Caught in the Moment

Lucy Weasley always seems to say things when she really should just shut up. Whenever she feels angry or sad or even happy, she says things that she's later come to regret. It's been like that since… Well, always. Her dad, Percy, says she's too much alike her Uncle Ron, which in this case really isn't a good thing. Her mum, Audrey, says that she just get caught in the moment really easily, and kind of just forget to think. Lucy hates it. How many times hasn't she made a total fool out of herself because of it? There's too many times to actually count…

Lucy was four, Molly was five. They where over at Grandma and Grandpas' house, the Burrow. Their dad was working, and their mum was in the kitchen with Grandma. Lucy and Molly were arguing in the backyard. It started innocent enough, Molly wanted to play football while Lucy wanted to play chase. They were now both trying to win the other person over at their own side, but when there's only two people arguing, both with the stubbornness of the Weasleys, that really isn't bound to work.

"But we played chase yesterday!" complained Molly. "We haven't played football for a really long time!" she added, which was a fair enough argument. Lucy shook her head.

"I know, but yesterday I never got to chase! You were just running after me all the time until you stumbled! I want to be chase today!"

"Well, I can't help it that I fell, okay?" shouted Molly, red faced and very annoyed with her little sister. They were both getting worked up about this now, and Lucy felt how she was boiling inside. Why was her sister such a stupid prat? She wanted to play chase, so then they should play chase!

"Yes you could!" she said. "You are so clumsy and stupid!" The words came out before she had any chance of stopping them. She had never called her sister stupid before. And it really wasn't a case of clumsiness either, since none of them had seem the hidden rock Molly had fell upon and sprained her ankle (easily fixed by magic by their mother). Molly looked shocked and stared at Lucy. Lucy wanted nothing more than to say sorry, that she did not mean it, and agree to play football, but it was to late. Grandma and their mum had just come out to hear her dreadful words.

"Mummy!" said Molly, tears in her eyes and ran to hug Audrey Weasley, who looked at Lucy. She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe that this was her little girl, verbally hurting her sister. Their mum hugged Molly thigh before giving her over to Grandma, who went inside. Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Molly was sure to get cookies and milk now, and she got nothing.

"Lucy", said her mum quietly, as she kneeled down before the girl. "What did you call your sister?" Her voice was serious and there was no sight of the usual smile in her mothers face. Lucy looked down at her feet.

"Lucy, honey, one do not use those kind of words! Your sister is very upset. Do you understand what you called her?" Still, Lucy didn't look up. She was angry with Molly, because she would now get all the attention, and she was angry at her mum for shouting at her too! Deep inside she knew that she deserved the lecture, but she didn't want to admit that she had done anything wrong. It was actually Mollys fault, too.

"You have to apologize to your sister, Lucy, and you are never to call her something like that again. Molly is not stupid or clumsy, you know it was an accident. Now, go into the kitchen and say you're sorry", said her mum, and Lucy looked up for the first time.

"No", she muttered stubbornly. Audrey looked at her, shocked. Was this really her little girl? Only four years old, and yet she was already saying mean things to her sister.

"What did you say?" she asked, quite uncertain on how to continue. Lucy looked up, her blue eyes filled with tears.

"It was Mollys fault too!" she screamed. "She started it!" and with that, she run away to hide in her Uncle Georges old room.

Those were the kind of things she said when she was angry, or disappointed at someone. All kids did it, she knew, but she still felt absolutely horrible about it, no matter how many times she later said she was sorry. Because Lucy could see, in the persons eyes, that she had hurt them so bad. An apology wasn't enough. Lucy Weasley was a bad person, and yet she somehow ended up in Hufflepuff.

oOo

She was so thrilled to finally go to Hogwarts. She had cousins before her who had already started, and Molly hadn't talked about anything else the whole summer. Lucy wanted to go too, be sorted into Ravenclaw like Molly and have a great time. She knew her father, like all her other uncles and most of her aunts had been in Gryffindor, so that would probably work too. At least, that's what she told her father, that Gryffindor would be a great house, but secretly she only wanted Ravenclaw. Lucy was nervous, and she wanted to be close to her sister.

