9.35pm.

This wasn't one of the busiest nights of the week, though a lot of the seventh year students at Hogwarts liked to sneak out after curfew and make their way to the club. Under normal circumstances, Finn would turn them all away apologetically - but the first and last day of the school year, he made an exception. Afterall, it was no different to what he would have done himself, if a club such as this had existed when he was in his final year of schooling.

Finn was behind the bar helping to serve some patrons of his establishment, so that his staff could get other jobs done. He was regarded by all of his staff as a fair employer, as he was never afraid of hard work and was always willing to chip in and help. Getting his hands dirty was a luxury, as more often than not he was stuck behind a desk filling out paperwork or making orders of case upon case of alcohol. "Two slimy boggarts?" He asked, smiling at the gentleman he was serving. "Coming right up, sir." He threw some ingredients into a cocktail mixer and swilled it around, before pouring the black liquid into two cocktail glasses. "Enjoy." He said as he passed the glasses over to the gentleman and took his payment.

Finn tossed the money in the money drawer and clapped his hands together. There was now no queue, people were dancing, chatting loudly, laughing - all signs of a good  night out. He allowed himself to enjoy the scene before him, arms folded across his chest and leaning back on his heels slightly. He enjoyed watching the patrons of his club. There were his regulars - some a little too regular in Finn's opinion - and there were always new customers who had traveled from far away to visit the famous [or infamous] club. It intrigued Finn to know what kind of people were attracted to his establishment, as there seemed to be no pattern or trend.

This year Nicola would not have to sneak out to go down to Hogsmeade and visit Finn, in previous years she had done so much as just visit the old friend on Hogsmeade visits. Now she could leave as she willed and tonight was a night to leave. Nicola had been dying to just curl up and cry in her bed, but she was trying to keep herself from that. Gavin was not worth taking up her time…or was he?

Nicola loved Gavin and as much as she wanted to go find him he had hurt her. She needed to get out of Hogwarts just for a little while, the fact she was in the same space as her ex was what was causing her to want to hide away for ever so he wouldn’t see her. No she had to get out and the only way she could think to get out was to go and visit Finn.

The Grosvenor’s had been old family friends and Nicola knew Finn well enough. She figured it was a slow enough night that he could make a little time for an old friend. Nicola had been fighting off the tears since her little break down early in the day with that nice Hufflepuff boy, but she had work to do and Analiza would not have appreciated a tearful assistant the first day.

She brushed a few stray tears from her cheeks as she entered Signature and sought out Finn. She probably looked as bad as she felt. At least her eyes were not swollen but she didn’t exactly feel glamorous tonight. “Hi Finn,” she said in a melancholy tone when she had found him behind the bar.

Finn snapped out of his daydream as a voice called his name. He recognised the voice, but didn't at the same time. It was familiar, and yet distant. he stared at the face in front of him - slightly bloodshot eyes, dark circles underneath and a self-conscious pose.

"Nic?" He asked, his eyebrows pinching together in confusion. This was definitely Nicola, but she wasn't the same Nic he had known for years. Something was wrong. He hadn't seen her much over the summer, but she had seemed happy. She was going to work for the Ministry, training to be an unspeakable. She had talked about it for years, developing herself towards this role. She had almost moulded herself to what they had been looking for in an unspeakable. And she had been so excited about the prospects when he had seen her at the beginning of the summer.

And yet, here she stood in front of him looking like the most unhappy person in the world. "You look as though the weight of the world is on your shoulders." He said glumly as he moved around the side of the bar towards her. "What's wrong?" He took her gently by the shoulders. "You can tell me anything. You know that?"

When Finn had come around the bar Nicola did the only thing she could think to do, she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. She buried her face in his chest hoping that the tears wouldn’t start again. She had made it through the past few minutes without any tears perhaps she could go even longer, but she sincerely doubted it.

“He broke up with me,” she spoke barely wanting to hear the words again. She felt pain each time she said the words and each time she thought about them. “He dumped me over something so stupid.” She whispered looking up at Finn. “All because I took a stupid new job because the Ministry basement was not the place for me.” She really didn’t want to go into this too much out in public.

