Broken Glass (Tyler Lupin)

1~ Asking for Help

(This Is Set In 3rd Year, Tyler is 13)

Tyler stopped outside the Hospital Wing, sweating. He wasn't breathing properly. He had skipped class to come here, because he wanted...needed to see Madame Pomfrey. After three years, he had finally built up enough confidence to tell her the truth.

When Tyler first Joined the School, she made him feel very welcome. She provided medicine for Remus and accompanied him to the Shreaking Shack every full moon. And after that she would return and talk to Tyler. He wasn't ready to open up, but she was patient. "My door is always open, Ty" She had said.

Tyler was a Glass Child. He learnt that from Poppy. He was the one who had to pick up all the pieces, putting them back together. If he complained about it, he would be called selfish. He started to realize why growing up in the Orphanage with Remus was so hard.

Especially without someone like Pomfrey. A caring mother figure.

He stopped talking to her after 1st year. He had found other, much more harmful coping mechanisms. Wich had started when he was much younger. He promised himself he wouldn't go back to cutting. He knew that it would ruin everything.

And it almost did, if it wasn't for those amazing, incredible people.

Pomfrey, Remus, James, Regulus, Mary and most Importantly...Jo

So, Tyler stood outside The Hospital Wing, knowing how badly he wanted to tell her everything. But he Froze. He went to open the door, but his hands were shaking.

'I can't do this' 'What am I thinking?' 'She won't want to see me' 'I should go back to class'

"Ty...Buddy...Look at me" He opened his eyes. Suddenly, he was on the floor, panicking. He didn't even notice he had started crying. "Ty...Let's go Inside, okay?" He nodded, smiling weakly at Madame Pomfrey. She looked worried.

Poppy walked him over to a hospital bed. Luckily, the room was empty. He sat down and tucked his knees into his chest, rocking back and forth slightly. He felt embarrassed, he'd never had a panic attack in front of someone before. It made him feel weak.

"Tyler, Take a deep breath for me, okay?" Poppy said, gently squeezing his hand. He did as she asked and focused on breathing properly. "I'm sorry" He said, his voice breaking. 'Gosh I feel so stupid' He thought to himself.

But she saw right through him. "I'm really happy to see you, Tyler" She said. "Why did you come here? And why have you gotten yourself worked up about it. You know how much I care about everyone..."

"I did something Stupid" Tyler mumbled. He looked at the floor. Madame Pomfrey pulled out a chair and sat down next to him. "Whatever it was, I'm sure we can fix it"

She clearly thought he had done something reckless, like hurting another student. For the past 3 years, he had grown quite the reputation for bad behavior. "No, I can't be fixed" Tyler replied.

"Nonsense, don't say that about yourself. You are a bright young student, I've seen it" She didn't look angry, but she sounded very protective. Tyler took a deep breath. "We were learning about Mental Health, In The Assembly this morning. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember, I helped write Dumbledore's speech" She answered. He looked surprised. "Well...It was a very good speech. But I heard Severus Snape making fun of it. He said alot of horrible thing's"

"And how did that make you feel?" She asked. "Upset. Because I think I might have a problem with my....Mental Health. That's why I came here, actually" He felt a lump in his throat, he really wanted to say something specific, but he couldn't find the words.

Luckily, Poppy already knew. "Tyler, Do you hurt yourself?" She asked, quietly. He stared at her, worried about how to respond. "Yes" He answered. He started crying again.

She pulled him into a hug. He didn't really like hugs, but he felt to ashamed to say anything. "H..How did you know?" He stuttered. She smiled, sadly. "When you were little, you hated wearing a Cloak, now I never see you without it"

"Oh..." Tyler frowned. He was worried that maybe other people would notice. "And-" She continued. "You don't seem very confident anymore. It's not a bad thing, but I haven't seen you on the Quidditch Pitch in...forever. Is there anything your Interested In?"

"I Like...Painting" He replied, sheepishly. Poppy laughed, she looked happy again. "That's good! I've got an Idea, why don't you come here once a week so we can talk about how your doing? You can bring a canvas, and I've got some water color paint in my office. How does that sound?"

"Y...yeah" Tyler stood up. "I would love that" He replied. Pomfrey patted him on the back. "Let's start on Monday" "I'll tell Dumbledore about our arrangement"

Tyler smiled, properly, for the first time in a while. He said goodbye to Pomfrey and walked back to The Slytherin Common Room. Finally he found someone who cared.

He ran to his Dorm Room, Jumped into bed and pulled on a pair of Muggle Headphones. He listened to Gorrilaz, whist drawing all over his hand with sharpie.

That went alot better than expected. He thought.

(So, that's the Introduction to the Story. I've got lots more to come!)