During the sorting ceremony, Lucy was so nervous she could barely stand straight. Having the well-known name Weasley, her name was pretty far down on the darned list professor Longbottom was holding. When it was finally her turn, she couldn't feel her legs. They probably worked though, for she made it up to the podium somehow.

After about half a minute, the table with lots of yellow and black jumped up, applauding heavily. Lucy looked at them. Why were they making such a big deal out of this? Why did Molly look completely confused? Before the Sorting Hats words actually got to her, Lucy didn't understand a thing. Then she heard it, ringing in her ear the whole evening. "Hufflepuff!"

Teddy sat very far down the table, but Lucy had a pretty good time talking to the other new Hufflepuff first years. Still, she thought it must have been a mistake. Surely, they would not let her sit here the whole year? It was just tonight. Inter-houseing or something. She belonged with her sister, did she not? When they were to go down to the common room, Teddy finally made his way to her. His eyes were shining and he smiled at her, looking thrilled she was in the same house as him.

"Hey, Lucy, my new fellow House mate!" he said as he gave her a hug. "You'll fit perfect in Hufflepuff, it really is the best House," he was joking with her, giving her compliments and winked. She was confused. How could he be so happy? She didn't belong to Hufflepuff, she didn't!

"What is it, Luce?" he asked at last, when she didn't say anything. She looked up at him. Teddy Lupin was a seventh year prefect, but he had let one of the fifth year prefects take the other first years, and sent his friends away so that he could talk to her.

"Hufflepuff isn't a good house," she mumbled, almost to herself, more than to him. He looked shocked. Before he could ask, she continued, feeling as though the whole night was only a dream, it hadn't happened for real, so it didn't matter what she told him. "I don't belong here, I'm not like you. Hufflepuff is not a good house for me, I should be in Gryffindor like daddy wanted me to…"

Teddy was on his way to tell her that she'd do great in Hufflepuff, and that everyone was as friendly and helpful as could be, that she did belong because she had those wonderful Hufflepuff treats. He thought she was just nervous and wanted to comfort her, because he loved Hufflepuff house.

"But I don't want to be in Gryffindor," Lucy said, now feeling as though she was about to cry. "I want my sister! I want to be in Ravenclaw! That's the only house that counts, all the rest are just stupid!"

Lucy could never forgive herself for creating that shocked, disappointed look on Teddys face. He was basically her cousin, and she hurt him so badly, by talking like that about his and his late mothers house. But she was just an eleven year old confused little girl. Teddy had longed since forgiven her, he understood perfectly, and Lucy had of course come to love Hufflepuff house. But she couldn't forgive herself. Good Hufflepuffs didn't hurt the people they loved like that.

oOo

They were outside, it was a warm and nice spring day, and school would end in just a couple of weeks. Lucy was glad. All the O.W.L.s were finally done, and she highly thought she deserved a nice, long break from all the studying.

"So, finally done, eh?" he said. He was lying on the ground, his eyes closed. He seemed so at peace, with a nice little smile playing on his lips. His blonde hair shone brilliantly in the light, and Lucy knew that behind those eyelids, his eyes were the colour of the sky. She smiled.

"Yeah, finally being the key word!" she muttered, and sat down next to him. Lorcan Scamander was one of the most desired heart-throbs at Hogwarts, especially since his twin brother had started going out with Lily Potter. He was a Ravenclaw, which was what first had intrigued Lucy about him. She was perfectly happy about being in Hufflepuff, but she was always more interested in the Ravenclaw boys than those in her own house. Smarts were sexy.

She laughed at her silly thoughts. Lorcan was only a friend. A very good-looking friend, but still, nothing more. He looked up at her in surprise, still smiling.

"What're you so happy about?"

"It's a wonderful day. The sky's blue, the grass is green, it's warm, we don't have to study until next autumn, we are… Lorcan, we are free!" She couldn't help but to smile back and wink a little at him.

