As soon as breakfast was over, Neville went off into another room to cleanse his wounds and I was to join him in "a moment". I hung around and listened to Seamus tell us about rescuing another first year from Snape.

I hurried along the small floor and turned into the room and saw Neville standing in front of the mirror, his shit on the floor. Neville, who's chest was a mass of curves. Neville.

I turned out immediately and closed my eyes, my face burning. I could feel Susan's eyes on me as I ran up the stairs and into my bunk, pulling the hangings shut around my bed and lay facedown, my hands over my eyes. Oh. My. God. I was going to die of embarrassment.

I heard a noise and listened as someone walked across the wooden floor, the beams creaking under their feet.

"You all right, Han? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"I walked in on Neville."

"He was naked?"

"He had pants on." I rolled over onto my back and listened to her chuckle. "It's not funny." I protested, trying to fight the smile that was creeping across my face.

"It's actually kind of hilarious." She smiled sympathetically and climbed up next to me, tucking her legs neatly underneath her and started finger-combing my hair. I turned back over onto my stomach and propped my head up on my elbow, staring at the drapes she had pushed aside. She started rubbing my back in a comforting way.

I lay that way for a couple moments, then stood and walked to the sink, where I could see her in the mirror, sitting giving me a look.

"I mean, I don't understand why you're so bent on the boy asking girl thing. Couldn't you just ask him and then the problem will be solved?" I started to answer, but she held up a hand. "Wait. There's an underlying theme here that we should pay attention to. Women's rights and stuff. Take advantage of the cute guy who you are living with and confess your undying love to him and then you are supporting women's rights."

I groaned. "You're embarrassing yourself."

"I wouldn't go there Han. I mean, you pretty much have me beat on everything to be embarrassed by. Tripping, check. Failing simple classes, check. Not to mention having the same trouble with the same boy for six years!"

"As if you don't have boy troubles with Max and Henry and them."

"Yeah, but I had different troubles with each of them. They each were disappointing in their own way. One had trouble with his ex, the other was overattached, the third was a pity-date. What can I say?"

I shook my head, cheered up enormously.