Closed Screaming Into the Void

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo hadn't managed to get a wink of sleep. He'd gone to bed, and just sat there for hours. He had long been able to just sit waiting for hours without moving. The Hufflepuff did as he was told, and now he realized probably why. Leo didn't know how many times he had been put under the spell, it was at least once, but part of him was worried that it had been a couple of times. Each to some end that he didn't understand. Was he a bad child? Had there been a time when he'd struggled to behave, but he couldn't remember it. He had always thought of himself as an easy child. Sometimes he hadn't wanted to do his chores, but he always did them. Leonardo was worried that if it all turned out to be true then he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get back to whom he could've been. He was broken, if this was true his grandfather had broken him. He couldn't smile for more than a second. Leonardo was weird to people, too formal, too serious. for now though, he could at least pretend that maybe it wouldn't be true.

Leonardo had come to the cliffs, for first time ever. It had been an area out of bounds, but he was sure that if a professor questioned him on it, his excuse would be fairly valid. He had come out early, skipping on breakfast and just walked to the cliffs. He'd always known where it was. The cliffs were beautiful, looming over the water, the air blowing lightly as it would when exposed as it was. It was warm but Leonardo's arms were folded over his front. Leo didn't sit down, did even that close to the edge, keeping a responsible distance away and he was just staring. Wondering if his grandfather was waking up to aurors, or if they'd wait a little. He knew he wasn't all that important. Leo could only imagine how frustrated his grandfather would be with all of this. Would he lie? Leonardo's mind was preoccupied as he stared.

ID #: 112246​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

it was a couple of minutes after seven as sky hurried up to the cliffs. part of her wondered if leo would show but another part was pretty sure he would. he was always one for rules and politeness and missing something scheduled asnt necessarily polite. as she rounded the last corner of the castle she saw a figure on the cliffs. she sped up towards him almost dropping one of the cymbals she was carrying in her haste. she had done a quick scout around and picked up a pair of symbols and an old bongo drum from the arts room and then stopped by the lakefront its self struck by an idea and collected a few smallish stones. "good morning Leo. how did you sleep" she said as she reached him

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo glanced as he heard someone approaching. He gave a little nod to Harmony, trying to give a smile but he felt too exhausted for that. He shook his head lightly. "I didn't," he replied simply, glancing at all that she had brought, not sure why she needed so much when they, or he, were just to scream into the void. Leo motioned to all of it, "What's all this?" he asked with a tired but a little curious tone. He was more settled than the night before, perhaps due to exhaustion, or perhaps just due to the initial shock of it all having worn off. ​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Sky approached Leo slowly, making sure she didn't drop anything he looked tired, there was a flat greyness to him "oh" she said when he said that he hadn't slept. She hadn't thought of what else to say. "If you struggle tonight can sit with you in the common room again." she said. setting down the bongos and cymbals, and stones. When he asked what she had brought the pointed to them. "well you seemed a little reluctant to scream last night so i thought maybe having something to hit would work and they were what came to mind. And my other thought was people seem to scream when they throw things like in sports like javelin or when they play tennis. so I thought throwing the stones may help too" she said shrugging. "you don't have to use them" she added shrugging.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo thought it was kind of her to offer but he shook his head. "No it'll be okay," he promised Harmony. He wasn't sure that he'd sleep any better but he wasn't going to force Harmony - one of only two friends that he had - to also stay awake. He'd be sure to stay out of the common room, he was sure that the other boys in the dorm wouldn't mind him reading or just sitting there. Leo glanced at the different things that she had brought and nodded. It seemed a little logical to him, perhaps he would manage better with just hitting something. "Thanks," he replied pretty sincerely. He reached out for the stone that she had picked up, he held it in his hand and looked towards the cliff edge. He felt the weight of the stone in his hand. "No one could possibly be down there right?" he didn't hit anyone with the stone and he wasn't sure how far he could throw it. He had to imagine there would definitely be no one down there. ​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Sky looked at leo as he responded to her offer taking his response at face value because she had learned not to overthink things with him. she was slightly pleased when he took the stone. glad that her idea was something he was considering. "you are welcome." she said. she watched him get ready to throw the stone band then stop. his next question made her think. "there is no one down there who you could hit." she said. as he walked closer to the edge he worried her a little with how close he was getting. maybe the cliffs were not a good idea she reached up and grabbed the rist nearest to her. "don't go too close to the edge. I don't want you to start cliff jumping" she said looking at him and still holding his wrist

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo looked towards the bottom of the cliff, there couldn't be anyway if he threw this that it would hit someone. He didn't want to hit anyone. He glanced down suddenly as he felt her take his wrist. he hadn't noticed how close he was and let himself take a step back. "I can't throw a rock without feeling like I'll get into trouble, Cliff jumping is definitely not what I'll do," he assured her with a serious tone. He held the rock in his hand and then glanced back out at the water. He could throw this, he could let it be his anger and frustration and let himself through it out. "It's just like hitting a wall, I get so close to throwing it, and then my brain says I shouldn't and I can't," ​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Harmony nodded once as leo said he had no intention of cliff jumping. "I am glad. it is a long way down" she said. letting go once he had taken a step back. she watched him as he got ready to throw a few times, but stopped before the stone had found enough momentum to leave his hand. she listened ot what he had to say and thought for a moment. "you play chaser. think of throwing a quaffle" she said. wondering if that would help.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo didn't glance towards the bottom of the cliff, just knowing it was a long way down. It was a very long way down. But he wouldn't get close to the edge, quidditch was the only thing with real height that he might do. Leo was just standing there glancing towards the water and he nodded as she spoke. "The quaffle serves a purpose, me throwing it serves a purpose," Leonardo replied. "I'm meant...allowed to throw it." he replied. He had the stone in his hand, he held it tightly. "I'm throwing this...for no reason...I'm throwing it to make myself feel better? I just feel like...like I'll get into trouble for doing something so pointless,"​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

