🌹 Rose Giving The Best Rose of All

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie had almost feinted when he saw the second name on his delivery list. Lars Van Houten. The Ravenclaw captain, Lars? Charlie practically ran through the castle, he was so excited. He found the captain quickly. "Mr. Van Houten!" Charlie called, rushing up and out of breath.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars was heading to the great hall, taking a small detour to visit a few of his favorite portraits. He jumped a bit when he heard someone call his name, though he had never been addressed that way before. "Uh, no need to call me mister..." He said awkwardly to the young boy.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie gave the older boy a very shy smile, holding his basket with both hands. "I- I'm sorry Mr- er, heh, sorry, it's just- you're one of the best quidditch players in school! I mean, other than Blake, but still," Charlie laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I have a rose for you, heh," Charlie dug through his basket. "It's right here, I swear."

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars flushed when the boy called him one of the best Quidditch players in the school. He held up his hands in protest. "Uh, no. I'm not." He said quickly. "Just one of the oldest, I guess." He said. "Uh, take your time." He added, not wanting the boy to feel rushed.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie shook his head adamantly. "What are you talking about? You blocked every shot the Hufflepuff chasers threw at you! The Ravenclaw team just obliterated Hufflepuff!" He held up the note triumphantly, before holding the said note out to the older student.

Spoiler: Note Said

Dear Lars
I know I owe you a proper in-person apology, but I hope this rose is at least a good start. I'll never forgive myself for the cruel way I wrote about you and Blake, but I hope you can. All I want is for you to be safe and happy, and if that's how you feel with Blake, then he's good with me.
Love, Nell

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars flushed as the boy said he had blocked every shot the chasers had thrown at him. He shrugged a bit nervously. "I mean, it's partly luck." He said quickly. He was glad to open the note, which was a distraction from this conversation. But as he read the note, he felt nervous for a different reason. He knew he should have gone to Nell ages ago, he hadn't been mad for a while. He needed to make things up with her as soon as possible. Lars folded the note again. "Uh, I have to go." He told the boy. "Good luck with everything else, and.. thanks, it's very sweet of you to say."