"Oh, yeah, that. I thought you were just thrilled to be in my presence," he winked back.

Lucy never knew why they always did that. She thought that was just the kind of person he was. Always flirting a bit, even with a close friend, such as herself. She didn't know why she did it – it was just something about him that made her all flirtatious and cheeky. If she had to pick only one word to describe him, she knew instantly which word she would pick. Lorcan Scamander was fun. Something always seemed to happen around him, even when they were just chilling like now, she was never bored.

"Of course, I always want to be near you, but that goes without saying," she continued the joke. Lorcan lay back down, looking up at the soft clouds. She thought his expression may have changed, but she wasn't sure. Why would it?

"So…" He said, without looking at her. "You want to be near me?"

What was this? His voice sounded different, more sincere. It wasn't his joke-voice. She started to feel nervous, didn't know how to continue, until he looked at her. His eyes were mischievous as usual, twinkling with a dark blue she hadn't seen in them before. She felt relieved. He was joking. She nodded at him.

"'Course I want to be near you, Lorcan, I love you."

Wait, what?

Once again, she had spoken completely without thinking. What was she saying? It was a joke, but she hadn't meant to say that. Those three little words were high above joking. It was just something about him that made her say stupid things… Except they weren't stupid, not this time. It was true. But she didn't want him to know that! She hadn't even been sure herself before… But she knew, the moment she said them, that it was true. But that was just it, the moment! The moment was completely wrong. She started stammering, her face no doubt sporting the famous Weasley read.

"Er, I mean, I don't know, I just, ehm…"

Lorcan looked at her, interest in his eyes. The dark shades she saw before had deepened. She continued her mumbling, before finally stopping. Shouldn't he say something? Slowly, he started to smile. What was he smiling about?

"What are you smiling about?"

"You."

"Oh."

He nodded. Then he leaned his head on one side, and he was just about the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Did you mean it, Lucy?" She didn't know what to do. Obviously, she had two options – say that, "Haha, no, of course not, I mean, we're just friends, right?" and laugh it away. But that would be about the most insensitive thing ever, and would probably hurt him. At least in Lucy Weasleys world, you did not joke about those words. But the other option… Say the truth, that yeah, she did mean it. What would that do to them, as friends? It didn't really matter now though, since she had already said it. Nervously, she nodded slowly. Her eyes didn't leave his for a second. How would he take this?

"I… I always seem to say things I shouldn't say… I just get caught in the moment, I dunno…" she mumbled out a sorry excuse for an explanation.

"Why shouldn't you say them?" he asked. She felt confused. Wasn't that obvious?

"Because they change things! I just forget to think, I'm too caught up in the moment and I forget what I should and shouldn't do!"

"Yeah, but… Change can be good, right?"

She looked at him, dumb-founded. What? He drew a hand through his hair. He actually… Looked nervous. What could possibly make Lorcan Scamander nervous? Did that even exist? She followed his with her eyes; he was getting up, rising slowly. Great, now did he understand? He wanted to get away from her. As if that didn't change anything!

"Er, okay, well, if I say like this…" he hold out a hand to her, which she confusedly took, letting him pull her up. "Is this really a bad moment to say such things?" His blue eyes pierced into hers, and they were slowly getting closer. And so, Lucy Weasley found herself being kissed by Lorcan Scamander. It was a soft, almost trembling kiss, yet full of emotion and hopeful promises. It didn't last that long. When he drew back, she did nothing, but looked him in the eyes. What?

"I love you too," he said, before drawing her closer, into the best hug she had ever had, in her whole life.

A/N: Aw! I'm really proud of this. I love the beginning and I'm very happy with how I portraited Lucy as a four-year-old. I'm also quite proud of Lorcan, he seems to me to be this fun, relaxed guy. Like, a more study-motivated Fred Weasley or something, but not that much of a prankster. Or like Harry Potter might have been if he'd have his parents growing up. I dunno.

What do you think? I know what I think, now you know it too, but I'd like to know how you see this piece! Please, send me a review, and make my day. I hoped, however, that you enjoyed it :)