Thinking Of You (Alice/Frank)

[Frank Longbottom]

Frank Longbottom loved Thursdays. Really, it was the best day of the week. It was between the half week and the day before break. And, it was also the day that he would sit under a tree in the Clock Tower Courtyard and eat an apple. Plus, there was always the chance that he might see a certain brunette.

He didn't really know when he fell for her, but Frank just knew that he did, and he fell hard. What made it worse was that he was that she'd only actually said six words to him: sorry, I didn't see you there.

Yup, that was about it.

And, as if Merlin had some form of favor for the Hufflepuff, Frank spotted the same girl he was thinking about: Alice.

Biting into his apple, Frank looked around for something he could use to get her attention. No luck.

Sighing, Frank slouched against the tree trunk in defeat. Was it really that hard to just talk to her?

[Alice Prewett]

Thursday. Her least favorite day of the week, simply because it meant that everything she enjoyed- quidditch games, Hogsmeade trips, sleeping in- were close, but not close enough.

Professor Binns needs to get out more if he thinks we're going to enjoy this, she thought as she struggled to control a two foot long strip of parchment that outlined the entire assignment, and then some. Good grief, she added, glancing up and spotting a cute, okay, very cute Hufflepuff sitting against a tree, just biting in to an apple.

Is he looking at me? she wondered, her thoughts wandering for an instant, and in that instant the parchment slipped from her fingers and fell, only to be caught by a gust of wind, causing Alice to swear and chase after it until it disappeared from view.

"Dammit!" she snapped, walking to one of the benches and dropping her bags on it before sitting down. "Just my luck,"

[Frank Longbottom]

It was official: Merlin loved Frank. Why else would he have the girl of his dreams drop that monstrosity of parchment right in front of him. He watched her chase it around the courtyard, laughing good naturedly all the while. It flew out of her sight, and she seemed to give up.

He chuckled under his breath, pulling out of his wand. What a silly Ravenclaw. he thought.

"Accio parchment," he said quietly enough so that she didn't hear him. The scroll flew towards him from the opposite side of the courtyard and into his hand. Putting his wand away, he got up off the grass.

Frank made his way toward Alice with an easy going smile, apple and parchment in hand, his heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Excuse me. Alice, tight?" Don't need to be all creepy ad know her name. "Is this yours?" he asked, holding out the parchment to her.

[Alice Prewett]

Bloody, buggering parchment, Alice thought darkly, glaring across the courtyard as she wondered how on earth she was going to get her hands on another copy of the assignment. Merlin's bloody beard,

Huffing, she leaned forward to rest her head on her hands as she took deep breaths in through her nose to calm herself. Everything will be fine, she told herself. Someone will take pity on you and everything will turn out fine.

A quiet voice interrupted her thoughts, asking if her name was Alice, and if something was hers. "I-" she began looking up and then raising her eyebrows when she realized that the cute Hufflepuff was holding the parchment. "Yeah, that is, and I am, " she murmured, smiling a little. "Thanks," she added, holding out her hand for the parchment. "My knight in shining armor," she joked.

[Frank Longbottom]

Frank handed the parchment to Alice, making sure that their fingers brushed against each other slightly. Admittedly, he may have kept it there a bit longer than necessary, but he didn't really care. The blond reluctantly pulled his hand away, stuffing both his hands on his front pockets.

When Alice called him her 'knight in shining armor', he felt his heart sore. "Well, anything for the beautiful princess," Frank smirked, bowing a little.

"Which of your barmy teachers assigned you that, anyway?" he asked incredulously as he examined the length of the parchment.

[Alice Prewett]

Alice smiled as his fingers brushed hers and then very nearly sighed as he drew his hand away and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Beautiful princess? she thought, flushing a little. That's a new one, she giggled a little, smiling up at him.

"Binns," she lamented, waving the paper slightly as she shook her head. "Clearly, he believes that we are all soulless, brain-dead, assignment writing machines" she grimaced, lip curling delicately.

[Frank Longbottom]

Frank grinned at the blush on Alice's face. It made him feel special knowing that he made her turn red.

"Ah," he said in understanding. "Well I'm sure that he doesn't think you're brain-dead. How else would you be able to write essays?" the blond added, winking cheekily.

Frank couldn't believe what was going on: he was actually talking to Alice. A semi goofy grin appeared on his face as his brain processed those words. It took him a moment before he remembered that he was still talking to her and that staring off into space and smiling stupidly might scare her.

"So, uh," Frank cleared his throat, "Do you, um, need help with that assignment?"

[Alice Prewett]

"Very true," Alice agreed, nodding. Clever, she thought, looking up to find him smiling dazedly at something over her shoulder.

Twisting around to look, she raised her eyebrows. There was nothing there, so what was he smiling at?
Turning back to him, she watched him for a moment, pursing her lips.

"Earth to knight in shining armor," she said, tilting her head. "Help would be wonderful," she said, smiling.

[Frank Longbottom]

"Earth to knight in shining armor," Alice had said, snapping Frank out of his daydream. A blush crept up his face, and he smiled bashfully.

"Right, well, what's the essay about then?" he asked, taking a seat next to the brunette. The Hufflepuff was hyperaware of how close he was to her, and left him tense. He did his best to ignore it, but it didn't stop his left knee from bumping up and down nervously.

Frank glanced at Alice quickly before his eyes flicked away. Why did she make him so nervous?

[Alice Prewett]

Alice smiled, leaning back and to the side so that they could both see the parchment. "Goblin wars," she huffed, fingering a small crease in the parchment and then using her thumb to smooth it out. "I'm supposed to explain how the involvement of-" she paused, scowling at the parchment as she struggled to pronounce the complex name of the wizard she was writing about.
"Whoever this is affected the outcome of the war," she said, shaking her head as she decided that mangling the name was better than looking like an idiot in front of the Hufflepuff. "I don't even know who he is, let alone how he affected the war," she grumbled, tucking her hair behind her ears as she noted, with mild horror, that the skin on her palms was red, which usually meant that her face was a very, very bright shade of red.

He was under her skin that quickly? Impressive.

[Frank Longbottom]

"Of course it is," Frank laughed. "There are way too many Goblin wars in the wizarding world."

The Hufflepuff glanced down at the parchment and read the name Houellebecq*. "I remember this guy," he said, before his eyebrows scrunched together. "I think his name was pronounced like 'well beck'. He's the one that caused that tree to fall on the Goblins right? Or was that Lovac*?"

Frank glanced at Alice in embarrassment; what good would offering help be if you didn't know what to do in the first place? "Sorry," he said, chuckling nervously. "I might not be the best choice to help you with this, but I'll try, if you want."

**I just found random names.**

[Alice Prewett]

"No, you're right," Alice said, closing her eyes and frowning. "Lovac was the sociopath. Houellebecq was the one who squashed that band with the tree," she nodded, opening her eyes and grinning.

"Please keep trying," she said, smiling as she slid the paper through her fingers idly. "Trust me, you're one of the better people to help," she chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Knight in shining armor trumps my conceited housemates,"

[Sponsored content]