AN: A new oneshot? I think yes. Just to show that even if you're not close friends with someone, they'll still be there for you when you need it.
Disclaimer: I only own what you don't know.
The loud knocking that awoke Louis Weasley and Austin MacMillan from their slumber didn't seem to want to stop.
"Who could that be this bloody early in the morning? It's still dark!" Austin yelled, burying his face underneath his pillow and groaning loudly as the knocking continued.
Louis sighed and pulled himself to his feet, grabbing his wand on his way to the front door. He glanced through the peephole and raised an eyebrow before pulling open the door and nearly falling backwards as a crying girl launched herself at him. He balanced himself out quickly enough, slightly stunned by the sudden embrace.
In his arms was Emma Clark, one of his cousin Fred's closest friends.
Louis and Emma had never spent much time together, simply because she always tended to disapprove of the many pranks that he enjoyed pulling, and she chose to stay away from him, because that way she wouldn't know what he was up to and couldn't say she did if anyone asked.
"Emma?" Louis croaked, completely confused as Emma started to sob into his shoulder.
Austin appeared in the bedroom door, raising a surprised eyebrow at the sight in front of him.
"Emma, why don't you let me go for just a moment, alright? Then I can close the door and we can sit down and you can tell me what's got your knickers in a tw-I mean, why you're so upset" Louis muttered, correcting himself at the sharp glare that came from his boyfriend's direction, who had now taken a seat on the couch.
Emma released his neck, stepping into the flat and sniffling, wiping at her eyes.
Louis had no idea what was going on, but he figured it had to be something serious for Emma to show up on his doorstep. They had hardly spoken in the four years she had been a part of the Weasley family's life, so he didn't quite understand why she would run to him for comfort.
"Your cousin is an absolute git!" Emma suddenly yelled, making Austin chuckle.
"You'll have to be a bit more specific, love, he has quite a bit of them" Austin said.
Emma looked up at him, seeming almost surprised at the fact that he was even in the room.
"I'm assuming you're talking about Fred when you say my cousin, so what did he do, exactly?" Louis asked, sitting down on the couch next to Austin.
"I told him I'm in love with him! Do you know how hard that was for me? I'm painfully shy, and I finally build up enough courage to tell him I love him, and he just mutters some rubbish about how he's got to go because his mum wants him home, and he ran away from me so quickly you would think I was aiming a killing curse at him!" Emma yelled, throwing herself down onto the couch next to Louis, bursting into tears again.
Louis blinked at her.
Sometimes he didn't understand his cousin.
He knew that Fred was so in love with Emma that the bloke could hardly stand it anymore, and when he finally gets a chance to be with her, he runs off?
Git.
"We have some firewhiskey" Austin suggested.
"Drinking is not the way to solve-" Louis started, but Emma cut him off.
"Alright" she nodded, a small grin coming onto her face.
"Emma?" Louis asked, sounding a bit worried.
Emma shrugged him off, looking at Austin.
"Alright, let's drink until we can't stand it anymore, and watch some ridiculous Muggle movies!" Austin announced, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
"Louie, start the movie on the telly!" Austin yelled.
Louis sighed and stood up, flipping through the channels until he found some Muggle movie he didn't know the name of. He sat back down just as Austin returned with the firewhiskey.
"This should be an entertaining night" he muttered, taking his first sip.
An hour later, Emma giggled loudly as she tried to keep herself straight, her body leaning more and more towards Louis the more she attempted to stay sitting up.
"This is brilliant" Austin laughed, letting out a loud hiccup as he did.
Emma laughed so loudly that Louis flinched away and shoved her, nearly knocking her off the couch.
"What are we watching?" Emma asked, squinting her eyes at the television, a confused look gracing her features as she tried to make out what was on the screen.
Louis shrugged, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes.
If only he could get a few moments of rest.
When Louis opened his eyes again, Emma was laying half on top of him, her head on his chest as he slept, with Austin's head on her lap, all three of them crammed onto the small couch, the television still running in the background.
It was light outside now, and Louis could feel the pounding in his head as he carefully stood, laying Emma down on the couch and letting out a yawn before going to the kitchen to try to find any kind of potion that could help him get rid of the hangover he knew he was experiencing.
Or even just the headache.
Just as he had opened one of the cabinets, the front door flew open and Louis scrambled for his wand, pointing it at the intruder quickly, only to lower it a moment later when he realized who it was.
"What do you want, Fred?" he asked, rubbing at his eyes.
Fred didn't respond, instead spotting Emma on the couch and raising an eyebrow, turning to Louis again.
"She was upset last night. She came here crying to me about how you stormed out on her when she told you she loved you. We went a bit overboard on the firewhiskey we were drinking and now she and Austin are sleeping, and they probably won't like you much if you wake them up. How about I send Emma to you once she's feeling a bit better later?" Louis asked, yawning again.
Fred looked unsure, but Louis put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going back to sleep, mate. It's up to you, but trust me, I think it would be best if you just let her sleep this off and then talk to her later, alright?" Louis asked.
Fred glanced at Emma, then back at Louis, before nodding his head and muttering a small, "Thank you".
"Of course. Just next time when a girl tells you she's in love with you, and you love her too, say it. You're a bloody git, did you know that?" Louis asked, patting his cousin on the head before going into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Fred remained in the living room for a moment, stunned, before he cursed and apparated out of the apartment.
"He actually wants me to come talk to him?" Emma asked, seeming far too happy for hungover, in Louis' opinion.
"Your excitement is giving me a headache. Yes, he actually wants you to come and speak to him, and I believe he's going to tell you he feels the exact same way that you do, so you have nothing to worry about. My cousin is a git sometimes and doesn't realize what's best for him and what he feels, but trust me, he knows now" Louis said, rubbing his forehead.
Emma suddenly threw herself forward, hugging Louis tightly around the waist.
"Thank you so much, Louis. It meant a lot for you and Austin to be here for me" she muttered, leaning up and kissing his cheek, before stepping back, getting ready to apparate away.
"Wait" Louis muttered, stopping her.
Emma raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Why did you come to my flat? You're far better friends with one of the girls, or even Albus, Hugo, or the Scamander twins. Why not go talk to one of them instead of coming to me?" Louis asked.
The question had been bothering him for the entire night, and he figured he deserved an answer.
Emma shrugged.
"Everyone else would have just asked questions. All you did was become a source of comfort, and that's what I wanted. Just someone to have fun with and relax and let my feelings out. I didn't need a long conversation, which is why I didn't go to one of the girls, and I didn't need threats against Fred's life, which is why I didn't go to any of the other boys. You were the best option" she replied, before apparating out.
Louis thought it over for a moment, before nodding, proud of himself, and going back to his bedroom where Austin was waiting for him.
He found it felt good to be someone's source of comfort, even if it was just for a night.