“Can we go somewhere more private?” Nicola didn’t want to talk about this anymore in public with people around. She was embarrassed enough for one day with the fight near the Great Hall, and the breakdown in the corridors.

Nicola almost threw herself head-first into his chest, and he had to gasp for a breath without making her notice. He didn't want her to be worried about hurting him along with whatever else was clearly bothering her. He took a couple of deep breaths and felt his body return to normal. It was then that he wrapped his own arms around her and higged her close like an older brother. She wasn't that much smaller than himself, so leaning down and kissing the top of her head didn't take too much effort.

Then she told him the problem. Finn rolled his eyes. He had never liked Gavin, simply because Finn knew he wasn't good enough for Nicola. This just confirmed all of his theories. She looked up at him and explained why gavin had made the biggest mistake of his life. Finn shook his head. "Don't make excuses for him." He said softly. "He broke up with you because he's an idiot - end of story."

Finn should have known Nicola wouldn't have wanted to talk about something like this in public, and this was confirmed in hr face when she asked if they could go somewhere private. "Of course." He said, taking her by the hand and walking towards the door. "Just give me one minute." He squeezed her hand before letting go and making his way over to the bartender. A small look at one of the bartenders told them that he wouldn't be back down tonight. "Send some food up to my room in about an hour, please. Lots of it - anything you want, just send it up." the bartender nodded, and Finn made his way back over to Nicola.

He smiled slightly as he took her hand once again. "Come on, princess." He winked at her and led her upstairs towards his rooms.

Nicola wished she could just think of Gavin as the idiot who broke up with her, but she couldn’t feel that way. Nicola loved the idiot and whether he broke up with her for stupid reasons, or real ones it didn’t matter because she did still in fact love him. “Whether he is stupid or not it still hurts,” she mumbled glad that Finn was here for her. She didn’t want to let him go afraid if she did she would fall over. She had pushed through the day and it was getting tiring.

Taking his hand she was easily led towards the upstairs, though as she was left standing alone she began to cry. So much for going without a few minutes of tears, it really wasn’t possible. She quickly worked at wiping them away before Finn made his way over to her. She slipped her hand back into his and walked with him easily.

“Thanks for doing this Finn,” this was exactly what Nicola needed someone who knew her to help her out. Sure Ferris had been of some help but he didn’t know her well enough to know the things she needed. Finn would make her eat, even though the thought of it was actually quite vile at this particular moment.

Much as though she had tried her hardest to wipe away the tears, it was evident she had shed a few while he had been gone. His brow pinched together slightly in sympathy. He didn't know exactly what she was going through, but anything that made her cry like that must have been something that seriously hurt.

Her hand was back in his once more, and it felt like ice. He used his other hand to rub the top of hers, trying to get some blood circulating around her veins. This was noth healthy.

“Thanks for doing this Finn,”

He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder protectively, squeezing gently as he did so. "You know you're welcome here anytime." He guided her through a door and up a large staircase with a crimson plush carpet and dark wood banister. "I just wish you'd come and visit me more often." He raised one eyebrow at her as though telling her off. They walked for a moment or two the end of the corridor, through another door into a small corridor, and up to the only other door there. A large door that said 'Grosvenor' in a plaque on the outside.

He pulled his wand out of his pocked and ran it down the edge of the door. A feint click could be heard, and the door opened a little. Finn pushed to door open and grinned at Nicola - she had seen the inside of this room so many times before. "Make yourself at hom. You normally do." He joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

This was exactly what she needed, someone to be there for her. The person she used to count on being there for her was the one that hurt her, so she went to the only person she could think of who had been there for in the past. Finn was the best option, sure Atticus could have worked but he was so directly linked to Gavin and she would have to steal him from the common room where as with Finn she just had to go to him and she was away from the crazy feelings she felt.

Feeling his hands around hers and attempting to warm them she smiled up at him, the first smile she had felt in what felt like forever. “I know, and now that I don’t need permission to leave the school grounds I will come visit more.” She felt like Hogwarts was just work now and she didn’t want to spend all her time there and now she wouldn’t. Finn might regret telling her she was welcome any time because now he might just get off work and find Nicola curled up on his couch.

