#franklin longbottom

The Hogwarts castle was alive with music and dance, so no one noticed the two boys sneak out into the warm summer night. They were dressed in graduation robes and pointy hats, and wore Muggle suits underneath. They talked and laughed as they made their way over to the Black Lake, keeping their voices down. They headed over to the weeping willow by the shore. With the practiced ease of one who has been doing this for many years, they scaled the tree - all the way till the branch that stretched over the water, its leaves skimming the surface.

"This is it, Frankie," said Garrett Wood wistfully, swinging his legs.

"Yeah," sighed Franklin Longbottom, studying their reflection in the water surface. Like Garrett, Frank's robes and hat were a deep red, lined with gold. The graduation party was going on in the Great Hall, but they'd snuck out after the first few songs. They needed to have their own goodbye.

"Where's Roxy?" asked Garrett, glancing in the direction of the castle. Roxanne, the third member of their little group, was the only one missing.

"She was talking to that Ravenclaw girl," said Frank, "Zoe, I think."

"Oh," said Garrett, and frowned, "I hope she hurries up."

"She will," he assured, all the while hoping she didn't hurry up. If he were about to do what he'd been planing for so long now, he didn't want Roxy there to watch.

"It's out last night, eh?" Garrett mused, leaning back and looking up at the sky, "Final goodbyes, last words...We're going to remember tonight."

"We will," agreed Frank, mentally screaming at himself to get a move on, "Speaking of which, Gary, there's something I've - I want to - I mean -"

Garrett raised an eyebrow, "Casanova Franklin Longbottom, stuttering? This must be pretty big. What's up?"

Frank took a breath, looking into his best friend's brown eyes, even though Gary had stopped being his best friend over a year ago.

"I -"

I have feelings for you.

"I - Um.."

I've had a crush on you since sixth year.

"Erm, I mean, I -"

I think I'm in love with you.

"I - Gary, I -"

He was cut off as Garrett suddenly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Frank's arms slowly slid around him, and he realized the strange fluttery feeling he had in his chest was what Garrett had always felt back when he'd had a crush on Roxy.

"I know," he said softly, pressing against Frank, "I'll miss you too."

"Yeah," whispered Frank, hating himself, "I'll miss you."

"Are you two cuddling without me?" called a familiar voice, and Garrett pulled away too soon for Frank's liking. Grudgingly, he turned to the shore, but his irritation evaporated at the sight of Roxanne's face. Her robes were blue and bronze, and she was wearing a pretty dress under them. Her wedge-heels were clutched in her hand, and she was barefoot.

"You want help climbing up, Rox?" called Garrett teasingly, and she rolled her eyes, already scaling the bark.

"You just want to look up my skirt, don't you, Gary?"

"You know me so well," sighed Garrett, and Frank felt something twist in his stomach.

"Hurry up, Roxy," he called, half-hearted. "We're getting old here."

The castle was always so quiet over the holidays, especially the ones when very few people stayed.

 Franklin stayed because his parents had. His father was working toward a breakthrough with a cross-breeding experiment, and his mother was training a new healing assistant.

 Avery stayed to attend a concert in Hogsmeade.

 And as far as her mother knew, Rose stayed to get in extra study time at the library. But she’d attended the concert, too.

 “This is still weird,” Avery started. The three of them were in the cozy living quarters that Headmistress Mcgonagall had allocated for the Longbottoms. It was a warm place, located near the greenhouses, and had two bedrooms, a private bath, a small kitchen, and a comfortable living room. They were all on the sofa, and Avery was spread out with her head in Franklin’s lap and her feet across Rose’s. “It’s like, we’re in the castle, yeah? But we’re also in your parlour.”

 “Well where else is my family supposed to stay?” Franklin offered. “We’re all at Hogwarts for over half the year, it’d be daft to have a place somewhere else.”

