Couldn't Resist ((Harmony))

[carr]

"Oh, don't cry little one." Carr told the second year as he took a seat next to her in the Courtyard. Wendi Parson rolled her eyes in a way that Carr had never seen the second year do before. Wendi was never that cocky, that weird. Carr stared at her for a moment. Wendi didn't have tears in her eyes. She just looked mad. "Not, in the mood Carr McDuff." Wendi said putting her little arms around her waist. Carr nodded. "Fare enough Parson, but I've never seen you like this before." He said in his bright tone. "Usually, you're my little partner in crime." He said lightly poking her in the ribs in a joking way. Wendi sighed with a distant look on her face. Something was wrong with her. Carr had known this for weeks, but he had kept it to himself. He was sure that some Hufflepuffs were gossiping about it, but Carr didn't care. Wendi had been his friend since she had started her first year. She used to be a crazy little first year. But, she had grown up. She was much wiser. Wendi knew a lot more and Carr could tell. Now, she was back to that little kid look. But, it wasn't just a little kid look. It was the look of a little kid scared and in danger. Carr had seen this look before and he knew it well. Carr sighed. "I bet everything will be fine." He said staring at the sky. He looked back at her, but Wendi's eyes were gazed at a spot on a wall. She then looked him dead in the eye. "I bet you twenty bucks you're wrong." She said surely.

Wendi had left minutes before and still Carr was staring at the same wall that Wendi had been staring at wondering what was so allusive about and. Why had Wendi stared at one wall for so long? It was probably just because she seemed to be such a wreck. Ok, she was such a wreck. Carr didn't know why, but he would eventually. Maybe. Carr stared at the same deep red brick wall again. a strand of ivy was cascading across it. It looked rather Victorian in a weird Carr what are you thinking kinda way. Carr gave a crocked smile and then dug into his book bag. He pulled out his nice, black camera that he cherished so much. Carr eyes it as he took it from its case. He the went down on one knee and angled his camera just right. He looked at the slightly ivy covered wall and took a picture. Carr didn't know why Wendi Parson had been so attracted to this wall,b tu now he had documentation of it. He could give it to the sad Wendi in the future. Carr smiled as he shoved his camera in his bag. Just then, he noticed someone standing closed to him. He pretended to look scared. "Oh, jeez. You nearly gave me a heart attack! Thanks a lot!" He said in a fake angry voice. Then, he looked at the girl and started laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't resist a good joke like that." Carr said calmly. "Carr McDuff." He said introducing himself with a wide grin on his face. "And I do hope that you don't hate me." He said still smiling.

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony stared at the calm sky with a serene gaze as the soft breeze blew her black hair backwards into a neat frenzy, letting her feel the warm wind against her ears. Closing her eyes with a contented smile, Harmony raised a hand to straighten out her resisting naughty locks, and proceeded to walk towards the courtyard, savouring the gusts of air with a rare pleased smile. For once she didn't find it irritating or annoying, but refreshing. She felt awake and alive, and strangely enough, had a strange urge to run to a cliff, the wind rolling with her, stand at the very tip and holler everything she had kept inside of her, all her secrets thrown and lost to the breeze.

Making her way out of the castle and into the outside atmosphere at the pace of a slow stroll, Harmony wrapped her arms around her gently to prevent herself from getting too cold. Although the wind was quite warm, Harmony had always been prone to illness, and fell sick often since she had wandered into the cold and rain too many a time because of Ari. Smiling wryly to herself at her stupidity, Harmony wandered idly into the beautiful courtyard, admiring the scenery appreciatively.

Suddenly, out of the corner of Harmony's eye, she noticed a couple sitting at a bench some way off. One was a girl she recognised, someone in her year with a pretty face and blonde hair. Harmony frowned as she struggled to remember her name... Wendi...? Something like that. Harmony had never interacted with her before, but she saw clearly the sad expression on her face, and immediately wondered what was wrong. Turning her eyes slightly, Harmony gazed at her company, a taller, older boy, also with blonde hair. He had a kind, smiling face, and was chatting to Wendi animatedly. Harmony knew both were in Hufflepuff, and wondered if they were friends.

