it, he found the pitcher empty. Even further down the house table sat empty pitchers.

Just his luck.

With an annoyed breath, he stood up from the table and stalked over to Miss Bixby; she sat in front of the first full pitcher he could find. When she agreed to hand it over, he beamed, "Thank you. I think we have a juice drought. I don't know what's going--"

But something happened in the hand-off. He wasn't sure whose fault it was, but part of the juice was suddenly on the poor Gryffindor, and the rest pooled around his feet, along with the shards of glass that was once the pitcher.

"Merlin's--" He stopped himself
mid-shout before getting himself worked up. He even took a few breaths. Merlin, had he been body snatched?

His fingers flexed and closed into a fist about five times before relaxing.

"Are you alright, Miss Bixby? I am unsure what--" He gestured around at the mess.

  

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By the awesome MJ <3

Oblivious to the Ravenclaw's inner turmoil, Sloane was far too preoccupied with the fact we're was covered in juice and currently couldn't see for the sting in her eyes was miserable.

"Napkin! Preferably wet!" She was wiping furiously at her eyes, but with wet sleeves she wasn't getting anywhere! What a day this had been. Honestly!!

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Oh, right, he should probably help the poor girl instead of babble at her. He had been much too focused on not cursing until they could hear him in the Astronomy Tower.

Thomas pushed his way closer to the table and fumbled about for a napkin. He snatched up the closest water he could find, which also happened to be someone's drinking glass. He poured a good amount onto the napkin and then thrust it out toward one of Sloane's hands. "Here!" He flailed about with it for a minute before it made contact with her fingers.

  

Reactive tears leaked from her eyes, taking out some of the pain, but it wasn't getting her very far. Finally a damp napkin found its way into her hands and she immediately between to dab at her eyes to clear up the mess, on her face at least.

Experimentally she opened her eyes and was startled to find everything was a little fuzzy. Oh no, nooo! "I think I need to go to the infirmary." She announced uncertainly. This was not good.

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"Of course," Thomas agreed, inwardly cursing. Of course he would go and blind a girl with orange juice. Wonderful. Although he didn't know Sloane even slightly well, he assumed she was like most quidditch girls. They didn't just request the infirmary all willy nilly.

Ignoring the juice and glass mess he could have easily cleaned up with a spell, he glanced back at Sloane. "I'll escort you there." Without being able to see clearly, she would never make it.

If their height difference wasn't so ridiculous, Thomas might have offered his arm. It would have only been proper, but he wasn't so sure the tiny Gryffindor could locate it far above her head. Instead, he reached down and tried to gently guide her by her elbow, a blush starting to color where his cheeks met his ears.

"Erm, hold on how you...think is best?"

Merlin.

  

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By the awesome MJ <3

Was this school year somehow going to be worse than last year? She survived last year in one piece. It hadn't been pretty and not nearly as enjoyable as she would have liked, but this year was already proving to be more awkward. How was that even possible?

"Thank you," She managed, feeling his hand at her elbow. He was even taller than Cam, likely a whole foot taller than she was! It must have looked like he was helping out a first year from across the room.

Sloane was still using the napkin to dull the sting, keeping it pressed to her eyes, warily looking around without much success. "That's fine," She motioned vaguely towards her elbow, trying not to make it any more awkward. "Sorry to ruin lunch." She added, pretty sure this was ninety percent her fault for a bad handoff.

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Was Miss Bixby really in fourth year? How could she still be so tiny? He very awkwardly kept his hand on her elbow and helped steer her out of the Great Hall. Thankfully, others saw them coming and gave them a wide berth, but the stares were piercing.

"It's quite alright. I think we are both at fault." Truly, he wasn't sure what had happened. Perhaps, the pitcher had been tampered with. Why else would the rest of the ones he'd seen remained empty?

They reached the stairs, and he inwardly groaned, pausing. "We, erm, have a bit of stairs coming up." He hoped she could manage.

  

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By the awesome MJ <3

Sloane was thankful that Mr. Montgomery was being very genial about this. She certainly would have had a hard time navigating the hallways to the infirmary without help. She would have certainly had a friend come along soon enough, but the sting was pretty strong and as fond of Cam as she was, they'd already had a bit of an awkward day and he would have no doubt overreacted.

"No worries," Sloane felt the edge with her foot and climbed the staircase with confidence. She was almost as graceful on foot as she was on a broom. Well, almost. Her coordination and sheer determination would get her up the stairs without further incident. "Did you have a good summer?" Might as well attempt some small talk on the way.

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Merlin, this was awkward.

Thomas wasn't terribly fond of small talk, but his grandmother had raised him to be polite, so the words came easily. "It went well enough. The World Cup was certainly the most eventful part." He'd spent most of it, shoulder deep in animagus research, and the rest had been a disaster, but he was sure Miss Bixby didn't wish to hear of such things.

"Did you have a nice summer?" He shot back, leading her down the corridor. He shot glares at anyone who so much as strayed near their path or gave them even a hint of a weird look. Thomas wasn't about to allow for anyone to trip Sloane up or engage in unneeded gossip.

  

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By the awesome MJ <3

Sloane nodded along as she carefully moved up the staircase toward the infirmary. "That it was." She almost chuckled, but the final match of the World Cup was nothing to laugh at. So many injuries and then the chaos in the stands. It certainly hadn't been what she'd envisioned.

"Mine was alright, had a wild adventure in the Black Lake where I was attacked by the giant squid trying to save a kitten from a rowboat along with some friends." So many crazy things happened this summer it was ridiculous. This school year was off to a similar start.

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Thomas blinked in response to the Gryffindor's description of her summer. I he had been escorting Sloane to the infirmary for any other reason than OJ in the eyes, he might have decided she was having some sort of fever dream. Merlin, giant squids and kittens?

"That certainly sounds..." Dangerous. "Eventful. I do hope the kitten survived, then?" Obvious she and her friends had lived to tell the tale. While he wasn't up to date on all the events detailed in the Prophet or Witch Weekly, he was sure that he would have heard about a student's death before now.

By then, they had arrived at the Infirmary door, and he sought to open it before she walked into the wood. He began to usher Sloane inside, looking for the nurse whose sight wasn't ever really all that welcome, grumpy as she was.

  

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By the awesome MJ <3

If Sloane remembered the way to the infirmary correctly (which she did, somebody was always in there), they were almost there. "Oh yes," Sloane hissed as she felt the sting in her eyes refresh. "She's the large white cat following any given Gryffindor around on any given day." Or Calla, or sometimes even Anne. Splash got around just fine.

Once inside the infirmary, she could smell the potions and sterile environment even if she couldn't see it. "I'll be alright from here on out, thanks for walking me up." She assured Mr. Montgomery with a pained smile.

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