tippest och Unicornhorn [PRS]

He agreed with her, but he couldn't bring himself to say so or to even nod. He felt humiliated; he thought that he had expressed his feelings for her and she barely even acknowledged it. But why did he make this about him? She was the one who had the tough time; not him. He didn't have the right to feel sorry for himself.
He forced a smile but didn't dare to laugh. It would sound fake.
"I'm scared of rats, so", he said and shrugged. "And mice. And every tiny animal. That's silly."

Audrey smiled at his response. He tried to make her feel better. She had started to see him in a different light since the night before, and this really helped.
“Really? That’s probably not easy, considering you’re sleeping in the dungeon” she said and hoped that he understood that she acknowledged his fear, not making fun of it.
“How come you’re afraid of them? Did something happen?” she asked and bit her lip. She looked at Noel, and she really wanted to open up to him, which made her even more confused. This usually didn’t happen, it had taken Eric months to want her to open up, Noel had done it in three days, in which two of them they had been fighting. He really did deserve a medal, after all.

He nodded and let out a genuine laugh. The dungeon was not the place for him - or for anyone with the same fear. It started to feel silly kneeling in front of her, so he placed himself next to her. Sat comfortably, leaning against the wall.
"Well, it's a story that mostly Slytherins know about", he started, unsure if he was actually going to tell her. It wasn't his proudest moment, but then it was years ago, after all. "First of September, my first year. I had just entered the common room for the first time, and you know, everyone was there." He smiled at himself, not knowing why he told her. He had always been ashamed of it, but know it felt more like a fun thing.
"Everyone talked to eachother, just chilling, having a good time", he continued, looking over at her again. "Except for mister Noel, of course. I used to be a very shy kid. Well, all of a sudden, I felt something nagging at my feet. Looked down, and it was a rat. I screamed. Totally shut everyone up and yeah. Horrible. Terrible." He laughed a bit, thinking of the eleven-year-old him, terrified. And everyone not knowing what had happened at first; and when they got it, they laughed. He had wanted to sink through the ground. It had been a huge joke for months, and it still is, sometimes.

Audrey smiled.
“You were eleven. I would have freaked out too” she said and did something she did not expect. She rested her head on his shoulder. She took a deep breath.
“My turn” she said and swallowed. It was brutal, but she wanted to clear the air.
“My parents weren’t very happy with the whole their daughter being a witch thing. They got dragged in this weird religious cult, which stated that anything out of the ordinary was witchcraft, a sin, and should be destroyed. I was thirteen, and about to start my third year at Hogwarts. They set the house on fire while I was sleeping. They got stuck in there too, and died. I obviously survived, but as I tried to get out of the house, a burning beam fell on me, and gave me third degree burn. I fainted, and the firemen rescued me”. She fell silent. She hoped he didn’t think she tried to triumph his story, she just felt comfortable telling him in this moment, sharing fears and experiences.
"Your rat story is better, though" she said and laughed a little.

Her head on his shoulder, while unexpected, felt awesome. Cool. More awesome. It was great. Truly, truly great. He listened as she talked, tried to take it all in, but he couldn't. It hadn't occured to him that some parents of the muggleborn wizards and witches didn't like the magic. He took one of her hands in his, as gently as he could. It was a tough story and tears started to build in his eyes. He wouldn't let himself cry, though. She didn't even cry. She laughed. How could she laugh? Due to his loss for words, he just let her sentences hang in the air. He rested his chin on top of her head and felt comfort throughout his entire body. He had never believed that he would feel so comfortable with a girl; especially not Audrey.

Audrey was silent for a while.
“Thanks for not freaking out” she said and fell silent again. She remembered when she had gotten on the train to Hogwartsjust three weeks after the accident, and Eric had freaked out when she told him. Which is why she never told anyone else, except McGonagall.
“That’s why I have trouble sleeping sometimes. Nightmares. I need to get my mind off it, and skating in the middle of the night helps a lot” she said and sighed.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to get all psychology patient on you” she added and shook her head. It was none of Noels business, so why should he care? However, the physical position they were in right now, Audrey admitted to herself, was pretty nice.

“I’m sorry for last night”, he said, guilt staining his voice. “I was just doing what I was told...” He looked away. He felt like the biggest jerk to ever walk the earth. Guilt was the feeling that had set the tone for the entire morning. He hated guilt, and he rarely felt it. Was it because he usually was a good person or because he was to horrible to even be able to feel it?
“It’s cool”, he said, letting it be quiet for a while. The silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. In some way it was quite peaceful, actually. “You know that you can talk to me, right? Not that I’m the best to talk to, but still...” He turned back to look at her again.

Audrey smiled.
“I get it, you have your duties” she said and nodded. She shrugged. She wanted to talk to him, but she had already told him everything.
“At least now you know why I am like I am. Laughing about it is a way of handling it, because if I joke about it, it’s less real somehow. Unfortunately, talking or joking doesn’t help with nightmares” she said and sat up straight again. She truly wanted to sit in the other position for hours, but she figured she had to face the school. And the teachers, who probably had a meeting right now about her mental health.

A big disappointment grew in him when she pulled away. It was probably for the best though, what if someone saw them? It’d look weird for them.
“You still want to go to Hogsmead?” he asked. Personally, he’d rather stay here. The morning events were just too much and he was unsure if he was going to be able to enjoy a birthday celebration. But Eric had planned it, and he had seemed very excited about it.

Audrey shrugged.
“I don’t know, that would at least help me avoid the looks I’ll get” she said and sighed. She stood up, and looked over at the wall, where her blood stains had started to dry. She turned around when she heard fast footsteps, and she saw Eric coming down the corridor, quickly. It looked like he had been running a marathon.
“I heard what happened” he panted, embracing Audrey in a hug. She put her arms around him, and he squeezed her. He let go, and looked curiously at Noel. Audrey coughed.
“He knows” she said and scratched her neck. Eric nodded.
“I was supposed to surprise you in Hogsmeade, but I heard from someone what had happened, I came as fast as I could” he said and Audrey groaned.
“It has already gone viral? Ugh, will I ever be able to live this one down?” she said and sighed.