It was then Wendi took her leave, walking in the opposite direction Harmony had arrived in. Seeing her depart, Harmony decided to wander down to the courtyard, taking her steps at a snail's pace, feeling the need for calm and not insane rushing panic. Harmony knew she needed to de-stress, for she had been cooped up a lot recently, too busy trying to study to venture outside in the pursuit of some serenity. Harmony sighed at her amounts of homework, and tried to push them further from her mind. As long as she kept up with it, reading the odd book or dancing a few steps shouldn't be disallowed in her life, right? Thinking back on her promise to Rachel about dancing with her sometime and writing a song to choreograph to, a pleased smile rose onto Harmony's face.

Harmony now stood a few metres from the older boy, who she noticed was currently taking a photo of... a wall? Hm. Harmony turned to see what was so interesting to photograph, and finally saw the tiny piece of ivy dangling in the slight breeze. With a smile, Harmony noted how small, vulnerable, yet beautiful the plant was, and the boy's camera reminded her she needed to take more photos of her sister and cousin. Harmony had realised over time that photos were really quite amazing. When she stared back at the memories of her childhood which she sometimes couldn't even recall because she had been too young, Harmony found herself really appreciating the chance to look back at herself, even though her childhood had never been very fun or wonderful. Most of it was filled with pain and misery, her and Ari clinging to one another when there seemed to be nothing left. However, Harmony always remembered the one thing her older sister had told her as she forever watched over her, trying to bring some peace of mind. "Reach for something when there's nothing left. That way no one can ever beat you."

A smile lighted Harmony's face, but she almost jumped in shock when the boy before her straightened, noticed her presence, and seemed to be shouting at her angrily. Frightened, Harmony subconsciously backed away, terrified to why he was yelling at her, but suddenly his anger faded away to laughing, and finally Harmony saw the funny side to it. Smiling softly with a coy expression, Harmony walked forward and introduced herself also, shaking her head and giggling slightly at the fright she had just received. "No, no... I don't hate you. It's quite funny really. I thought you wanted to kill me!"

Harmony indicated Carr's camera with a fond expression, feeling nostalgia wind itself up her mind, niggling at the edges, not wanting to leave her in peace. She decided perhaps talking to Carr would get rid of her emotions, and with a smile continued, "So... what are you taking pictures of? Do you like photography?" Harmony grinned friendlily, feeling a little shy, but determined to overcome it and be herself. It was the only way she was going to be able to grow up, and learn about the world, right?

[carr]

Carr laughed. "Good deal." The girl introduced herself as Harmony as Carr looked back to that ivy wall for a brief moment before realizing that his obsession with the wall was ridiculous. He smiled back towards Harmony as a gust of persistent wind hit him square in the face. Carr brushed it off quickly. "You know that's what half my family think when I tell jokes. The biggest jokester in the McDuff clan my dad says, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean that in a good way." Carr said laughing it off. He had no problem with the idle chit chat of his many siblings and his father. It was the idle chit chat about his mother that Carr wasn't a big fan of. It was just hard for him to think of her was all. So, talking was just a stupid idea. Carr smiled at the younger Hufflepuff girl. If he was right, Harmony was in Wendi's year, but Carr was sure Harmony didn't know Wendi too well. Wendi had many friends, but many of them were in Ravenclaw. Her two best friends were May and Myn. Carr always laughed seeing those three together. They were like unstoppable younger kiddies. Carr made a mental note to joke with Wendi about that.

"Kill you, no? Scare you, why not. After all, what make the heart feel better more than a good joke? Laughter is the best policy." He said surely. "And the best way to mend a broken heart or so I've been told." Who had told him that again? Oddly enough Carr was pretty sure it was Henri, but he was afraid to ask why his first year sister at Beauxbatons knew so much about love. Carr shook his head lightly at that thought. "Joking just makes everything easier in my book. It makes things less awkward and more fun for me." He said laughing lightly as he kicked his feet around a bit smiling into the sky. "Well, I'm glad that you seem to have a sense of humor. These days, a sense of humor is exactly what this school needs." Hogwarts had been through a lot over the years and it seemed that each day, the students were still healing emotionally.

