p data-p-id="6e48e52b31a7d5af181fde59fe7d28fd"emPhil's POV/em/p
p data-p-id="5f7dfc21b4fd3a9457b49120d4b8d507"After we finish the meal, my 11-year-old self watches the flow of students and teachers head out the room, feeling slightly terrified I'll lose the people in my house. I don't recognize anyone around me but I hear the shouts of the prefects, calling out the houses. I manage to decipher a 'Gryffindor' amongst the laughs and loud conversations. It's a good thing I'm tall for my age. I get on my tiptoes and walk towards the faint voice as fast as possible. I don't want to be stranded on my own in the middle of this castle, no matter how welcoming it is it's also a fricking labyrinth/p
p data-p-id="89425aec10282f07f5a4beea9b1022f0"Suddenly I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and turn around instantly, I might be a bit paranoid sometimes. When I turn I find it's not some sort of Frankenstein monster waiting for me like I'd already imagined in my head but actually a chestnut-haired girl, with two pigtails. She smiles up at me with a freckle-covered skin, revealing two dimples. She's probably around my age, even though she looks way younger./p
p data-p-id="040e8cccdfc7cc0641a0e0518889f046""Hi I'm Mels! I'm in Gryffindor too, I saw you looked completely lost, so because I'm a good person, I came to help you!" She laughs a very cute giggle and grabs my arms before pulling me towards a crowd of people. She dashes forward not hearing me protest or just not caring, making use of her petite frame to slalom through all the students. Unfortunately I'm not that lucky and I end up bumping into a lot of people and apologizing a lot to irritated faces./p
p data-p-id="0c3435ec253293f9fee8d64b38e0674c"We make it out alive and Mels shoves me towards the group I was supposed to be in. She definitely has a strong personality, that contrasts strangely with her gentle and kid-like face./p
p data-p-id="8925be9f23c83ecac91157d52cd12888""There you go! Hey I'll see you tomorrow in class, oh by the way what's your name?"/p
p data-p-id="3a9549cb4c62a39fcf926694baf38fbd""P-Phil" I stutter like an idiot, taken by surprise, but she smiles widely, waving at me, and just like that she's gone again, running to the group of girls heading to the dorms. That girl is a ball of energy./p
p data-p-id="e4841f5fd9f718a088951d1a49527f55"I stand there, completely overwhelmed by what just happened, and I actually think a part of her bubbly energy passed on to me. I smile widely and stay that way until we get in the common room, feeling a bit of renewed positivity. I look around for the freckled girl but it turns out the girls are actually visiting the dorms. Which is where the prefects are leading us to now, and with every step I feel my confidence growing back. There's just something about this place that makes me want to be able to call it my second home, with a family of friends. We pour into the dorm and I instantly drop onto my bed. I sigh deeply and look to my left where I see my owl and instantly I sit up and smile. I'd missed her, my own little Cookie. Yeah that's what I named her, shhh. I stroke her feathers softly and she looks content enough./p
p data-p-id="2ac54d817bac515ff798fff58501dc98"After a while of just laying there I spring up, gathering up my courage and descend into the common room. There I see that everyone is already chatting and laughing together. I don't let my bravery and positiveness slip away as I soon spot Mels sitting on one of the comfortable-looking sofas and I march towards her. Only then do I notice she's got a whole group of people around her. No Phil not now, don't give up. I stop in front of them, smile and say loud enough for everyone to hear a small 'Hi'./p
p data-p-id="59494299844377a789f94912d5812431"Instantly Mels looks up and gives me that grin that I already know by heart and hugs me quickly. She then introduces me to her friends./p
p data-p-id="efd5cde623a3abab5ba510ab3cab376d""Phil! Welcome so uh this is Tiffany." She gestures to a tough-looking girl with brown curly hair and we smile at each other warmly, like everyone seems to do around here./p
