The best part of having Emmeline in the same House was every part of having Emmeline in the same House, honestly. As much as he wholly adored Doris and Mas, they were so far away. When he couldn’t sleep and desperately needed a friend and a hug all he had to do was send a Charmed note to Emm’s room then go wait on a couch.
He knew logically that he was doing exactly what he’d agreed to do with Dahey: give it space, let it breathe, figure it out when Dahey wanted to do so. It had been Gil that pushed things and so Dahey should be allowed to set the pace.
Only, it was far lonelier not having Dahey to butt heads with than he’d anticipated. There was no snapping repertoire any more. No one kept on his toes. He hadn’t double-curled his hair in a full week. Gilderoy Lockhart was off his game and it was entirely Dahey Ryan’s fault, and he hated it.
“Oh, Emm.” he said as she arrived, throwing himself dramatically across the couch he’d already been laying on. “I think I’m coming down with something. Or possibly going mad. Or coming down with something mad.”
One of Emmeline’s favourite things about one certain Gilderoy Lockhart was that to her, he read like a book. After all those years, they had little to hide from each other and at this point she doubted that he could even if he tried.
So when she entered the common room and saw him on the couch, she knew that everything was not alright. With a sigh, she dropped her bag down by the side of the sofa. With her hands on her hips, he beheld the pitiful sight presented, then sat down next to him.
“Oh, sweetness,” Em sighed, her heart absolutely breaking over Gilderoy’s strife. “Tell me what’s wrong. Go on then.”
