How Much For Happy? ((Jean-Louis then August))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie laughed as she picked up a bit of chicken from the center of the Gryffindor table. Now that Amber had gone, Ezzie was much more comfortable being around Ethan. She took a bite of the chicken, loving the intense flavor it had provided for her. Ezzie couldn’t remember the last time she ate like this. She had already gulped down a plateful of food, and she was still eating more. Ezzie knew she would be regretful of this action later, but Ezzie had it all under control. She would simply do what she always did. She would make it disappear. “So anyway Ethan, what’s new in your life?” She said, truly interested in what Ethan had to say. “Well, I asked Amber to the Winter Ball yesterday. She accepted. We don’t know what we’re going as yet, but as long as there’s no tights involved, I should be fine with it.” Ethan said, taking a large bite out of his food. Ezzie smiled, but inside, she was frowning. That Amber Hess girl got on Ezzie’s very last nerve. She didn’t understand what was so great about Amber that Ethan insisted on staying with her rather than Ezzie. She wasn’t that pretty, nor was she all that great in any way. But then again...neither was Ezzie.

“Oh look! There she is! We’re going to Hogsmeade today. Want to come?” Ezzie would rather spend the night in the Slytherin common room then spend an entire afternoon with Ethan and Amber. Ezzie thought up an excuse. “I wish I could Ethan, but I’ve got this huge essay to work on for Ancient Runes, and I haven’t even started. Looks like I’ll have to sit this one out.” Ezzie said, trying her very best to look upset about not being able to go. “No worries. We’ll come back early and all three of us can hang out in the common room. There’s nothing better than spending the evening with my two favorite girls, right?” Ezzie tried her best to smile. She was not looking forward to this. “Oh don’t worry about it. I’m sure Amber would agree that I’d just be taking up space. Plus, I’ll be in the library until well into the night, so you guys will be bored to pieces there. Go have fun.” Ezzie said, trying her best to put on a supportive smile. “Thanks Ez. See you tomorrow!” He said as he walked away. Ezzie stared longingly as Ethan met up with Amber and they walked out of the Great Hall, hand in hand. Ezzie sighed heavily as she walked out of the Great Hall as well. She let her feet carry her to the ever so familiar girl’s toilets. Glancing behind her to make sure she wasn’t being followed, Ezzie slipped inside and locked the door behind her.

Several minutes later, Ezzie opened the door of the bathroom stall with a mint in her mouth, feeling slightly weak and light headed. The feeling was common for Ezzie after she did this. Nothing bad ever happened, but Ezzie had lost at least fifteen pounds since the start of term. Feeling very tired but extremely triumphant, Ezzie unlocked the door with a spell and turned the knob. Ezzie walked down the corridor, feeling so tired and weak that she was almost completely unaware of her surroundings. The only thing that was going through Ezzie’s mind right now was how much she needed to get to the common room for a nap. It was only three thirty in the afternoon, but Ezzie needed to rest. It was like all the energy had been completely drained out of her and Ezzie was fighting to keep herself from collapsing. But suddenly, Ezzie did collapse. She was so unaware of what was going on around her that she had knocked straight into someone, making Ezzie fall to the floor. She mumbled a word of apology, but immediately wished she hadn’t when she looked up to see who she had crashed into. This was just Ezzie’s luck. She was feeling weaker than she had ever felt in her life, and she just had to run into a Slytherin. Ezzie braced herself for a fight as she helped herself up from the ground, shaking a bit as she did. Once she was up, she brushed herself off and was about to walk away when a sudden dizziness overcame her. She leaned against the wall for support, hoping the Slytherin would go away and leave her alone. Somehow though, that just didn’t seem likely.

[Jean-Louis Button S3]

Fingers closing around the golden goblet in front of him as he reached over the now covered Slytherin house table, a smile on his face as he lifted the heavy goblet of pumpkin juice , loving every drop of its flavor and it poured freely down his throat.Jean-Louis' eyes kept scanning the table for people he knew but it seemed that everyone else was at the over end of the table .The only person near by that he knew was Seann , a guy he had met on the train on his first day.They hit it off like a house on fire , and he often went out with Seann and his family or walking around the castle harassing Hufflepuffs for a bit of a giggle.Nodding to his friend he pointed out the hufflepuff the hufflepuff from the day before , who still looked like he was hanging from the outer branches of the forbidden forest , the look of pure terror on his face was amusing to Jean and Seann. It was only yesterday that they were hanging the boy from the branches laughing at how he was crying for him mother ,as to how he got down Jean will never know but he's guessing one of the nicer Gryffindors helped him out. Hiding a quick laugh behind his goblet as he downed the rest of it.