p data-p-id="0a99ae998372a453d89e5cbbbe572d15"Next she points at a blond guy with messy hair and introduces him as Joe and the guy next to him I learn is called Caspar. And finally she looks to her left and gestures to a guy names Chris, who smiles at me with a toothy grin./p
p data-p-id="ede291ac06b6db5f8bbe373b5eff486e""Everyone, this is Phil!"/p
p data-p-id="d77f1255640668874d01de53f04409b0"Everyone says hi and Mels offers me to sit next to her and I take it up, squeezing between her and Tiff, a little uneasy feeling in my stomach./p
p data-p-id="216c40615aa9bdb4468846c129c1192c"So many females./p
p data-p-id="2d8b90cb2442ecfaac9ef861587911ea"I wish Dan were here./p
p data-p-id="514faf5a71b4f0f67374c388f37aa0d7"**/p
p data-p-id="ebe67676e0b4460a30f8cc2cc0b2ca7a"I look at the hello kitty watch sitting on my bed side table that my mum packed for me (thanks mum) and nearly sigh out loud when I see that it's now 4 in the morning. I hold back a sob but this time I don't try to go back to sleep, there's no point. Instead, I get up silently and curse my mother for a second for packing me a hello kitty watch and not a flash-light./p
p data-p-id="f3ea319d8af3f3b170818a75aa0c55dd"I set out at 4 in the morning trying not to make any noise or else... I prefer not thinking about the alternative. I blindly find my way to the Grand Staircase and by then the moonlight is actually helping me see where I'm going./p
p data-p-id="3a4e2c0bfb747c68517d17693dd34c54"After a series of near heart attacks after hearing the strange noises this old castle makes at night I make it outside. I didn't think it would be so easy.../p
p data-p-id="35532ba784164cb1ead8eb3f39782c8e"I wander a bit through the huge grounds wondering where to go when I notice something move somewhere to my left. My first instinct is to run far and fast, but for some reason I look carefully into the darkness, my eyes quickly adjusting to the pitch black. Instantly, I recognize the mop of brown hair heading for something with a determined step. I stifle a laugh and start following him, not wanting to lose his trace. He's headed straight for the lake. I see him sit on the shore and he starts singing along softly to... Imagine Dragons! I smile at myself for recognizing it but suddenly I hear him sniffing and wiping his cheeks with a damp pyjama sleeve. I gulp and get myslef back together./p
p data-p-id="58e426dd4266e1a99c7e5c60f0e6d415""Didn't expect to see you here"/p
p data-p-id="92007b5e7fad3197425334a7bdae5652"I see him nearly jump out of his skin and turning instantly, with a wild and terrified look in his eyes but when his meet mine they soften considerably and relief washes over him. I try to keep smiling when I see his damp cheeks and the sad glint in his eyes I had seen earlier even bigger now, nearly taking over the warm happiness./p
p data-p-id="39bbedb7ebc33d367faea806d182d3af""Phil..." He whispers inaudibly./p
p data-p-id="f4e73104cb01291b73800af2fe2a2930""The one and only." I say gently before sitting next to him, close enough so our sides touch./p
p data-p-id="335a9fd5a662dd931f72a95d7a357722""What are you doing here?" His voice cold and platonic./p
p data-p-id="94bc7a12f0131a4233661be4de6c76a1""I could ask you the same question." I look playfully at him but I see the tears brimming in his eyes. He didn't have as good an evening as I did. "I uh couldn't sleep" I continue trying to clear the tense atmosphere. He stares at me for a moment before completely dropping the angry, cold expression and looking down at his lap, tears starting to run down his cheeks again./p
p data-p-id="15ee0395438ba8c48588e470e2a2fc09""I had a nightmare..." He blurts out and I shiver, because I know just how traumatizing that can be, and his obviously was./p
p data-p-id="146d6530755f6d8c5db57be875fe8810""Are you okay?" I ask softly, instinctively placing my hand on his arm. He lets out a shaky breath and replies in a wobbly and unsure voice :/p
