Panic! At the Quidditch Game (Finley) (Trigger Warning: Panic Attack)

Guest

Quidditch. That word could excite just about anybody who followed the sport and Naomi and Finley were no different. They were headed down to the pitch to watch Ravenclaw play Hufflepuff. The race for the Quidditch Cup was heated and all the teams had about as much chance of winning it as all the other teams. With that in mind, Naomi and Finley had decided to go support their team.

What Naomi had forgotten, or perhaps never even thought of, was how crowded the Quidditch stands would be. It was cold and the crowd was pressed together, trying to stay warm. Breathing quickly and shallowly, Naomi managed to distract herself with the game until Ravenclaw scored for the first time. The students around her cheered, jumping up and down and bumping into each other in their excitement.

Suddenly, Naomi was eight years old again, caught in that mob of rioters. No, no, she wouldn't be hurt again! She fought her way out of the stands, elbowing people aside in her haste. She sprinted behind the stands, falling to her knees in the snow, gasping. The world around her spun and she could feel her heart racing as she curled into a ball, ignoring the cold of the snow. She lost track of the world around her as she fell into a panic.

Guest

Finding out that Ravenclaw were the next game in the Quidditch season (Finley didn't pay avid attention to the fixtures, because he always got confused with the dates and who was playing who) had made Finley really excited. The idea of going with Naomi had just left his lips when she accepted whole-heartedly, causing a grin to appear on his features.

Finley had managed to get hold of some face paint, and had decked out his cheeks with blue 'war paint' streaks - and of course, he'd offered Naomi the paint afterward to deck herself out in their house colours.

They'd hurried down to the pitch with the rest of the school, moving in to a relatively good spot with the Ravenclaws. The chanting was exciting, making Finley look around the crowds with a grin on his face, and (not quite so loudly as some) joining in with the crowd, albeit in his usual stuttered manner.

It was quite soon in to the game when Ravenclaw scored, and like the rest of his house mates, Finley had jumped up in delight, cheering for his house mates who were - now - winning. He knew it might not last, but the excitement was coursing through him.

Looking to his left to see Naomi's face, Finley's smile left instantly finding the seat beside him empty. His eyes darted to the back of his best friend, nearing the edge of the stands, and he hurried off after her in confusion. Naomi would have told him if she was popping to the toilet, or something, or that much he was certain.

It took the boy only a little while to catch up, and when he did, Finley was very confused. Approaching her cautiously, Finley knelt down beside her, not reaching out to touch her because he didn't know what to do. "Naomi..." He whispered, alerting her of his presence in case she hadn't heard him approach. "Are y-you okay?" He asked, before shaking his head. "Not o-okay. Did you h-have a vision? S-should I get s-someone?"

Guest

Dimly, Naomi registered the sound of Finley talking to her. "N-not- Not v-v-v-vision," she managed to get out through her shaking and panting. "T-too many. Too m-m-many p-people. T-too close!" Placing her head between her knees, Naomi tried to breathe, but there was no air! No air and she couldn't breathe and there were too many people and she was dying, oh Merlin, she was dying.

Gasping like she had just run a marathon, Naomi clutched at her stomach, clenching her fists in her sweater. "No- air!" she managed to get out. "There's- no- air- here!"

There was a pain in Naomi's chest like her lungs were on fire, but something in the back of her mind, the very quiet, rational part of her that was buried under a mountain of fear remembered what this was. That part of her was very insistent that she use up some of her precious air to tell Finley. It seemed rather important, so Naomi gasped out, "Panic. Attack," before she went back to trying to breathe without air.

Guest

Finley listened to Naomi's explanation and moved around to sit in front of her. Not too close that he might make things worse, but not too far that he couldn't help her if she needed him too. He was worried though, he'd never seen something like this before. "It's o-okay. They're... They're n-not here." Finley tried to soothe his best friend, though he wasn't sure if he should be quiet or not.

"N-nothing is going to h-hurt you." Finley added quietly, moving to reach for Naomi's hand but deciding against it last minute. "I'm h-here." He continued, his tone remaining reassuring - or at least he hoped it was.

"Naomi, l-look at me." Finley said after a moments pause, forcing a calm smile on to his features that he didn't quite feel. "Y-you're safe." He insisted, taking in a deep breath, and motioning for her to try and do the same. Merlin he was compromising, but he hoped it would help, in some manner.

Guest

Naomi listed to Finley voice more than his words. It was calm, reassuring, even if she couldn't quite believe what he was saying. She tried to match her breathing to his, attempting to convince herself that if Finley was breathing, there must be air. It didn't help much, but it helped a little.

Eventually, the panic subsided and Naomi was able to sit up. She rubbed freezing tears off her cheeks, smearing the paint Finley had helped her apply to her face for the game. "Sorry," she whispered, blushing and staring at the ground. "I, uh, I don't do well in crowds. I forgot how many people were going to be here and then I thought I could handle it, but I guess not.

Although Naomi wasn't terribly embarrassed that Finley had seen her like this (after all, how much worse could it be than crying and shaking over a vision?), it was still pretty embarrassing. Not to mention, she must have scared Finley like that. "I'll b-be oka-ay, promise," she told him, scooting a little bit closer for a hug.

Guest

It took a while, but eventually Naomi calmed down. Relief flooded through Finley because he had no idea if he could get a professor and get back to Naomi before... no, he wouldn't think about it, instead he concentrated on the witch before him.

Waiting for Naomi to right herself, Finley couldn't help but smile as she smudged the paint on her cheeks. It looked funny, but they could sort it later. "It's o-okay." Finley assured her as she apologised. "W-we can do s-something else." He added, because he wasn't terribly fond of the large crowd himself. Not because it made him panic like Naomi, just because there were lots of people, lots of bustling, a lot of noise. He'd miss the Quidditch, but he didn't mind if Naomi was happier away from it.

Finley ignored the blush in her cheeks, looking away for a moment before he noticed Naomi moving towards him. Somewhat instinctively, Finley put an arm around her, and pulled her close. He was still an awkward hugger, but he tried. "L-let's go b-back to the c-castle. W-we can get l-lunch and head to t-the library?" He suggested, letting go of Naomi and giving her a hopeful smile. "It's q-quiet." He added, showing he was thinking about her comfort.

Guest

"Thanks," Naomi whispered as Finley assured her they could do something else. Maybe one day, she'd be ready to go back into the stands and face the crowds, but today, she just wanted to be away from everyone. She flinched slightly as a roar came from the crowds in the stands behind them.

No, today was not the day to try again.

Even though Naomi knew that Finley felt awkward at the touch, she appreciated him trying anyway. She nodded at his suggestions. "That sounds good. Thanks Finley." Scrubbing at her cheeks again as he pulled away, she grimaced when her fingers came away blue and bronze. "And maybe we should stop by the bathroom so I can wash my face," she added. "I think I might scare the librarian like this."

As the two of them headed back to the castle, Naomi took a moment to be glad that Finley was her best friend. She was sure that not everyone would be so understanding and it made her happy that they had found each other.

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