Carr smiled at Harmony. "You're a second year, right? I'm pretty sure I'm right." He explained as he went on like a chatterbox, as usual. "Do you know Wendi Parson, then? That was the girl I was talking to earlier if you saw." Carr said calmly. "She's a good kid, but I can tell that something is up with her just because I'm gifted like that." Carr said joking again. "Actually, it wasn't that hard to notice. I think any idiot could see that, but I don't know those Slytherins do have a mind of there own." He said laughing. By that joke he meant that Slytherins were idiots, but he was obviously joking. Carr knew they weren't dumb, but he did disagree with half the things most of them said. But, that was just his train of thought.

Carr laughed as he looked down at his camera. He nodded lightly. "Um, that wall right there with the strand of ivy." He started. "Wendi couldn't take her eyes off it earlier and now, neither can I. I don't known what it is about that wall that makes me and Wendi so attached to it. I think for her it's the simplicity of it all, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure that she needs simplicity in her life right now. Just liked everyone else does." Carr said nodding lightly. "I think I liked it just because the wall looks so forgotten until you see that one piece of ivy on it. But, I guess that that's just the aspiring photographer in me." He said smiling towards the wind. He nodded. "Yea, I like photography. I don't know why. I guess having such a large family made me want to capture certain events forever, you known, keep them with me. I think my family gave that trait to me in some strange way." He said nodding. "So.." He started. "Do, you like photography or am I just boring you with my lovely picture stories. I promise, I won't get on a Van Gogh rant." He said laughing.

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony laughed friendlily as Carr continued to spew out funny comments, and found him rather amusing. He seemed really very nice, and she wondered how she’d never met this guy before. “Well, it’s not like I know many people…” Harmony smiled to herself. She hardly ever socialised with others unless they initiated the conversation, though recently Harmony had noticed she had been able to make quite a few new acquaintances in the years above, with no help from Aurora whatsoever. Anyway, even with her loud cousin’s introduction, her friends were all usually in fourth year, Hufflepuff, with the occasional Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Harmony had surprisingly become quite good friends with Rachel Mason from Slytherin, and it seemed she might get to know Patrica Dawsinson better. Naturally, Aurora currently had no friends in Slytherin. They all found her a bit too weird and disgraceful for them to accept her, even though, unlike Harmony, she was completely pure blooded. “You make it seem like you have a very big family.” Harmony commented, reminded of her own family, feeling slightly more at ease as Carr took over most of the conversation, which Harmony found thankful. She threw aside her thoughts about her new friends for now, and tried to focus solely on Carr, who she felt deserved her utmost attention. He was being very friendly towards her, and he was the first fifth year she had ever spoken to.

“I agree with you.” Harmony beamed in agreement, “Laughter certainly is wonderful. It can cure almost anything. If I’m feeling down, one smile from someone would make me feel so much better.” Harmony drifted off on a whim as Carr mentioned broken hearts, and wondered how Rachel, Richard and Patrica were doing. Once again finding herself wondering about other things, Harmony dismissed them with a warm smile at Carr, and nodded yet again. She felt like being honest, and Carr seemed a very truthful person himself. “Yeah… Though I can’t say I have experience with broken hearts. Maybe when I’m a bit older.” Harmony laughed good naturedly, “I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of stuff yet. Maybe I never will be!” Harmony cocked her head slowly at Carr’s statement to do with her having a sense of humour, and a smile itched at the corner of her lips. “Hm… Do I have a sense of humour? I probably do… But I don’t feel like I do! Maybe I just don’t use it enough.” Harmony felt that Carr had some very good points here; he seemed to know what he was talking about, and talking to someone older than herself felt refreshing, actually.