p data-p-id="371a6f016992f48b15dc166936184b11""Not really... No."/p
p data-p-id="e85e1bfe693ee0fb4f2f655ddabd2153"He just looks down, like he's ashamed of himself but then he breaks down, letting out a sob and now crying uncontrollably. In a panic I pull him into me, and to my surprise he doesn't fight back. He melts into me, crying in my shirt shaken by violent sobs, and I just sit there stroking his back and hair. I squeeze him tighter every time a sob shakes him up and we end up being a bundle of limbs./p
p data-p-id="466b03c746ec5d19d5da0447e0b6c30e"We stay like this for god knows how long until after a moment Dan moves slightly and I let him go, as he pulls out of my embrace. He still won't look me straight in the eyes but he starts talking in a shaky voice :/p
p data-p-id="0bf634ad77e32d25f8c4e1eabcd8db02""Sorry about uh your shirt. I've only just met you and here I am completely ruining your pyjamas... Ugh it's gross"/p
p data-p-id="7cbff429bf0d6312c4a6afee92f5c515""No it's not" I say, instantly. He looks up at me, startled by my sharp reply. "I mean it's ok, I didn't like these anyway." I blush a bit and I'm thankful for the darkness for the first time. He smiles at me weakly, but it's a start./p
p data-p-id="16a249d53ece5b70d80f59f60d46a24d"I bet I can make that smile bigger./p
p data-p-id="996504d5b8f64430a8fe7667f02f1158"And on that one crazy moment, I decide that I will, no matter what it takes./p
p data-p-id="3a68038d8e3bab42aa2467bea196ac60"strongYo! So ok I know some bits are probably really rushed but well as you know I'm not the best writer, and also I forced myself to write this cuz I wanted to update! Anywayyyyys please review like please please it will help me get motivation cuz I really need it and if this is really any good. Also tell me if I made any mistakes, I'll properly proofread it tomorrow. Tell me your honest opinions PLEASE. Bye peps./strong/p
p data-p-id="37c4ab3909b6dac4efe6192e1c4f9c10"strongOh also, that picture is Mels okbye/strong/p
p data-p-id="045cc8bd79d7c1168641cd2a157c1a00"strongStay Alive/strong/p
p data-p-id="5f7dfc21b4fd3a9457b49120d4b8d507"After we finish the meal, my 11-year-old self watches the flow of students and teachers head out the room, feeling slightly terrified I'll lose the people in my house. I don't recognize anyone around me but I hear the shouts of the prefects, calling out the houses. I manage to decipher a 'Gryffindor' amongst the laughs and loud conversations. It's a good thing I'm tall for my age. I get on my tiptoes and walk towards the faint voice as fast as possible. I don't want to be stranded on my own in the middle of this castle, no matter how welcoming it is it's also a fricking labyrinth/p
p data-p-id="89425aec10282f07f5a4beea9b1022f0"Suddenly I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and turn around instantly, I might be a bit paranoid sometimes. When I turn I find it's not some sort of Frankenstein monster waiting for me like I'd already imagined in my head but actually a chestnut-haired girl, with two pigtails. She smiles up at me with a freckle-covered skin, revealing two dimples. She's probably around my age, even though she looks way younger./p
p data-p-id="040e8cccdfc7cc0641a0e0518889f046""Hi I'm Mels! I'm in Gryffindor too, I saw you looked completely lost, so because I'm a good person, I came to help you!" She laughs a very cute giggle and grabs my arms before pulling me towards a crowd of people. She dashes forward not hearing me protest or just not caring, making use of her petite frame to slalom through all the students. Unfortunately I'm not that lucky and I end up bumping into a lot of people and apologizing a lot to irritated faces./p
p data-p-id="0c3435ec253293f9fee8d64b38e0674c"We make it out alive and Mels shoves me towards the group I was supposed to be in. She definitely has a strong personality, that contrasts strangely with her gentle and kid-like face./p
p data-p-id="8925be9f23c83ecac91157d52cd12888""There you go! Hey I'll see you tomorrow in class, oh by the way what's your name?"/p
