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Lori followed the Hufflepuff all the way to the girls' toilets on the second floor, her gentle sobs filling the empty room. She gingerly opened the door, slowly walking over to the only looked cubicle and knocking on the door, "I'm so sorry about Moody, he shouldn't have done that."
The sobs behind the door stopped, the girl slowly wiping her tears on her cloak.
"If you let me in, we can talk about it?"
The lock clicked, the door swinging open, facing Lori with the girl, fresh tears staining her reddened cheek. Not thinking for a second, Lori engulfed her in a hug, rubbing her back slowly and whispering quiet words of encouragement.
When they pulled away, the girl looked much happier already, her cheeks much less flushed with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Thanks," she said, her voice slightly croaky, "it's stupid really. I should stop being such a baby about it."
Lori took her hands and carefully led her down to the floor, their backs leaning against opposite sides of the cubicle, "You're not being a baby. Montague was being a baby when that spider landed on him."
She chuckled slightly, wiping her eyes on her cloak, "I was being a baby. It was ten years ago now, I should have grown up about it."
Lori looked at her curiously, not wanting to pry, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"My..." she held her breath, leaning her head back against the wall of the cubicle, "my mum worked for the Ministry. This one time, she..." Lori rubbed the girl's arm, smiling at her sadly, "she got called out to help arrest a Death Eater."
The girl scrunched up her face, as if she was remembering something she would rather forget, "Except there wasn't just one Death Eater. It turned into an ambush and my mum got caught in it."
"Oh Merlin, that's awful!"
"And they captured all the witches and wizards who were there and they tortured them... with the Cruciatus Curse."
Lori swivelled so that they were leaning against the same wall and wrapped her arms around the Hufflepuff, letting her rest her head on her shoulder.
"I never saw her again."
Tears fell onto Lori's robes, her grip on the girl tightened, "Just know that I'm here for you." she said, leaning her head against the girl's, "I'm Lori, by the way."
The Hufflepuff chuckled slightly, sitting up straight, "Leanne. I'm so sorry, you must think I'm silly."
"No, not at all!" Lori pulled herself to her feet, helping Leanne up, "Come on, I've got the perfect thing to cheer you up."