Once Jean was done eating he bid his friend a fare well but he insisted on going with him , after a brief argument mainly on Jean-Louis's side of wanting to spend some time alone , he left the hall , walking from the middle of the table he spent alot of time saying '' Hi'' and ''Bye'' to the people he couldn't talk to while he was there , after a few quick pats on the back from various people Jean-Louis was out and walking the warm halls of the castle on his own.Not heading start back to the common room Jean-Louis felt a pull to look around , well not so much as look around for he did all his looking in the first two years and got into a lot of trouble because of it but more a feeling to wander, taking to the stairs he began walking , his thoughts being let loose as he walked , things he had never know were there in his mind came to view and he gave them their time to linger in his main thoughts before sending them back into the depths where they had a risen from. it had been nearly 2 months since Buttonz walked the halls for the mere thrill of walking them , remembering his first time walking them as he ran for class as not to be late but still only just making it after going onto the wrong floor and having to run two floors back , not focusing on his surroundings much Buttonz stopped as to save himself of injury by falling down stairs or walking into a suit of Armour.

Standing at the window he let his thoughts drift back to when he first went into the forbidden forest ,which he could clearly see out of the window before him, the time the fifth years had dared him to go in and he went running in only to stand behind a tree with his wand drawn when some sort of malformed creature began sniffing around in the end it was the people who got him in there that got him out , after seeing the threat they came running forward wands drawn and began fire curses and charms at the creature before they had to explain to the teachers and his parents why Jean-Louis was no longer with the world of the living , but mere pieces of flesh scattered around the forest. Buttonz came back to the real world with a stagger as someone walked into him spinning on his heels he faced the person well tried but they were on the floor, watching her climb to her feet was amusing for Buttonz , the mere weakness was amusing let alone the fact she showed it so openly . His face darkened when he saw she was a Gryffindor and he watched her steady herself against the wall with hatred and malice in his eyes , '' You got a problem there... you seemed to have just walked into me and got your dirty Gryffindor robe to touch my robes, i think you owe me an apology!!!'' his word were filled with hate as were his eyes as he waited to hear the girls witty come back as all Gryffindors had a habit of being able to do

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie grasped the wall with all her might, trying desperately not to fall weakly at the Slytherin’s feet. She took a deep calming breath and exhaled slowly. This Slytherin had some nerve, but then again, what Slytherin didn’t? If Ezzie wasn’t feeling so tired right now, she would probably teach this arrogant little brat a lesson. But right now, Ezzie just needed to sleep. The Slytherin boy tried to fill his little beady eyes with a coldhearted expression, but all it did for Ezzie was make her want to laugh. But then of course she couldn’t, considering she was still trying hard to stay standing. Ezzie winced a bit, trying to stand her ground. “I owe you nothing, boy.” She managed through the throbbing ache in her head. She needed to get out of here, but she couldn’t even manage the strength to move. “And I don’t think your robes need my help. You seem to have done a fine job of doing that yourself. Tell me, do you shove those in a garbage pail every day? It certainly smells like you do.” She barely managed to say, her voice just slightly above a whisper. Suddenly, the room began to spin. Feeling extremely dizzy, Ezzie absentmindedly rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe the pain and get rid of all that blasted spinning. Ezzie let out a small sigh, accompanied with a silent plea for help. She wasn’t ready to deal with an arrogant Slytherin like him. She just needed to get out of here. “Get lost kid. It’s obvious you haven’t the slightest idea who you’re dealing with.” She muttered angrily, her nails practically digging into the walls in an effort to keep Ezzie up. Ezzie’s knees began to shake a bit. With a bit of willpower, Ezzie was able to stop them. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ezzie could hear that blasted newspaper article playing in her head, as if it were on a record player.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Ezzie’s also got a few distractions going on at school. After speaking with some of Hogwarts’ professors, most have concluded that this wannabe rock star’s grades are slipping considerably. Her fellow peers barely even see her come to the dinner table every night. According to one student, “she just sits down and keeps to herself during mealtimes. She only stays for about five minutes and then gets up and leaves without eating a bite.” People may begin to wonder why such a seemingly smart and cheerful girl would ever stoop so low as anorexia and possibly bulimia when she’s obviously got so much going for her. Maybe she’s got a bit of romance trouble?