Harmony nodded in response to Carr’s question with a smile, though a little surprise flickered through her at his correct query. “Yes, I’m in second year. How’d you guess? Do I really look that young to you?” Harmony laughed, but halted gradually as Carr mentioned Wendi. Nodding, Harmony gave a small smile as she remembered that Wendi had just been here with Carr previously before her, “I know Wendi Parson. Actually, we share a dormitory.” Coincidence. “I saw her here with you before, and I recognised her. I can’t say we talk a lot, but we know each other, and exchange the odd greetings. How is she?” Harmony frowned as Carr commented that something was troubling Wendi, and gave a little sigh, “Really? Well, I’ve noticed that too, but only because we share a dorm. I barely talk to her, so I can’t say I know what’s up. I hope everything’s okay though. How do you know Wendi anyway?” Harmony was curious, as Carr was a fifth year, even though they were in Hufflepuff. Trailing onto the subject of Slytherins, Harmony flashed a knowing smile and nodded, “Yeah… I know what you mean. I find them quite intimidating, but… to be honest, some can be quite nice. I’m sure they all can be quite nice, but it’s not like I can see that, or they show it.” Harmony chuckled, fidgeting with her black locks yet again. She loved playing with her hair, even though it was rather short and barely reached her shoulder. However, Harmony didn’t want to grow it long, sticking with a neat little bob that she felt suited her personality too. “I’ve met one or two Slytherins that are surprisingly nice.” Harmony almost laughed, thinking how Carr would probably think her very weird for making friends with them, “It’s strange, since I’m in Hufflepuff, and they’re in the year above too, but… I’m not complaining.”

Harmony listened intently to Carr, who never paused for breath whilst talking, and that amused her greatly. It was nice to watch someone talk so openly and animatedly, eyes lighting up whilst doing so. He didn’t expect her to be just as talkative as him either, which was pleasing and suited Harmony just fine. Carr’s emotions appeared to be offered to her on a platter, and it was nice to feel such an air of friendliness. Harmony understood where he was going with the ivy, and smiled at the statement of simplicity. “I think everyone needs to understand that sometimes, simplicity is what we should be searching for.” Harmony gave a light laugh, admonishing herself inwardly that she should be doing just that too. She knew she didn’t. Harmony smiled as Carr asked her in return about photography, and nodded again, “Yes, I do. I’m not an avid photographer, but I think photos are really precious. I’ve come to realise that over time… Thinking back on my childhood and stuff. I know a lot of the photos just make me want to cry when I see them, but they hold a special place in my heart, really. Because I can see things clearer there than my own eyes could ever have seen them. And like you said, capturing one moment, and framing it forever. It’s… magical, isn’t it? I was amazed really, when I came top Hogwarts and saw moving pictures.” Harmony laughed ruefully, recalling the time Ari had passed her a photo from the Daily Prophet; the picture had elicited a frightened scream out of Harmony, and afterwards she had felt so embarrassed and silly. “A part of me likes the muggle photos more though. Perhaps because I grew up with it. But I like the fact that it’s one shot, one shot forever.” Harmony paused and mused on her words for a few moments. Where was all this coming from?

“Oh no!” Harmony giggled happily, waving off Carr’s question and her own nostalgia with a shake of her head, “I’m not bored, don’t worry. Tell me more, actually!” Harmony smiled enthusiastically, then frowned a little as she tried to remember who Van Gogh actually was… “Van Gogh? Wasn’t he a painter or something…? Cut off his own ear? Sunflowers…?” Harmony’s head spun with possibilities, remembering some tale from muggle primary school. Oh, the good old days. Harmony shook her head furiously, trying to rid herself of memories from down the lane. Why was she delving so deep into her past, recently? “Oh, whatever! Whoever he is, or was, if you had ranted on about him, I would’ve nodded with a knowing smile and pretended I understood every word!” Harmony laughed in a jokey kind of way. Wow… It seemed Carr’s carefree humorous manner was rubbing off already on Harmony. “I’m sorry, I’ve never been much of an arty person.” Harmony flashed an apologetic smile at Carr, “That’s more of my sister. My passion lies in dancing. I can't say I'm very good at it, but it's what I love most... I barely practise though...”

[carr]

Carr laughed as Harmony noted that it seemed he had a big family. “You can say that again. I have six brothers and sisters. Emory; twin, Lori and Henri; and the triples, Nick, Tazz, and Diem.” Carr said not thinking about what he was saying at all. Carr never really thought about what he was saying. He words just kind of came out and out. He just liked to talk was all and joking was his specialty. “And those are nicknames of course. Well, most of them. Whenever I say my siblings’ names, people still have to wonder which ones are the boys and which ones are the girls.” Carr paused for a moment. “My parents like weird names like that I guess. After all, my name is Carr, but of course, that isn’t my real name. That, I’ll never tell.” Carr went on not caring about how much he was say. Hey, Carr had a gift, he just did. Or a weakness, whatever. Carr laughed lightly. “Oh, well. Big families make for a lot of drama and a lot of laughter, both of which I love. Well, one of which I love and that would be the drama part.” He ranted.

