safe and sound [philip longbottom]

[Deleted]

So, here she was. Andromeda Karina Lestrange was staying overnight at the Longbottom flat above the Leaky Cauldron. She had just been given a tour, helped Hannah Longbottom make some dinner, ate with the family, and had slipped into her room once the night had died down. She had to admit, it was one of the best days she had ever had. She and Aurora even stayed near each other most of the time, event though they didn't really say anything to each other. The gesture of being together was enough for Andy, for now.

So why couldn't she fall asleep? It could have been that butterfly feeling in her stomach. The excitement. It also could have been the loneliness of missing her Hogwarts dorm mates. She missed the loud talking of Abby in the dorm above her, and the voices of people still awake in the common room. She thought that maybe some studying would help her fall asleep so she pulled out one of her class books.

She couldn't focus on it. She was wasting her time. Then she heard movement in the room beside hers. Phils room. This gave her an idea! She jumped up from her bed, pulling her wand out in order to lift the bed and move it so it was right up against the wall closest to Phils room. She then jumped back onto the bed and knocked lightly on the wall. "Phil, can you hear me?" she asked.

@philip

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Well, it wasn't like Phil was having any luck in falling asleep, either.  He still couldn't get over the change in the usual Longbottom family routine caused by the newest additions to the family.  He was pleased by this change, of course; Andy and Aurora blended in quite well, but it still excited him and made him rather restless.  The Gryffindor just couldn't sleep.  He was reluctant to have to retire to his bedroom even if he did so quietly and without arguing, as he wasn't bold enough to declare that he still wanted the family to do something together before retiring for the night.  But, sitting upon his bed in his t-shirt and pajama pants, he couldn't go to sleep, and that was the issue.

Sighing, Phil decided to grab a book to read to pass the time until he finally felt drowsy.  He got up to his feet and was making his way toward the bookshelf in his room when he heard a light knock on the wall.  That startled him and he jolted slightly before turning around to stare at the wall his bed was situated against where he had heard the knock.  Before he could make wild speculations and guesses as to what caused the sound, he heard Andy's voice.

For a very quick moment he was confused as to why she was able to talk to him, but then he remembered that she was in the room right beside his.  They shared the same wall that separated their rooms.  That made sense.  Finally having something interesting to do, Phil walked back to his bed and knelt on the mattress at his knees, sitting right in front of the wall.  "Yeah, I can.  What's up?"

@lestrange    

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At the sound of Phils voice Andy felt her stomach lurch a little with excitement. Obviously she was happy that talking through the wall would work. Why, what else would make her stomach do that at the sound of his voice? "Oh, hi!" she said, a little louder than she meant to. She lowered her voice in order to speak further, "I just wanted to see if this would work, you know. It'd be nice to be able to talk to you during... all of this," she said softly, but loud enough for him to here. She re-situated herself so that she was laying back on her pillow, her eyes on the ceiling.

It was nice to know Phil was right beside her, in a way. She didn't feel nearly as much like she was in a strange new home with a new family. No, it sort of felt like being back at Gryffindor Tower, the home she had been the most comfortable in since she could attend Hogwarts. Granted, she couldn't talk to Phil through the wall there, but the feeling was the same. They were there together and that was what would get her through this transition more than anything. "I was just trying to study. Well, first I was trying to sleep but I couldn't. What are you up to?" she asked. Just making casual conversation was already slowing her heart rate.

@philip

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Phil was a little surprised by how loud she greeted him.  He assumed that she had assumed that she had to make her voice loud in order for him to be able to hear her, but apparently she realized that she didn't need to, and when she spoke again, he noticed that her voice was not as loud.  It was a little soft, in fact, but he could still hear her.  "Oh, yeah, I think this is pretty cool," he responded back.  "I actually had no idea that we could do this...that is, talk to each other from behind the wall."

He sat back on his bottom and crossed his legs.  "Me? Well, um...same as you, I guess.  I can't get myself to fall asleep."  He paused for a moment before asking her, "What were you studying? I haven't really touched a single page of my textbooks yet...maybe I should before it's too late."  He heaved a sigh.  "I'm just kind of too lazy to, though."  Phil was really enjoying the holiday and was in no mood to be reading for classes, but then again he'd probably have to be consistent and read bit by bit everyday if he didn't want a boatload of chapters to read with so little time to read them.  Procrastinating was never good.

@lestrange

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Andy smiled as he responded, agreeing that this idea of talking through the wall was cool. She was rather excited about it, to say the least. In a new place, new family... it was perfect to have something as comforting as Phils voice on the other side of the wall. Especially after what had happened with Jude the night before...

But she didn't want to think about that right now.

"I was studying some History. Hoped it would send me right off to Dreamland but all it did was bore me to death," she sighed. History usually did it for her, nothing else would work otherwise she'd want to get out her wand and try out whatever it was she was reading. Well, she was technically under age and couldn't do magic outside of school... but she was in a hotel full of wizards. Still, the sleeping thing was not working out. "Hey, you don't need to study. It's the first day of Christmas break," she said, turning toward the wall even though she couldn't see who was on the other side.

