Help is at Hand ((Elsie))

[Harmony Chan H6]

"Let me see..." Harmony mused aloud as she scanned her list of needed supplies. Going into her fifth year in September meant she had to stock up on the usual stationery, such as quills and ink, as well as new textbooks that would be extremely heavy to carry home. However, this was the first year Harmony hadn't needed to buy new school robes or Quidditch gear. Unsurprisingly she had stopped growing, leaving her at the rather short and vulnerable height of 5'3". She had expected this, because girls in the Chan family were short and usually stopped growing by the time they were fourteen; if they were lucky, fifteen. Harmony had always been a very small girl, but she was thin and light too, so dainty and delicate people often got the misconception she was a weak creature that needed protecting - and the possessiveness Ari emitted certainly didn't help such an image, even though her elder sister had no realisation of it. Ari was pretty tall for a Chan daughter, standing at 5'6", and she had a stronger physique than Harmony that gave the not incorrect assumption she was quite a frightening individual to mess with. A part of Harmony wished she was a little taller, a little stronger, but she wasn't particularly fussed. She didn't ask people to protect her, but they did; first Ari, then Aurora, and now Rex. Harmony smiled softly at the thought of her new friend. She wondered what Rex would be doing right now; sleeping? Seemed likely, Harmony giggled inwardly. It was around 11 a.m. in the morning, much too early for Rex to be up and about. Or maybe Harmony had gotten the wrong end of the stick; perhaps he was so active he spent most of his time pranking rather than sleeping.

Either way, thinking of Rex brought fond, not frightened, memories. Harmony knew Ari would be furious with her continuing acquaintance with Rex, but she didn't care, and she planned to hide it from her sister for as long as possible. Because she didn't want to involve Aurora in her secrecy, she didn't tell her cousin either. It saddened Harmony that she couldn't talk about her new friendship, but she knew it would bring more unhappiness than contentment. Adding 'cat food' to her list, because Dori's was fast running out and she certainly didn't want her pet cat to starve through the summer, Harmony looked up as Aurora and Ari entered the living room she occupied alone, perched on a plush armchair with her long list of desirables. "I'm going to Diagon Alley to get some supplies," Harmony explained as the best friends took a seat together on the couch opposite her. "I just remembered Dori needs food. Do Ata and Helix need anything?" Aurora said they did, whilst Ari nodded her silent acknowledgement. "Right. Well, I'll be off, now the list has been written." Attempting a casual, easy smile, Harmony grabbed her bag by her feet, containing her purse and other essentials, before heading to the fireplace. "I'll be back in a few hours. I'll go have lunch myself, though." Nodding at her sombre sister and waving cousin, Harmony disappeared in a flash of green flame, hurtling towards Diagon Alley.

Harmony didn't know what was wrong with Ari. She often found her way to niggle at Harmony's mind, taunting her to make her sister tell all. Only Ari wasn't one to be forced into saying anything if she wasn't going to, or ready to. Harmony was used to Ari hiding things from her, but even she was aware Aurora had no idea what was with Ari's recent mood swings. The fact even the other Hufflepuff had no idea and was concerned made Harmony worry more than usual. She had witnessed less of Ari this year, seeing as her time was preoccupied with keeping her and Rex's new friendship a secret, but Harmony knew another reason why she and Ari barely saw each other was because Ari was 'busy' too. If her sister wanted to see her, find her, she would. There was no stopping Ariane Chan if she set her mind to it. That was one of the reasons why she was in Gryffindor, and it was a trait Harmony knew she shared with Rex. Still, the two would probably never get on. It disconcerted Harmony that Ari wouldn't come seek her out; she had barely been disturbed. If anything, Aurora had made more contact with her. According to her older cousin, Ari had spent a lot of time wrapped in herself, disappearing for hours on end during weekends and weekday evenings. Aurora never saw her return, but Ari always seemed jubilant the next day, causing Aurora to wonder but not question. Ari wasn't going to tell, everyone knew that, but at least she was happy; that was what Aurora had said. She did mind, but as long as Ariane was happy, it didn't matter.

Only now, Ari was in the depths of darkness again, moping and saying not a single word unless necessary. It made Harmony uncomfortable, and they all knew it, but she was always seeking ways of leaving the house. Harmony felt embarrassed and guilty for leaving Ari in Aurora's hands all the time, but nothing could be done. Ari was not going to open up to her any time soon. Sighing as she stepped out of the fireplace in Diagon Alley, Harmony brushed herself down and set off tracking down her needed wares. It took her half an hour to purchase ink and the like; stationery shops were always a great pleasure to explore, even though Harmony wasn't an artist. Aurora was the most creative one of them all. She drew, sang and wrote, but she didn't dance, which was one of her talents Harmony was proud of. Tapping her toes, Harmony passed out of the stationery shop and into the textbook boutique, where as expected, other Hogwarts pupils looking for similar things milled around. None Harmony could recognise, however, so she headed for the Transfiguration section and began to scour the shelves. Muttering the name under her breath, she finally found it and took it out. She noticed a blonde haired girl beside her, even shorter than her. Harmony thought she recognised her from Hogwarts, in the younger years but not in Hufflepuff. She seemed stuck as she pored over the many books, and so Harmony decided to offer her assistance with a friendly smile. "Do you need any help? What are you looking for?" She glanced over the girl's visage again, before making another conclusion. "Are you in third year? Fourth year? I think I know what you're looking for." Reaching up, Harmony grabbed a familiar textbook and gave it to the girl. "This one? I remember using it a while ago," she explained with a smile.

