Title: Tears are so Overrated
Author: the fanof EVERYTHING
Prompt: No. 24 Start. For the heterosexual challenge set by reminiscent-afterthought.
Notes: Alright so when I was going through the students in Harry's year there was this little name: Runcorn. After DH I decided that the student must be the daughter of Albert and picked a name. After expanding on her character myself (didn't write it yet), I saw her as the Theodore Nott of the Slytherin gang of girls and made her friends with Theodore. This is the start of their friendship.

Hope you enjoy this fic! The second story is coming up soon as well so keep an eye out. I ahven't written a HP fic for awhile so here goes nothing.

Sobs bounced against the stone walls of the dungeons near the Slytherin Dormitory. Viola Penelope Runcorn found herself yet again bullied by her fellow classmates. She found herself in this isolation for being too different from the other girls. She wasn't as beautiful as Daphne, self-confident like Pansy, charming like Tracey, or smart like Millicent.

Viola hugged her knees to her chest as she remembered the teasing. Your friends are mudbloods in Liverpool? You didn't know what unicorn blood is for in potions? You're ugly! Poor dear…

Gemma Farley, the fifth year prefect, didn't know about this. Frankly Viola didn't want to mess with these girls to even bother. For all she knew they could be daughters of death eaters and she didn't want them hunting her down. So she wiped her face with a sweaty palm before dissolving into tears once more. There was absolutely no way she was going back into the girl's dormitory looking the way she did.

For one her skirt had tear stains and her frizzy brown hair even frizzier and messier than before. Her glasses were sure to be fogged over and her small plump stomach unfed. Needless to say her appearance would make the teasing worse than before.

"Hey who's over here?" said a voice. Viola only jumped up and quickly stopped herself from letting out a squeak. Quietly she disappeared behind a stone wall for she was very good at staying invisible. Motionless she peered over to look at a boy about her age.

The boy stood about 3 yards away from her and had dark hair on a rather short body for an 11 year old. He looked like it was going to break any minute at how thin he was. In his hand he held a wand and some kind of light that she couldn't get a good look at. Viola quickly lowered her breathing and turned her head. If there was anyone worse in her house, it had to be the boys. They were constantly laughing and it might as well be aimed for her.

Viola had turned away from the boy and silently wished that he would go away. Sooner or later she would get her wish. It wasn't that late and he could possibly make it to his dormitory to get homework done or something.

"I know someone's down there," he said trying again. This time he sounded unsure, second guessing himself, that someone was in the dungeons. "Well if there is someone down there curfew is in another 5 minutes."

She didn't hear the boy's footsteps at all, so she stayed right where she was. Viola finally waited before peering around the wall once again. Hopefully he would be gone so she could leave too, unnoticed. Instead of seeing the boy at a distance like before, he was right next to her, staring.

"AHHHH!" screamed Viola pushing the boy to the ground. He had really scared her since she never heard the footsteps reach her to begin with. She had really wanted to run but she found that she couldn't just leave him. Curfew was in five minutes and how breakable he looked she just couldn't do it.

"What was that for? And why do you look like you have been crying?" asked the boy irked, picking himself off of the ground. He dusted himself off before folding his arms across his chest. At least he didn't break apart like Viola had originally thought.

"You scared me and I wasn't crying," she said crossly. "I came down here to think."

It was true as she did like to think about different things as she sat feeling sorry for herself. Usually it was 'why me?' but she found herself drawing a lot of conclusions. Sometimes she would lurk in the corners of the library getting homework done. Like that wasn't creepy at all.

"You seem to think while you cry then," smirked the boy. "There's stains all over your skirt, your face is all blotchy, and your eyes are red."

Viola whipped the glasses off of her face and wiped them off before putting them back on. Who was this guy and was he acting so superior? It did, however, look like she had been crying for the past several hours. At least this boy didn't have to gloat over her like she was some kind of experiment. His dark green eyes meet her pale blue ones daring her to deny it.

"Fine, I was crying, what it is to you?" she asked rather rudely, walking away. Having longer legs she had gotten away from him. That didn't stop the boy from catching up to her sadly and only kept her pace. Neither said anything before they reached the main hallway to the Slytherin common room.

Sulking Viola kept a good couple of feet between the two.

"I'm Theodore," said the boy and she studied him. He looked a bit like a Theodore to her at least, well if a boy named Theodore, looked like him. "Who are you?"

"Viola."

"Okay, Viola, you don't have to tell me why you were crying. Just know this: if you're getting picked on or something, don't tell the teacher."

She only looked at him funny before smiling, realizing what he had meant. Pick on those that pick on you and when they get mad you, they've been trapped. Because if Viola had picked on Pansy and Pansy told the teacher would turn right back to Viola and ask why. Pansy would be the one in trouble and not her. Unless there was some unspoken war going on, it was the perfect plan.

Theodore only grinned back as both of them seemed to know the plan. Both had reached the dormitory. Ironically the boy had stopped with her and she realized that they were in the same house. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad if didn't turn on her.

"Don't tell anyone okay?" she said before straightening herself up. She didn't need the entire Slytherin house thinking she was some kind of wimp. That wasn't how the game was played and both knew it.

"You like to be alone, never feel like you have to be a part of some group to belong, don't you?" he asked nailing her personality. Well at least half of it anyway. She was like that but she did find that with a good friend she could really open up. It took some really good people for her to open up like some kind of textbook.

"So we're on the same side?"

Both seemed to be in an agreement before walking through the Slytherin portal. Right before heading up to her dorm to get some sleep, they meet eyes. Before she could blink Theodore had winked right at her. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.