Harmony
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Harmony |
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|---|---|
|
Dorley girl |
|
| Gender | Female |
| Year of intake | 2007? |
| Year of graduation | 2010 |
| Sponsor | unknown |
| Gender at intake | unknown |
| Date of birth | unknown |
| Name at intake | unknown |
| edit this box | |
Harmony (sometimes called Harm) is a graduate of the Dorley programme. She is currently sponsoring Ollie.
Harmony is gay. [SD 20] Frankie regards her as "mousy" [SD 44] and Bethany perceives her as having a "nervous energy". [SD 46] She "habitually" wears a thick-strapped wristwatch; Ollie notices that the strap conceals a scar on her wrist, surmising that she, like himself, once attempted to kill herself. [SD 38] Frankie has also seen her scar and alludes that it is fairly severe. [SD 47]
Sponsoring Ollie
Harmony has sponsored at least one basementee before Ollie. [SD 16] Tabitha considers her a "great sponsor" but believes she could " really stand to stop compartmentalising so much" in regards to her bottling up her frustrations as a sponsor, resulting in momentary losses of her composure. [SD 33] Aisha and Mia agree that she is "scarier" than Ollie. [SD 32]
Intake
While not the most difficult boy ever put in the basement, Ollie is one of the most oppositional members of the 2019 intake and his continued obstinance and unwillingness to comply with the programme frequently drives Harmony to frustration; still, she states that she does not want to wash him out, believing there is "a human somewhere under there". [SD 33] Ollie continues to refuse to consent to "simple behavioural agreements" set by Harmony well into December. [SD 34] Tabitha is not sure that Harmony's approach of making him "stop justifying his bullshit first" is the correct approach to use with him. [SD 35] Harmony is increasingly stressed out and frustrated as the year progresses and, by January, is envious of the progress and rapport the other sponsors have made with their charges. [SD 37] For his part, Ollie initially only sees her as "cruel". [SD 39]
Following their participation in WIll's attack on Maria, Ollie and Raph are thrown in the cells on November 22nd. [SD 17]
By December 18th, Harmony tells Aaron that she believes Ollie is beginning to drop his "masculine interpretation layers". She instructs Aaron that he no longer needs to police his own masculinity, which sets off an argument between the two, with Aaron feeling lost without the social structure he was accustomed to and annoyed at her smug attitude on the topic. [SD 29]
Jane and Harmony strategize for weeks regarding their approach for reintroducing Ollie and Raph to the common areas, consulting with Monica and Edy for advice. The two are reintroduced to the rest of the group on Christmas Eve, but Ollie is almost immediately tased and returned to his cell after he becomes belligerent towards the other basementees and makes an attempt to grab Jane's taser. [SD 30]
On the 26th of December, Tabitha takes Will along to secretly watch a conversation between Ollie and Harmony. Ollie aggressively demands that he wants to see the sun; after being plied with the promise of a burger and chips, he opens up slightly, revealing that he misses the mornings spent with Sonia, his ex-wife, watching the sunrise on their deck together. Harmony then confronts him with the violence he committed against Sonia and her new boyfriend, as well another woman afterward. Ollie hardens up again; when Aunt Bea interjects over the intercom, Ollie lashes out again and Aunt Bea responds by switching off the light in Ollie's cells, disabling his tablet, and further restricting his food and water. [SD 33]
Suicide attempt and recovery
Ollie is finally let out of his cell by January 2nd but is restricted to his room when not actively supervised; Harmony claims the decision had more to do with cleaning the cell than an improvement in behavior. [SD 35] On the 5th, he throws a bread roll at Harmony and is returned to his cell, only to be let out after five hours due to a staffing shortage (a result of the Stenordale escapees returning earlier in the day). Returning to the common area, Ollie is notably withdrawn, sitting motionless and silent in the lunch room; Steph, attempting to offer an olive branch, brings him some food and tries to talk to him, but Ollie gets up and leaves for his room. Worried, Steph reports his behavior to Jane, who texts Harmony, who is currently sleeping; Harmony plans to bring Ollie some food in a few hours. [SD 37]
Back in his room, Ollie records his thoughts into a digital dictaphone -- Harmony has recently been making him keep a diary in exchange for food and light privileges. Recounting his memories of the day, and his experience in the basement, he spirals into increasingly depressive and bitter thoughts, revealing that he both believes himself incapable of the change the others in the basement have shown, and that he does not believe that he can be broken. He finishes the diary entry with a pointed message to Harmony: “You can take my food. You can take my light. You can take my body. You can even take my fucking balls, like you said. But I have something I can take from you, Harmony.” After this, he reassembles his bed and takes his electric shaver from his drawer - which he has smashed to pieces to access its blade. He then gets under his sheets and attempts to kill himself by cutting his wrists. [SD 38]