sky watched as leo seemed to struggle with the stone. as though he was weighing it up against his conscience. she listened as he spoke. "making yourself feel better seems like an important purpose to me." she said. "maybe i shouldn't have brought you here maybe the quidditch pits would have been a better option. We can go there if you would rather. or did you want me to go first?" she asked. Moving a step closer to both him and the edge. she smiled, took in a deep breath and opened her mouth. the sound that came out was somewhere between a sing and a shout. A traditional way of singing from sheep farmers back home. She hadn't really learned it but had done a couple of classes it had been fun but not a skill she had thought she would ever use. and it was rather loud it had made her head hurt a little with the class. but she's glad about it now, i made her feel like she was home standing on a cliff besides a fijord and singing like an elf. she went for a few seconds before she turned to Leo "okay. your go" she said "let the noise out, however you can. even a whisper if that is all you have" she said.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo didn't think that making himself feel better would be that important. It would be important for other people to feel better, but he...his feelings they weren't as valid. Leonardo shook his head, "Could've only been the pitch if you were willing to get on a broom," he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Harmony on a broom, not least since first year. The boy just watched as she did it, letting out not quite a shout and not quite a tune. It was impressive, it seemed to echo somehow, he was impressed by it and if she could do it why couldn't he. He nodded as she told him to go. He took a few breaths, his mind on his grandfather, on all the work he'd done, all the rules he followed, of his father never being there, on being the freak at muggle school, and from a place deep inside him, he let out a short but loud yell. Cutting himself off and then blinking in surprise. It had helped. he knew it didn't solve the problems but it felt...easier.

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Harmony smiled as leo said they could have gone to the pitch if she would get on a broom. "I will get on a broom if it makes you feel better." she said. She didn't dislike flying. quidditch wasn't her thing, at least not playing it. but flying was a sort of freedom. you could go anywhere you wanted like the clouds that she had named herself after. it wasnt somethign she did often. there wasnt really much oportunity to fly at school other than on the pitch. and the pitch wasnt really the nicest place to fly. not like over the lake or forest. and she couldnt fly at home as there were far to many muggles around.
She watched as leo took another breath. inflating himself to let out a yell that shewas starting to think would never come. that was until a short shout cme out of his mouth that seemed to break the peace around them like a jagged dagger. "well done leo. did it help?" she asked hoping the answer would be yes.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo wasn't sure what he had expected to happen. He knew it wouldn't actually change anything about what happened. But he'd been feeling the need to release some energy, some emotions for once, from every that happened. He had not been someone who released emotions like that, who let himself feel like that. Leonardo's shout hadn't even been that much, it had ended almost as quickly as it started. He glanced at Harmony and there was an almost smile on his features for a quick second before he nodded. "I think so," he sounded unsure. "It doesn't make any of it go away…but…I feel a little better or I feel a little less anxious,"​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Harmony watched leo trying to work out what was going on inside him. he was often hard for her to read. not showing much of whath e was thinking on his face. but she was pretty sure just then was a smile. or at least the idea of a smile in his features. And just that idea made her smile. she returned his nod. "good. you can shout again if you want to" she said. she nodded sort of understanding what he was saying. "i know it wont make anything go away. nothing can change the past, it makes you who you are. I am happy you are feeling better. and feel even a little bit more at peace with it" she said. she moved forward and surprising herself as much as him she took his hand. "you're my friend.I like you. and that wont change. past or no past" she said. looking out over the landscape as she said it rather than at him.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo wanted to shout again. It had only been for a moment and he knew it would be good for him. He appreciated Harmony and her kindness in all this. She was a good friend, had always been since first year. Leo could also appreciate her sentiment of them remaining being friends. He had worried that everyone around him would change to feel sorry for him and what had happened. He wouldn't deal with that. "Thank you Harmony. You're a good friend," she had been his first friend in this school. He was grateful for her. "I like you too," He looked down at the stone in his hand and then while thinking of his friend and how he wanted to be okay for her and for others, threw it. His quidditch arm sending it much further.​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Sky smiled slightly as Leonardo said that she was a good friend. "Thank you. you are a good friend too" she said suprised when he he moved and the stone that he had been holding. that she had almost foroggen about went flying into the lake she watched it fall and eventually make a splash below them. "Well done. all that quidditch practice is paying off" she said. "how do you feel" she said holding out another stone in case he wanted to throw another.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo didn't think he was a good friend, but he nodded in some appreciation to harmony for saying it. She hadn't needed to and wasn't someone who held back in their words. He threw the stone and was quite pleased with how far it went. He glanced back at her with a sheepish shrug. "I can probably do better," he said, but he did feel a little more at ease. There was still a loud voice in his head telling him he was going to get into trouble, but it was distracting him from the stress of everything else. "This is distracting," Leo said with a nod. "So, I'm not worrying as much," ​

 

[Sky Eriksen]

Sky watched as leo threw the stone and it went sailing down towards the lake landing with a quiet, at least to them, splash. she smiled at his glance at her and shrug. it was kind of sweet. when he spoke she almost said that he didnt need to do better. but she smiled instead. "lets see you try?" she said. then she had a better idea as he thanked her. "happy to be a distraction. lets see who throws further" she said picking up a stone for each of them and getting herself ready to throw.

 

[Leonardo Orr]

Leonardo welcomed the competition she threw down. He gave a little nod and took the stone. He relaxed himself a little focusing on doing well at this. He wouldn't hold back with Harmony, intending to throw as far as possible and just expecting that it would go further. Leo got into a better position and then glanced to Harmony. "I'll count us down," he said before counting down from three and then throwing the stone hard. ​