Lysander considers himself not to be ignorant. Or blind. No, he's got perfect twenty-twenty. He's a Ravenclaw, so it could be assumed he isn't daft.
So the ultimate question is: why didn't he notice it sooner?
Lucy had been one of his closest friends, if not his best friend, since they were toddlers sharing a play pen together. Lucy was unique, she was fresh. All born with a year of each other, Molly, Louis, Lucy, Lorcan, and Lysander ran in a disjointed pack for years. Now that they've all split up, like divorced parents - Lorcan is Dominique's best mate now, and Molly's a recluse with one friend – but Louis, Lysander, and Lucy stuck together like glue.
Lysander and Lucy both can recite the exact distance between their birthdays (eight months, twenty-two days, and six hours). Lysander knows the weird, stupid, nit-picky best friend stuff about Lucy. Things like how she might be Hufflepuff but can't cook to save her life, she detests everything about orange- color and fruit, or that she wants to attend the prestigious WADA, Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, for dance.
For Merlin's sake, Lysander has held Lucy hair back while she lost her lunch in a rubbish basket.
Yet, he'd never seen her as anything more than Lucy, his friend. Sure, he was aware other guys found her attractive and sure, he thought any guy was lucky to have her. She had a great personality and was fun to be around. Lucy was warm and funny, witty and creative.
Lysander's still not sure how the heart-stopping, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling that is love managed to sneak up on him and trap him so easily.
It was just a plain, old, ordinary Saturday and his biggest worry was Quidditch – nothing special.
Until Lucy Weasley walked into the room and made the sun stop shining.
Then suddenly he saw her. Really saw her. And, oh, god, why hadn't he seen her before?
Her strawberry-blond hair was in their classic twin, pigtail plaits. Her honey brown eyes were lighting up at the joke someone told her. Lysander wanted to congratulate that person on making the angles sing. Everything from her smattering of freckles to her neon yellow Converse trainers demanded attention. She was dancing into the Hall, like a bird freed from its' cage. She was wearing a faded grey t-shirt with Muggle superheroes on it, and suddenly, Lysander wanted nothing more to be her superhero.
Yeah, he may be gawking like an idiot, but Lucy didn't notice. She just munched on her toast and pulled on the strings to his heart, saying 'Morning, Ly, sleep well?' Because now he's so utterly star-struck he can't make his fork reach his mouth. It really surprises him that he doesn't actually drool.
Lucy kept up the banter and light-hearted, witty comments through breakfast. If she noticed Lysander's lack of speech, she didn't let on.
While he trying to discreetly stare at Lucy's glow, