An Art of Balance

Chapter 14: Calming the Storm

As the students that had left for the holidays returned to Hogwarts, the Christmas break came to an end and with it Orion's reprieve he had used to re-centre himself.

He had craved the quiet that always hung heavy in the walls of the half-abandoned castle when only a handful of students and staff stayed behind. And sure enough, the peaceful atmosphere and solitude had worked wonders in calming the storm raging inside his mind.

Orion had taken any chance he could get to meditate on his thoughts. He had often gotten up before the first light, watching the sunrise over the frozen vastness of the Quidditch pitch, painting the sky in an explosion of pink, yellow and orange. There, poised on his broom hovering a few feet off the ground, he felt like the only person left on Earth.

He wandered the snow covered grounds most of the days, roaming wherever his feet might take him; not thinking, just being.

At first, his emotions had threatened to wash over him, bubbling under his skin, screaming at him whenever he closed his eyes. He was so used to being in control of what he felt that the intensity of his inner turmoil almost scared him.

But gradually, his confusion had made room for clarity; the anger he had felt at letting himself be taken up by the moment had dulled down; the anxiousness at the thought of losing one of his most treasured friendships had changed to determination to do everything to not let it happen.

The storm that he had harboured in his heart had subsided, leaving behind nothing but a gentle breeze caressing his soul instead of tossing it around with force.

Even during the strongest tempest there were moments of peace to be found if one only looked closely enough. The splash of raindrops on the ground, the rustle of leaves in the wind, the crashing of the waves against the shore. It was these sentiments he had focused on, letting them take away all that had distracted him.

It hadn't been an easy state of mind to reach. He had made this journey more times than he could count, but it had taken him considerably longer to find his old, calm self again this time around.

The unfortunately inevitable company of Everett, who had stayed at Hogwarts as well, had made it abundantly clear to him how important it was for him to function properly again.

He remembered how threatening his tone had been as he had told Orion to stay out of his way. He was set on winning Lizzie over and whatever had been going on between Orion and her was a serious thorn in his side.

Orion had been vexed at his boisterous attitude at first, but had been able to let go of the resentment for his teammate eventually. The decision to accept him on the team had felt right back when he had made it, so he had to have a role to play in the bigger picture.

Maybe the fates felt like testing him; considering all that had happened recently, he certainly was inclined to think so.

Managing their team with its newly changed dynamics was challenge this year. It was never easy for newcomers to fit into an established system as tightly knit as the Hufflepuff team, but Everett seemed to rub people the wrong way wherever he went.

It reminded him of the time Skye had joined them; it had taken a long time for the other players to warm to her. He had always liked the prickly girl, however. She hid her true self behind a persona she had created to protect herself from people who meant to take advantage of her. She had gotten so used to hide behind her mask, she had trouble dropping her pretence; a sentiment he understood all too well.

Under normal circumstances he would have consulted Lizzie or McNully about what to do about the growing discord inside their team; but the one wouldn't speak to him while the other's mind was too analytical for Orion's taste at the moment. He feared what Murphy would be able to see if he granted him access to his innermost thoughts.