All right, I just got inspiration for this. It's probably only a one-shot but I might extend it if I get enough reviews. Please read and review!
"Lucy agrees with me, don't you, Lou?" Her cousin Rose was having a veritable screaming match with her other cousin, Dominique.
Before Lucy could answer, Dom had broken in, "No, Lucy's on my side!"
Lucy opened her mouth to say that both of them were wrong, that House Elves (which were the argument for the day) should neither be liberated, as Rose thought, or permanently enslaved, as Dominique argued. It may have seemed that Rose's position was kinder, but in truth both were being selfish. Neither had stopped to consider the House Elves' own feelings. Lucy knew, because she'd spoken with the elves, that they should be treated with kindness but given the freedom to do what they wished, even if that was working away in the kitchens (and in most cases it was). But her cousins, though they both thought they were fighting for the elves' best interests, were actually just using them as an outlet to win the fight.
This was how it always was with her family. All of them were hopelessly hotheaded and opinionated. They never listened to the opposing side's points, never strove for understanding and agreement as Lucy believed they should. No, they only wanted to win.
Lucy, about to make her point known, was drowned out by Rose and Dominique's voices. "Stop trying to take her!" Rose yelled. "Lucy feels the same way as I do about the House Elves!"
"No way! And everyone knows I'm right! They enjoy being in servitude!"
Lucy sighed and closed her mouth. It was always this way as well. They never actually cared for her opinion. All they wanted was another number on their side, another supporter to help them win. They would pretend to ask for her thoughts on the matter and, even when she did get the chance to answer, they just selfishly imposed their own beliefs on her, ignoring what she said. She was about ready to give up. It's not like Rose or Dom would ever do anything to the House Elves, anyway. They just wanted to win the argument.
Most things were like this. People around her would have conversations about irrelevant things and argue about things they didn't really care about anyway. Lucy didn't really see the point of speaking anymore if her words were all going to be a waste like that. Mostly she just talked when it was necessary for classes or required socially. And by socially, she meant in her family. Now that she thought about it, the only people she ever talked to were professors and her own family. Maybe that should have made her feel pathetic, but she didn't really want to talk anyway. She would have liked to tell someone about her opinions, not to convince them to join her side, but just to express herself, but she didn't want to get dragged into their drama.
Lucy stood up, taking her book elsewhere and walked from the Gryffindor common room. She was actually a Ravenclaw, but she still visited her family in the Gryffindor Tower often enough. She decided to head down to the kitchens to grab a bite to eat and make sure that her perceptions of the House Elves' wants were, in fact, correct.
"Hello, Kreacher," she said when she got there. She talked to House Elves, too. They were her friends, so she added them in with the professors and her family. Who cared that they weren't human? They were still people, in a sense.
The elderly House Elf was in charge of the other elves of the castle. He gave a lopsided grin. "Hello, Miss Lucy," he greeted her. The other elves swarmed around when they heard she was there. She greeted them all by name, asking how they were and whether the kitchens were doing all right.
"You all wouldn't happen to have any pumpkin juice lying around, would you?" she asked politely.
They practically fought over who got to bring it over to her. Kreacher silenced the mass of elves, fetching a pitcher of pumpkin juice and a glass. "Here you are, Miss Lucy," he smiled.
"Thank you, Kreacher," she replied, pouring herself a drink. "Oh, and Kreacher?"
"Yes, Miss Lucy?" he asked.
"How do you and the other House Elves like to be treated? A couple of my cousins were arguing about it, and…" she trailed off, looking at him expectantly.
"Well, we like to be treated the way Miss Lucy treats us. She's the nicest one of all the students. Most of us like doing work in the kitchens but lots of the students are mean. Some of them kick Kreacher and the other House Elves if we don't work fast enough. We like Miss Lucy the best. And the other boy. He's nice to us, too." The other elves gave their affirmation of the statement.
She smiled, but was slightly angry about the treatment they received. Who would kick such innocent creatures? But she could worry about that later, she decided. For now, she wanted to know something else. "What other boy?" she asked, curious. She would have to thank him for treating the elves well. "Do you know his name?"
Kreacher nodded. "It's Mr. Lysander," he said. "He always comes in to visit us and he's very polite."
Lysander? Lysander Scamander? He was in her year, she knew, a Hufflepuff, but he never really spoke much. She had caught him sneaking out to the Forbidden Forest a couple times back in third year and she could tell that he really loved animals from the Care of Magical Creatures class they shared. Huh. She decided that she'd have to seek him out now, to thank him for his kindness to the elves. She was interested now. He was the first human she'd wanted to speak to in a while.
