Hymns of a Haunted Mind. PV: Archer

Athens. Wonderland. Manderley.

Archer had been dreaming. Not of the mountainous fields of home but of faraway lands he had always yearned to step foot in. They were childhood imaginings, products of spending too much time curled up with a book in his lap. They were worlds born from escapism, some full of wonder and whimsey while others returned to haunt him. Above all though, they were familiar names. With Puck toying with his sense of reality, with the white rabbit dashing in and out of a dark frame, with the wind howling a name they begged to return. Somedays he knew he was in the same, sick, gothic novel, for like the tides that whispered urging Rebeccas as they sprayed against weathered rocks, he too beckoned nightly for the ghostly presence to return.

Athens. Wonderland. Manderley-

-the worlds spun. Woods diverged into gardens that led into grandiose manor gates. Blue from the sky blurred into pinks on teapot decorations as the brine scent of the ocean with its sound of drumbeats followed in the background. This was nothing of how it was described in the books. Where were the greek temples? The queen’s palace? The Cornwall estate? His surroundings were for one second a kaleidoscope of colour and for another a monochrome nightmare. He stood in the middle of it all, barely coherent but with one thought clearer than the light of day. Everything, Archer knew, was wrong.

Athens. Wonderland. Manderley….

Archer woke up to Zeno’s agitated meowing. It had become an ongoing routine for him to claw on his bedpost, jump up to nuzzle his his face while the boy struggled to push him off, then lick his cheeks as he refused the cat’s invitation of play. Play was a mood he had not been in for a long time and in blunt words his pet’s requirements for activity had not been met when forcing himself to leave his room after class hours had become difficult. He remembered the promises he had made when Zeno had became his responsibility, how he vowed to give him a better life than what the kitty used to experience on Winnipeg streets, yet now he was forced to deal with a boy barely able to care for himself let alone another living creature. Rubbing the cat’s head in an halfhearted search for distraction in such a common action he was jolted as the orange fur ball jumped down from his sheets and walked with an entitled swagger towards the door.

“Zeno, come back,” he mumbled in tired French.

Squinting his eyes against the bright glare of the outside sun Archer knew now was not the time to sleep yet his body begged for him to wrap blankets around himself again as he absentmindedly slid into a coat. Vaguely realising Zeno jumping for the door handle he tugged it downwards, then watched enviously as the feline manoeuvred through the common room as if he was a carefree broom racer through the clouds. Following him delicately like the glass figure he had become he found cold stone steps under each step as Zeno trotted up the stairs, becoming more and more familiar with the castle while Archer did vice versa.

Archer wandered the corridors aimlessly, unsure even of what floor he was on though certain that it hardly mattered. He had walked in those corridors so many times before, had placed curious fingers into armour plates, hand brushed pass the glass as he admired the trophy room, had talked to portraits and adventured the moving staircase. Yet today was different, as everything had been after the event. Today he did not allow any movement more than he needed, was fairly sure he could not do much more movement than he needed. He walked, with eyes pointed into the distant nothingness, looking down at the orange bob dragon him along every so often when he needed a reason — a damned excuse, to be out there and not wiling time away. As Zeno jumped up to lay on windowsills or to pounce at prey that came from dust and nothingness Archer admired his zest, wishing it could be transferred onto himself as he scooped the cat back into his arms, whispering words he barely registered into his comforting fur.

When Zeno jumped from his grasp once more Archer’s eyes heightened with guard as he was drawn to a girl, crouched against the wall with knees to her chest, her head buried in her legs. Zeno would be the first to get to her as Archer inched behind him with vigilance. Though often a little devil, the feline would show another side of his temperament as he meowed softly, sniffing around the stranger as if to detect any nearby evil. When he deemed her to be no harm, another meow would escape him, one urgent, insistant, beckoning for Archer to follow. He would, tentatively, as if he was approaching a living, breathing, bomb.

Although unsure if he was in a state to offer it himself, Archer asked, stopping a good distance away from her, “Are you in need of help?”

LOCATION | Corridors, Hogwarts DATE | 23rd January 2025 INTERACTING | @Archer Duncan @Saunders Napier

782 | WORD COUNT x | OUTFIT can't you see me? | SONG

The concept of emotion was foreign to Meiyu, whatever she had succumb to now, was only adequate to social suicide should she be caught hyperventilating over the entire ordeal. It quickly became too much for her to begin to comprehend what was occurring, unable to rationalise anything due to the lack of sleep, her mind working overtime to keep her going until she would finally pass out once more from fatigue. Engrossed in her own thoughts, begging the barbaric voice to stop pestering her, she almost failed to notice the gentle sniffs coming from nearby. It was only when she heard a meow, did her head snap with motion, turning to glare at the source of the noise from a ginger feline who loitered near as though sensing for danger — an ability she desired the longer her eyes remained on the creature, only then would it have prevented the entire ordeal and the sickness that followed in suite.