[Elsie Bee Covens R3]

Elsie sat in her room staring at her now empty, dirty school trunk. It once held her school books, broken quills, spilled inks and clothing, as well as other trinkets and pieces of junk. There were also lots of dirt at the bottom of the trunk that Ellie couldn't explain. She had no idea how any dirt might have gotten there. Ellie sighed. How was she going to get all that dirt out? Finally, she decided to lug the trunk outside into her backyard and empty all of the dirt into the garden. While she tried to drag the heavy trunk, she could feel her mother's eyes watching her from the kitchen. Dropping the trunk where she pulled it by the handle, she walked over to the kitchen, where she knew her mother would be making some sort of food for the family to eat later. "Have you unpacked everything?" Melissa asked her daughter as Elise sat on the bench stool, watching her mother kneading the dough she had laid out on the kitchen bench. "Yes." Ellie replied, her eyes flickering over to where she had left her dirt-filled trunk. "There's all this dirt in there though, and I don't know how it got there." Melissa still hadn't taken her eyes off of her work, so Ellie wondered what she could be making.

Melissa was always a wonderful cook, thinking up new ways she could feed her family that didn't involve eating animals. Melissa never forced her three girls to eat the ways that she and her husband ate. They were free to eat what ever they liked, so long as it was healthy, but Ellie and her sisters never thought anything of it. They liked eating salads and vegetables, and whatever Melissa set on the dinner table, they were sure that there would be something exciting and new on their dinner plates. Ellie's eye watched as Melissa's delicate fingers sprinkled flour over the doughy mix, and then continued to mix. "I hope you're planning to empty all of that dirt." Melissa finally replied after a few moments, barely noticing her daughter watching her." Ellie pulled a face before she replied. "I was going to dump it in the garden, but then I thought you wouldn't agree to mixing different soils.. or... something like that." Ellie rolled her eyes. She never really listened to when it came to gardening. She wasn't that much of a gardening person, even if she was classified as a tree-hugger. She would help plant new trees with her family, but when it came to the green thumb, Ellie wasn't as green as the rest of her family.

"Well that was nice of you to consider." Melissa said, finally looking up, placing her hands on her hips, getting her dress covered in flour and sticky dough. She tilted her head slightly as she thought. "Well.. I suppose it should be alright, but wait until your father gets home, he can help you picking it up. Oh and this came for you today." Melissa turned around to where the home phone was and picked up an envelope, her doughy hands staining the envelope. "It's your book list. You can pop over to Diagon Alley for a bit, and get your new books and stationary. But no more spending money on those Sugar Quills." Melissa told Ellie sternly. Ellie took the list from her mother, avoiding the dough that was stuck there. Ellie grinned. She had some spare Sickles in her purse that her mother didn't know about. She could buy the things she needed, while still having some money for some Sugar Quills. Just thinking of Sugar Quills made Ellie hype up.

"'Kay 'kay 'kay 'kay!" She shouted over her shoulder as she jumped away from the bench and rushed to get her money, not even realising she had dropped her book list on the floor. Ellie burst into her room, grabbed her bag, then rushed back out as she heard two little voices shouting "Stop the noise!" coming from her sisters' room. Ellie ran back into the kitchen and stepped right on the dropped book list, resulting in her slipping and hitting the floor. "Watch out." Ellie's mother cautioned from without looking up, a moment too late, as Ellie was already down. She was used to Ellie tripping or hurting herself in unusual ways, but after Ellie had reached the age of 10, Melissa realised that there would always be bruises and bumps on her arms, and that she should try Ellie-proofing the house, making sure nothing was around that Ellie could seriously hurt herself. Ellie once broke her arm after tripping over a hat stand, so Melissa sold that to a charity.

Quickly, Ellie stood back up again, snatching the book list on her way. Ellie still had dirt on her cheek from the sooty fireplace as she ran around Diagon Alley. She bought the Sugar Quills and stuffed them into the bottom of her purple bag, hoping that her mother didn't look in there. But knowing Elsie's luck, she probably would. Next, Ellie decided to get her books, getting that over and done with first of all. She stared at the shelf, puzzled. She couldn't see the last book off of the list, and she didn't feel like asking the staff. She stood for what seemed like an eternity, standing on her tip-toes to see if the book was up on any higher shelves. She didn't mind being so small sometimes, but when it came to things such as this, she was utterly useless. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a slightly taller girl. Ellie looked back to the shelves and thought for a moment. Just as she was about to ask her for some help, the girl suddenly looked at her and started talking right away with a smile. Ellie grinned too at the older girl as she handed her the right book "Yes! Thank you!" Ellie cried out, happy that she finally had the right book. She gripped onto the book tightly, just knowing she would drop it if she didn't. "So, you go to Hogwarts too? I'm Ellie." She smiled, appreciating the help from a fellow student.

