Time: Just before the beginning of first afternoon classes

Her work was forgotten as she had rushed through the halls hoping not to be seen crying. She knew that Analiza would be furious with her if she didn’t get the work done today and as soon as possible. Instead she was running up the stairs towards the fourth floor to use the girls’ lavatory. She did not want people to see her cry, especially over a boy. Though it was Gavin and it had been over something so stupid that they had ended what they had. Gavin was just overreacting to her choice of job, it had absolutely nothing to do with him and everything to do with her own choices. Why couldn’t he understand that?

As she was running towards the girls’ toilet she barreled into a student and caused her to drop her clipboard and its papers sprung out everywhere. “Keep moving,” she snapped at the second year, heck Nicola didn’t even know if they were a second year. She was down on the ground as she started to collect her things too flustered to even think of using her wand. She felt the tears break and fall down her chin dropping onto the pieces of paper as she collected them.

In all her years nothing hurt this much, or right now nothing hurt this much. Nicola loved Gavin she really did and he was willing to just toss her aside because of something so silly as a job. Nicola did trust Gavin she loved him and wouldn’t have had any problem with him being at school and her back home, she would have missed him but trusted him. She was just given this great opportunity and the fact that Gavin was so close it was just an added bonus. Now it was more of a nightmare. She would see him all the time and watch as he flirted with other girls. She tried to push her hair out of her face as tears continued to fall she wanted to just get out of the way.

Ferris had been in a brilliant mood. Classes were going swimmingly already and he had to say that being a fifth year was going to be brilliant. The best part about not being at home was he didn't hear his father ask why he wasn't studying for classes at the moment. Granted the Owl's were this year, it didn't mean he had to waste his entire summer reading up on them.

Granted he did gain some more respect in the eyes of his father by getting the letter of his appointment as the house prefect. To think, Istaqa's son a Prefect, it was a bloody miracle to say the least. Ferris kept his grade up, but he was never to the point where he wanted to make a career out of them, he wanted to play Quidditch. Was it so much to ask not to be forced into a job like both his father and his father before him.

This year was going to be a great one, his shiny Prefect badge a mere distraction as he walked towards his charms class. It was then that he noticed a girl barrel over a student and drop papers everywhere. When the girl, or rather young adult, ran past he helped up the fallen student, "You okay mate?" The question was cut short before he hung his head, "Guess class will have to wait." Ferris would just have to explain it to his professor after the fact, he never missed class the previous year so his record should speak to the validity of his claim.

Jogging from the student who scampered off he followed the girl with growing curiosity, "Oi I don't mean to bother you.. It seems you are in a spot of trouble anything you want to talk about?" Ferris approached her with caution recognizing her as the Headmistress's newly appointed assistant. Ferris wondered what could have happened that would create such distress for her already.

Could people not get it, she wanted to be left alone? Nicola looked up expecting to see that darn student she had walked into and instead she saw someone completely different. Had she ran into this boy he would have been able to stand his ground better just by the sheer build of him she could see that. Though the focus on his appearance was short lived as she brushed tears from her eyes once more. “Does it look like I want to talk about it?” She said flustered but just kind of sat there in the middle of the hallway as people walked by giving her strange looks.

“Brilliant, first day on the job and he does this to me.” She had wanted to make a great first impression as assistant, sure she had worked for Analiza before but this was the first time in the role as assistant. This was the first time she had responsibilities piled onto her and she really wanted to show she could handle it. Though Gavin had to go and rip a whole in her heart.

“I wasn’t here to spy on him. I totally trust him. This job was for me, not to be close to him. Being close to him was just a perk.” Nicola felt tears rolling down her cheeks again. She was just spilling her guts to this boy. She saw the flash of a badge, strike that this prefect, which made her feel a bit better about tying up his time if he had to run to class. “I loved him and he goes and breaks my heart over something so stupid.” Nicola hated talking about he emotions and what she hated even more was crying in public and here she was doing both. This was why she had hoped to make it to the lavatory at least there she would be have been hidden from view.