Still, the newfound behaviour she had succumb to was far too new for her liking, accustomed to her own erratic responses to situations, what she had began to experience now was much to her displeasure. As her breath hitched and tears slowly began to escape her cat like eyes which she had shut in retaliation, Meiyu felt an odd sensation nearby. It was one she had momentarily experienced a few months prior, in the Great Lake, a place of abuse and intrusion from creatures, the light air against her had only indicated it was a similar creature; a feline.

Despite that encounter occurring months ago, Meiyu's taste towards pets remained unwaivered, adamant such creatures are merely pests, despite their companionship. It contributed to the mental list she had prepared on reasons why Hogwarts was not the esteemed institute it attempted to present itself as, a list she wished to share with her father and urge him to pull her out and send her elsewhere. Deeming it immoral and downright peculiar that the school allowed students to house pets, many of which failing to have true sense of ownership of such creatures — where in which, more times than often, said creatures escape and are reported as lost amongst other students. Of course, this was gossip she overheard during another eavesdropping session in her dormitory.

Irregardless, this, was undoubtedly Meiyu's worst nightmare.

A cat.

Tilting her head to the side to glare half-heartedly at the feline, a stranger — likely the free-spirited cat's owner, approached, though, still maintaining some distance. Shifting her gaze to the figure, her eyes immediately diverted down to his choice in attire, evidently barely awake given he had yet to change into something that would not cost him his reputation. Despite her staring, her expression remained blank. Although her cheeks had light pink hues and her brown eyes were glossy, she was unable to fathom a response to the question which tread on a lot of unspoken thoughts. Had she not been found, embarrassingly crying and desperate to block out the painfully banging voice in her mind, she would likely have thrown a string of insults at the boy, calling him a nobody given they had never interacted prior to this point. Yet, the intense weight of all that had occurred over Christmas, was enough to send her spiralling; questioning her own morality and personality.

Instead, she chose to play it safe.

"No." She muttered with an exhale, attempting to pace her breathing and ease herself. Blinking slowly, she manoeuvred her head to rest on her arm, which had wrapped around her like a blanket, reminiscent to the days she had spent at home as though in mourning, following the incident. There was no reason she should confinde in a stranger, let alone one who could tame his wild beast. Basking in a few seconds of silence, pondering the next course of action yet far too mentally and physically exhausted to depart from her position or shroud in embarrassment, Meiyu parted her lips once more, pausing as she moved once more, unwrapping her arms to look at the boy once more — but, nothing came.

The conversational topic was far too intense to throw onto another, besides, she was yet to inform Hans of this entire ordeal, finding herself lulling over choices of words for her next correspondence and preoccupied with portraying herself as sane to others. A successful endeavour up until this point in time.

"Have you heard the story of Jekyll and Hyde?" Meiyu eventually asked with a sniff as she brought her hand to her eyes to wipe away what had fallen, treading on the subject matter lightly, as though to test the latter, should she choose to confide in him.

banner by Pericles Dralt| interacting as Archer Duncan

As the hand Archer extended with quietly refused, it was evident to even him that there was little genuineness behind the disagreement. Zeno meowed softly by her side, cocking his small, furred head in one part concern, one part confusion, and one part morbid interest. Archer, beckoning him into his hands, stroked his fur gently as he purred, suddenly with a paradoxical drowsiness compared to the feline’s prior keenness to prowl his kingdom of Hogwarts. They boy sighed, glanced up towards the ceiling in frustration at the both of them yet allowed the soft vibrations from his cat’s throat to calm him. The silence hung between them with tension palpable in the charged air between them. He watched wordlessly as she made attempts to speak, only for nothing to come out.

Uncertainty was what plagued Archer most with the encounter, a constant tug at him reminding him that he had absolutely no idea what this girl of melancholic unpredictability was going to do next. Although far more observant than he was assertive, he had never been particularly well at reading people, instead following the formulas perfected for nature focusing on appearance and behaviour only, rather than their psychological thunder storms. Whether she would burst into ugly sobbing or go into a long rant about the horrors of her life however, Archer realised he had just more inadvertently than to, offered himself the emotional burden. After all he was not exactly best qualified as a psychiatrist.

“Have you heard the story of Jekyll and Hyde?”

Finally. An approach chosen that sparked more inquiries out of Archer than it did sympathy. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — interesting she would bring up a work with such moral duality rather than some of Edgar Allan Poe’s melancholia or Sylvia Plath’s mental deterioration. What terrible, ambitious experiments had but a little girl done to induce an the alter ego embodying nothing shy of pure evil? The question here ought not be if Archer had heard the story, but what the broken figure meant by bringing it to the table, seemingly with such an uncanny combination of arbitrary and fitting.

“Yes, of course,” Archer affirmed steadily with caution, though his brows furrowed as he wondered for what reason the girl, seemingly disoriented was interested in quizzing him on his literary knowledge. Even if he had just awoken from slumber he could recall the happenings of that novel he now so vividly remembered reading. He blinked his own eyes away as the unknown girl wiped tears from hers, in a silent pain Archer could not comprehend nor did he dare to pretend that he did. Then allowing a much softer tone to slip into his voice he could have asked for whatever reason the question was made, yet he diverged from her troubles entirely as the boy, definitely not qualified himself, made a wary attempt at advice.

Soon after the fire all books had lost their meaning. Before death was a thing so removed, shrouded in metaphors, adorned by imagery, and always employed to convey a grander meaning that led the toiling protagonist to a final acceptance. Thinking that the same logic worked in a world no longer fictitious would have only brought Archer even more self-pity than his current allocation. And therefore he had distanced himself from the many paperbacks piled in his dorm that he had once loved, determined not to pay them a shred of attention lest he think his existence some sort of dismal poem too. “Maybe the day you stop thinking your life could be defined by literature is when you will feel better about yourself.”

LOCATION | Corridors, Hogwarts DATE | 23rd January 2025 INTERACTING | @Archer Duncan @Saunders Napier

831 | WORD COUNT x | OUTFIT can't you see me? | SONG

Wired much differently than others, the mere thought on a different subject matter, in essence, truly had the ability to whisk Meiyu away — transcending her into a spiral of thoughts, despite her usual composed demeanour. It was an approach she chose to take amidst the utter embarrassment of succumbing to whatever this erratic behaviour was. Typically, Meiyu held herself to a high standard, refusing to falter in front of others merely because pretty girls don't cry — especially before strangers. Yet, her own failure to truly comprehend all that occurred months ago, that fateful evening, had morphed her into someone she failed to recognise. What was once a composed; albeit angry, girl, had now become a girl riddled with delusion, paranoia and worries. It was unrecognisable, even for her quick deductions.

Partially fascinated by literature, the heightened senses had forced her to assess her strange demeanour, recalling a tale she had once heard and subsequently searched for during one of her bouts where she had some form of rationale. Despite this, Meiyu was never fond of literature to the extent it would turn into the pinnacle point of conversation — instead, her resonance with the underlying topic of the novel had forced her into an evening of ponder, which was quite frequent given her inability to succumb to slumber most nights. Within a few nights, the tale became a fragment of Meiyu's newfound obsession. Soon, her focus shifted into how deeply she resonated with the tale, internally questioning why that was, though, it was not something she could confide in with her dearest Evpraksiya. After attempting to confide in a professor at the start of the winter term, the young lioness was merely left in tears, a revelation that the cold hearted girl had some warmth to her after all.

She was a cold-blooded murderer, it took no convincing.

Irregardless to how she chose to tread on the subject to the stranger and the feline who followed in-suite, Meiyu could not bring herself to dive deeper into the topic as she had hoped, given at this point, she had yet to even tell her dearest and only friend; Hans of Berlin. Sniffing once more and finally spared from the wrath of the salty liquid which streamed moments ago, Meiyu rose from her fetal position against the stone walls, almost stumbling in the process given her overall lack of sleep the past month. Much to her demise, she had been met with a sassy man-child who's expression was almost reminiscent to her own when she was enrolled into the wretched school. Evidently embodying underlying anger, the boy spoke as though he relentlessly searched for a muse in his mundane life. Meiyu instinctively rolled her glossy eyes, already unamused by the interaction thus far.

"Perhaps that is the case, though, my intrigue stems from the question which often arises from the readers of that novel." Meiyu began lightly, half-heartedly relaying different methods of approach until she realised she had never stumbled upon this person before, meaning it would be unlikely she'd stumble upon the boy once more. For once, she didn't have to be calculated in her choice of words. "Given your familiarity with the tale, I'm sure the question would have arose to yourself at one point, but, do you really believe that a human could possess both good and bad qualities?" She piqued, pausing momentarily to shift her gaze on him, desperately searching for any signs of disapproval or faltering with the question.

"As in, humans can be both good and evil, rather than just the one?" Meiyu pushed, resuming her impromptu interrogation, sniffing once the word 'evil' parted from her lips. The innuendo alone would be enough to send her spiralling, similarly it would to any sane person within the vicinity of the wretched castle. Most of her peers were far too engrossed with maintaining their grade average, taking the opportunity of the new semester as an awakening into raising their grades or partaking in extracurricular activities. Meiyu on the other hand, dwelled the past that had now defined her sense of self worth and overall perspective of both the world and herself. "For example, someone who took the life of another, surely has no good in them. That's something some people firmly believe in. Redemption is clearly excluded from this analogy, spare me the brain aneurysm, but surely, good and evil cannot coincide with one another, right?" She brashly added, her tone dipping lower in fear of being overheard by passerby's who would surely raise a brow at the topic of conversation.

Momentarily shifting her gaze to her surroundings, her eyes widened in search of any intruders, quickly settling back on the boy once she had confirmation that the coast was clear and her questions on the matter were out in the open — both in search for a reaction to the word vomit she threw and any signs of discomfort that would motion her to punch the boy and run away.

LOCATION | Corridors, Hogwarts DATE | 23rd January 2025 INTERACTING | @Archer Duncan

853 | WORD COUNT x | OUTFIT can't you see me? | SONG

Over the course of the recent weeks, following the wretched incident that occurred that fateful evening in the Knight manor, Meiyu had only grown more odd with her behaviour. Anxiously worried that the man would return in spirit and haunt both her dearest Evpraksiya and her. Her behaviour had been peculiar, yet, not peculiar enough given her recluse to interact with others whom had the misfortune of being in her presence, however, enough to warrant questions from her mother during their weekly owl exchange — which by this point had significantly decreased in frequency. The topic of morality in humans, more-so her own, came into question frequently, given her solitude forced her to seek comfort in both literature and anything to prevent slumber, fearing the erratic and vivid dreams turned nightmares would take it's reign and set her up for an entire day of gloom.

Her ears perked up once the boy responded to her barbaric question, sharing his own think piece on the topic at hand and yet, Meiyu failed to fully comprehend the weight of his words, despite it being an opinion respective of his own experience. Instead, her brows furrowed in evident disapproval, unsure as to why such measures existed in the world to uphold good and punish evil. "But, one bad deed is enough to send someone to Azkaban or it's counterpart, prison?" She rebuked with a whisper, as though outwardly sharing her growing opinion, one she had never dived fully into given her age and lack of need to. In essence, the bizarre experience surrounding that fateful evening had robbed her from a normal childhood. Whilst others her age gawked around the castle with anticipation and thrill for the new term, Meiyu tread through the corridors with a growing sense of paranoia, at times, a barbaric voice taking it's rightful reign over her and condemning vicious attacks on others. To her, it felt as though something had shifted in her, for the worse — the mere thought of continuing down such a horrid path only aided the growing anxieties surrounding her return.

It was only when the older boy paused and then chose to confide in her, for some peculiar reason, that he too had succumb to a similar fate that she had done. Quickly entwining the two into a sick and twisted reality that here stood in the stone tiled corridors, were to cold blooded murderers. Despite her eyes twinkling with a glint of relief and excitement to find a confidant beside her doll-like Evpraksiya, the latter had quickly clarified his statement and in doing so, Meiyu sighed. Her excitement for a like-minded tortured soul had perished quicker than it emerged, still, she opted to tread lightly on the matter at hand.

"At least you feel some semblance of guilt, I do not." Meiyu interjected, finally forthcoming with her emotions on the entire ordeal. "I did what I had to do, to protect someone, I guess we're the same in that sense — striving to protect those we love, if I would even call it that." She added with a sigh, unable to fathom the essence of the emotions she had succumb to over the course of a few weeks, far too intense for her own liking. She had not grown accustomed to intense infatuation of others around her, if anything, the extent of such behaviour typically extended to her two brothers. During a few sleepless nights, she had wondered if the Sorting Hat knew she would experience such a gruesome evening that would force her to put a brave front up, yet, the longer she pondered, the weaker her heart grew. Despite her age, she knew no child should experience what she and Evpraksiya had, though, she found solace in knowing there was another kindred soul, if not, it eased her mind slightly.

