Just Leave Me Alone! (Noah)

Harper kicked his heel against the bar of the chair he occupied, pointedly not looking at Professor Snape. There was no point in talking anymore. No one was listening, anyway. He wished Noah would hurry up and get here already, even though he hated to think what his brother was going to say to him. Being suspended from school for a week was no small thing, after all.

It wasn't fair. He hadn't done anything that bad. So, there had been a few fights. Well, six, but who was counting? And sure, he hadn't been very attentive in class, but he never had been before, and no one used to mind. But maybe it wasn't a good idea to shout at his professor when he was asked to pay attention, and maybe it was an even worse idea to swipe his books off his desk in a fit of temper after the professor assigned him detention. And maybe it had been an even worse idea still to just walk out of class when the professor tried to make him pick them up. He still wasn't entirely sure how it happened; he sort of felt like his body moved without his permission. He just felt so angry about everything! All the time!

Harper wanted this day to hurry up and get over with. He just wanted to go home and lock himself in his room and be left alone and not think about things. He tapped his fingers nervously on the arm of the chair and tried to find a silver lining. At least he'd get to see his nephews. Harper loved playing with them. That was his silver lining. And maybe Noah wouldn't be too hard on him. His chest felt splintery and his legs felt weak. He wasn't trying to get into trouble; but lately it seemed like trouble found him, everywhere he went. He wasn't even sure how it happened. He pulled his knees to his chest, but soon dropped them down to the floor again, jiggling his leg. He could feel the headmaster's eyes on him, and it made him feel squirmy. He looked around the headmaster's office, but he couldn't focus on much. Would Noah never get here?

No sooner had he thought it than the floo flared and he suddenly found himself wishing Noah had seen fit to take a little longer. He went suddenly still, like all the nervous energy had rushed right out of him. He glanced up at his brother, but just as quickly glanced away. He felt he ought to say something, but there wasn't much to say, so he settled for fiddling with the hem of his shirt instead. He'd already been doing that quite a lot today. He'd nearly worn a hole in the thing.

He glanced up once more, but his eyes flitted back to the floor of their own accord. Now his chest felt raw and empty. He didn't even feel guilty, didn't feel angry. He didn't feel much of anything anymore. He just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't they all just leave him alone?

Noah couldn't believe this. He'd been called to Hogwarts for his younger brother. And it was because his brother had been acting out in class, and earned himself a week's suspension! Their parents would have been mortified. As it was, Noah wasn't too damn thrilled himself. He just didn't know what had gotten into Harper.

He and Danae gave his brothers and sister a comfortable home, the only thing he asked was that they keep thier rooms clean and try to be quiet so that his and Dani's sons could sleep at night. Other than that, he was pretty open minded. Or so he thought. He had a few little idiosyncracies, but who didn't? He didn't like the fact that his sister had been with Liam since she was fifteen, but he wasn't going to tell her to stop seeing him, especially since that would just have gotten him into it with his wife when Hallie started sneaking out to see him.

But right now, his concern was Harper. What had made him behave this way? Yelling at the professor in class, just for being told to pay attention, getting into fights with other students. He couldn't remember any time before.....

Noah stopped short as he reached the Floos in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Their parents' deaths. Harper hadn't acted out like this before they had lost their family. Noah closed his eyes briefly before stepping into the emerald flames and coming out a moment later in the Headmaster's office. There was Harper, sitting in the chair in front of Professor Snape's desk. He didn't look like he was sorry for what he'd done, he looked defiant.

Noah stepped forward and looked down at his brother. This ws no way to get the attention that he wanted, and he needed to understand that. So, after a brief conversation with the Headmaster, Noah pointed silently to the Floo and followed his brother through to their living room, where he told Harper to sit on the couch.

"So.... what have you got to say for yourself?" he asked, deathly quiet.

Noah

Harper plopped down on the couch, trying not to huff as much as he felt like doing, though he did indulge in a little eye-rolling while his back was to Noah. He was stupid to think Noah would understand. Stupid to think his brother would be on his side. No one was ever on his side anymore.

He didn't know why he threw his books, except that he was angry, frustrated over having another detention to serve. They were starting to pile up. At this rate, he'd still be serving them when he was twenty. Last week, he'd decided he was tired of detention, and he wasn't going to go anymore. He'd missed one so far, and all that happened was that he was assigned another detention on top of a make-up for the first. That wasn't so bad, especially as he wouldn't be showing up for either. He was sure that he'd probably have to answer to someone eventually, but he'd worry about that when the time came.

Still, even though he wasn't serving them anymore, didn't mean he enjoyed getting them. And he certainly didn't enjoy being called out and humiliated in front of the entire class. It seemed like every time he turned around lately, someone was shouting at him. Why was everyone always shouting at him?

His fingers found their way to the hem of his shirt again. Now there was a tiny hole there. He worried it for a second, pulling at the loose thread. The hole got bigger. It was sort of satisfying to destroy his shirt. He could probably pull the whole thing apart right here in the living room. It was his uniform shirt, no less. He'd nearly forgotten he was still in his uniform. How fitting, destroying his uniform shirt on the day they sent him away. Not that it would accomplish anything. Noah would just go and buy him a new one. He pulled his fingers away, crossing his arms over his chest.

He returned his gaze to the floor, wishing his father were here. His father would have listened, if he were here. His father would have understood. His father would have known just what to say to make everything better.

Or maybe he wished Drew were here. Drew would definitely understand. Drew would probably congratulate him on a job well done. Harper wished he could go and stay with Drew, wherever he was these days. Wished he could have adventures and dig up treasure and forget about everything else.

But he couldn't.

He had to stay here and be a good little boy and study hard and pretend like nothing had happened. Well, Harper was tired of pretending.

He set his jaw and cut his eyes up to Noah. He didn't know what his brother wanted him to say...

So Harper shrugged.