Teardrops and Trophies Open Closed

If there was anyone who was good at crying at pretty weird places, it was Rosie.

Maybe it was why she was drawn here. Of course, she wasn't here to cry. She was here to look at the trophies! She never came in here for that reason, strangely. Only to meet someone, or just talk to someone. But for once, she wanted to take in Hogwarts victories. She was proud to be at her school, and wanted to acknowledge what they had done. Well, specifically the Hufflepuffs. She wanted to see a Hufflepuff trophy. But that didn't mean she wasn't proud of the other houses! Hufflepuff was usually, at first glance, deemed as the softies. But they were pretty good at a lot of things! Like cooking!

As she entered the room, she heard the slight sharp breath of someone crying. As a cry baby herself, she knew that noise better than anyone. And, with her lack of privacy for someone in trouble, she had to help! Not indulge completely in their vulnerbilities, but at least try to help them smile. Or do whatever they thought would make them feel better. Hopefully, one of those things wasn't to leave.

She turned a bit and finally saw the girl, she looked a bit younger, definitely not a third year. "Hey! Sorry. Hey," she repeated quieter, coming over slowly. "Are you okay?" She kept a distance away at first. "Uh, I mean is there anything I can do to help? My name's Rosie."

She watched as the younger girl desperately tried to cover her tears and the fact she had been crying, and Rosie's heart sank a bit for her. In a way, she saw herself in her, embarrassed of her own tears and embarrassed to be caught crying in a place like the trophy room. Rosie was hesitant on how to approach her as she hiccuped an apology. "No, it's okay. If I knew someone was crying in here, I would've approached a little more quietly at least. Maybe with some cookies in hand." She joked, trying to get her to smile.

She stood a good distance away from her, it was enough for personal space, but at arms reach so Rosie could hold out a hand to her if needed. "Hey, don't apologize for crying. It's alright, it happens. You don't need to leave. But if you need to, to get somewhere you can be alone, that's okay." She soothed, holding out a hand to her. "I know I'm just a stranger, but... Do you wanna talk about it? You seem really sad, and I'd hate to leave you here while you're crying." She suggested, putting on a warm smile.

Hufflepuffs were the softies of Hogwarts, but Rosie prided herself on being someone people could to when they were sad. It didn't feel right, in her heart, to leave this girl alone when she had to run somewhere like this to cry it out. She paused before glancing over at a little space to sit on the floor for a bit. "If you're not leaving, you should probably sit down. Your head's gonna get dizzy if you're breathing like that." Sadly, she would know. Rosie had a bad habit of internalizing her emotions, so when it all came out, it made her dizzy for a while. She knew that you had to take it slow.

Maria took her hand, and Rosie let out a small sigh of relief. She squeezed it gently out of comfort, and sat next to her on the floor when she followed her over. Hopefully holding her hand made her feel a little better. She knew she loved physical affection when she was sad. Quinn would always give her the biggest hugs, which, considering he was almost 8 feet tall, was kind of terrifying, but still appreciated. But not the point. She wanted to offer the same comfort people did to her, or else she wouldn't feel right going about her day. Who was she to ignore someone in need?

She finally began to talk, and Rosie listened. She was definitely a first year, and she was feeling the same emotions that Rosie was in her first year. A muggle entering a full magic environment was very weird, you know. There were times when she wanted to go home because she didn't feel like she belonged there. But she stuck it out, and now here she was. Despite the words from purebloods, and just from her own anxiety. And to hear someone overwhelmed with the same thought made her heart ache.

Rosie's thumb trailed over her knuckles before she found her words. "I understand that." She started, nodding. "This whole wizard thing, right? It's very overwhelming. I felt the exact same when I came into campus. Everything was happening so fast and I couldn't keep up." She turned so she was facing her. "But it does get better, because you find people that make it less overwhelming and you gain confidence in the magical things you excel in, does that make sense?" She paused. "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that it's okay to feel overwhelmed now, and crying is okay too, no need to bottle it all up. But it won't last forever." She ended, smiling a bit. She realized she still didn't have this girl's name, but she felt weird asking for it now.

She noticed that Maria was actually listening to what she was saying, so Rosie felt comfort at the fact she seemed to be calming down. She finally recognized her as one of the first years from her house, and she knew Hufflepuffs usually took the hardest hit when it came to first impressions. First year Hufflepuffs were easy to manipulate, she knew that as one of them. She just wished people would look at them more as a stronger house than the babies. At least they won at Quidditch games! Undefeated! But she digressed, she was a strong Hufflepuff supporter but not right now.

She almost let out a sigh of relief when Maria started talking. She had been running out of things to say! Rosie just nodded and listened, finding herself relating to sadly a lot of things she said. She hadn't been more confused than when she came to Hogwarts for the first time. A muggle being exposed to those types of things was definitely a world shatter. Everything she knew was altered as soon as she stepped onto campus. She took a breath and nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I really do. It's overwhelming and confusing, and kinda scary." She paused. "But you're not alone, okay? Things become a lot less scary when you know people are experiencing the same thing." Rosie held her hand, resting them on the floor since they had been sitting. "I would talk to other first years, too." She suggested, trying to offer solutions. "But I can answer any questions you have to, I know what this is like."

Thankfully, it seemed as if Rosie's comforting was a success. She got her to smile, and she got her to laugh! Those were two very good things! She nodded at her, also thankful that she finally got her name. Maria. She'd remember that. She stood up with her fellow Hufflepuff, and shook her name. "It's lovely to meet you, you know my name already but... I'm Rosie, I'm a third year. So if you need any help with getting around at all, I can help. I know my way around the campus pretty well, specifically too the kitchens for cookies." She grinned, heading to the door and putting her hands in her robe pockets.

"It's okay to have questions, by the way. Everyone's gonna be confused in this place. But asking questions is better than freaking out in silence." She said, leaning against the door. Rosie paused before talking again. "You need help to your next class or something? I'm on a free period right now so I'm up for a tour if you need it." She crossed her arms, her face tucking into her scarf slightly. She always had it on, it kept her warm in the cold temperatures of campus.