"I'm... I'm really glad you're right there you know. Right next to me," she said softly, maybe even too soft for him to hear... maybe not.

@philip

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Philip chuckled when he heard her say that reading about History of Magic bored her to death.  "I'm surprised it didn't bore you to sleep," he said.  "Seriously, that class sucks."  He really didn't like History of Magic.  He found that all of those events in the past, the dates and names and happenings, were tedious.  That wasn't to say that the subject was not essential.  It had its importance, but it would never be important to a herbologist.

"I know, but then I'll be too lazy to study when the time calls for it.  I'm so totally not perfectly studious like Alice...and maybe you and Rory for that matter," he said.  He did his best to live up to his father and sister's intelligence, and he wasn't so bad.  He just wasn't as great as they were at it, though.

The next thing she said, while he had to strain his ears slightly to hear, took him aback somewhat.  She was...actually glad to have him close? He knew she was nervous, but he'd always just assumed that she was more concerned about fitting in and that he was the casual friend and guide around this place.  He felt protective of her, although he doubted that she needed him as much as he thought.  Besides, she was more into Jude.  But he was touched, nonetheless.  "I'm glad you're next to me, too," he responded.  "You know, you probably won't like to hear this, but I was worried about you, and still am...I mean, my family is nice and this place is safe, but...you know, you still might be intimidated.  What with the new surroundings and all."  He chuckled, slightly embarrassed.  "But what do you think about your stay here so far?"   

@lestrange

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"That's exactly why I tried reading the book, but even that didn't work," Andy laughed as she agreed with his conclusion that History was boring. She rolled her eyes, even though he could see it, as he said that he wasn't as studios as she was, along with Alice and Aurora. "Do you see a difference there, Phil? We're all girls, you're not. We're just better like that," she joked, laughing a little as she did so. She tried to keep her laugh low, however, for she didn't want anyone else knowing that she and Phil were talking right now. What if Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom didn't like it and they took it away? That would be terrible.

When he said he was worried about her, Andy sighed, locking her eyes on the ceiling. He had good reason to worry, even though the thought made her a little unnerved. Still, he knew her better than most and he was right to worry. But, at his question, she was able to be truthful. "Actually... it's been really nice. You're right about it being intimidating. Everyone is so... kind and cares about what I have to say... that's new. Still, I think the best part is your mom," she said, "she's really amazing, you know. From what I can tell. You're lucky to have had her your whole life. You should be grateful for that every day," she said, her voice growing more confident.

She wanted to bring up Jude now, almost, but she waited. Maybe Phil would bring it up first. It had been a strange couple of weeks. Andy and Jude 'dating' and Phil being the third wheel. Things would be even harder once Phil found out that Andy and Jude had broken up... or maybe things would be easier?

@philip

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Phil was not one to deny that females were sharp and intelligent beings.  No son of Hannah Longbottom would ever doubt what a woman could do.  It all so seemed that ever female he met was better at academics than he was.  "Well, even so, I'm still glad my name is Philip, not Philippa," he quipped.  He wrinkled his face.  "That sounds so wrong.  I'm glad Henry isn't here, or he'd start calling me that."  It was funny how some feminine names could bluntly be seen as the feminine version of male names.  The female version of his name was just sticking an extra "p" and an "a" at the end. 

He listened to her confide in him about what she thought about their stay.  He was glad that it was positive; even if the positivity was something she wasn't used to, she was well on her way to living happily with them.  "I'm glad to like it here," he said.  "You'll get used to it.  Living with loving people isn't so bad.  And yeah, my mum's pretty awesome, isn't she? I am grateful that she's my parent."  Phil chuckled.  "Of course, she's going to be sweet with you and your sister while her scoldings will be aimed at me."  Phil used to be scolded a lot when he was younger, but he'd grown up to be a rather compliant boy, so he didn't get into trouble as much. 

He, of course, was not going to bring up the topic of Alice's difficulty.  Instead, he decided to ask about Andy's sister.  "So, how are you getting along with Aurora as of late?" Aurora was such a shy and sweet girl.  Phil thought that Andy and Rory getting along better was quite possible. 

@lestrange

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Andy laughed at the name 'Phillippa'. "Yes, let's not tell Jay about that," she chuckled again. "I'm also glad you're not a girl," she said confidently but immediately regretted it after saying it. She blushed, but thankfully he couldn't see anything through the wall. This was actually a fairly decent way of communicating if you were trying to hide your emotions, right? And wasn't Andy always trying to hide her emotions?

"I can see that she's a bit harder on you and Jay, but it's clear that it's because she expects great things from you," she commented, "my parents were harder because they didn't expect anything. In fact, I was mostly just ignored. But eh," she shook her head, even though he couldn't see, "they're pointless to me now. Your parents are much more... well, I'm going to like it here. Plus, I was never that close to my brother, and now I get two." She felt a weird churn in her stomach at that, and decided to amend it, "I mean... something like a brother..." she muttered.