Carr nodded. “Yea, laughter is usually what gets me through the day without snapping at Snape or trying to beat up a Slytherin. In a weird way even though it makes no sense, laughter calms me down. Even though it seems impossible to calm Carr McDuff down. That’s why people think I’m ADHD. Not true, actually, but I don’t care what they say.” Carr said surely. Carr nodded at Harmony’s words. He could tell that she was telling the truth. “Me neither. Well, not really. Lori and Henri always said that I could never fall in love. Sometimes, I believe them, but part of me knows there wrong.” Carr settled down for a moment. “Harmony you have years to fall in love and have a broken heart. Give it time.” He said surely. Well, with that, Carr was back in his hyper stage. He did that a lot. He faded in and out of moods, but that’s what he did. Carr shook his head. “Come now Harmony! Everyone has a sense of humor. You just have to dig for it is all. And yes you do or at least you do in my book.” Carr said laughing lightly.

Carr shook his head. “No, you look like a seventh year! Just kidding. No, I just think I’ve seen you with some of the second years. Maybe. Plus, I make it a habit to try to talk to everyone in Hufflepuff House. Actually, you were probably on my list.” Carr paused. “Well, it isn’t an actual list, it’s just one in my head.” He explained. “I just like to get to know everyone I guess. I like meeting people.” He said surely. Carr sighed as Harmony spoke of Wendi. “She isn’t saying too much yet. I don’t think she’s really talking to her brother either which is weird for her. She’ll get better I can feel it.” Carr said lightly hoping he was right. But, actually, he had no idea. Carr smiled as Harmony asked how he knew Wendi. “I met her last year. I’m pretty sure she called me a crazy alien boy after she met me the first time. But, we’re good pals I guess. Partners in crime, or at least we used to be.” He paused. “I think I bumped into her and accidentally dumped melted chocolate frogs all over her.” Carr smiled remembering that fondly. He eyed Harmony with a funny look on his face. “Hey, I just wanted to see if they would melt. And then I mixed them with Bertie Bott’s Beans. That was gross.” Carr laughed.

Carr shook his head. “No, no Harmony not intimidating. Think of them as little babies who need there mummy and daddy every two seconds. Without there little posies, most of them are nothing, promise.” Carr said smiling. “Don’t let most of them scare you or they’ll never let you alone. I usually just tell jokes to them and usually they get so annoyed they walk away.” Carr laughed out loud. “Hey, that’s the easiest way to deal with them. Especially if the joke was about them.” He snickered. “I guess some can be…um…nice.” He stopped. “But, I’ve never met any like that. Maybe oneday I deal, but I doubt it.” He said surely. Carr smiled as they talked about photography. Photography, after all, was one of Carr’s favorite pastimes. “Well, simplicity is hard to find in a family of seven kids, let me tell ya.” Carr joked without thinking so much about his words. He never really thought too much about speaking nor did he care what the other person was saying. Well, he cared, but he didn’t care which topic they spoke about o any negativity they felt. Carr was a pretty positive person. Carr nodded. “Photography keeps my mind settled I guess as impossible as it may seem for me. I can capture the silliest or the most meaningful things and I could care less which one means more to mean. Because they all mean a lot. I don’t care what I’m taking a picture of, as long as I’m doing it. Every moment has a purpose I think, actually I know.” He laughed off lightly. Carr smiled brightly. “Ahh moving pictures drive me insane sometimes because they make my eyes spin!” He commented.

