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"Draco told me that I'd find you here, though I didn't take you as a plant person."
"Leave me alone Longbottom."
"Parkinson got really worried when you left like that Blaise. It gave just about all of us quite a shock."
"I told you to leave me alone Longbottom. Why can't you just listen?"
Neville sat down next to the boy against the wooden desks.
"I am listening. I can hear you asking for help. You just don't know how to ask for it after never being given it."
Blaise's eyes widened, looking at the Gryffindor with shock and hesitance.
"What are you playing at Longbottom?", Blaise responded defensively, narrowing his eyes.
Neville snickered, "I'm not playing at anything Blaise. All I want is for you to tell me what's going on. Your best friends are worried and you won't even tell them what's wrong. So why?"
Blaise faltered before answering the blond-brunet.
"It- it's not that I don't want to tell them, it's just-"
"It's just what?", Neville egged him.
"It's just that I can't tell them, Longbottom! Don't you understand?! They've always depended on me. I was the shoulder to cry on. I was the strong one. They couldn't afford to have me just as broken as them. They need me too much for that to ever happen."
The Gryffindor looked at the Slytherin. He had suspected something like this but not to this degree.
"I could be your shoulder to cry on. I don't mind."
Blaise looked up at the Gryffindor with tear-stained cheeks that would have been hardly noticeable to Neville if they weren't that close.
"Really? If this is just some lame joke I swear-"
"No, no. I'm not joking. I can see how stressed you've been. It doesn't help when your best friends are constantly being bullied by some assholes. Though you do realize that you could just call me Neville, right?"
Blaise gave Neville a weak smile before being pulled into a big hug.
"Thanks."
"No problem, I'm always going to be there for you."
Fin.