Fingers Crossed (Brooklyn - TW Physical Abuse & Mentioned Miscarriage)

Mulling it over, Humphrey eventually sighed in defeat and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But, I guess that means we won't have a slumber party or anything like that." he said. Since he'd never really made many friends at the muggle school, and the people he made friends with were here at Hogwarts, he'd never had the opportunity to go to one before. Not that it really mattered in the long run, but he just thought that it would be a fun experience. Just because she didn't want to did not necessarily mean it wouldn't, though, he reasoned. The thought made him smile, and the slight pout he'd had disappeared.

Running his fingers through his hair, he then tugged on it while he thought whether or not he should. Humphrey's instincts were telling him not to, but it wouldn't really be fair to keep secrets from her. When she asked if it was a seventh year he gave her a deadpan stare before rolling his eyes. "No, it's not a seventh year. Hard as it may be to believe, I actually like you." he said, looking into her eyes as he said it. The boy had no idea what her reaction was going to be, but he wanted to see it. He chuckled when she just agreed. "Well, now I know."

When he talked about a slumber party she was confused. She never had a slumber party or was invited to one. Wait, what was a slumber party? Now she was curious so she turned to Humphrey. "What's a slumber party?" Brooke asked dead seriously, she had no idea what it was and she didn't care if she sounded like a weirdo or anything like that. Brooke now pondered through her thoughts trying to think of what a slumber party was, she still had no idea and she didn't know if she actually would or not.

Brooklyn watched as he got nervous, she didn't think that he could get anymore scared then he was right now. The Slytherin thought this was kind of amusing, but she still didn't understand why Humphrey was nervous to tell her, they were friends after all so what is the big deal? Brooklyn waited for the answer she continued to look right into his eyes hoping he'd give it away. When he told her it wasn't a seventh year, but it was her. Brooklyn's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open, she was completely and utterly shocked at what he just said. She stood up and ran a hand through her hair and then turned to look at him. "Why would you like me? I am nothing but a spoiled girl who throws tantrums and gets whatever she wants. Let's not forget the part where I am damaged, Humphrey! So why me?" She wasn't worth it, so why would he like her. Yes deep down she was flattered that someone liked her but still, why her?

"Yes you do."

The question made Humphrey look at her oddly, well at least he wasn't the only one who hadn't been to one before. It took him a moment to think of how to properly explain it, since he was only going based off of what he'd heard. "Well, I've never exactly been to one myself. But, from what I understand, it's when a group of friends or just one or two get together and have a party. Instead of going home at the end of it you spend the night, and you all sleep in the same room so you can stay up late talking. You get to have more fun the next day before they go home. Make sense?" he asked. He figured the concept was pretty basic, so it shouldn't be that hard to explain. Talking about something he'd never been to before may have had him doing a poor job of it, though.

Brooklyn's look of complete shock upon hearing that he liked her would have been funny if he wasn't so nervous about how she would react once she'd processed the information. Humphrey half expected her to slap him, insult him, and never talk to him again. Surprisingly, she simply asked him why he would like her. Before he had a chance to answer she went on getting angry explain how she was damaged and spoiled, which made him a little angry too. His Slytherin friend apparently wasn't as arrogant as she liked to appear, but that didn't mean he agreed with her. He scooted a little closer and folded his legs underneath him before sitting up o his knees to get a little extra height. "Brooklyn Rae, you stop putting yourself down right now!" he said loudly. After a moment, he continued, trying to figure out how to say this properly. "You want to know why I like you, and I think a big part of it is because of the way you stood up for yourself. Instead of brushing off my jokes you took them and gave the same right back. Also, you're pretty smart, so that made our conversation much more interesting than I had expected it to be. I also think you're a lot nicer than you want people to think. Other than that, well, I'm still figuring this out too. Obviously, you're beautiful, but that's not the main reason. Do...do you hate me now?" he asked, his voice going back to normal as he spoke and the last question spoken very quietly.

When she listened to him explain what a slumber party was, she thought that it sounded kind of fun. She would definitely have to try it one day but maybe she could try it with her only real friend Humphrey. It sounded weird but they could make a hell of a time if she threw one. "Well if you want we can experience our first slumber party together? My mother wouldn't mind it if I asked her. Maybe over the holiday if you don't mind that?" She didn't want to scare him off. At least not yet but she wouldn't mind having him over her home if he wanted to.

Brooklyn watched as he got closer. She sat back down in front of him and listened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from him. Why would anyone willingly like her like this? From the sounds of it Humphrey was dead serious and he didn't believe the act she put on in front of others. She listened to him as he told her why he likes her and it just made her frustrated because no one was supposed to like her, but now Humphrey did. "No I don't hate you, but you should hate me. I am nothing and apparently you think I'm something" Brooklyn looked at the ground, she refused to look at her friend.