Ezzie gulped. She knew the kind of power Rita Skeeter had. She knew that the second Rita put something in type, everyone believed it was true. The woman could claim the sky was green, and everyone would believe her. Just as long as she has ‘excellent sources’ in the sky telling her things, she can say it. But this fact was true. Rita had been able to notice what no one else could. Now Ezzie had to make sure everyone was watching when she gulped down her supper, and then make sure no one was watching when she went to the bathroom after supper to make it all disappear. But she still knew what was happening. People talked about her non-stop. It was like Ezzie was some sort of animal in a cage, and they were all free to talk about Ezzie like she was some depressed monkey who refused her banana. Ezzie remembered the day she met Septimus. A crowd of little kids had gathered around Ezzie, and started talking about like she was on display. She made the crowd scatter in minutes, but the action could never replace the pain it had cost Ezzie that night. Ezzie had silently cried herself to sleep, and had done so every night since then. Ezzie forced herself back into the present and glared at the Slytherin boy, as if daring him to talk back to her.

[August Reid R7]

August slowly made his way from the Ravenclaw Tower to the Great Hall. He purposely was going to be late for the meal. If he arrived late at the Great Hall, chances were that the Ravenclaw table would be mostly full. Then he would have a limited choice of where to sit. In other words, the other students would chose his seat rather than August having to. He really did like his fellow Ravenclaws but if there were limited choices than limited feelings were hurt. He hated to arrive and see his friends crowded. This way, he would tell himself that if he had only been earlier than he could have sat next to them. He knew that it was his own fault that he couldn't sit with his friends, but in his own bizarre way, this method made sense in his mind.

August was feeling rather lethargic lately. Well, not just lately. Always. He couldn't help it. Everything he did seemed to be in vain. He tried to get Bronsen and Jack to like each other. Nothing. August thought that now Bronsen was going to Hogwarts, Jack and he might see eye to eye. But no. Of course, it did not help matters that Bronsen was sorted into Ravenclaw. August thought Jack must have seen this as Bronsen wanting to follow in August's footsteps and not Jack's. Jack was sorted into Slytherin and was becoming more like his house every year. Jack was always so nice as a child. Or at least that is how August remembers him. It seemed like the harder that August tried to bring them together, the more they disliked each other. And then they became resentful of August. August couldn't win.

August was lost in his own thoughts as he rounded a corner to see a girl his own age fall to the floor. August recognised her at once as Esmeralda Mendez. A fourth year Gryffindor. August and she had had many classes together over the past three years. Unfortunately for her, she bumped into a Slytherin boy as she fell. August thought he recognised him as "Buttonz." August was not sure if that was his real name but he had heard other Slytherins address him as such. He made a rude remark to her. "As if she had any control of the way she fell!" August grumbled to himself. Ezzie made some remark but it was so quiet that August could not hear. He didn't really want to hear what the Slytherin was going to retort with so he interfered. He ran to Ezzie and put his arm around her waist so she could lean on him. "Get lost Buttonz. You failed as her knight so I'm replacing you," August spat at the Slytherin boy. But before he could respond August started to drag Ezzie to the Hospital Wing. "Come on Ezzie, you need help. Let's go see Madam Pomfrey."

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie was beginning to feel extremely lightheaded. She panicked. What if she fainted? What if she fell unconscious at the feet of the arrogant young Slytherin? She looked around for an escape, but there was none. She felt her body inch lower and lower until she was almost crouching on the floor, clinging to the hard stone wall with all her might. She winced. Now, it was obvious to anyone with senses that Ezzie needed help. She was paler than the moon, and beads of sweat were running down her face like tears. Ezzie tried hard to inch back up the wall again, but once she had gained enough strength to do so, her legs gave way. They shook violently for a second, and then finally, Ezzie felt herself begin to collapse to the floor. Just as she was about to hit the ground, someone came out of nowhere and swept her off her feet. He grabbed her waist and spoke most unkindly to the young Slytherin. She looked up at her rescuer, and smiled when she noticed him to be August Reid, a Ravenclaw in her year. She should have known. August was a helper and Ezzie admired him for that. She mumbled a word of thanks to August. He said something about taking Ezzie to the hospital wing, and Ezzie started to panic again.

