Pairing: Rose and Hugo

Prompt: caring

A few things you need to know. One: Ron died from an Auror attack. Two: this has nothing to do with the fact that I dislike Ron's character. Three: Rose is a sixth year Ravenclaw, Hugo is a fourth year Gryffindor, and Louis is a seventh year Ravenclaw.

"But It'll Never Work"

Hugo sits in the dark of the Ravenclaw tower; he might not be clever enough to get inside, but he knows Rose will come out soon enough. He curls into himself, preparing for a long wait. She's been cooped up inside her house tower for nearly a week now, and it's starting to worry Hugo.

Louis says that she refuses to do anything but sleep, which isn't like Rose at all. She takes everything in strides, with a smile on her face. But he needs her to know that he's there for her, now more than ever.

Louis finds Hugo in the small corner, still waiting for Rose, at half past midnight. "Merlin, Hugo. Have you been out here all night?' Louis asks. The moonlight illuminates his features, and Hugo can see the frown on his face.

Nodding, Hugo stands to full height. Even at fourteen, Hugo stands inches taller than Louis' lithe frame. "I was waiting for Rose. I figure she's bound to get hungry sometime," he replies. "Could you tell her I'd like to see her?"

Louis' frown deepens. "I will, but I'm not sure how much good it'd do. She has hardly comes out of her dorm since…" he trails off, trying not to upset Hugo.

"I know," Hugo nods. "That's why I want to talk to her. What she's doing is going to make her sick. I already lost my dad; I don't want to lose her too!" His voice is strained and hoarce, and he blinks back tears.

Pulling the taller boy into a hug, Louis feels Hugo immediately relax against him. "You're worried about her, and I understand that; we're all worried about her. But it's her way of coping," he says gently. When Hugo tried to protest, Louis silences him. "I told you I'd get Rosie and I will. I just want you to remember that she has her own way of coping, just like you do."

Hugo makes a sound of agreement and watches Louis disappear inside his common room. As much as he wants to slump back against the wall, he doesn't. He doesn't want to appear weak while trying to comfort Rose. One of them had to be strong, after all.

His head snaps up at the sound of the door opening. There stands Rose, looking a little worse for wear. Red rings rim her chocolate eyes and dry tears streaks are present on her cheeks.

"Louis said you weren't going to leave until I saw you," Rose states, her voice rough from crying.

"I haven't seen you in nearly a week," Hugo points out. When Rose doesn't say anything, he gives her a half-hearted smile. "I'm sure you're hungry. Fancy a trip to the kitchens with me?"

"I'm not really hungry right now," she replies. "But thanks for the offer. Maybe some other time?"

Hugo has known that trying to comfort her would never work properly because she hates being lied to. So before she can disappear back to her dorm, Hugo pulls her into a hug. "I know I can't make the hurt go away, but I do know what you're feeling. Losing dad is hard, but we have to continue on, to make him proud of us," he whispers. But the time he finishes speaking, tears are openly falling down his face, but he doesn't bother to wipe them away.

A sob emits from Rose and Hugo instinctively hugs her tighter. "I'm so sorry. I've been acting so selfish lately."

"It's okay," he murmurs. But she won't believe him. He's just a boy – what does he know? For now, though, Rose continues to cling to her crying brother. One of them has to be strong, after all.

A/n – no I have no reason why this is angsty, or why Rose shut herself off. And I have no control over Louis' appearance. He wanted to be in the story…And it's not even like headcanon for Louis, at all. *scratches head* I don't know.

Also written for the stretch your limits comp – killer: write about a character/pairing given, with the first line and title from Ami.

So many thanks to Sylvia for beta-ing this for me. She's a real dear!