At the question of Aurora, Andy sighed, sitting up a little. "Things are... well, to be honest I don't know. We helped your mother make dinner, but we still barely talked. She keeps touching me, though. Like a hand on my shoulder, a tug on my hand... that's something she's never done before. I think she's worried about me... or herself... or us. I don't know," she said.

@philip

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Phil actually blushed when Andy said that she was glad that he wasn't a girl.  He really didn't know why he felt a little bashful by that statement.  It was just a joke, plain and simple.  But her being glad that he was the opposite gender almost felt as if she had some attraction toward him.  He didn't know, but all he could say was that he thought she was a pretty girl.  He also had this feeling like he was the knight in shining armor looking out for a beautiful, but troubled lady, especially since that incident in the room of requirement where they had hugged and she had told him about his father's proposal to take in her and her sister.  Of course, he had accepted that their relationship was strictly that of friendship, as Andy was with someone else.  Yet, he couldn't exactly view her as his sister either.

"And I'm glad you're not a boy," he responded, even if he felt a little stupid for saying that.  He then listened to her talk about how his parents were better than her own.  However, his eyes widened slightly when she got to the part where he and Jay were like her brothers.  He could understand Jay, but him...? That felt just as weird. It almost seemed like she felt weird about it, too, because she promptly corrected herself.  "Yeah..." He stared down at the sheets of his mattress, blinking.  "Something similar, I suppose, but not quite that."  It was just so...uncomfortable imagining her as his sister.  He felt close to her, but not in that kind of bond.  However, she may have taken his comment to mean that he didn't love her like family.  Andy wasn't dimwitted, but Phil was constantly self-conscious about what he said, afraid that others, however sharp and intelligent they were, would get the wrong idea.  "But you're one of the people closest to me," he added, and it was very true.  He did not have many in his inner circle; in fact, those who truly were closest to him were mostly his family members.  However, Andy was pretty much the first friend from school to reach that level. 

He then listened as Andy spoke about how she and her sister were doing.  Her reports sounded like good progress to him.  "I think that's great! I know it may not seem like much, but she's slowly reaching out to you," he said optimistically.  "I'm sure you two will be closer soon."  Now that he was asking her about how she got along with the people surrounding her in the house, he decided to ask about how she got along with his siblings as well.  "So, how are things going with you and Jay...and Alice?" He tried to avoid talking about Alice, but if he was going to talk about Jay, he couldn't exactly pretend that Alice didn't exist, either.

@lestrange

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Andy blushed herself at his exclamation of gladness that she wasn't a male. She chuckled a little, in spite of herself, but cut off the sound quickly. Her stomach churned even more as he agreed that he couldn't be a brother to her... something similar, yes. She almost spoke up after that but he spoke first, saying that she was one of the closest people to him. Andy knew that was true, and she knew that she felt the same way, but they had never really said it out loud. At least not extensively. The idea of having a close friend still rocked her nerves a little bit, and trusting them was an even harder thing to fathom. She was silent for a moment, trying to decide if she wanted to respond. Eventually she decided it was cruel to leave him in the dark. Plus, he couldn't see her burning cheeks or her nervous shifting, right? This was as good a time as any to be honest. "Yeah you're... you're my best friend," she said, incredibly softly. She hoped he heard it though, for she wasn't sure if she could say it twice.

As he showed his happiness at her report with Aurora, Andy simply shook her head from behind the wall. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but he was probably right. She was trying to reach out to Andy... but Andy wasn't sure if she was ready to reach back. She'd get there, right? Especially being here where they had each other to support. She didn't continue that conversation, however, considering how uncomfortable the thought of growing close to her sister made her.

At the mention of his own siblings, Andy was grateful for the distraction from her sister. "Jay is great. He doesn't seem to have negative feelings towards us and I'm glad he feels comfortable joking around with us. Alice..." she wasn't sure what to say about the eldest Longbottom, "she clearly seems... has she always been like that?" she couldn't find the exact words to describe Alice's behavior, but Phil would know what she meant.

@philip

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Phil's heart sank a little when Andy noticed that Alice was a bit iffy.  He had hoped that neither of the girl's would notice, but that was hard to do when she made a stinging sarcastic statement on their arrival earlier in the day.  At least he could truthfully tell Andy that this wasn't new from Alice.  "Yeah, she has," he said reluctantly.  "I guess she...just feels like that when things are different, but she'll eventually get used to things.  She was kind of the same when I was born."  He didn't know if this was attributed to Rory being a Ravenclaw.  Sure, she could have a vendetta against that house for petty reasons, but he didn't think Alice would be that petty when it was a serious issue for the Lestranges.  He had no idea why she didn't like Rory or Andy being here.  There had to be more than house rivalries.

Anyway, he was getting sleepy.  Phil yawned.  "I'm going to sleep now.  Too tired to keep my eyes open," he said sleepily.  "Good night, Andy.  Sleeping tight, and I can't wait to see you again in the morning."  And then he lay his head down on the pillow and drew the blanket over him.  The moment he closed his eyes, he was snoring.