Madame Pomfrey was not a stupid woman. She did her job well. What if she picked up on the signs? What if Madame Pomfrey found out Ezzie’s secret? “NO!” Ezzie shouted, at the loudest volume she could manage, which in fact wasn’t all that loud. “I mean um, do you think you could take me to the lounge?” She whispered weakly. “Ethan and Carson are there studying. I need Ethan.” She said, surprising even herself. Ezzie was in trouble. She had a rescuer carrying her right this moment. Why was it that the first thing she asked for was Ethan? He didn’t know the first thing about health. Why didn’t she ask for Casey or something? Casey would probably help her more than Ethan could. But Ethan was clueless sometimes. The same went for Carson. They wouldn’t be able to figure it out. Casey would pick up on Ezzie’s problem in a heartbeat. Ezzie and Casey knew each other very well. It was like their brains were connected or something. Casey would definitely find out if she heard about this incident. Yes, Ethan was definitely the best choice. Unless Amber was there. Ezzie hoped with all her might that Amber wouldn’t be in the lounge with Ethan. She would hate to see that, especially when she was in poor health already.

The room began to spin again, and by now, Ezzie had no control over her legs. They were hanging limply as August carried her. She held onto August tight, knowing he would do what was right. But Ezzie did have a different view of what was right and what was wrong. For all she knew, August still intended on taking Ezzie to the hospital wing. She hoped he wouldn’t. “Please don’t take me into the hospital wing, August. I need to see Ethan. Besides, I don’t want the media to make a big deal out of this.” Ezzie said truthfully. If Ezzie was admitted into the hospital wing, people who were there as well would start to wonder why. They would let the media know, and before she knew it, Ezzie’s pale sick face was on the cover of Witch Weekly.

[August Reid R7]

Here he was once again helping others. August couldn't help it. It was in his nature to care for their well-being. He had seen Ezzie faint. She needed help. Although August could not help but think that this would kick him in the butt later. Like everything he tried to do. Ezzie would probably be all grateful now but later she would complain that August had dragged her against her will to the Hospital Wing. August stopped short when Ezzie shouted for him to stop. He looked down at her and had to greatly stifle a giggle. Here was a girl who was in obvious need of medical attention and yet she didn't want to go there? Plus, her "NO!" reminded August more of a mouse squeak than a human. This is a serious situation! August told himself. Stay focused!

"I'm not sure I know this Ethan that you are referring to, but as far as I know, he's not a licensed healer. You need help, Ezzie. And Madame Pomfrey is going to give you some," August told Ezzie trying to carry her down the corridor. Why would anyone refuse treatment when they were ill? True, Madame Pomfrey could be a little short tempered but that was only because she cared. Just like August cared. August did care. That's why he kept bothering Bronsen and Jack to get along. He cared about them! He wanted to see them be a family. They had much more in common than either of them knew. August wanted to see them be happy. He could see that inside they really wished they could get along. It would make them happy. It was August's job to make his brothers happy. As long as they could be happy, he could be happy. Right?

August pondered Ezzie's request before answering her. If he took her to Madame Pomfrey, she would get better. If he took her to the lounge who knows what might happen? For all he knew, Ethan might abandon her in this condition. No, it was up to August to make sure that she was all right. "Hey, who's leading this train? We're going to the Hospital Wing and that's final. Besides, 'discreet' is Madame romfrey's middle name. I'll tell her you don't want guests and she won't let anyone near you. Save Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. Which reminds me, once I drop you off and make sure you're all right I should go see Professor McGonagall and tell her where you are."

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie grimaced. August was not turning in the direction of the Student Lounge. He was still headed straight for the hospital wing, and was not about to back down. That poor soul. Ezzie had always known he was a helper, but he did tend to do all the wrong things and make things worse. Like now for example. August was unknowingly walking Ezzie to her doom. Ezzie knew that after August took her to the Hospital Wing, word would get out. Quickly. People would see Ezzie entering the Hospital Wing, owls would be sent out, and before she knew it, Ezzie was on the cover of every magazine in the world. Even if the public didn’t find out, some people would figure it out. Madame Pomfrey would be the first to know, for the signs were clear. Even if Ezzie wasn’t going through fainting spells, a healer like Madame Pomfrey would notice the signs at once. Ezzie weighed in at only about ninety pounds. She was constantly weak and tired, and fainting spells weren’t good either. She had blisters on her fingers from making herself throw up so much, and her throat was often red and itchy. Ezzie’s eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles beneath her eyes from lack of sleep. Ezzie began to panic when August told her he wasn’t taking her to Ethan. Nobody could find out about this! It needed to remain a secret from everyone! Her friends could not know, her professors could not know, and most importantly, the public must not know! Ezzie sighed heavily.

