#espritxx

     Lorc had only intended to be in the library for a few minutes.     But evidently, today,

              —-someone else had other ideas.

     As he strolled down the shelves, headed straight for the      section he was so familiar with, Lorc noticed a familiar blonde     head, resting on a desk nearby. Whoever it was had to be     fast asleep; it didn’t look like a particularly comfortable     position to be in.

          “Dom,” he whispered. “Dominique.”

     Would she be upset if he woke her up? Well, probably. But     Madam MacDougal was due to come around in a few minutes,     and she would be even l e s s pleased with the situation.

     There was nothing for it. He walked over and gave her a tap      on the shoulder, trying to rouse her.

          “Honestly. You really do need to wake up.”

     Lorc had half a mind to drop a textbook on her when finally,     she stirred. He dropped into the chair beside her, poking her     forehead.

          “What? What is it?”

          “You’ve got half an essay there and Madam MacDougal’s             gonna be around any minute to clear you out.”

     It was only meant as a friendly gesture, but to his horror,     Dominique’s eyes widened in shock and she frantically      tried to gather together her notes, sprawled across the desk.

          “Oh no, no no no! I was supposed to finish this for tomorrow!            And I’ve got another assignment — no!                                Professor Prewett is gonna kill me!”

     She looked as though Lorc had just dropped a BOMBSHELL      at her desk — and honestly, he felt like he had. The poor girl      was at the point of collapsing into hysterics in front of him.     

                                       And it was his fault.

     Maybe it would have been kinder to have left her where she was.

     Should he try and calm her down? It wasn’t the end of the world,     after all. Even if she was a Ravenclaw. But not handing in an      essay on time was as good as failing, in his opinion, and Lorc      shuddered to think what his reaction would have been had he     been in the same position.

          “It’ll be fine, ok? I, er, I’ll help you. We’ll finish it together.             I’ll even bring Lysander down if you want.”

     She didn’t seem to notice. He saw with a pang that her eyes      looked rather watery as she riffled through one of the many     textbooks on the desk, desperately searching for something.     What could he say? That it would be alright? Those words      were never of use to anyone.

          “Dominique, listen to me. Listen to me. MacDougal’s going             to chuck you out in a minute — there’s no use sitting here.            We need to hide, and when she leaves, we’ll be able to get            your work done. Ok?”

     She was still taking great, gasping breaths, but on hearing the     conviction in Lorc’s voice, something clicked. Books in hand,      she looked up at him, but this time, she actually seemed to notice     him.

          “But— I can’t let you do that! That’s like cheating? Isn’t it?”

          “Well, not really. I’m just… helping you.”

     It wasn’t cheating. But if it was, he’d probably still have wanted to.     He absolutely hated seeing Dominique upset.  

          “You’d really do that? You don’t think I’m stupid for not getting it done?”

          “‘Course not. You’re just having a bad day. Happens to all of us.”             It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

          “Oh, how will I ever survive without you two, Lorc? I’m so             sorry, I meant to do this days ago.”

     Staying silent, he smiled and shook his head. He just didn’t want     his friend to be upset, that was all. It could happen to anyone.

          “Don’t mention it. It’s not a big deal. And it’ll be fun.             Haven’t you ever stayed overnight in the library? No             one ever comes in to tell you off, it’s great.”

     Prefects probably shouldn’t condone the behaviour, but it wasn’t     as if he did it that often. Right? He pulled her essay towards him,     scanning the first paragraph. There was nothing wrong with it at     all — it just wasn’t finished yet. But that wouldn’t take long, if      Lorc had any say in it. Getting up, he stacked up her notes and     textbooks and motioned for the shelf.