I was walking with a ghost

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There's only one person to go to when you need to moan about your problems, and that's Moaning Myrtle. I don't like to bother Lily with my troubles because the kid is so caring she'll probably explode with sympathy. Plus, there's nothing like talking to a dead girl to put your problems into perspective.

The bathroom door clangs open as a miniscule First Year skips in. She stops short at the sight of me sitting in one of the deep sinks, my legs dangling over the side. This sink has never worked so it's perfectly clean. I stare pointedly at the girl until she swivels around and scampers back out again. Silly midget. She hasn't learned yet that a very gloomy girl haunts this bathroom. Oh, and Moaning Myrtle too. Myrt's floating opposite me in an open stall. We're tackling our favourite subject, boys.

" Freedom. Enjoy it. What does that even mean? Does he think I'm free from the horrible squishiness he makes me feel? It kind of sounds like a goodbye." I glance down at the crumpled parchment in my hand. Of course I kept it. This one actually has writing on it.

"At least you have someone to say goodbye to. I never even had a boy to say hello to," Myrtle moans.

"Sometimes I envy you Myrt." Moaning Myrtle looks as if she'd do anything at this moment to have her solid body back just so she could throttle me. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell a dead girl she's better off that way.

"It's just he thinks I've matured, having a proper relationship with Frank. He thinks I don't want to play our game anymore, so now he's folded. But I do want to keep playing. As much as I hate it, as much as it drives me crazy, I don't think I can live without the eye flirting and the dangerous plots. It's all I've become. I'm addicted to him."

"You're addicted to pain." Myrt glides over and attempts to give me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder but instead inspires shivers down my spine. Great. A dead girl feels sorry for me. Can I be anymore pathetic?

"Why don't you break up with Frank, or pretend to break up with Frank, I'm a little lost with the whole situation." You and me both, my transparent friend. Why haven't I ended the charade with Frank yet? I guess partly from laziness. Life takes too much effort.

"He is kind of nice to have around. Comforting. I guess that what it's like having a real boyfriend." I'm not developing a real romantic attachment to Frank am I? No. Not romantic. But still, there is an attachment growing. Oh, the confusion.

"Then there's this business with Sirius breaking up with Jessica because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings. Does that mean Sirius is maturing? Or is he just doing it because he thinks I'm maturing and therefore in some twisted way is still playing with me?"

"At least you have a boy to play with," Myrtle sighs. I have a sneaking suspicion she meant that in the dirty sense.

"And how do you know if you have genuine feelings for someone, rather than just being earth shatteringly attracted to them?"

"He is quite breath taking naked." My jaw drops open. Myrtle blushes (well at least I think she does, her cheeks seem to be a different shade of transparent). I don't think she meant to say that allowed.

"What?"

She giggles deviously. "I just happened upon him when I was passing through the boys bathroom."

"Sometimes I really do envy you Myrt." I'm totally joking. I'm not a pervert. Maybe just seeing his torso wouldn't be so bad. The more I find I have in common with Myrtle the further I sink into a bottomless well of depression. I bid farewell to her and meander out of the bathroom, only to find Frank patiently leaning against the opposite wall.

"Were you waiting out here the whole time?" Frank swats my question away with an impatient hand.

"I want to talk to you about this weekend. I think we should go to Hogsmeade again, Sirius is bound to be there-"

"Frank, why are you doing this? I know why I want to make Sirius jealous but why do you?"

A scandalous thought pops into my head. Maybe Frank has a secret crush on Sirius too! Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. Sirius' appeal doesn't discriminate between man, woman, goblin or house elf. Like a spilled cauldron of incorrectly mixed boil cure potion, his charm oozes over all who come in contact with him, burning holes in people's shoes (and their hearts).

Maybe I have an excitable imagination. But I'm pretty sure at least three of the house elves around the castle are harbouring romantic feelings for Sirius so forgive me if I'm slightly paranoid. Frank shuffles his feet awkwardly, caught off guard by my demanding tone. I refuse to feel guilty; it's a fair question. He's chewing his lip nervously in quite the same way I do when I've been sprung with a surprise Potions test. Finally he drags the roaming words he's looking for from the nether regions of his mind.

"It's like this. You and Sirius, James and Lily, the whole school is obsessed with your affairs. You're all anybody talks about around this ol' place." Frank pats the castle wall affectionately causing a small avalanche of dust and stone to crumble beneath his hand. "You lot are like the stars of Hogwarts. Ever since we've been dating—"

"Pretending to date," I correct him sternly.

"Pretending to date, people have started to notice me too. People think I'm, for lack of a better word, cool now that I'm caught up in the Marauder love sagas. Is it so terrible that I want people to like me?"

I squint at Frank suspiciously. My Quibbler conspiracy senses are tingling. I don't think he's Frank Longbottom at all but rather a boggart displaying my worst fear, a shallow friend. Frank has never cared what people think of him. Where has this attention seeking nonsense sprouted from?

"Yes Frank, it is terrible. That's the lamest thing I've ever heard. You shouldn't care what other people think. Anybody who thinks they're cool isn't." I'm being rather blunt now but suddenly I feel like I'm the one being used in this whole charade. Frank looks wounded. Damn him and his putty feelings.

"Frank you are cool. Except when you talk about wanting to be popular. Then you turn into a first class git." I adopt a kinder tone and Frank chuckles.

"I'm sorry, Lottie. I know I'm being stupid."

"Yeah, you are," I agree helpfully. I'm good like that.

"But Lottie, a girl voluntarily flirted with me the other day!" His face lights up with such innocent excitement I can't help but smile in return. My smile quickly drops into a frown when I actually realise what he said. Merlin help the witch that flirted with my boyfriend! Albeit a pretend boyfriend, but it's not like the little wench knew that.

"Did you flirt back?"

A scarlet blush flourishes on Frank's round cheeks. "I don't know how to."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." I don't know why I care so much about Frank flirting, but what would people say if Lottie Cherrywood's boyfriend cheated on her? It's literally against the rules. During one particularly serious detention in Dumbledore's office I edited the book of Hogwarts rules with a few regulations of my own. Not cheating on Lottie Cherrywood is just one of them.

Frank gives me a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I just want to walk beside you Lottie." I'm pretty sure Frank meant something deep and meaningful by that statement but I'm choosing to overlook it.

"Come on, you can walk me to class then…if you carry my books." Frank reaches for my textbooks. I slide them away and give him a significant whack over the head with them.

"Don't be such a spineless flobberworm, I was testing you. If you want to be cool, try standing up for yourself." Frank nods gratefully for my lesson in cool. All the way to class I try to trip him over by hooking my foot under his. Every time he stacks onto the ground I tease, "See? You're not standing up for yourself!" Because that's what friends are for.