Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this fanfiction. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, who thankfully allows others to play in her universe.

Chapter 10 Friends Now?

Monday morning Mum declared Roxanne was recovered enough to return to school. On top of that, Headmistress Malone wanted to meet with her about something. Roxanne worried the whole way there that the Headmistress wanted to talk about her low marks. But it turned out she want to apologize for Roxanne getting hurt and assure them it wouldn't happen again. The best part of the meeting, at least for Roxanne, was when she said Roxanne would now attend Study Hall instead of Physical Education. Until her arm healed.

Later alone in her dorm room, thinking of home, this was not enough. She was on the verge of tears when the door burst open.

"Oh my gosh, you're back!" Scarlet said, running across the small room and hugging Roxanne.

Roxanne stiffened in surprise, but Scarlet had moved on. "Wow, you have so many signatures on your cast. That was so scary when you fell. Were you scared? Did you see a bright light?" Here Scarlet finally paused, looking expectantly from where she was fixing her hair.

Roxanne shook her head, wondering what seeing a light had to do with being thrown from a horse.

"Oh well, I guess that's good. You should sit with us at dinner, are you ready to go?"

Roxanne nodded and let Scarlet pull her out the door by her good arm.

xxx

Scarlet and Trish chatted at her while they waited in line for food. But once they had their trays they left her to manage by herself. Roxanne tried to hold her tray like she normally would but her cast put her left hand at the wrong angle. She was afraid she'd drop it.

"Do you need some help?" Mandy had come up behind her.

Roxanne blushed, she should apologize to Mandy for the welcome feast. Maybe if they got talking it would be easier to figure out what to say. "Yes, please," she whispered.

Mandy took Roxanne's tray and then paused, her smile faltering, "Where are you sitting?" They both looked towards the middle of the table at Scarlet's little court. There didn't appear to be a space.

"Here's fine?" Roxanne said pointing to the place next to Mandy's own tray, unsure if she would be welcome. But Mandy smiled and set the tray down. Only once Roxanne was seated did she realize Sevastian was sitting across from her. How could she apologize with Sevastian watching? Their eyes met briefly but he quickly looked away. Mandy who was on Roxanne's left had been admiring the signatures on her cast.

"You know a lot of people."

Roxanne felt her face get hot, "they're mostly my family."

"Wow you're so lucky to have such a big family."

Roxanne was about to agree when Sevastian, interrupted, "why do you even have a cast?" He made the question sound like an accusation.

"Because her arm is broken, of course." Mandy said glaring at him, but he didn't notice because he was watching Roxanne with narrowed eyes.

Roxanne looked down. Maybe if she pretended to focus on eating she wouldn't say the wrong thing. Then Sevastian wouldn't have to point out how stupid she was.

Sevastian looked about to say something when one of the boys passing behind him smacked his head. "Watch it," he shouted at the group, distracted from the girls.

Roxanne refused to look up from her plate, so the rest of the dinner passed in silence. She didn't notice Mandy's hopeful glances or Sevastian's glares.

xxx

The next morning Scarlet chatted to Roxanne like she had at the beginning of the year. She didn't mention anything about Roxanne not sitting with her and Trish the night before.

Roxanne who was currently struggling to button her shirt with one hand was only half listing. It didn't matter because Scarlet didn't expect a response. Finally, there was a knock at the door and Trish stuck her head in, "ready to go?"

Scarlet took one last look at herself in the mirror and grabbed her bag, "ready! See you in class Roxy!"

Roxanne continued to struggling with her buttons. If only Mum had been allowed to put the buttoning charm on her school blouses. But no. She couldn't because the stupid Statute of Secrecy. Why did everything have to be so hard in the Muggle World? 15 minutes later, all her buttons were button. She missed buttoned one, she hoped no one would notice, but she was beyond caring. After fumbling with her tie she realized it would be impossible to do one handed. "Stupid tie," Roxanne said as she ripped it off her neck and threw it to the floor. She glared at it. Then all her anger at the stupid Muggle World were ties couldn't tie themselves boiled over. She found herself jumping up and down on the offending tie.

She was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Roxanne stomped to the door and yanked it open.

A surprised Mandy stood there. After a moment were both girls just stared at each other Mandy said, "hi?"

"Hi," Roxanne said back, forgetting her anger for a moment as she wondered why Mandy hadn't left with everyone else.