 Avery sighed and reached up to pat Franklin on the cheek. “It must suck to be poor,” she pouted. Franklin just rolled his eyes and swatted her hand away. He’d gotten used to off handed comments like that in the two months since he’d started spending time with Avery and Rose. “You have your own room here, though. I guess that’s a perk.”

 “Well, I still have to stay in the dorms during school.”

 “Then I stand by my statement. It must suck to be poor.”

 “I’m bored,” Rose whined, having heard enough of her friends’ conversation.

Avery sat up and rested her head on the back of the sofa. “That’s because you’re boring.” She sighed and looked around the room. “But I’m bored too.”

At that point, Franklin’s father entered the room. He walked past them and into the open kitchen area. “What are you kids up to?” He greeted as he washed his hands.

 “We’re trying to think of something to do,” Rose answered.

 “Imagine that, an entire castle to explore, and you lot are bored.” He dried his hands and walked back into the living room.

 “It’s not like there’s anything to do in it.” Avery muttered. Neville chuckled and sat down across from them. He took a deep, dramatic breath.

 “Son, I think it’s time I let you in on a little secret.” He motioned for them to gather in tighter. “You can’t tell anyone - got that?” The group nodded their heads. “There are...secret passageways - hidden throughout the castle.”

 Avery let out an annoyed scoff. “Oh sure, we’ve all heard that before. Those are just rumors, Professor.” She sat back and started to pick at her nails, but Frank and Rose exchanged knowing glances.

 They knew a lot of things that Avery didn’t. They knew the real details of what his father had been through, they knew Rose’s uncle, and they knew what their older cousins, Teddy and James, had told them. They smiled at each other.

Hands May 28th, 2022

There was no question that the Gryffindors knew how to throw a party. There was, however, a question as to what Franklin Longbottom was doing at one. He'd been asking himself that since he arrived. Roxanne and James had invited him, but in the two hours he'd been there he only caught passing glimpses of them. They had friends everywhere, they could bounce from person to person. He'd only seen a few people he knew, and they were either just as quiet as him or just as popular as James and Roxy.

  The air in the common room was thick and humid. There were too many bodies, too much hot air. He knew there was only less than half an hour before curfew and decided to get some fresh air before heading back to his dorm. He wound his way down the Gryffindor tower and out of one of the balcony doors. From there a small flight of stairs led him to the soft and grassy grounds of Hogwarts. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. The air outside was much more crisp and refreshing.

  He looked around, he'd never left the castle from that door before. It left him just a short distance from the Great Lake. There were a few kids leaning against the stone wall under the stairs but other than that he was alone. At least, he thought he was until he looked toward the big tree that hugged the edge of the lake. With what little scraps of sunlight that remained he could just make out the figure. He smiled. He'd know that hair anywhere.

  By the time he got to Roxy she was laying on her back staring up at the emerging stars.

  "Franklin," she greeted softly as he walked up. She smiled up at him.

  "Hey," he replied, equally as soft. He laid down next to her. Their legs pointed angular, opposite directions but their heads were just touching. As they laid in silence Franklin tried to will his heart into beating normally. He had to trick his lungs in to breathing slow. He had an argument with his sweat glands and lost. It never failed, no matter how much time they spent together, no matter how many times she'd hugged him or rested her head on his shoulder - there was always a battle between his brain and his body.

  The silence felt like it lasted forever. Really it had only been a little more than a few minutes. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she reached out, grabbed his hand, and laced her fingers with his. He could have died from embarrassment, as there was no telling how sweaty his palms were. Roxy didn't seem to care, though.

  He yelled at himself to stop thinking about what was happening, he was so worried about how fast his heart were beating.

  Ten minutes later and he'd only just started to calm down. Roxy picked up her free hand and looked at her watch.

  "Only seven more minutes til curfew." She looked over at him, he was already looking at her and had a goofy smile on his face.

  "I don't care," he responded lazily. He immediately and internally panicked. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Roxy, however, laughed.