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony smiled kindly at the younger girl and nodded in affirmation to her question. “Yeah, I’m going into my fifth year.” That said, Harmony could barely believe she was already fifteen years old and would soon be adding another year to her age. Fifteen seemed like a big step, but sixteen was even bigger; one more year to becoming a fully-fledged wizard at the age of seventeen. Harmony still felt like she was ten or eleven years old, entering Hogwarts for the very first time, meeting her classmates and friends all over again – starting from the beginning. A small part of her wondered what it would be like – what her life now would be like – if she had the option of turning back time and choosing and creating a different path for herself. However, she was content with her life as it was and she wouldn’t want it any other way, even if she wondered about different outcomes and destinies now and again. The only thing Harmony would change would be her mother’s death, but that was out of her hands; it had always been out of her hands. However much she and Ari struggled as the children, at the end of the day the children could never make enough of a difference or impact. The parents did what they did, history was made, and it changed Harmony and Ari’s lives forever. It was a past Harmony had come to accept. She still mourned the loss of her mother – sometimes some days could become unbearable – but Harmony had surprised herself with the strength and determination she had put into living a healthy, happy life without Lorraine’s presence. Harmony was sure her mum would be proud of her.

Ari seemed to be a different story. Lorraine’s death had caught the Gryffindor much worse than Harmony, though people would have assumed it would have been the other way around. Ari was expected to behave her usual older sister role, comforting Harmony and protecting her precious little sister. In fact, Ari had taken the blow of her mum’s death so much she reclused into a sad shell, and the fact she had taken a stab to the abdomen hadn’t exactly helped. Harmony still grimaced whenever she caught a glimpse of the thin line that represented Ari’s scar and all the painful memories. Just when Harmony was sure Ari was getting back on track she suddenly became distant and secretive, always sneaking off according to Aurora at odd times of the day. Usually Aurora knew her best friend’s daily routine, but now… everything had changed. Harmony could only put the blame of this change on her mother’s death. What else could alter Ari so extensively? OK, so there was the ‘Rex incident’ at the beginning of the year, but that had evened out… or rather, Ari had taken so little interest she had barely noticed or asked any more questions. It relieved Harmony of some guilt and stress, but she was still concerned about Ari’s change of behaviour. Even Aurora was stumped. And then, just when they were about to return home for the summer, Ari had altered again, going from distracted to disturbed, her moods swinging from vaguely happy to stormy upset. Harmony had no idea what had brought that on either. Ari was more withdrawn than ever, barely spoke, didn’t know what was going on around her. It was worse than ever.

Yes, Harmony and Aurora were both worried. Aurora had also mentioned how Ari had been rather moody at times during the last year, sometimes having fits of anger about someone or another she wasn’t sure about, but neither of them could translate Ari’s mood swings. They were odd and unpredictable and Harmony had just grown accustomed to it. She was learning to stand on her own two feet. Look at Elsie, Harmony thought, and take her for example. A year ago she wouldn’t have so boldly helped this stranger, even if she was sweet and smiley and innocent-looking. The old Harmony would have been much too shy to approach her so randomly and help her out, despite her own helpful nature wanting to do so. Harmony had always been restrained by her shy personality, but now she was more confident, more willing to speak up. She didn’t know if it was because of Ari’s absence in her life or Rex’s influence, but she liked it. Harmony liked this new her… She didn’t think she would’ve wanted her mum to die for her to discover this side of her, but she was content and she wanted to remain so.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie, I’m Harmony. I’m in Hufflepuff.” Harmony gave another genial smile before motioning at the book she had just handed her. “It’s useful for Transfiguration, trust me. The professor will refer to it a lot.” Glancing at her own textbook in her hands Harmony held it up and reflected the cover for Elsie to take a look. “You’ll use this one in fifth year. It’s more advanced… Transfiguration gets harder. Do you like it? My favourite subject is Charms, but Transfiguration is fun too.” Continuing to smile friendlily, Harmony looked down at her list of needed books again, and noting her next one sought it out on the shelves, moving over the next section beside Elsie – Charms. “I need a new textbook for Charms too,” she explained, making light banter. “Do you like Hogwarts, Elsie? Which year are you in? School gets better and better, I think. You make new friends and your classes get more exciting.” Grinning enthusiastically Harmony made a self-conscious move without her realisation; she thumbed the pages of her Transfiguration textbook, still searching for the Charms one. “Ah, here it is,” she smiled and picked said book out. “Now for the Potions one…” Harmony made a slight amused grimace. “With Professor Snape.”