p data-p-id="3a9549cb4c62a39fcf926694baf38fbd""P-Phil" I stutter like an idiot, taken by surprise, but she smiles widely, waving at me, and just like that she's gone again, running to the group of girls heading to the dorms. That girl is a ball of energy./p
p data-p-id="e4841f5fd9f718a088951d1a49527f55"I stand there, completely overwhelmed by what just happened, and I actually think a part of her bubbly energy passed on to me. I smile widely and stay that way until we get in the common room, feeling a bit of renewed positivity. I look around for the freckled girl but it turns out the girls are actually visiting the dorms. Which is where the prefects are leading us to now, and with every step I feel my confidence growing back. There's just something about this place that makes me want to be able to call it my second home, with a family of friends. We pour into the dorm and I instantly drop onto my bed. I sigh deeply and look to my left where I see my owl and instantly I sit up and smile. I'd missed her, my own little Cookie. Yeah that's what I named her, shhh. I stroke her feathers softly and she looks content enough./p
p data-p-id="2ac54d817bac515ff798fff58501dc98"After a while of just laying there I spring up, gathering up my courage and descend into the common room. There I see that everyone is already chatting and laughing together. I don't let my bravery and positiveness slip away as I soon spot Mels sitting on one of the comfortable-looking sofas and I march towards her. Only then do I notice she's got a whole group of people around her. No Phil not now, don't give up. I stop in front of them, smile and say loud enough for everyone to hear a small 'Hi'./p
p data-p-id="59494299844377a789f94912d5812431"Instantly Mels looks up and gives me that grin that I already know by heart and hugs me quickly. She then introduces me to her friends./p
p data-p-id="efd5cde623a3abab5ba510ab3cab376d""Phil! Welcome so uh this is Tiffany." She gestures to a tough-looking girl with brown curly hair and we smile at each other warmly, like everyone seems to do around here./p
p data-p-id="0a99ae998372a453d89e5cbbbe572d15"Next she points at a blond guy with messy hair and introduces him as Joe and the guy next to him I learn is called Caspar. And finally she looks to her left and gestures to a guy names Chris, who smiles at me with a toothy grin./p
p data-p-id="ede291ac06b6db5f8bbe373b5eff486e""Everyone, this is Phil!"/p
p data-p-id="d77f1255640668874d01de53f04409b0"Everyone says hi and Mels offers me to sit next to her and I take it up, squeezing between her and Tiff, a little uneasy feeling in my stomach./p
p data-p-id="216c40615aa9bdb4468846c129c1192c"So many females./p
p data-p-id="2d8b90cb2442ecfaac9ef861587911ea"I wish Dan were here./p
p data-p-id="514faf5a71b4f0f67374c388f37aa0d7"**/p
p data-p-id="ebe67676e0b4460a30f8cc2cc0b2ca7a"I look at the hello kitty watch sitting on my bed side table that my mum packed for me (thanks mum) and nearly sigh out loud when I see that it's now 4 in the morning. I hold back a sob but this time I don't try to go back to sleep, there's no point. Instead, I get up silently and curse my mother for a second for packing me a hello kitty watch and not a flash-light./p
p data-p-id="f3ea319d8af3f3b170818a75aa0c55dd"I set out at 4 in the morning trying not to make any noise or else... I prefer not thinking about the alternative. I blindly find my way to the Grand Staircase and by then the moonlight is actually helping me see where I'm going./p
p data-p-id="3a4e2c0bfb747c68517d17693dd34c54"After a series of near heart attacks after hearing the strange noises this old castle makes at night I make it outside. I didn't think it would be so easy.../p