"You need help?" Mandy asked, looking at the crumpled tie on the floor of Roxanne's room.

Roxanne felt her face go red when she saw were Mandy was looking. And found herself caring very much about her blouse being miss buttoned. She glanced back at Mandy expecting her to start teasing.

But Mandy was looking at her with a hopeful smile.

Roxanne waited a moment wondering if it was a trick. Then with a mental sigh stepped a side to let Mandy into the dorm room.

Mandy's smile grew and she ran lightly into the room to pick up the crumpled tie. Mandy carefully smoothed it out and approached Roxanne, to loop the tie around her neck.

Roxanne couldn't believe she was being so nice, it was now or never, "I'm sorry."

Mandy pulled back, to frown up at her.

So Roxanne barreled on, "For the welcome feast. Scarlet was mean. I should have waited for you. I should have said something. I think its great you're a scholarship student. I know I should have apologized earlier. I'm sorry."

Mandy smiled, "I forgive you. Friends now?"

"Friends? Why would you want to be friends with me?" Roxanne couldn't help but ask.

Mandy tilted her head, "You're different, and I like different." Mandy went back to tying Roxanne's tie, when she finished she said, "besides, I need a friend too."

Apparently all Muggles needed to become friends was to decide to be. No mountain troll required. Roxanne smiled, "Friends then."

"Friends," Mandy agreed, grabbing Roxanne's bag and heading for the door.

xxx

That night as Mandy and Roxanne did their homework together in one of the study rooms, Roxanne kept slipping up to her room. To look things up in her Encyclopedias.

Mandy noticed but didn't say anything, until Roxanne's fourth trip upstairs. "Where do you keep going? Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I just have to check something in my room."

Mandy frowned and then suddenly she smiled her eyes sparkling, "do you have a pet hidden up there?"

"No."

Mandy's face fell, "then why do you keep going up there?"

"To look stuff up," Roxanne said trying to sound unembarrassed.

"Oh, you have trouble with spelling too! Bring your dictionary down and then we can both use it." When Roxanne didn't move to go she added, "don't be embarrassed, it's great that you look up words you don't know. I'm usually in too much of a hurry to bother."

Roxanne sighed and decided to come clean, "it's not just words I'm looking up. It's everything. I'm bad at everything." The unsaid, 'I'm stupid' was clear in Roxanne's voice. She was sure Mandy would decide she wasn't good friend material after all.

"You're not stupid, a stupid person wouldn't bother to look stuff up," Mandy said.

Roxanne had believed everyone in the Muggle World thought she was stupid. "You don't think I'm stupid?" She watched Mandy closely for any sign she was lying.

"No body is stupid because they don't know something right off."

Roxanne could tell that was what Mandy really believed. She herself would have to do some thinking, but for now it was enough to have a friend who didn't think she was stupid.

Mandy studied Roxanne for a moment, then said, "since you told me a secret I'll tell you one."

"You don't have to," Roxanne said quickly. She knew because of the Statute of Secrecy that she would have to keep secrets from Mandy.

"I want to, that's what friends do."

Roxanne really wanted to be Mandy's friend, but she worried the Wizarding World might take that from her too. Still she nodded.

Mandy's face became somber as she said, "I don't have a family. I never knew my dad and my mum died when I was five. I've lived in group homes and foster homes, since then."

"I'm so sorry," Roxanne said. She wanted to give Mandy a hug but the table was between them so she reached across and squeeze Mandy's hand.

Mandy smiled a little. "It hasn't been too bad. No matter where I've been I've always found a way to keep dancing. And because of my dancing I got a scholarship to come to Fieldspark and study with Mrs. Stalinskey."

"You dance?" Roxanne asked carefully hoping for more information. In the Wizarding World you could dance to music however you liked. Some looked better than others but she never heard of lessons for this, it was just messing around. Then when you got older all Wizards and Witches learned how to do ballroom dancing for formal events. Roxanne didn't think either of these was the kind of dancing Mandy meant.

"Yes, I do ballet. It's my dream to be a professional ballerina and travel around the world dancing."

Roxanne smiled and nodded. While making a mental note to herself to look up ballet in her encyclopedias. They continued to talk as Mandy finished her homework and Roxanne pretended to finish hers. She was having too good a time to be reminded of all that she didn't know by really attempting her homework. It would all still be there tomorrow.