Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 25 | Under Pressure

Pomona could just tell that Mia needed that comfort at that point and several minutes passed before the former eventually straightened up from where they had both been half leaning, half standing near the wall. She was hinting that she thought that they should leave and Euphemia seemed to understand because she loosened her hand from Pomona's hold and looked down at her feet, her arms dangling uselessly at her sides. "It's fine..you can go. You probably have better things to do than stand here holding my hand, surely?" Mia mumbled, taking a sudden interest in her patent black school shoes.

Stopping in her tracks, Pomona's mouth dropped open in surprise at what Euphemia said. "I meant for you to come with me, stupid," Pomona sighed in exasperation, reaching forward to grab Mia's hand again, only for the girl to pull it away, dragging it into her chest and keeping it there. Pomona paused and waited for Euphemia to say something but she seemed to be content with just standing there, her hands clasped as she looked down, her long, dark hair covering her face.

It was only when the blonde girl stepped towards her friend did she see that Mia was in fact crying, though she tried to brush away her tears with a quick movement of her hand. Pomona didn't hesitate this time, she reached into her pocket and brought out a handkerchief, handing it silently to Euphemia, who took it gratefully.

There was another brief moment of silence that filled the library for a second, with the exception of Mia's occasional sniffles as she mopped up her face. That was until Pomona took Euphemia's hands in her own again, though this time she span the girl around so that the two friends were facing each other, with their hands clasped together.

Squeezing Mia's hands as a source of comfort for the crying girl, Pomona said softly, "Why would I leave without you? Why would I leave you like this - all alone and crying in a library, having recently suffered a severe panic attack?" she questioned and Euphemia's shoulders hunched as if in shame that she had ever thought her friend would do that. What came out of Mia's mouth next, though, took Pomona by so much by surprise that she actually dropped her friend's hands out of utter shock.

"I don't know...maybe because people like leaving me alone, people like leaving me to suffer, people never care about me....so much that I've become accustomed to it! Why should anyone care about me? I'm a disgrace to the family, I had one job but no, I had to go and mess it up! Typical me, always messing everything up and nothing anyone does can help me-" Euphemia broke off, her voice catching in her throat as she turned away from Pomona, her eyes shining with unshed tears and anger, anger at all the unfairness she had suffered throughout her life.

"Mia, you don't mess anything up. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and to many others of the group! How could you think you're alone in all of this?" Pomona cried out, forgetting her calm demeanour as she simply tried to make Euphemia see sense. Mia opened her mouth to retort but Pomona shook her head firmly, placing a soft hand over Euphemia's mouth to prevent her from speaking.

"You see the way Florean laughs with you? Only you. He is only his true, witty, funny self when around you. Do you see how strong and sarcastic Minnie is? How would she be like that without your influence? The way I trust you, like I've trusted nobody else before; the way Eugenia looks to you like a little sister - you are so needed and wanted! Alastor respects you; Filius is your voice of reason and you are his; Lyall admires you in his shy little way and Charlus....Charlus he lo....he likes you very, very much." Pomona told Mia earnestly, advancing on her even more and she noted with relief that the Slytherin girl's breathing was average again and some of the panic and fear that she was not good enough had been erased slightly from her eyes.