As she walked into the familiar place she turned back to Finn and wrapped her arms around him again. “Thank you Finn.” She rested her head against his shoulder and she sighed heavily, her lips a little close to his neck. She needed the feeling of human connection right now and to be held that was all she wanted.

Her statement that she would come visit more was met by a skeptical look on Finn's face. She was young, attractive, and [now] single. She would want to go out partying with friends, not spend time with Finn who was always busy running his business. She came into the room and he closed the door behind her, rubbing his slightly stubbled chin as he looked around.

At least the room was tidy. That was something he could say for himself - he was not the messy type of bloke. He was hygienic and liked things to be orderly. His business mind took over everything, really, including the set-up of his room.

Suddenly, without warning, Nicola threw her arms around him once again. At least this time she didn't head-butt him in the process - for that he was thankful. He smiled as she nestled her head into his shoulder and took a deep sigh. As she breathed out, he felt her warm breath against his neck and it made his skin tingle to know that her lips were that close. He blinked and gulped. She thanked him once again, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. He knew what she needed right now, and he knew what he wanted - unfortunately, the two didn't quite coincide.

He rested his cheek on the top her head, taking in the scent of her hair as his eyes closed. He rocked back and forth very slightly as though lulling a child to sleep. "You know I love you, Nic." He said. To her, it would sound like a friend telling a friend they loved them. To him, those words meant more than she would ever know or understand.

She nuzzled her head against him as she closed her eyes just enjoying the feeling of someone’s arms around her. Nicola was trying not to focus on the fact that they weren’t Gavin’s arms. Nicola was glad that they were Finn’s arms only because they were of a close friend, no a best friend, and someone that she could trust. She felt safe in the arms of Finn they weren’t strange and she had been here before.

Nicola heard the words I love you from Finn and they brought tears from her eyes again. She knew that Finn loved her as a friend and she cared for him deeply as a friend she did. She just wished she had heard those words from Gavin today rather than watch him walk away. She felt her fingers tighten around his clothes and she tried to hold back the tears.

“I know you do,” she finally mumbled looking up at Finn. “Can we sit?” She felt like her legs were ready to give out as if she was so tired and ready just to collapse under the weight of feelings and stress.

“I know you do,”

He fingers gripped his top a little harder than before, as though she was trying to keep a grip on reality, keep a grip on him as a friend. He chuckled slightly. "I'm not going anywhere." He assured her, stroking his hand over her dark hair gently. Nicola asked if they could sit, and Finn agreed that it probably was the best idea. She didn't seem as strong as she normally was - he questioned her ability to even make it over towards the bed without him there.

"Sure." he pulled away slightly and smiled down at her. "Here." He kept his arm around her shoulders as though supporting her, and led her to the bed. He picked up a couple of pillows and put them up against the headboard. "Here." He sat on the bed and shuffled over, patting the space on the bed next to him.

"Now are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to be kept in the dark?" His expression was warm but sympathetic at the same time - much as though part of him was glad Gavin had annoyed her, he hated seeing her so upset.

Nicola appreciated the help as she moved over to the bed; she just wanted to collapse on that warm and soft looking bed. She sat down easily feeling the softness beneath her, she flicked off her shoes and moved herself towards the place he patted. She rested against the headboard for only a moment before she rested her head on Finn and draped and arm over his body. She was truly thankful that he was here for her. Today had been emotionally exhausting and she wished more than anything to just pass out and got to sleep, but that would be rude,

“I suppose I could tell you,” she said quietly as she closed her eyes for a moment just enjoying being like this. This was the most content she had felt all day. “Well I am not really sure what happened, but I got a new job as the assistant to the headmistress.” It was a good job it could set her up for some great prospects in the future. “I was just doing my job when Gavin came over and asked why I was there, I told him it was my job now and he just assumed that it was because I didn’t trust him.” She really did trust him, she assumed he loved her and would not want to willingly hurt her, which she was obviously wrong about. “I am here for no other reason than for myself, but he assumes it is all about him. He broke up with me over that.” Even as she spoke of it she realised just how petty it sounded.