Harmony learns of Ollie's suicide attempt after waking up and checking the sponsor channel on the Hall's Consensus server; she charges downstairs where she is intercepted by Monica and Pamela and collapses with a shriek. Harmony, shaken and anxious, is retained in the kitchen while the rescue attempt proceeds, where she is introduced to Valérie; after Ollie is brought to the medial portakabin and stabilized, Frankie, who assisted with the rescue, returns to the kitchen where Harmony inquires about Ollie's condition. [SD 38]
“I’ve done it all wrong with him,” Harmony says. She’s not looking at anyone now, and the hand Christine’s holding seems suddenly like her only human connection. “Should have been kinder. Should have given him a light when he asked for one. Should have anticipated this. But I thought I was so fucking clever. I thought I was… Fuck.” She bangs the hand Christine’s holding on the table, but it’s gentle enough that it doesn’t really hurt. “Shit,” she says. “Sorry.” [SD 38]
Later, after getting some rest, Harmony goes to visit Ollie in the portakabin to inform him that she will be standing watch over him and Trevor overnight, and opens the curtains, so that Ollie will get to see the sunrise in the morning. Trevor notices Ollie smile to himself as Harmony leaves; satisfied, Ollie remarks that he has noticed a scar on her wrist that she covers with a watch strap. [SD 38]
Over the next few days, Ollie's attitude towards Harmony changes; after she "cried over him" for two nights in a row, apologized, and thanked him for surviving, he realizes he can no longer summon any glee in hurting her. Later, while holding his hand, Harmony points out how their hands are similar sizes. Ollie, still unaware of the full details of the programme, doesn't understand; when Harmony steps out for a moment, Frankie explains that Harmony was making herself vulnerable and sharing a secret with him. In return, Ollie tells Harmony the story of how he held his Gran's hand in the nursing home before she passed away. Before returning to the basement, Ollie resolves to thank Harmony for showing him the sun again. [SD 39]
Return to the basement
Upon returning to the basement, Harmony fully discloses the true nature of the programme to Ollie. [SD 40] Afterward, Ollie grows somewhat closer to Harmony, even consenting to be comforted by her during the lockdown following the discovery of bodies at Stenordale Manor on January 13th. [SD 42] Harmony begins backing "way off" from her previous approach, treating Ollie with kindness and allowing Leigh and Raph to provide "behavioral corrections" in her stead. [SD 43]
By January 17th, Ollie, still in a "delicate" stage, has been worrying about Frankie's wellbeing. Harmony sends Frankie to Maria to ask for permission to visit him; initially against the idea, Maria relents, allowing Frankie to visit Ollie under Harmony's supervision and threat of death, should she misbehave. Harmony takes him to the cells to meet with Frankie; Frankie convinces her to step out and give them some time alone. Harmony and Frankie have watched the security footage from his recent encounter with Raph in the bathroom and, discussing his state in private, are both worried that he may yet still wash out. The two collaborate on sponsoring Ollie -- with Harmony playing up her annoyance with Frankie for Ollie's benefit -- [SD 43] gradually reaching an arrangement where Harmony remains in charge of Ollie's physical needs while Frankie begins taking an outsized part in his emotional support and guiding him through the programme. [SD 47]
Despite Ollie's new (but slow) progress, Harmony remains frustrated. Feeling like a failure, she goes to Frankie for advice on January 29th; Frankie reassures her that Ollie is simply "a normal bloke" and that he still has a good chance at making it through the programme. Harmony asks her to speak with him again; Frankie agrees and comes up with an idea to teach him how to play chess [SD 46] in order to help take his mind off of things while awaiting his orchiectomy (which Frankie believes will be his tipping point). [SD 47]
Trivia
- Harmony seems to be familiar with the literature. [SD 30]
Notes on biographical information
- Year of graduation: in 2019, Harmony alludes to Aaron that she graduated 9 years before. [SD 29]
| Dorley girls (and a few non-girls) | |
|---|---|
| Others from unknown intakes | Amethyst, Atiena, Bella, Daisy, Donna, Ellie, Emma*, Farah, Francesca, Harmony, Indira, Jan, Jane (Natalie), Jenna, Lisa, Margaret, Monica, Pamela, Rabia (Trish), Sally, Selena, Tanya |
| 2019 intake | Adam (Edy), Bethany (Maria), Diana (Monica), Leigh (Tabitha), Martin (Pamela), Ollie (Harmony), Raph (Jane), Stephanie (Pippa) |