Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 49 | So Proud

David Anderson stood in the underground corridor that led to the Hufflepuff common room and kitchens, staring at some sort of plant forming on the wall opposite him, from where he was leaning against the bricks.

He wasn't in the mood for going into the common room as there was a certain depressing feeling in the air - Amanda had been a Hufflepuff and the entire house were all incredibly sad, even if they didn't know her properly. They had lost a member of their family and it was upsetting but David couldn't be bothered with crying girls at a time like this.

Breathing out, he tried to process his thoughts as all he could think about was that brunette kid that he had nearly kissed in Hogsmeade - Florean Fortescue.

Obviously, due to them being in the same house and all, David had known of Florean previously but not enough to match a name with a face, hence why they had had to introduce themselves to each other.

David didn't usually pay attention to the fourth years as he always deemed them a little inferior and not worth his time because they weren't in his year. But Florean...Florean was different.

He didn't push me away - what if he's gay? David thought as he eventually sank down to the floor, using the wall behind him as a backrest, ducking behind a rather large plant pot to avoid being seeing by an approaching group of girls on their way to the common room.

Don't be ridiculous he dismissed the thought, though his heart sunk as he did so. Why did he always have to fall for straight boys?

"This is such a mess," he groaned, burying his head in his hands and closing his eyes as he tried to sort himself out. What David didn't get was why he felt attracted to Florean but also to girls - why was he even like that?

As Faye had said during their date, you either liked one gender or the other, not both. Never both. So what the hell was wrong with him?

"Well, if that isn't the most relatable thing ever then I don't know what is," a familiar voice joked from above him and David glanced up quickly, shocked to see that it was indeed Florean standing there, with his dark blonde hair looking rather tousled as if he had been running his hands through it.

His eyes had dark shadows under them because he hadn't been sleeping lately and it was obvious that he was stressed about something, causing David to gesture for the boy to sit beside him on the floor.

"This is comfy," Florean commented sarcastically as he leaned against the wall and David chuckled, stroking a leaf of the nearby plant pot absentmindedly as he tried to slow his heart down and get over the fact that Florean was in very close proximity.

"So, what's up with you?" David asked suddenly, taking Florean by surprise and the boy in question blinked a few times before shrugging it off with a nonchalant, "Nothing, what makes you think that there's something up?" Florean asked rather defensively.

"For one, you look like you haven't slept in days. Two, your hair is messy and it hardly is ever messy, that's a sign of stress especially if you have been running your hands through your hair like that Potter kid," David told him with a raised eyebrow, never missing a trick.

He knew the signs of stress when he saw them and it was obvious that Florean was worrying about something. The boy looked down for a moment before swallowing, fiddling with his fingers awkwardly.

"It's because of Mia," Florean finally admitted quietly, "She was my best friend and now my other friends are claiming that she was a spy all along. I...don't know what to think. I want to believe her, of course I do, but too many people have said it's true, including her apparently," he stopped for a second, gathering himself before continuing.