To Be Frank.

“Hey just because I’m Head Girl doesn’t mean I’m going to be a fun sucker! Have some faith in me.” 

“I think that’s exactly what that means.” He said with a laugh. “Faith hmm.... I could probably be convinced.”

“Perfecto!” She tickled the painting of the pear and entered the kitchen. “Of course I did that’s why we get along so well.” She mused, wasting no time to raid the kitchen. “It’s a good thing I sneak here quite often because now I know where everything is,” she waved her wand and summoned most items over to where they were standing. “Have I mentioned how much the lazy in me loves magic?”

“Is it though?” He teased before following along. “I only sneak in every now and again. The house elves keep begging me to stay.” Frank couldn’t help but grin at her reaction. “You haven’t but it’s written all over your face. Some days I take magic for granted.”

Andromeda watched on eagerly, fingers crossed that Frank would manage to reach the book, but, to her credit, didn’t laugh when he failed. “You’re certainly taller than I am, at any rate,” she said. The shortest of her sisters and cousins, Andromeda’s height always seemed to be her downfall in this library. “Thank you for trying to help, though.” After a beat, she had another thought. “Are you any good with levitation?“ she asked.

“I’m not bad.” He mused, pulling out his wand. It didn’t take long for the book to float down. “I guess I’m better with my wand than my height.” He paused. “Wait, no... that didn’t come out right. Forget I said anything.”

Lily laughed, rolling here eyes at him. “So what should we get? I vote popcorn and fizzy drinks… maybe we could even get chocolate wasted.”

“Yes, yes. All of the above.” He replied, nodding enthusiastically. “I am all about getting chocolate wasted. The best me is me on a sugar high but... you already knew that.” He added with a wink. 

“Dude.I’d love to. Set some traps up where he usually creeps?”

“Obviously. It’s high time Peeves got pranked. He’s been far too cocky.”

“You’d probably get next to nothing if you took it to a regular shop- but it just so happens I have someone in the market looking for something like this. I’ll take it off your hands, let’s talk shop shall we?”

“Um... not looking to sell. It’s an heirloom.” He cocked a brow. “Why, you think you can make some money with it? Cheat me for it?” He let out a laugh. “I’m just fucking with you but no, it’s not for sale.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Lily mused, patting her on the shoulder before getting up. “Yes now, should we get some snacks?” 

“Probably. Just need to take a few more cues from Austen.” He teased, gently nudging her. “Of course. What’s a movie date without snacks?”

“Regular fun?” Peter answered as he smirked to the other boy. “Now you’re talking my language, Frank. What should we do?”

“Can we fuck with Peeves? He’s been extra irritating recently.”

“Okay, so, here’s the thing… The book I need is on the very top shelf of that bookcase, and, well, obviously I’m not going to climb on a chair to get it, because I’m a lady, not a hooligan, and Pince doesn’t really love it when I bring them down magically, because, well, actually that’s a whole  different story on it’s own..” She trailed off, momentarily forgetting where she’d been going with her original train of thought. She brightened as she remembered, continuing on with, “Anyways… Think you can help me? Please?”

“I think I can manage that.” He said with a grin, following where she was pointing. After a bit of a struggle, he reached out for the book. “Alright... so I’m not as tall as I think I am apparently.”

“I wouldn’t say she’s always looked thirty, maybe just twenty five.” She said dreamily as she thought about it. “A stuttering mess? I’ve never perceived you as such, but then again I never thought what you were doing was flirting.” Lily stated, playfully elbowing his side. “Come on, we both agree we should, so we will.” 

“Alright then, twenty five.” He said with a grin, blushing before rolling his eyes. “Well shit. How am I supposed to woo you now?” Frank teased before nudging her back. “So should we do it now or....”

“I only ever thought that because of how she never ages.” She agreed, rolling her eyes as his other comment though she felt her cheeks burn a bit. “How suave, Longbottom. Have you seen Sense and Sensibility? We should if you haven’t.” 

“There’s that but she’s always looked 30, even when she wasn’t.” When he saw the look on her face, he couldn’t help but grin. “I’m only suave around you. Most other people see me as a stuttering mess. Flirting is hard.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I actually haven’t but I think we should.... or rather we both think we should?”

“Is that so?” Lily wondered feigning amazement. “So maybe you are a bigger fan than I am, have you seen the movies?”

“I’ve seen the one with Keira Knightley. I’m almost absolutely certain she’s a witch. No one is that bewitching and completely muggle.” He mused. “I mean, look at you. My logic stands.”

“Now you are just showing off.” Lily mused. “You have yet to prove that. Let me just say that I’m surprised you know what I’m talking about. I never thought you’d be one to like the classics.” 

“Well I heard girls liked Jane Austen. At first I thought it was a kind of sweet then someone showed me the err of my ways.” He mused with a grin. “So I read up on Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and the like.”

“Really? I would have never guessed.” She chuckled with a shake of her head. “More time with you? Well, what makes you so special Mr. Longbottom? What could I find in you that I couldn’t in Mr. Darcy?” Lily teased before sighing. “I wish I had done the same.” 

“A pulse, that’s at least a start.” He said with a grin. “Other than that we’re practically the same person. Just wait and I’ll be gruff.”

Dolena shrugged, shooting him a sarcastic smile, “I’m sure you’d be subpar for a shag, Longbottom, but…I’m not Annabelle, I don’t have such low standards.” The laugh that slipped from her lips was short, but sincere, and she had to nod in agreement. Why hadn’t she ever smacked him. “I guess you just don’t invoke that much passion from me.”

“Only one way to truly find out.” He quipped before shrugging. “Seems to be about the same consensus for most birds around here. I’m not the torrid love affair you have to piss off daddy. I’m the one you settle for.”

Madeline shrugged, “I wouldn’t offer if it was a burden.” Honestly her interaction with the older boy served two conflicting purposes, the first being that she desperately wanted friends, and the second was that she wanted friends that would piss Vale off. Frank seemed to be the type of person her brother wouldn’t really enjoy her being around. “Then why don’t we go have a drink, to formally welcome me to my new,” She raised her hands in an encompassing gesture as that award winning smile graced her lips, trying to think of the proper word for what the school would be for her, “Residence.” That was as emotionally attached as she planned on getting to Hogwarts, because all good things, she had learned, either were taken from her, or she was forced to leave behind.

“Okay... you may have a point.” He mused, looking her over as she continued speaking. “Residence is such an odd way to put it. Might as well say home. You do everything here. A residence is just where you sleep.”

The boy’s grin turned more sheepish in nature. “You know, I could just teach you all that if you want. Come to my mum’s house and she practically makes you work to stay there.” Hell for a galleon a day, he would probably yell at Frank like managers typically did.

“As fun as that sounds.... I think I’d rather just take it one day at a time.” He said with a laugh. “Perhaps we just skip that bit and go have regular fun.”