A usual being thick skulled was a blessing and a curse for Ferris. For one his thick-headedness got him in spots of trouble when he was too bloody stubborn to listen to reason or when his friends told him to back off things because they were too dangerous. It came in handy though when a bludger was headed in his direction or in instances like this when a complete stranger looked to be needing an ear despite there vigorous protests.

“Does it look like I want to talk about it?”

Ferris let that barb roll off his back, "You might not want to, however I think you might need to. Besides crying in the hallway is not exactly indicating a happy mood." Perhaps semi-sarcastic remarks weren't what the young woman was looking for, but when he was uncomfortable Ferris made jokes.

“I wasn’t here to spy on him. I totally trust him. This job was for me, not to be close to him. Being close to him was just a perk.”

"Spy on who?" Probing deeper into what the problem was here, Ferris found himself keenly aware of his surroundings. "Perhaps it would be better for us to find an empty classroom to discuss this further, less of a chance either of us will be seen out in the halls." Ferris didn't want to make a scene and she definitely didn't seem to be in any shape to be out in the public view. Quick on his feet, Ferris pressed his ear to a couple doors before finding an empty classroom. "Here we go," his voice was soft as he ushered her towards the door, "Come on in here..." If he wasn't a prefect this might have seemed a little off, but it was his job to help and counsel those in the school right? Even if the person looked like they were an adult, he could help.

Well he couldn't make it any worse he hoped.

“Gavin,” she spat out as if it was so obvious and that Ferris should know who she was talking about. It pissed her off that Gavin thought she was there to spy on him, she was not that pathetic, and up until now she never had thought herself pathetic. She was a pathetic blubbering excuse for a person right now, but that was just her being hard on herself. She just wish she could suck it up and get back to work, but she felt as if her world had fallen apart two minutes ago and she had no hope of putting it back together.

Ferris was being of some help though, even if she wasn’t going to admit it. He was thinking like she wasn’t and getting out of the corridors would probably be a good idea. She got to her feet and followed him to the nearest unoccupied classroom, anything to get away from the staring eyes. She was no longer a student but it didn’t stop her from getting embarrassed by public displays of emotions.

“Thanks,” she said in a quivering voice as she attempted to breath through the tears. “Why are guys such a pain in the butt?” She asked as she sat down on the nearest desk. She looked up at the guy she didn’t really even know. “Why does it hurt so much?” Nicola doubted her heart had ever hurt this much before.

Far be it for him to question a Lady in distress, but Ferris was very aware that he had no idea what in the name of Merlin she was talking about. This of course was not the time to go over the differences in males and females, there was a sobbing bird in his company and he was without tissues or anything adequate to help the situation. When they moved to the empty classroom it was the first smart thing he thought of since he watched her collision with the younger student.

Once in the classroom he searched about for spare parchment, "Gavin?" The words left his mouth before he could catch them. There was a bloke named Gavin, why did that sound so familiar. That's when he realized what the hoopla was over, the git from Slathering he always saw with a scowl on his face. What was it about the snakes that kept them from smiling unless it was to show their fangs.

Scrounging up a bit of what looked like parchment he pulled out his wand to try and transfigure it into a handkerchief. Granted it was a minor spell, but he figured it was a far smaller stretch making parchment to clothe then perhaps a desk chair or something less obvious. Ferris did well with Transfiguration but he wasn't exactly looking to follow it as a career path when he left school. So with some softened clothe like parchment pieces in hand he walked back to where Nicola had found herself a spot.

Walking across from her he took a seat backwards in a chair to look at her better. “Why are guys such a pain in the butt?” “Why does it hurt so much?”  Taken aback by the questions, Ferris tried to think of a reasonable response but it was hard with only half a garbled story. "Well as for why guys are a pain in the arse I can tell you simply, I don't know it is just how we are. Perhaps in order for me to help any of this, you could explain what happened I mean I only just caught the tail end of your run-in out there." His dark brown eyes pleaded with her for more information so he might be of some use.