“August, you mustn’t! You have no idea how important it is that I stay out of that place! You may think it’s for my own good, but it’s not!” Ezzie pleaded as August carried her limp body towards the hospital wing. “This problem…it has happened before! My medicine is in the lounge with Ethan! It’s the only way I’ll get better!” She pleaded once more. It didn’t seem that August was going to give in, so Ezzie knew she had to take matters into her own hands.

Ezzie pulled away from August and stumbled weakly along the corridors, heading in the opposite direction of the Hospital Wing, not sure if August was following. She needed to get back to the common room or the lounge even. She heard footsteps coming from the other side of the corridor. A door appeared out of nowhere and Ethan emerged from it. She gave him a weak smile. “Ethan!” She shouted to the best of her ability. “Ethan, thank god!” Ezzie said as she noticed Ethan. She stumbled into his arms and smiled. “Ethan, please take me to the common room to get my medicine! I’m not feeling well, and August here is trying to take me to the hospital wing!” She said, hoping Ethan understood what was going on. Ezzie hadn’t told Ethan of her eating ‘disorder’ (Ezzie didn’t believe she had an eating disorder. She simply believed she had an alternate way of living) but he did know of her other illness. Ezzie had an un-known illness and was given a special medicine to heal the symptoms. For now, the mediocre medicine from the healers would just have to be enough for Ezzie’s illness. Ethan didn’t know of what was going on for now, but Ezzie had a feeling she would have to tell him after this. If Ezzie was really sick from her illness, both Ethan and Ezzie knew contacting Madame Pomfrey would be Ezzie’s first idea. She gave him an “I’ll tell you later” look and he responded. “Oh that’s right. August, don’t worry. Ezzie can’t go to the Hospital Wing for this problem. I’ve got this from here. I would ask you to come along, but I don’t believe you’re allowed in the Gryffindor common room.” He said, as Ezzie clang to Ethan, loving the wonderful scent of his cologne. She hoped August would buy their story and not try to interfere like he was so famous for doing. Ezzie held her breath in suspense, waiting for August to say something.

[August Reid R7]

Ezzie once again pleaded for August to take her to a person named Ethan. She said that he was making a mistake taking her to the Hospital Wing. August knew that it was not a mistake. She needed to see Madame Pomfrey whether Ezzie wanted to or not. Now that he was close to her and holding her up he felt how light she was. August didn't pretend to know what the weight of a 'typical' girl should be, but he thought Ezzie was too light. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles underneath them. August didn't have the faintest idea what could be causing it but he could tell that she was not well. It was his duty as a fellow fourth year and also as a decent human being to ensure that she got the proper attention that she needed. No matter how much she wanted to go the opposite direction, August knew in his heart of hearts that he was doing the right thing.

Ezzie pulled herself away from him and started to stumble down the corridor in the opposite direction of where they were going. August sighed to himself and followed her. She would surely faint again if she exerted too much energy. While August did not want her to faint, at least he could get an unconscious Ezzie to Madame Pomfrey without too much difficulty. August started when a door near Ezzie opened. Ezzie quickly identified him as the mysterious "Ethan." August stood behind Ezzie and a little to the side ready to catch her if need be. The boy now in the doorway had jet black hair that fell into his face. His bright blue eyes standing out against it. August took a double take before finally concluding that he did have a lip piercing. Not quite sure why anyone would want to do that to themselves August nonetheless stood his ground. Ezzie asked him for her medicine and gave him a look of understanding. Ethan than turned to August and dismissed him. Rather rudely, August thought.

"All right, you don't have to bring out the sledge hammer. I can take a hint," August snapped at Ethan. He turned to face Ezzie. "I was just trying to help. But obviously," indicating Ethan with a nod of his head, "you'd rather have someone else help you. Merlin, this is why I wish I was just apathetic!" He turned away from them and started walking towards the Great Hall. "Don't worry about. I gotta go eat anyway. God forbid that Madame Pomfrey takes a look at her! Wouldn't want to tarnish her image! Like she needs me to do that..." August really wasn't trying to be hurtful. He was just annoyed. This was more proof that every time he tried to help it was just futile. First his brothers. Then his parents. Now Esmeralda Mendez. He didn't look back at them as he stormed down the corridor towards the Great Hall. He really was worried about Ezzie but he was too upset right now. And without another word to the two Gryffindors, he was gone.