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FIC: Inner Beauty (Eloise Midgen, Gen)
Title: Inner Beauty
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Eloise Midgen, Hannah Abbott, Neville Longbottom, Gen
Word Count: 1,016
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: Eloise learns some valuable lessons from two older students. Set during GoF.
Notes: For February Frenzy day 4, with ♥ to hpchickadee
Third year was not starting out well for Eloise Midgen.
Even with Dumbledore's exciting announcement about the Triwizard Tournament, she hadn't managed to get through the Welcoming Feast without being teased by Sarah Proudfoot about her perpetual acne. In itself, that wasn't something to wallow about, but Kenneth Runcorn -- whom she had been hoping might ask her to Hogsmeade now that they could go -- had laughed, which made her heart hurt.
Then she'd overheard a group of the boys in her year talking on the way back to the common room; Kenneth had been among them, and to her horror, she heard him say, 'Midgen? Have you lost your marbles, Ralph? No one in their right mind would ask that spotty dumpling to go out!'
She practically flew up to her dormitory then and shut her bed curtains around her. Alone, she stared desolately into her handheld mirror. What a sight she was, fat and ugly. Maybe if she stuck to a diet for once ... she should probably skip meals more often. As for her pimples …
What was the use of being a witch if she couldn't magic herself beautiful?
Half an hour later, she found herself in the hospital wing, her nose reattached by Madam Pomfrey, but her acne still full-blown. Hannah Abbott, who had accompanied her there, tried to comfort her, but it was useless -- Eloise was inconsolable.
She wasn't sure she wanted to go to lessons the next day, but Madam Pomfrey cruelly shooed her from the hospital wing.
'You're absolutely fine, Miss Midgen, and you can't miss lessons on the first day!'
So she trudged miserably to Charms, where she was mercifully able to sink into a seat at the back row and pass through the lesson without catching the eye of any of her classmates.
She wasn't as fortunate in her first Care of Magical Creatures lesson -- Sarah Proudfoot thought it hilarious to compare her with one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts (and the horrifying thing was, Eloise herself thought Sarah did have a point).
By lunch -- and was there any wonder that she had no appetite? -- she was reduced to a sobbing heap in a corner of the courtyard.
'Eloise Midgen?'
It was a boy she knew to be a Gryffindor, at least a year above her. He had a round, innocent-looking face, which now held an expression of concern. In his hands, he carried a glass bottle full of some pale green liquid.
'You're Eloise, right?'
She nodded, drying her eyes on her sleeve.
'Hannah and I've been looking for you,' said the boy, to Eloise's surprise. She wasn't sure why Hannah wanted to find her -- unless it had something to do with the humiliating nose-cursing incident last night, and she didn't particularly want to remember that -- and she didn't even know the boy's name, let alone why he might want to search for her as well.
'Are you all right?' the boy continued. 'I mean ... something seems to be bothering you.'
A sniffle escaped her before she could choke it down. 'People are all mean,' she whispered, trying to stem the tears before they started again.
The boy looked at her solemnly. And then he did something very unexpected. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a chocolate frog and handed it to her.
'I'm not,' he said.
Eloise took the frog in amazement, then remembered that it probably wasn't a good idea for her to eat chocolate. She pushed it back at the boy.
'It's okay,' he said, 'I want you to have it.'
'Thanks, but I ... I shouldn't.' She blushed, and averted her eyes. The next words came out very quickly: 'I'mtoofatalready.'
The boy shrugged. 'I don't think so. And a little frog isn't going to make much of a difference. Go on, eat it. You'll feel better.' He unwrapped the frog and held it still for her to take. Slowly, Eloise reached out for it and put it in her mouth.
He was right -- Eloise did feel better as the warm chocolate slid down her throat. It was like ingesting a mouthful of kindness. 'Thanks,' she said shyly. 'Um ... I'm sorry, I don't know your name.'
'It's Neville. And you're welcome.'
Hannah appeared around the corner just then. 'Oh, you found her!' she said when she set eyes on Eloise and Neville. 'We've been looking all over for you, Eloise. I asked Neville to do me a favour this morning and mix this up for you.' She pointed to the glass bottle that Neville had set down by their feet.
'Bubotuber pus,' Neville explained. 'Hannah and I worked out the exact dilution over lunch.'
'It was Neville that did most of the work, actually. He's a whiz at Herbology -- you are, don't give me that look! Anyway, I promise this will do wonders with your skin, Eloise.'
'Really?' Eloise looked at the bottle with new appreciation. 'It'll help?'
'Yeah.' Neville picked it up and handed it to her. 'That should last you all year.'
'I ... wow.' Her heart felt as though it would burst with emotion. 'Thank you. This is ... this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.'
'It was no problem at all,' said Hannah, smiling. 'No more cursing your pimples, all right? There's always a solution.'
Eloise blushed, but Hannah's gift took the sting out of the gentle teasing. She turned to Neville. 'I think I was wrong.'
'What about?'
'People aren't all mean after all.'
His round face broke into a grin. 'You remember that, Eloise. And even though you have that now,' he indicated the bottle of pus, 'remember this too --' he leaned closer to whisper in her ear, 'not everyone is going to care what you look like. The people who matter -- well, they'll know that it's more important what's inside. Got that?'
She nodded fervently. 'Thank you.'
