𝖇𝖆𝖉 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 || ᴘᴊᴏ x ʜᴘ

06 - 𝕼𝖚𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖑'𝖘 𝕿𝖚𝖗𝖇𝖆𝖓

Theo heaved a long breath, Daphne and Millicent came out, gave him a long odd look before following the others out to dinner. The common room was slowly emptying out, it was only their group left and about seven other Slytherins left.

When Theo was no longer wheezing, he gulped before speaking. "I saw Quirrel with his turban off when I went to get my quill."

Theo looked up at his friends at the tensed silence, then-

"Bloody hell, Theo." Draco scoffed and turned away, Pansy following after him and out the common room.

"We can bring down dinner for you if you're not feeling well," Blaise offered.

Theo stood up and spluttered a reply as he watched his friends leave, "You don't understand! Quirell, there was a face- his head- he was talking-"

The common room door shut behind Blaise and Holly, they quickly caught up with Pansy, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle just as they were taking the stairs.

On their way to the Great Hall, Holly heard a Gryffindor - Parvati Patil, Padma's sister tell a blonde girl whom she believed to be Lavander Brown that Hermione has been crying in the girls' bathroom all afternoon. She'd only heard it because Parvati and Lavander were chatting quite loudly, Holly immediately grew concerned.

"You guys go ahead," she whispered to Pansy. "I left something in the common room, I'll be right back."

Holly weaved into the crowd and slipped down a corridor, instead of going down the dungeons, she turned to a different corridor leading to the girls' bathroom.

The door creaked as she opened it, she immediately heard Hermione.

"Go away!" Hermione said, her sniffles echoed in the empty bathroom.

"Hey...Hermione," Holly said unsure. She didn't really think about what she'd do when she got there, she's rubbish at comforting people. That was more her uncle's job; reassuring her that she won't drown the first time she learned how to swim, reassuring her she won't burn the first time she cooked, and reassuring her that she won't fall off the first time she rode a bike without training wheels.

"Holly?" Hermione's curiosity got the better of her, Holly walked up to the stalls and peered from the bottom feeling like a creep.

"Hey, I er- heard you- did something happen?" Holly asked, successfully locating Hermione's stall. She stood outside it, knowing Hermione would've been able to know she was there.

"It's fine- I just want to be alone, please." Hermione asked politely.

"Okay..." Holly says, after a while Hermione thought she'd left, but then she spoke again; "But if you don't mind me asking, er... why is it you're crying?"

"You're not very good at this," Hermione scoffed, Holly leaned against the stall door with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

"Please, do tell," Holly said suggestively, yet she didn't sound like she was forcing Hermione to speak.

"It's just...silly," Hermione sniffed.

"Humor me,"

"Ronald thinks I'm a stuck up know-it-all, and that's why I have no friends because I'm a nightmare."

"You have me," Holly shrugged even if Hermione couldn't see. That always worked, well it did for her.

And apparently, it had the same effect on Hermione. "Thanks, Holly... you should go join the others for dinner, I'll be fine."

"Nah," Holly said as she heard the door lock click. "I'd rather go to sleep than spend hours listening to Theo talk about the back of Quirrell's bald head."