: I apologize for such a short chapter! This is a filler, the next chapter will take me a while to write, I love you all! :
"Cedric you told the kid to take a warm bath? And then told him the password to the prefects bathroom? Poor kid probably thinks you want him bad." Blaise joked as the three sat around a rug in the Hufflepuff common room drowning in snacks. Cedric went wide eyed and dropped his gaze for a second.
"He knows what I mean, that's how you get the clue for the egg, Moody told me." Cedric responded, shoving a chocolate frog in his face. Nora wasn't focusing on them, she was focusing on the yule ball coming up and how she still doesn't have a date and how she hopes Neville asks her.
"Nora? Nora. You good?"
"No, Neville hasn't asked me to the- nevermind." Nora stopped herself, she's been doing so good at hiding the fact that she likes Neville from everyone, but now she is doomed. Well, her dad knows. He's the only one though.
"You like Neville!" Blaise and Cedric yelled, they usually are all 'alpha male, ew don't talk about boys.' But when it comes to Nora and her love life, they are the nosiest, most annoying boys ever.
Not wanting to answer, Nora just got up and left. She just walked right out of the common room and walked to her dorm. It wasn't a very far walk, but she could hear Blaise following closely behind her but she didn't stop, instead she walked up the stairs and decided to go to the library.
"Ginny, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" Neville said, obviously nervous. And Nora almost dropped to her knees right there, and now she was kind of glad Blaise had followed her. She fell into him and before anyone noticed, they walked back to the Slytherin common room. Where they sat alone on the couch and Blaise held Nora as she sat, stunned, frozen to her seat, unable to talk, or move, or cry even though she wanted to.
"Blaise can I stay with you tonight?" Nora half asked half demanded, but he said yes. They climbed up the stairs to his dorm, luckily Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't there, and Nora climbed into his bed and finally the tears came, she began to feel so overwhelmed with emotion that she just let herself drown in the tears, and hoped that they would actually drown her. She loved him and hated him all at the same time.
When the tears finally slowed she began to grow angry, she wanted to beat him at his own game and finally she had an idea.
"Blaise, go to the ball with me." She said, it was clear that it was not a question, and he agreed, climbing into the bed and holding his friend as she cried some more. She clung to him like her life depended on it, she clung to him like of she didn't, everything would fall apart. He just held her, tracing circles on her back, playing with her hair and humming a song. He didn't say 'Everything will be okay' or threaten to beat up Neville and for that she was forever grateful. The sat alone, the only sound being Nora's muffled sobs and for a while she didn't want to move. She cried and cried for a long while but eventually she went numb, and could no longer cry. She borrowed one of Blaise's shirts and went to her dorm to grab shorts before walking back to him. She wanted to write to her dad. In that moment all she wanted to do was hug him. So they walked up to his dorm and she borrowed parchment and a quill.
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'Dad,
I miss you so much, more than usual right now. There is a ball coming up soon, for Christmas, and I was hoping that Neville would ask me but I suppose he had other plans. He asked Ginny Weasley and I watched it happen. I feel like my heart is screaming but I can't bring myself to cry right now. If you could please buy me a dress for the ball and send it to me that would be lovely, I love and miss you so much.
Love,
Nora.xo'
Adam read the note, and then read it again, as a ball of anger formed in his throat he marched over to Nevilles grandmothers house and handed her the letter. All he wanted to do was hold his daughter and tell her that it was going to be okay. Tell her that boys are stupid and he knows because he is one and they are a little bit slower then girls when it comes to realizing that someone likes them. He wanted to tell Neville that she likes him, that he should get to her before it's too late and that she is a beautiful, smart, and amazing girl and he is lucky that she decided to like Neville. He wanted to ask Augusta for advice on how to deal with heart broken teenage girls, and what to tell her so she know that Neville likes her, and he's probably just scared to ask her because of how long they have been friends. Adam knows his daughter, and he knows his daughters best friend. He also knows, no matter how much he cringes at the thought, that she is growing up, and if she is to fall in love with anyone, he is glad that she chose Neville. Neville and Nora remind him of himself and his late wife. The friendship, the love, everything that they share, they are soulmates. And just because Adam is her father does not mean that he can't notice when someone is absolutely meant for his daughter. But all he said was,
"Augusta, teach me how to send a howler."