'And s'long as you believe that, you'll be worth twelve of anyone who gives you grief for what you look like.'
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Eloise Midgen, Hannah Abbott, Neville Longbottom, Gen
Word Count: 1,016
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: Eloise learns some valuable lessons from two older students. Set during GoF.
Notes: For February Frenzy day 4, with ♥ to hpchickadee
Third year was not starting out well for Eloise Midgen.
Even with Dumbledore's exciting announcement about the Triwizard Tournament, she hadn't managed to get through the Welcoming Feast without being teased by Sarah Proudfoot about her perpetual acne. In itself, that wasn't something to wallow about, but Kenneth Runcorn -- whom she had been hoping might ask her to Hogsmeade now that they could go -- had laughed, which made her heart hurt.
Then she'd overheard a group of the boys in her year talking on the way back to the common room; Kenneth had been among them, and to her horror, she heard him say, 'Midgen? Have you lost your marbles, Ralph? No one in their right mind would ask that spotty dumpling to go out!'
She practically flew up to her dormitory then and shut her bed curtains around her. Alone, she stared desolately into her handheld mirror. What a sight she was, fat and ugly. Maybe if she stuck to a diet for once ... she should probably skip meals more often. As for her pimples …
What was the use of being a witch if she couldn't magic herself beautiful?
Half an hour later, she found herself in the hospital wing, her nose reattached by Madam Pomfrey, but her acne still full-blown. Hannah Abbott, who had accompanied her there, tried to comfort her, but it was useless -- Eloise was inconsolable.
She wasn't sure she wanted to go to lessons the next day, but Madam Pomfrey cruelly shooed her from the hospital wing.
'You're absolutely fine, Miss Midgen, and you can't miss lessons on the first day!'
So she trudged miserably to Charms, where she was mercifully able to sink into a seat at the back row and pass through the lesson without catching the eye of any of her classmates.
She wasn't as fortunate in her first Care of Magical Creatures lesson -- Sarah Proudfoot thought it hilarious to compare her with one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts (and the horrifying thing was, Eloise herself thought Sarah did have a point).
By lunch -- and was there any wonder that she had no appetite? -- she was reduced to a sobbing heap in a corner of the courtyard.
'Eloise Midgen?'
It was a boy she knew to be a Gryffindor, at least a year above her. He had a round, innocent-looking face, which now held an expression of concern. In his hands, he carried a glass bottle full of some pale green liquid.
'You're Eloise, right?'
She nodded, drying her eyes on her sleeve.
'Hannah and I've been looking for you,' said the boy, to Eloise's surprise. She wasn't sure why Hannah wanted to find her -- unless it had something to do with the humiliating nose-cursing incident last night, and she didn't particularly want to remember that -- and she didn't even know the boy's name, let alone why he might want to search for her as well.
'Are you all right?' the boy continued. 'I mean ... something seems to be bothering you.'
A sniffle escaped her before she could choke it down. 'People are all mean,' she whispered, trying to stem the tears before they started again.
The boy looked at her solemnly. And then he did something very unexpected. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a chocolate frog and handed it to her.
'I'm not,' he said.
Eloise took the frog in amazement, then remembered that it probably wasn't a good idea for her to eat chocolate. She pushed it back at the boy.
'It's okay,' he said, 'I want you to have it.'
'Thanks, but I ... I shouldn't.' She blushed, and averted her eyes. The next words came out very quickly: 'I'mtoofatalready.'
The boy shrugged. 'I don't think so. And a little frog isn't going to make much of a difference. Go on, eat it. You'll feel better.' He unwrapped the frog and held it still for her to take. Slowly, Eloise reached out for it and put it in her mouth.
He was right -- Eloise did feel better as the warm chocolate slid down her throat. It was like ingesting a mouthful of kindness. 'Thanks,' she said shyly. 'Um ... I'm sorry, I don't know your name.'
'It's Neville. And you're welcome.'
Hannah appeared around the corner just then. 'Oh, you found her!' she said when she set eyes on Eloise and Neville. 'We've been looking all over for you, Eloise. I asked Neville to do me a favour this morning and mix this up for you.' She pointed to the glass bottle that Neville had set down by their feet.
'Bubotuber pus,' Neville explained. 'Hannah and I worked out the exact dilution over lunch.'
'It was Neville that did most of the work, actually. He's a whiz at Herbology -- you are, don't give me that look! Anyway, I promise this will do wonders with your skin, Eloise.'
'Really?' Eloise looked at the bottle with new appreciation. 'It'll help?'
'Yeah.' Neville picked it up and handed it to her. 'That should last you all year.'
'I ... wow.' Her heart felt as though it would burst with emotion. 'Thank you. This is ... this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.'
'It was no problem at all,' said Hannah, smiling. 'No more cursing your pimples, all right? There's always a solution.'
Eloise blushed, but Hannah's gift took the sting out of the gentle teasing. She turned to Neville. 'I think I was wrong.'
'What about?'
'People aren't all mean after all.'
His round face broke into a grin. 'You remember that, Eloise. And even though you have that now,' he indicated the bottle of pus, 'remember this too --' he leaned closer to whisper in her ear, 'not everyone is going to care what you look like. The people who matter -- well, they'll know that it's more important what's inside. Got that?'
She nodded fervently. 'Thank you.'
'And s'long as you believe that, you'll be worth twelve of anyone who gives you grief for what you look like.'