“I like the muggles photos too. There much easier to do plus they can look much better hung up. Yea, I agree with the one moment thing. The moving pictures can say too much sometimes. But, one shot, that can say just the right amount, you know?” Carr’s tone was much calmer when he spoke about photography. It made him that way and Carr really couldn’t help it. Oh, no. He was going to get hyper again, he could feel it. “More? Me say more never, ever, ever!” He joked loudly not even giving a glance at the other staring students around them. Carr smiled and laughed at Harmony’s thoughts of Van Gogh. “Yea and blue vases, that would be the one. Strange as he was. Yea, I’m not a painter, but photography and painting kinda link in my head. They go hand and hand. Memories and memories to me.” Carr paused for a brief moment. “Heh, they is nothing much left to say about that physico.” Carr brushed off. Carr smiled. “No worries, not everyone can be artsy. Ohh! I wanna dance!” He exclaimed. “Weetzie even said I’d make a wonderful ballerina.” He joked. “Hey, I’d look cute in the tutu.” He went on. “I bet you’re a great dancer.” Carr said not even out of breath. He let out a little hope of energy before he settled down.

[Harmony Chan H6]

“Whoa, that’s a lot of siblings.” Harmony smiled with a hint of surprise, “I’ve only got one, Ari, and she’s older than me. Are you the oldest then? They don’t come to Hogwarts, do they?” Harmony questioned with interest. “Let me guess… Emory, Lori and Henri are girls…? And the others… Tazz, Nick and… um… Diem, is it? They sound like boys. But I doubt I’m right either.” Harmony laughed, and stared at Carr with curiosity. “So, Carr’s not your real name? Well, to me, you’re Carr, and nothing else.” Harmony gave a little shrug with a smile, “My name is… normal, I guess. Uncommon, but it’s not like it comes as a surprise. My sister is called Ariane, and that’s fairly rare. I guess it’s nice but difficult being different, huh? I sometimes think it’d be fun to have a big family, because it sounds so exciting. You seem like someone who’d enjoy a big family, definitely.” Harmony nodded in agreement, “But I don’t think I am. I suit having Ari for an older sister, because I’m someone who tends to rely on others, rather than the other way round. I sometimes wish I was my sister.” A soft, but rueful smile lingered on Harmony’s face, but she quickly waved her comment away, along with her smile. ”I shouldn’t have said that.”

“That’s funny, usually laughter gets me all happy and hyper, rather than calming me down.” Harmony giggled, not surprised at Carr saying it was impossible to calm him anyway. “You shouldn’t care what they think, you’re right. I don’t think you’re on ADHD, whatever that is. That is, if my point of view counts for anything… and I’ve only just met you. But still, I like you just the way you are. I think you’re funny, not weird. Okay, maybe slightly weird…” Harmony laughed at this, and swiftly continued in case Carr got the wrong idea, “But honestly, you are a lot nicer than a lot of people out there. Believe me…” Harmony had never met someone so open and carefree with her, especially such an older student. Even if the blonde haired boy was slightly strange with his constant talk and sweet humour, it made Harmony happy just listening to him. She was suddenly surprised however when a serious expression crossed Carr’s smiling face, and he relayed a sentence or two about falling in love. Before Harmony could open her mouth and reply, however, Carr was already ploughing straight on in his usual attitude. “Everyone can fall in love.” Harmony murmured under her breath as she stared into the distance, letting her companion talk a little ahead of her. The subject of love was not particularly sensitive for Harmony, but it reminded her of things that concerned her…

Knocking herself out of her daydream, Harmony scolded herself inwardly for being so rude for not keeping up with Carr, who was certainly someone who ran at a fast pace when chatting. This didn’t deter Harmony at all, however, mainly because she was the exact opposite. She always took things leisurely, and she smiled secretly when Carr told her to give it time. “I think I’m digging at it right now. Well, maybe you’re digging for me.” Harmony cringed at her words, as they sounded so corny. “But it’s true; I normally don’t have such a huge sense of humour. Not with strangers, anyway. One would call me shy. I envy you; you can talk to anyone so easily. I can’t even start conversations with random people if I wanted to. Something holds me back…” Harmony had often wondered what it was that made her so shy. She had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t because she was scared of getting hurt or found it difficult to trust others. Perhaps she felt like she couldn’t be accepted. Whatever it was, one day Harmony hoped she’d overcome it.

