Cold blood and warm beverages

Ben walked through the empty Hogsmead,the floors of the street were covered with inches of snow,Ben even with his mountain werebear fur gloves felt a shiver up his spine as the cold touched the tips of his fingers,he stowed in to the three broomsticks and ordered a butterbeer slipping five gold coins into the bartenders hands,and sitting down on a black seat in one of the corners that hogwarts students always sat in.

Rose was sitting at a table alone at the back of the pub. She looked up blearily when Ben walked in; she had, after all, been in there all afternoon and had probably had a little too much to drink. She shivered and moved a little closer to the fire.

Ben noticed a small girl sitting next to the fireplace "mind if i join you"he said in a deep and cold voice

"Errm...ok..." Rose replied and hiccoughed. "Sorry...I probably shouldn't have had the last drink...Why are you here at this time anyway?"

"school takes it's toll,too many annoying students annoying me for things i don't care for,and yourself,I don't remember free periods being given out in these hours" Ben replied as he sat down to the warm red fireplace

Rose suddenly looked worried. "Oh...yes...about that...ummm...I'm kind of having a crisis, as you can probably see from the amount of bottles littering this table..." She suddenly remembered why she was here and immediately burst into tears.

Ben saw her burst into tears on the spot and gave her a large helping of firewhiskey "whats the problem" he asked with no sympathy in his voice

"I've had the most awful news today," She downed the firewhiskey. "But you're a pure-blood, you wouldn't understand..."

Ben looked upon this comment,she is right he though,"i'll try and help anyway" he said

Rose looked at him for a moment. Maybe he wasn't quite as bad as they said. Still, she needed to tell someone.

"It's my friend. My best friend from the muggle world. He sent me a letter today. He...he told me the most horrible things...you see, right after I left to come here, he started taking drugs, and now...he's told me...he's going to shoot himself...and it's all my fault!" A new wave of anger and pain broke over her and she began to weep again.

Ben was slightly sorry,and his other side amused "why don't you take the day off,i'll explain to Pandora?"

Rose's eyes lit up suddenly. "Really? You understand?" She wondered briefly if any wizards had ever taken heroin, then guessed they probably had.

Rose decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Well, umm...I'd better get back to the castle before you give me a detention, so...thanks, and bye..." She stood up, hesitating.