After chatting for a few more minutes, she set off. She was on her way up the stairs to ask Lorcan, Lysander's twin in Gryffindor, if he knew where his brother was when she saw Lysander himself walk quickly through the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds. She practically sprinted down the staircase and after him outside. He was already halfway to the forest. Merlin's pants, he was fast! She ran faster, striving to catch up with him.
She was about to call out his name when he entered the forest. But now she was curious. What did he do in the forest all those times last year and now? What could possibly be in there that was so interesting as to make him break the rules? She slowed down when she reached the forest and decided to follow him at a safe distance.
Lysander walked through the forest swiftly and softly. Lucy saw a gnome run in front of him and he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a roll. He threw it to the gnome, who caught it, began eating greedily, and scampered off. Then he entered a clearing in the forest. Lucy hung back in the shadows of the trees, surprised by what she saw there.
In the clearing was a young-looking unicorn. It galloped up to Lysander as soon as he neared. He smiled, patted its head, and pulled a dish of milk from his backpack, setting it out for the unicorn. The unicorn drank its fill and then pranced around Lysander happily. He laughed. And then the unicorn nudged him and he turned and looked. Straight. At. Her.
He grinned. "You can come out, you know."
Lucy blinked and blushed. How long had he known she was following? Or had he just realized? She hoped it was the latter… But she stepped from the cover of the trees anyway.
"Hello, Lucy." He smiled at her and it took her breath away. Because when Lysander smiled at her, it reached her eyes, like he actually was happy to see her, like he cared about her. Lucy didn't receive smiles like that often. It was a side effect, she supposed, of being the only Weasley who wasn't hotheaded and the center of attention every minute of the day. When you blended in, people didn't tend to notice you enough to care about you. And now this boy who hardly knew her was smiling at her like no one from her family ever did.
His smile faltered slightly and she realized that she had been staring at him silently. She blushed and gave an embarrassed smile. "Hi."
Then she stood there and stared at him again, at a loss for what to say. That smile had jumbled all her thoughts. What had she followed him for again? Ah, yes… "I wanted to thank you," she blurted suddenly, "for being nice to the House Elves. Most people treat them badly but they said you were nice, so I wanted to thank you for that," she babbled on stupidly, not seeming to be able to stop now that she had started. She didn't usually talk this much. Lysander simply looked at her. "Most people either just think the elves are their slaves or selfishly try to free them from some kind of oppression. None of them ever stop to consider that the elves have their own ideas about what they want."
"What do you think about it?" Lysander asked, seeming genuinely interested in her opinions. That surprised her, too. Normally when people asked for her opinions they didn't really want to know and just wanted her to mindlessly agree with them. So she generally kept her ideas to herself.
She answered, "Honestly, it's silly of people to force their opinions onto others. People argue about what's best for the House Elves when, really, it's much more efficient and accurate to just go and ask them yourself. Actually, most arguments are rather pointless. An answer is almost always available without going through the trouble. I think people must just want to impose their ideas on others and arguments are their way of doing this. It's selfish, in my opinion." She covered her mouth suddenly, somewhat shocked at herself. This was the first time she'd actually given her opinion in a very long time. And she had practically denounced her whole family as selfish! What was she thinking? It was just… with Lysander's curious gaze on her, taking in her words like he cared about her, she wanted to tell him all her thoughts. This was the first time she had actually wanted to talk to someone in a long time.
Because Lysander actually listened, unlike most of the people she met. They only spoke their own thoughts and ignored everyone else's.
He nodded when he realized that she was finished, smiling at her again. "Thank you," he said.
She looked at him, puzzled. "For what?"
"For the same reason you thanked me. You seem like you're nice to the elves too, so I'm happy that my friends have another friend."Again with the smile. "And for telling me your opinions. You don't do that often. I'm glad you chose me to tell. They're really good ideas."
She blinked, happy that he liked her opinions. But… wait a minute. How had he known that she didn't share often?
He colored slightly, seeming to realize what he had said, but Lucy didn't press it. She was too excited about this new person who cared about her so easily. She was excited to finally have someone who wanted to listen and wouldn't have to fear imposing upon him. For some reason, she was free with this boy's smile and open heart.
So Lysander finished up with the unicorn (whose mother had died giving birth, she found out) and the two headed back to the castle together, conversing about their opinions on House Elves and freedom of expression, each taking in the others' beliefs and actually listening. Lucy was so engrossed in the conversation that she sat next to Lysander next to dinner in the Great Hall to continue their discussion.
She was finally free. Someone finally cared about her.