Chocolate and Cigarettes

Chapter 33 - Herbology

Alice was a natural person. She loved plants. She loved flowers. She loved trees. She loved herbology. She was passionate about it. If there was something she could do all day, was talking and working with plants all day.

That was how Frank and Alice began to like each other. Frank was failing his class and Alice was the best so naturally, professor sprout decided to put the two of them together.

Alice fell for him first. She thought he was funny and very cute. He loved to make jokes whenever he could and make her laugh and she thought he looked super cute when he tried to concentrate on the subject or to understand what she was saying. He was also a lot goofy and that's what made her like him at first. And he was drop-dead gorgeous as Jen would say, but that was only a detail.

Frank fell for her only a little time after. He thought she was intelligent and sweet. She was nothing like those girls that would go to their practices and drool over James or Sirius or even him sometimes. She looked so interested in her subject. She was passionate about it and she didn't try and flirt with him the two first seconds or try to get something out of him concerning Sirius or James. She also laughed at all of his jokes and when he didn't understand something she didn't make fun of him, she only tried to explain better.

No need to say that the both of them liked each other for a really really long time before they dated. Alice actually tried to make the first step several times but she failed. She was confident at times but not with things like that. So the day, Frank Longbottom made his way towards Alice on the pitch, her heartbeat broke any scientist law there was about speed. It was beating way too fast. And when he put both his hands on her cheeks and kissed her, her heart stopped beating before it made its way back to beating fast.

It was one of the best days at Hogwarts and the only match she ever remembered. As for him, it was the memory he always used for his Patronus.

She even had integrated him into her friend group, which was not nothing to her. That friend group was like her second family. They were all like siblings to her. She would die, go through hell for them and she knew they would too.

But she also loved to spend some time alone with him, which was why they were currently at her favorite spot next to the Black Lake, sitting on a blanket on a sunny day. Frank had brought her some marguerites and had prepared a basket full of fruit. More precisely passion fruit, which was her favorite.

Frank was very caring.

Alice was currently finishing her passion fruit while Frank was smiling at her.

"I can't believe I'm this lucky." He said.

Alice looked up and rolled her eyes as her cheeks reddened.

"It's true. I could get used to it."

Alice let out a little laugh and put the fruit in the casket.

"Stop being so cute." She said. "You're literally like that every time we're alone."

Frank's smile widened.

"And I'll be like that for the rest of our lives."

Alice rolled her eyes but she was happy. She had been waiting for him to come to her and ask her out and he did and now they were happily doing a picnic and having a date.

"How's it going between Fabian and Jennifer by the way?" He asked.

Alice's smile dropped a bit.

"Not good at all." She started. "Jen and Fabian always have had this strong friendship. They talk to each other every day and they talk about everything. No matter how weird or personal, they talk a lot and now they just don't."

Frank nodded. He hadn't been their friend for long but he could already see that what Alice was saying was true. They did seem to have a strong complicity.

"So they still don't talk?" He asked cautiously.

Alice shook her head."It's been a month."

Frank took a passion fruit and handed it to Alice, that smiled. He really was caring.

"They've never missed a day without speaking to each other. Not even in summer. When they don't see each other they write. I just- I know why Fabian is like that and you know why but she's just fucking stubborn. I mean, we all know she wants to go to that school and we all know she's not going because she's scared. I don't think Remus is to blame but I think he didn't push her enough."

Frank nodded. He understood what she was saying. He had been around them a lot this year. Remus, he already knew, they talk much. They're good friends so he knows Remus would never let her give up her dream. There must've been something. And Jennifer and Fabian, he knew them better since this year. Jennifer was the complete opposite of her brother and Fabian was some sort of masculine Jennifer and Marlene. Which was weird when you think about it.

"Jennifer needs to apologize because she didn't even talk to him and Fabian needs to apologize because he overreacted and literally punched her boyfriend," Frank said.

Alice nodded. She knew he was totally right. Of course, he was.

"I'm sure he enjoyed the punch though," Frank added.

Alice punched him on the shoulder playfully as he started laughing.

"Frank! They literally got bruises." She commented. "Boys can be so stupid."

Frank quirked an eyebrow up at that.

"Stupid? Excuse me? Isn't it always the women that overreact and start shouting like crazy?"

Alice scoffed at that.

"We shout so we don't punch. I shout so I don't throw myself at that person and punch them like I want to." Alice explained an eyebrow raised. "Well, Marlene and Jennifer just punch but Lily's the same as me."

Frank chuckled. Of course his girlfriend wouldn't punch immediately. She was sweet until she couldn't be anymore. And when she wasn't, well... you better run.

"I can imagine that." He said laughing. "Is it true that Jen punched a girl on her first day back?"

Alice smiled at that. She remembered that moment like it was yesterday.

"Yeah, she did."

"And did Marlene punch Jason March last year?"

"Yeah, he tried flirting with her boyfriend. She would've killed him if Gideon and Jen hadn't intervened." She explained.

Frank's eyebrow quirked up.

"And how did they intervene if I can ask?"

"They- uh- they waited until she was not leading until they punched him off of her." Alice said smiling.

"Punched him off of her?" Frank asked clearly interested.

Alice shrugged. "A story for another time."

I know this is a Remus fanfic but I just wanted to write one chapter about Frank and Alice so you get to see how their relationship is.