Christmas came along, and Natalie decided it was best of she just avoided Al. She just couldn't be around him and Melissa.
Truth be told, Melissa was very pretty, and quite nice. She also was great shakes at DADA, putting Natalie out even more. She felt inadequate when she compared herself to the beautiful brunette, and decided to just stay in her room until she was hungry.
At odd hours of the day and night, Natalie would sneak out of the common room and head for the kitchens. There, she would be surrounded by tiny house elves eager to please her. She asked for her usual-- Shepherd's pie with a bit of peppermint tea in a mug-- and sat at the table that reflected the Hufflepuffs' own in the Great Hall above.
Sometimes, however, a small elf by the name of Sunny would bring her a small piece of her favorite chocolate cake. This would occur on one of Natalie's worse days.
She couldn't avoid Al forever, though. The boy noticed everything, and he would surely realize sooner or later that Natalie wasn't there... Right?
It seemed as though he either didn't notice, or just didn't care, for Alastor didn't speak to Natalie for the entirety of winter holiday. He was completely oblivious to it all-- he had a girlfriend. Why should he notice that his best friend wasn't around?
This made Natalie feel even worse, and she resorted to getting little Sunny to bring her that chocolate cake every meal she ate. She was so downtrodden, and she could barely do anything but cry.
By the end of the holiday, Natalie's eyes were so puffy, and her head hurt so much, that she decided it was time to cheer up. She was done with her crying and sniffling -- she needed to get out of her empty dorm room.
So the first day of the term, Natalie awoke early, curled her hair, put some makeup on, and went down to eat breakfast. She wasn't going to let this problem bother her any longer. Just because Al had a girlfriend, didn't mean she could stop being happy.
She strutted down to the Great Hall, and sat at the Gryffindor table, rather than her own. She squished herself in between two of her favorite people-- Fabian and Gideon Prewett.
If she was going to be happy, she was going to have to be around people who knew how to make her smile.
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Paranoia (Alastor Moody)
FanfictionAlastor Moody wasn't always paranoid. He wasn't always so gruff, and cold, and restrained. He used to be kind, and sweet, and had a profound love for adventure. He was a fun loving person, that was reckless and in need of order, and he found his bal...