p data-p-id="35532ba784164cb1ead8eb3f39782c8e"I wander a bit through the huge grounds wondering where to go when I notice something move somewhere to my left. My first instinct is to run far and fast, but for some reason I look carefully into the darkness, my eyes quickly adjusting to the pitch black. Instantly, I recognize the mop of brown hair heading for something with a determined step. I stifle a laugh and start following him, not wanting to lose his trace. He's headed straight for the lake. I see him sit on the shore and he starts singing along softly to... Imagine Dragons! I smile at myself for recognizing it but suddenly I hear him sniffing and wiping his cheeks with a damp pyjama sleeve. I gulp and get myslef back together./p
p data-p-id="58e426dd4266e1a99c7e5c60f0e6d415""Didn't expect to see you here"/p
p data-p-id="92007b5e7fad3197425334a7bdae5652"I see him nearly jump out of his skin and turning instantly, with a wild and terrified look in his eyes but when his meet mine they soften considerably and relief washes over him. I try to keep smiling when I see his damp cheeks and the sad glint in his eyes I had seen earlier even bigger now, nearly taking over the warm happiness./p
p data-p-id="39bbedb7ebc33d367faea806d182d3af""Phil..." He whispers inaudibly./p
p data-p-id="f4e73104cb01291b73800af2fe2a2930""The one and only." I say gently before sitting next to him, close enough so our sides touch./p
p data-p-id="335a9fd5a662dd931f72a95d7a357722""What are you doing here?" His voice cold and platonic./p
p data-p-id="94bc7a12f0131a4233661be4de6c76a1""I could ask you the same question." I look playfully at him but I see the tears brimming in his eyes. He didn't have as good an evening as I did. "I uh couldn't sleep" I continue trying to clear the tense atmosphere. He stares at me for a moment before completely dropping the angry, cold expression and looking down at his lap, tears starting to run down his cheeks again./p
p data-p-id="15ee0395438ba8c48588e470e2a2fc09""I had a nightmare..." He blurts out and I shiver, because I know just how traumatizing that can be, and his obviously was./p
p data-p-id="146d6530755f6d8c5db57be875fe8810""Are you okay?" I ask softly, instinctively placing my hand on his arm. He lets out a shaky breath and replies in a wobbly and unsure voice :/p
p data-p-id="371a6f016992f48b15dc166936184b11""Not really... No."/p
p data-p-id="e85e1bfe693ee0fb4f2f655ddabd2153"He just looks down, like he's ashamed of himself but then he breaks down, letting out a sob and now crying uncontrollably. In a panic I pull him into me, and to my surprise he doesn't fight back. He melts into me, crying in my shirt shaken by violent sobs, and I just sit there stroking his back and hair. I squeeze him tighter every time a sob shakes him up and we end up being a bundle of limbs./p
p data-p-id="466b03c746ec5d19d5da0447e0b6c30e"We stay like this for god knows how long until after a moment Dan moves slightly and I let him go, as he pulls out of my embrace. He still won't look me straight in the eyes but he starts talking in a shaky voice :/p
p data-p-id="0bf634ad77e32d25f8c4e1eabcd8db02""Sorry about uh your shirt. I've only just met you and here I am completely ruining your pyjamas... Ugh it's gross"/p
p data-p-id="7cbff429bf0d6312c4a6afee92f5c515""No it's not" I say, instantly. He looks up at me, startled by my sharp reply. "I mean it's ok, I didn't like these anyway." I blush a bit and I'm thankful for the darkness for the first time. He smiles at me weakly, but it's a start./p
p data-p-id="16a249d53ece5b70d80f59f60d46a24d"I bet I can make that smile bigger./p
p data-p-id="996504d5b8f64430a8fe7667f02f1158"And on that one crazy moment, I decide that I will, no matter what it takes./p
p data-p-id="3a68038d8e3bab42aa2467bea196ac60"strongYo! So ok I know some bits are probably really rushed but well as you know I'm not the best writer, and also I forced myself to write this cuz I wanted to update! Anywayyyyys please review like please please it will help me get motivation cuz I really need it and if this is really any good. Also tell me if I made any mistakes, I'll properly proofread it tomorrow. Tell me your honest opinions PLEASE. Bye peps./strong/p
p data-p-id="37c4ab3909b6dac4efe6192e1c4f9c10"strongOh also, that picture is Mels okbye/strong/p
p data-p-id="045cc8bd79d7c1168641cd2a157c1a00"strongStay Alive/strong/p