"Perhaps it is a trial one must go through to come of age, though, I dislike the trajectory of it all. I wish I could forget everything happened and resume as normal, for now, my life feels at a stand-still and the mongrels I frequently pass by whilst at this horrid school only induce odd feelings, did you feel that way too?" She treaded once more, shifting her gaze to meet his, though, likely still busy gawking around similar to how she had done prior. "I do sense that you share an ounce of similarity with me, likely the paranoia of both prying eyes and prying ears, it's horrid." Meiyu added, the strings at her heart tugging at the sight. How he reminded her of her beloved Evpraksiya and Hans of Berlin, perhaps he was another soul she would take under her wing, swearing a non-existant oath to protect him despite him being both taller in height and older in age, their similarities was far too great for her to now let the boy slip away, besides.

Soon, it dawned on her that she did not know his name, far engrossed in the topic of human morality and a question of ethics no child would know the answer to. "Forgive my manners, what is your name?"

LOCATION | Corridors, Hogwarts DATE | 23rd January 2025 INTERACTING | @Archer Duncan

742 | WORD COUNT x | OUTFIT can't you see me? | SONG

Caring so minimally for formality, Meiyu at her very best, did try, despite her lack of true care in finding the boy's name, which she had soon learned to be Archer. Typically she would cipher something regarding to what the latter was doing in life. Archer had been vastly different from any boy she had met, unpredictable and already a mystery. She had never come across him prior to their sudden meeting, almost enraging Meiyu that such circumstances had been at the result of her brash breakdown. The pretence of appearing somewhat normal through formalities had never appeased to her, even if it had been another method of mere deflection as they delved deeper into the topic she desperately sought to find resolve to.

Ignoring his dismissive nature, Meiyu affirmed her understanding with a mere nod. "Likewise Archer Theodore Duncan," she quoted with ease, his name rolling of her tongue as though to gauge some sort of familiarity, none of which coming to mind. "I do question whether we would have made acquaintances under different circumstances, given, I have never seen you before." Meiyu commented once more, her tone carrying a hint of unease, irregardless to her delirious state of mind and intrigue into delving into rather taboo matters.

He had been so quick to affirm her own beliefs and in truth, for a while, Meiyu had grown to believe no such person would understand the intensity of her feelings. Her dearest Evpraksiya had taken the matter drastically differently than she had, their communications within the castle had been cut quite short, both behaving in such a manner to avoid any ounce of suspicion forming in the mind of another, though, it was highly accredited to her blooming paranoia. She could not yet fully fathom the severity of the situation she was in.

Immediately lulled away from the alluring trance she had quickly found herself in, her mind occasionally relaying sporadic scenes from that wretched night, she reached for Archer's hand and pulled herself up from the wall she had clung onto. Her lips momentarily pursed as she contemplated taking him up on the offer, though her mind had wandered once more, surely the vicinity they had found themselves in would be safe to resume their chatter?

Are you perhaps worried that people would pry? She had almost questioned, her eyes darting though the corridor in search for another despite finding none. Perhaps it had sparked a new bout of worry, forcing sudden realisation to seep faster than she had ever anticipated, for, the boy who stood before her had in truth been a stranger. She had not sought coddling amidst her embarrassing breakdown, a homage to the human nature she never believed to have exhibited in the past, nor should she predict to exhibit such nature in the present. Instead, her glossy eyes had widened in pure horror, recognising such duress she had constantly found herself in from the day the incident had occurred.

The purr which omit from the feline had ceased such worries, even for a moment, pulling her eyes away from Archer to gaze at the creature with a more softer look than she had done so towards the boy himself. Meiyu extended her palm outwards, waiting for the feline to inch closer to her as she had seen others do, despite her adamant dislike for the species. "I would not entirely say so," she hummed, fixated on the cat, "It's rather difficult to find like minded people in this horrid place, many of whom care little for others, though, I would also categorise myself in such a group of people." Meiyu added hesitantly, entirely ignoring her prior confession of such a sin that would only lock her up upon discovery. It was feasible that he had been right. Such conversations were not appropriate for their current location, primarily with Meiyu still nested against the stone walls which had warmed up slightly due to her body heat pressed against the beige stone.

"Care to take a stroll instead?" She suggested, using small force to push herself off the nest she had created, swiftly moving to her feet and rising from her previous position. Refusing to make eye contact, Meiyu kept her gaze fixated on the floor, or, where the feline moved, her palms moving to wipe any tears which had fallen earlier, or rested on her skin like a reminder of how humiliating the entire ordeal had been.