"Mum...Mum...Mum..."

A young Pierce looked out at his mother from the doorway of the kitchen as he saw his mother sitting at the kitchen table, her quill working beside her jotting everything she said down. His stomach growled slightly as he waited for his mother to acknowledge his prescence but instead, Rita did her best to ignore him.

"Mum-"

"Pierce, be quiet!" Rita turned around in her chair, her blonde hair hitting her face as she spun around to face him.

The boy cowered back slightly as he looked down to the floor.

"But Mum-"

"I'm not going to say it again! Go! Shoo!"

Pierce's shoulders slumped as he slowly went to retreat to his bedroom, but as he went to pass the front door of the home, he came to a stop. He looked over to where his mother was still sitting at the table, not an ounce of concern for him as she needed to finish another slandering article.

He frowned before anger swept over him.

It was his first summer break home from Hogwarts and his father had canceled their plans for Pierce to spend the summer with him, claiming there was a case he needed to work on and that Pierce would only get in the way.

It seemed that's all Pierce was capable of doing.

Getting in his parents' way.

So he decided to take it upon himself to stop being such a bother to the two of them and walked out the front door.

The first of the many times of Pierce attempting to run away from home.

Pierce wasn't sure why the memory of him running away from home had entered his mind while he had slept. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he and his father were slowly working on mending their relationship, but Rita didn't bother admitting her faults or try to make amends. It was still a hostile relationship between the mother and son with the second task coming up.

Every day leading up to the Second Task, Pierce found himself dreaming of horrible memories of his earlier childhood. Most of them revolving around his relationship with his parents.

"Dad! I got into Ravenclaw!"

Pierce was home for Christmas after his first half of the semester in his first year. John had picked him up at the train station as it was that year on rotation that Sherlock was supposed to have Pierce for the holiday.

It was both parents had agreed on, to rotate every year so that Pierce was able to spend the holidays with the two of them, however, neither parent ever seemed pleased when Pierce was in their company for the holiday.

Pierce was incredibly excited to talk to his dad about the sorting. Of course, he had long explained it in his first letter home, but hadn't received a response while he was in school. He was hoping to speak with his father now that they were face to face but Sherlock seemed all too involved in his work upon Pierce's arrival to Baker Street.

"Dad? Did you hear what I said? I got into Ravenclaw like you...and Mum.."

Sherlock let out a heavy sigh before turning to Pierce in irritation. "Do you not have anything else better to do than stand there and continue with your mindless babble?"

"But I...I got into-"

"Ravenclaw..yes yes...I heard you before. It would be impossible not to hear you, the way you're yelling in here."

"Mr. Holmes!"

The two Holmes turned around to see Mrs. Hudson standing in the doorway, giving Sherlock a scolding look.

Pierce looked at the old landlady before excusing himself and rushing out of the flat. 

Only to bump into John on his way out.

"Pierce, I...wait..why are you crying?"

Pierce quickly wiped at his face. "I'm not. I don't know what you're talking about."

'Pierce-"

"Mrs. Hudson was dusting around, I just got some dust specks in my eye..that's all!" Pierce told him before going to leave down the side walk.

"Where are you going?!" John called out before jogging after him.

"I dunno." the boy shrugged. "I'll just keep walking until I find a place where I'm actually wanted."

"Pierce, don't talk like that."

"Why not? It's true. My dad doesn't want me here, my mum doesn't want me at home. Who wants me around?"

John grabbed the boy's jacket stopping him in place.

" I do. I want you to stay, Pierce."

Pierce tossed and turned in his bed as his restless sleep came to an end after his latest dream. He suddenly awoke with a start and found the front of his shirt soaked in sweat. Lifting his hand up and pushing back his hair, he glanced over to the clock that rested on his night stand.

It was only five in the morning.

The morning of the Second Task.

Pushing himself out of bed, Pierce left to the showers and took one of the longest showers of his life as he just allowed the hot water to pour over his body to soothe him. Eventually he heard other students waking up and shuffling into the showers to get ready for the day. 

He dried himself off and got dressed before heading back to the dorms to wake Julius up so they could head to the Great Hall for breakfast, however as he arrived to his friend's bedside, he discovered the most peculiar thing.

Julius was gone.