Let Memories Unfold

Chapter 8

Harry didn't have time to dwell on the conversation that had occurred the previous night. It was the day of the First Task and Harry was currently curled into a toilet bowl vomiting what appeared to be his internal organs. He had been at it for the past hour. Every time he thought he was getting a grip on himself, he crumpled back over the seat and expelled more acidy bile that burned at the back of his throat. Coughing only led to it scratching his throat lining and leaving more room for the watery acid concentration to seep in further.

He groaned and sat back, wiping his mouth, not caring to clean himself properly like the other meetings he had on the cold bathroom floor. The first task was closer than ever, and he wanted nothing more than to disappear into the floor and call it a day. He had practiced the summoning charm until his arm ached and he had accidentally snapped at Hermione when she had chastised him one too many times. He was constantly shivering and felt on the verge of collapse, and the constant noise around him and not getting something right after so many times had led him to sniping at Hermione once it had boiled over. She had looked at him with a shocked expression, and he had stuttered out an apology and left to his room as soon as possible.

He had put himself straight to bed, ignoring the seething glare Ron had put in his direction and spelling his curtains shut as he curled in on himself, trying his best to not let the tears fall over. Everything was too much, he felt overwhelmed and wanted to cry or yell how annoyed he was and just wanted to be left alone. This kind of emotion overwhelm had happened one too many times in his life, and Harry for the life of him couldn't understand why it happened. There was too much noise, he could feel his clothes too distinctly and anyone trying to talk to him was one too many things to deal with and he always ended up hurting someone's feelings by yelling at them. He had gotten far too many beatings for that back at the Dursley's, and so he had tried to prevent it from happening too much at Hogwarts but it had slipped on occasion, like last night.

He groaned again, and got himself up from the floor. Everyone was down at breakfast, but he refused to go down there. Harry was meant to go down to the champions tent soon, to prepare for the task. He had this ridiculous outfit to wear that bore his name across the back, and he couldn't hate it more. Harry felt it made him look like he wanted this, that he was embracing wearing a top embroidered with his name on it. Sighing, he looked in the mirror dejectedly. He had definitely lost weight, and he looked positively quivering in excitement for the next days to come. Scoffing at himself, he picked up his toothbrush for the second time this day, and brushed his teeth. It scraped at Harry that he had to do it a second time and without the rest of his morning routine to go with it, but he couldn't just not brush his teeth after the session with the toilet.

He dressed in the outfit that he assumed the elves had procured for him, and mocked his reflection before exiting to head for the tent. He ignored the stares, the whispers, the taunts and the giggles that circled him as he tried to make as little attention to himself as possible. It never worked, but he always gave it a good shot. Hermione had caught him on his ways and ran to catch up with him.

"Harry! There you are, I've been looking for you. You missed breakfast, here." She passed him a napkin with some buttered toast in it, and looked at him hopefully.

Harry's throat still burned from earlier, but he accepted it with a small smile and thanked her as he took small bites from it. His vision had been going spotted black when he stood up these days, so he assured himself that if he didn't want to embarrass himself today from fainting, he could give up the game with food for the task.

"Thanks, 'Mione," he thanked her again, finishing the toast and simultaneously impressing himself, "I'm heading to the tent now, I'm sorry for snapping at you last night."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I understand, actually..." She trailed off, an uncertain look coming across her face.

"Hm?"