Call Me Pretty

Chapter Seven | Help

IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT BOTTOM...

Chapter Seven

Help

    ‘I am such a bloody coward.’ Ben thought as he looked across the booth at Dominique; he was twirling his quill in his fingers, attempting to do his transfiguration essay and failing blatantly. It was hard to concentrate when the sun was hitting her hair in such a way that it lit up like fire, or the way she smiled at him briefly every one and a while, glancing through her pale lashes…

“Benjamin Wood, get your head out of the clouds and bloody answer me!” Felicity was shouting in his ear, much to Ben’s annoyance; had he really not noticed?

“What?” he growled, suddenly aware that Dom wasn’t sitting at the booth anymore and that he’d been staring at sunlit air for a few minuets.

“I get that you’re daydreaming about our best friend and everything-”

“I am not!”

“-but we seriously need to talk about Dominique.”

Sighing, Ben pushed his essay aside –and all thoughts of Dominique and her fiery hair and pale lashes- and nodded “I know; but I don’t think we can help her on our own anymore.”

“To help we need to know what’s going on.” Felicity looked tired, less buoyant than usual; her usually shining eyes were stressed, and Ben wondered if she was sleeping well, judging by the dark circles under her eyes. “I don’t think she’s just stressed, or tired or any other lame excuse she feeds us; it’s something bigger. More serious.”

“So…what should we do?”

Felicity let out a big breathe of air, blowing her dirty blonde bangs out her eyes in annoyance “Do I have to do everything, Benjamin?”

“Hey, you’re the one that said I had my head in the clouds.” He defended, stuffing his books back in his bag.

“Fine.” Said Felicity, standing “But will you just ask her out? It’s driving me crazy.”

Staring at his friend, Ben wondered if it was really that obvious. “I am not-”

“Oh shut it, everyone knows you’ve liked her since forever.”

            Neville Longbottom didn’t get a lot of time to himself. It was a Sunday afternoon, Hanna was at the pub and although he was supposed to be getting some work done at home, he’d decided to bring their infant son, Frank, with him to the school were he could mark a few papers in peace. It had never bothered Neville that he’d had his son nearly ten years later than most of his classmates, and he and Hanna had nearly given up having children when she’d become pregnant only a year before.

“You’re not going to give me any problems, are you Frankie?” he said to his son, who was fast asleep in a basinet in the corner; three months old and the quietest baby many had ever seen.

Leaning back in his chair, Neville opened his book, picked up his tea and was just about to settle in when a knock came at the door.

Sighing, Neville put down his book and tea, heaved himself out of his chair and opened his office door to find a very worried Benjamin wood and Felicity Bones. “Oh hello, Ms. Bones, Mr. Wood…I’m afraid I’m terribly busy at the moment, but if you’d like to come by on Monday-”

“Please sir,” Felicity said, and Neville saw the way her lips trembled; something was obviously very wrong “We really need your help.”

Pushing all other plans out of his mind, Neville focused solely on his students “Right, come in…would you like some tea?”