She wouldn't mind going over to Humphrey's house to have the slumber party, she kind of figured he would want it there because of his younger sister and all that. "Sounds good to me, I kind of guessed that she would, I bet she probably wishes she had an older sister instead of a brother. That way she could do tea parties and all that other girly stuff that I never did" Brooklyn said. When she was younger she didn't do girly things, it was mostly dark and mysterious and becoming who she was today. Brooklyn was who she was no matter what anyone said or did.

Brooklyn refused to cry, she wasn't a crier and never will be. She stopped those tears when she was younger and stopped loving when she was younger as well. Humphrey pulled her into a hug and she couldn't help but hug him back. The Slytherin sighed, for some reason she felt really safe in his arms which was odd because that never happened. "Can I tell you a secret. Only you can no and tell no one else" Brooklyn pulled away too look into Humphrey's eyes.

She didn't know what it was like to actually do girly things, so when he told her how her and Humphrey's sister Casey could do girly things together, she made a face. "I may be a girl but I don't really act like one if you ask me" she admitted, she had a mouth on her and true girls didn't do that. They would be proper and not disrespect people like she did. Hell sometimes she even disrespected her mother and then her mother would flip shit but still, that was not the point. The point was that the Slytherin never really acted like a girly girl. "As for your dignity there won't be much left after I get all your secrets" she smirked evilly.

When he told her that she could trust him, she knew he was serious. She could trust Humphrey with anything if she needed him to know something important about her. "Before my dad left my mom and I, he used to abuse us really bad Humphrey. He taught me not to love or to trust, he only taught me to hate anything and anyone including myself" Brooklyn explained to Humphrey, looking him dead in the eyes so he knew that she was serious and not lying. "I push everyone away because of the abuse and torture he put me through" Brooklyn had tears in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She blinked them away so she didn't seem weak.

Hearing her say she didn't act like a girl made Humphrey chuckle a little, realizing she had a point. Casey didn't usually do girly things either, but he wasn't sure if that was because she didn't want to so she could spend time with him. Even if they didn't do the girly activities though, he knew at least Casey would appreciate the girl talk. "I'm sure you two will find some things to do together, and of course I'll be there if you don't want to do them." he told her, smiling a little. It sounded like a lot of fun, having her over for a night. He groaned when she said he wouldn't have any dignity when he figured out his secrets, wishing he hadn't said anything now. "Oh come on, you don't need to know all of them. Show some mercy?" he asked, not afraid to ask for it.

As Brooklyn began, he immediately got a sinking feeling as she mentioned abuse. Humphrey couldn't imagine a parent doing that to him, because he'd grown up in a loving home. She mentioned hating herself and he started grinding his teeth in an attempt to control his anger. How can such an amazing person hate herself? Instead of trying to answer, he just listened quietly as she continued on. Looking back at her, he decided he needed to ask something even though he feared the answer. "What kinds of abuse and torture Brooklyn?" he asked in a whisper. Not surprisingly, she was trying to stay strong and blink the moisture in her eyes away. He wasn't that strong though, and a few tears spilled over as his mind pictured what she'd gone through. Usually he loved his imagination, but right now he really hated it.

Brooklyn was a little shocked that she had agreed to this sleepover and that it was going to be at Humphrey's. She was a little relieved now that she had no sister or brother so all her secrets would be safe, which was good for her. "Yes we will and most of that talk is going to be an awesome talk to embarrass you" Brooklyn grinned. She was going to get him so embarrassed that it was going to make her laugh along with his little sister. When he talked about mercy, she could only laugh. "Sweetheart, I never show mercy, so you're in for it Humphrey" she could only smile at him.

All she could do was watch his face, his face that showed anger and hurt. When she saw the tears fall from his face she had to look away. She refused to cry in front of her friend, that wasn't how this was going to end. The Slytherin would not cry! When he asked what kind of abuse and torture, she sighed and looked at him once again. "At first he would just yell at me, but then it started getting physical, he would hit me, kick me, throw me down the stairs. I once broke my arm and all he did was laugh when I was in pain. This happened every other day. Sometimes even twice in one day. My mother got the worse hand of it though, she would get it more times in the day then me. I remember she was once pregnant and my father forced a miscarriage on her. He didn't like that she had gotten pregnant because then he couldn't hit her. So he took care of the problem himself" Brooklyn explained the abuse she went through.

"As for the torture part, I remember when I was six, I had this dog that was my best friend, my father would yell to be cruel, show no mercy, and to hate everything and everyone. When he wasn't abusing me he was torturing me by putting lies into my head. He would call me worthless, ugly, fat, amongst other things and eventually I believed all those things. It wasn't until my father snapped the neck of my dog that I began to listen and become this girl that I am today. I learned to not love and try not to be loved or liked by anyone. Amongst other things, but when I met this boy a few blocks down and thought he was cute, my father threatened his family to make them move and he would lock me in my room and starve me for about a week because I was growing up and he didn't like that. Eventually after beating my mother half to death and beating me until I couldn't move an inch, only my head. My father just looked at the two of us and that was it. He left and we haven't seen him since. My grandparents, my father's parents have no idea where he is either" Brooklyn explained to Humphrey. She knew just from the looks of it that he would be angry.