  "Did Franklin Longbottom just disregard the rules? I don't believe it!" She was still laughing, and even though he was embarrassed he couldn't help but laugh with her.

  He helped her when they stood up. "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking." His tone was playful. They had only taken a step towards the castle when she slipped her hand into his again. They walked back to the castle hand in hand and when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady she let go of him. It was then, after his hand was left empty and cold, that he really noticed how right her hand had felt.

  "See you tomorrow?"

  He snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh, oh. Breakfast, yeah?"

  " 'Course." She gave the password to the painting and slipped behind the it.

Name: Franklin Allen Longbottom

Wand: Cedar, Unicorn Hair, 13”, Reasonably Supple  

Birthdate : April 18th, 2007

Family: Neville Longbottom - Father Hannah Longbottom - Mother Margo Longbottom - Sister, older by two years

Attended Hogwarts: 2018-2024

House: Hufflepuff

Description: Franklin has a mop of curly black hair atop his head that never does what he wants it to do. His nose a just lightly too wide for his face and his eyes are a murky blue. His bottom lip is slightly plumper than his top and his jaw is squared. He’s a tall boy, with broad shoulder and gangly limbs. His clothes are always slightly askew.

Infos: Franklin had three loves; Herbology, muggle photography, and Roxanne Weasley. He fell in love with Herbology because of the one on one time it gave him with his father. He fell in love with muggle photography because it was the one thing his sister wasn’t interested in. He fell in love with Roxanne Weasley because he had no choice. She was everything he wasn’t. He was a quiet meadow on a still, humid night. She was a thunderstorm on a busy city street. He moved in slow motion while she sped in circles around him. She made him try to keep up. And on the rare occasion when she stops, so does his heart. Maybe one day he would reach out to her before she sped up again.

It’s obvious that Franklin is a patient boy, but it’s worth noting that his patience is almost saint like. He’ll wait forever for something he really wants. This, however, usually leads to a lack of ambition and a plateaued state of being. One of his biggest flaws is never even asking for what he wants, let alone reaching for it.

He is quiet and shy, but competent in what he knows. Obviously he excels in Herbology but he also does well in Charms.

Questions: What is your idea of perfect happiness? - Something simple, I suppose. Like...a lazy Sunday morning, in bed, with the sun streaming in the window...

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? - Well I, um - I’m painfully quiet.

What is the trait you most deplore in others? - Bullying. I mean, there’s really no reason for it, is there?

Do you have any scars? - I've a permanent bite mark on the back of my left calf, Fanged Geranium got me. And uh, across top of my right shoulder blade I’ve got a scar from a Spiky Prickly Plant. It shot a thorn at me, skimmed the skin just enough to leave a mark.

What is your greatest extravagance? - I do love cameras. I’ve too many of them as it is, but that won’t stop me from buying more.

What do you most dislike about your appearance? - My nose is a bit too big, I think. My limbs are pretty awkward as well, always flailing around…

What sort of music do you like? - Older stuff, usually. Muggle, mostly. Folky stuff, easy to listen to, songs that have stories.

Which talent would you most like to have? - My sister’s brilliant with potions. She just bops about the lab and bam, perfect potions. I’ll be lucky if I can even make soup.

What’s is your favorite season? - I love the fall. I love the colors and watching them change, and how in the early fall it still just warm enough and in the late fall its just a little over cold enough. And the smells - the pumpkin, the cider...it’s all just wonderful.

What is your most treasured possession? - My photographs, of course.

What is your favorite food? - Sandwiches, with extra tomatoes.

Do you have any best friends? - Well, yeah. Eli Jordan and I are best mates, and Parker Macmillan, too. And Roxy and I are...close.

Where are you most comfortable? - When I’m at school, I’m usually in the greenhouses. When I’m at home, I’m usually in the greenhouse.

What’s one of your bad habits? - I bite my nails. It’s gross, and sometimes it’s painful.