Harmony smiled the mention of Carr’s “list”, and found the notion sweet. He was so friendly and nice, and Harmony was sure Carr had a lot of friends. Wendi being one of them. “Her brother’s Jami… or something, right?” Harmony questioned curiously, tilting her head to one side. She had heard Wendi talk about her older brother before, but that had been a while back, and Harmony couldn’t remember much of what was said. All she had was the vague idea that Wendi did indeed have a brother who wasn’t in Hufflepuff. Harmony nodded along with Carr’s prediction, a hopeful smile flickering across her face. Harmony wasn’t close to Wendi, but nonetheless, she wished everyone to be happy. Harmony’s face of serenity turned to one of amused horror when Carr relayed his and Wendi’s past to her, and she couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his antics. “Poor Wendi!” Harmony spluttered, a sympathetic look crossing her features, “I’m not surprised she called you ‘a crazy alien boy’!”

Harmony’s laugher died to a grateful smile, and she nodded with understanding at Carr, “I know I shouldn’t let anyone walk over me, especially Slytherins, but I’m just a timid person by nature. I won’t stand up for myself, but I will for my friends… which doesn’t make sense.” Harmony smiled a little brighter as she thought of her sister, “Even if someone tries to hurt me, Ari comes storming along and beats them up. I have to stop her sometimes before she goes too far…” a pleased, yet nervous giggle escaped Harmony as she eyed Carr with a bemused look. “That’s my sister for you. She can get quite emotional and overprotective of me, even though she’s so silent and quiet usually.” Harmony chuckled at Carr’s methods as he continued back to joking, “I’m sure they do! That’s actually a really good idea. I know what you mean; most, if not all of the Slytherins are mean and nasty… But quite a few of them only do that to hide their true inner self… or to protect themselves from things, I don’t know.” Harmony gazed into the distance, a wry smile glossed onto her face, “Some aren’t so bad if you’re on their good side… Maybe I’m being too forgiving, as people always say, especially my sister… But I don’t think she realises she’s a lot like them.” Harmony suddenly shot her head up to glance at Carr, a slightly terrified stare in her eyes, “Just… don’t tell Ari I said that if you ever meet her. I don’t think she’d appreciate it.”

Glad for the topic change to photography, Harmony tried to hide her surprise as she watched Carr calm down a little again. There were quite a few subjects that he talked about serenely, and although it may have been difficult adjusting to his personality, it was something Harmony found easy. Perhaps it was because her sister was like that a lot too… Ariane was known for her mood swings depending on the people around her and the situation. Harmony nodded whilst smiling as she listened to Carr talk about photography, and decided not to interrupt until he was finished. “Yep.” She acknowledged in agreement with a grin, but before Harmony could say anything else, Carr was back into hyper mode, and she almost burst into laughter all over again. Talking with Carr was like riding a roller coaster – you never knew when it would start or stop, where it was going to lead to. The ups and downs were thrilling as well as entertaining. Harmony managed to stifle laughing hilariously by giggling with a hand over her mouth; she hadn’t laughed so much in such a long time, and any of her friends now would find the sight strange. Her sitting with a fifth year Hufflepuff, a boy nonetheless, giggling her head off. Seeing that other people sharing the Courtyard with them were now staring in their direction, mainly because a hyper Carr was spouting off random things loudly, Harmony readily brushed off their glances, ignoring what their minds may be processing. They may think her weird, but they couldn’t hate her. Perhaps that was what Harmony was afraid of. Hatred.

Now Carr was onto memories. Steeling herself for thinking about her father, Harmony almost breathed a sigh of relief when Carr switched topic in a second. She felt that with Carr, she could say anything, and was a little afraid that she would end up saying things she didn’t like or want to be brought up. Harmony wasn’t ready for that just yet. “Weetzie?” Harmony inclined her head back to looking at Carr with a curious expression on her face, “Another strange name. Is she related to you too?” Harmony began to chuckle again, trying to imagine Carr as a ballerina in a fluffy pink tutu. “Yeah, you sure would look cute. Adorable, in fact.” Harmony joked, staring down at her feet. “I’m not that great… I don’t think so anyway. I’m sure I don’t suck, at least.” Harmony gave a small grin, and a strange idea popped into her head, “How about I show you a couple of moves. Perhaps I can teach you too, but that might be trying to work a miracle.” Harmony found herself joking again, grinning enthusiastically at Carr.

((Discontinued.))