ADDICTED | j.p x oc

47

When El woke up Thursday morning, going to charms was not on the agenda, regardless of how close they were to exams. She wondered aimlessly around the castle, the corridors being empty since everyone was in their respective classrooms. After a few minutes of walking, she ended up in the dungeons, a part of the school she rarely found herself in since being head girl. Other than the distant mumbling of professors teaching their classes, the only sound was the thudding noise of her boots hitting the stone as she took each step.

As she continued her stroll, El could see just the legs of a student sitting in an alcove a few metres away, accompanied by soft whimpers as they cried. El strode forward, intending to just ignore the student, only when she had almost fully walked past, the girl in yellow robes sobbed even louder

Eleanor stopped walking, gritting her teeth and reluctantly turning around. "Hufflepuff," she greeted, "You're crying."

Morgan wiped her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, the red dye had faded a little since El had last seen her, and her roots were beginning to grow through a dark bluish black. "Yes thank you, i noticed."

El bit her tongue, fighting the urge to make an equally as snarky comment in return. "Why're you crying?" El said, her voice lacking the sympathy she probably should have around around someone who was upset. She remained standing, but stood directly in front of where Morgan was sitting on the floor, leant against the wall with her knees pulled up the her chest.

"It's nothing, it's fine," Morgan shook her head, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes.

"Look, Hufflepuff, i don't like you—like, at all—but you're crying, and if this was any other day, i wouldn't care why, but i'm feeling nice, so tell me," El sat down opposite Morgan, folding her arms across her chest.

"No," Morgan sniffed, cleaning her nose with her sleeve, "It's nothing."

El sighed and massaged her forehead, "I'm very close to not caring anymore," she snapped.

"F-fine, it's Evan, we had an argument and he said some stuff—some mean stuff," Morgan's tears got heavier as she explained, "-and now i think he's gonna break up with me."

"Really?! You're crying because of a boy?" El raised her voice, clearly not having the reaction Morgan had expected. "There's a war going on, people are dying and you're crying because of boy problems?!"

Morgan's lip began to shake as she tried to hold in another sob, "I know, but-"

"No, no buts. Get a grip and get over it, there are bigger issues in the world that your boyfriend saying some mean shit to you."

Morgan had gotten over the slight shock and was now wiping away the last few tears from under her eyes. El stood and instructed the Hufflepuff to do the same.

"Okay, we're gonna go to my dorm, fix your mascara, have some firewhiskey and then you'll go to your next lesson and stop crying, got it?" El said decidedly, having a dry lack of kindness in her voice despite this probably being the first time she was being semi-nice to Morgan.

The redhead nodded and wrapped El in a tight embrace, "Thank you."

El awkwardly patted Morgans back, "Yeah, i don't hug, but you're welcome." They began to walk down the corridor when El turned to talk to the taller girl, "I have punched Evan before though and im not opposed to doing it again."

***

The last full moon at Hogwarts fell just over a week before exams and, as always, El spent to night in James' room, switching between having a cigarette on his windowsill, or laying on his bed, drawing whatever came to mind.