A/N: For the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, year 1.

Advanced Arithmancy Studies, prompts: House, shoe, Muggle, and, phone, money, marry

Exam, prompts: AliceFrank, drag, romance, digging, JamesLilySeverus, dread, Peter Pettigrew, fear

The two Ordinaries of Gryffindor

Frank didn't know how he would up in Gryffindor. He hadn't done a brave thing in his life. He hid when he saw his Great Uncle. He stuttered whenever his mother asked him a question unexpectedly. He screamed and fell off the boat when he saw the squid in the lake, and caught a cold afterwards. An idiots cold, he thought morosely.

But the had did put him in Gryffindor, and all Frank could do was deal with the strange looks of his house mates and hope the Hat had found something that made him a worthy lion while digging around in his mind.

Alice thought Frank was a drag. He wore glasses, and not cool ones either. He was a Gryffindor like her, but he was quiet and studious and jumped whenever anyone tried to pick up a conversation on him. She didn't mind working with him though. He was smart, so she didn't have to worry about a melted cauldron or about herself not understanding the theory behind something. He was reliable, so she didn't have to worry about doing all the work. He was polite and a gentleman, so she didn't have to worry about him dropping something on her shoe so he could sneak a peak under her skirt – like a certain Sirius Black had tried to do, before she'd used a basic hex on him and his legs turned into jelly.

But Frank wasn't like that, and Alice didn't mind him being a drag.

Frank wasn't like his housemates. They were always messing about, playing pranks and trying to hit on girls the moment they hit puberty. And girls didn't really approach him either – except Alice, because he usually wound up working with her, and some of her friends when their partnership extended to him helping out with the theory in their little study groups.

But Alice wasn't like other girls either, and neither were their friends: Lily and Dorcas and Morag. They didn't mess with troublesome boys like the others. In fact, Lily had hexed James Potter more times than she could count. But nobody hexed him – except his dorm mates when they thought he was a bore, and Alice or one of her friends would rescue him when they missed him at a study session.

He felt like a complete dork, but the girls didn't seem to really mind.

Alice wasn't interested in a date, and that was why she could handle Frank. He wasn't interested in romance either.

The sad fact was that most of the House was. Like James Potter, who wouldn't leave Lily alone. She'd called him a few Muggle choice terms as well – and the other girls had had their wands ready in case James lost himself.

Alice grugedly admitted he didn't, but that didn't mean anyone liked him any better. Except those girls who liked the bad boy, which was unfortunate. But Alice was okay; she wasn't pretty like Lily, or overly smart. She didn't attract a horde of boys – like the unfortunate red-head, who'd also gotten a childhood Slytherin friend on her tail. It didn't seem like Lily had even noticed, how heads over heels Severus Snape was for her – but Alice kept right out of that. She didn't want the conversation turning on her.

And she was more than happy to accompany Frank to Hogsmeade, when Morag and Dorcas had Quidditch Practise and Lily went with Severus. Because it wasn't a date; it was just two study partners going together for company.

Frank didn't really look at girls, except for Alice and her friends, so he didn't know how a crush felt like. He did know love though; who didn't?

And he'd fallen in love with Alice.

He couldn't say how he was sure; he just was. He enjoyed the time they spent together. He wanted it to go on forever. Like when they brewed potions together. Like how they studied together. Like how they dissected a phone in Muggle studies (that he'd admittedly taken after finding out that both Alice and Lily were taking it).

He didn't know how to date a girl though. He didn't want to fly flowers; he thought Alice wouldn't like them. He didn't think she'd like a quiet stroll either – and he wouldn't enjoy it much himself. And neither of them would enjoy sneaking up to the Astronomy tower at midnight – but what could he do then?

Alice wasn't used to receiving unexpected gifts. Typically, she knew exactly what to expect, so she was surprised when she received a book that must have cost at least five times what a friend should spend on another friend.

When she found out it was from Frank (who'd avoided signing his card in embarrassment, it seems), she was even more surprised. Dorcas laughed at her face and said she'd gained a crush. Alice had gone red and hidden the book, taking it out later after her curtains were drawn.

Maybe, she thought to herself as she carefully opened the book, feeling the smooth cover. Maybe Frank really does…

She didn't know what to think.

Frank hadn't signed his name. He'd been dreading Alice's reaction to his gift. Part of him hoped it would remain anonymous; another part of him hoped she'd know it was him and be happy with it.

The first was proven impossible when Alice approached him, book barely peeking out from her clouds. Frank's stomach turned to stone when he saw her. The dread turned to fear, and he almost tripped over Peter Pettigrew as he took a step back.

Alice gestured at an empty classroom, and he followed her, sidestepping Peter as he continued with what seemed like setting up a new prank.

Alice took the reins once they were inside. She told him she'd guessed the gift was from him – and his reasons too. He'd blushed, and confessed. She'd stated her confusion: she wasn't anything special after all.

But neither was he, and he thought her very special. She blushed, before confessing she thought him special as well. That was their OWLS year.

Two years later, they were married and in the Auror programme. Lily, Dorcas and Morag weren't too surprised; it seemed they'd seen it coming. James Potter, who'd somehow managed to win Lily over once Severus had taken himself out of the picture, was definitely shocked – and he'd caught flies for three seconds before clapping his house mate on the back and expressing his congratulations.

James was in the Auror programme as well, and he asked Frank one day as to what had made him join. It was a simple answer he gave as well: "to protect her."

It was as simple as that, really. Because Alice could rely on Frank for anything.