Finn was glad she had chosen to sit. He was aware that when some people were in a tizzy about something they liked to pace the room. And being the gentleman he was, he wasn't comfortable sitting when a lady was standing, even when she was his best friend. Especially when she was his best friend. But he didn't need to worry about it. She came to the bed willingly and sat on the space next to him. Her head lolled to one side and leant against his shoulder. His head automatically leaned to one side and his cheek made contact with the top of her head. Her hand was draped across his body, and his hand rested on her arm, his thumb moving up and down, aiming to sooth her in the way a mother would sooth a child.

He wasn't sure whether she would be open to sharing the events with him. If not, that would have been fine. It was none of his business, but he knew she would open up to him in time. He was quite surprised, therefore, to find her telling him what went on. He stayed silent throughout, assessing the situation from an unbiased perspective. Well, perhaps not unbiased. In fact, totally biased. He hated Gavin in the first place for taking Nic from him. Now, he loathed him for hurting her. His brows pinched together in annoyance. What an idiotic little child. That boy didn't deserve to be within ten feet of Nicola. He should have been worshipping the ground she walked on. He should have been the one following her if anything! He should have wanted her in his sight all the time, if only to watch her being her.

He heaved a sighed after she finished talking. "I don't..." he started speaking slowly and softly. "I don't want to say anything. You know anything I say won't reflect well on him." There was a bad taste in his mouth even having to refer to Gavin Snark as 'him', and that was reflected in the way he spoke and the expression on his face. He tried to let the expression fall from his face and leave an impassive look, but it was hard. "And I know that will upset you...which is something I don't want to do." He sighed again and closed his eyes. "But he's a tit." He really couldn't help himself. He laughed at his own inability to keep his mouth shut.

Finn was right, even Nicola at this point had very little nice things to say about Gavin so why would Finn. She nodded her head against him. She wished Gavin could just get out of her mind, be a distant memory. The problem with that she didn’t want him to be a distant memory. Nicola loved him, but it was over and she had to get over him and it. It was a stupid reason to break up but if that broke them up then they didn’t have as strong a relationship as she thought. Gavin obviously didn’t care about her, and at this point she would even say Finn cared about her more.

The more she thought about it the more painful it seemed. She would have to move out of Gavin’s eventually, but where the heck was she supposed to go. “Where am I suppose to go,” she mumbled. She didn’t want to go home after she had learnt the freedom of living on her own. Where was she supposed to do? Gavin was the one that paid for everything, and would she make enough money while working for Ms Snark. “I have to move out, where the hell am I suppose to go.”

“Everything is such a mess because of that,” she paused for a moment, “that tit.” She growled out and tried to hold back all tears, but it was a lot harder than she would want to admit. “This sucks.”

“Where am I suppose to go,”

Finn blinked. "What?" he asked, sounding a little stupid. He didn't understand what she meant - she would go home, of course- oh. Yes, that was right. She had moved in with Gavin. So what, was that git going to dump her and then just leave her with no place to go? No, Finn wasn't going to let that happen.

“I have to move out, where the hell am I suppose to go.”

Finn hugged her closer, squeezing her up against him. "Don't be so silly. You always have a home here." He kissed the top of her head tenderly and rested his cheek against her hair. "You know you always have a home here. With me. Family." He smiled as he nuzzled gently against her hair.

“This sucks.”

He sighed. "Yeah, it does." he agreed, unable to really say anything to make her feel better about it. It was just something she was going to have to deal with on her own. there was nothing Finn, or anyone else could say to make the pain go away. Finn would know, since he had to deal with the same feeling of being completely cut up inside everytime he saw Nic and Gavin together, everytime she talked about Gavin to him, everytime she wrote to him telling him what she and Gavin had done. She had just never realised how much it had hurt Finn, trying to put on a smile for her sake but feeling like he wanted to make sure Gavin was well and truly out of the picture for good. He didn't need to anymore; Gavin had done that all by himself. Clever boy.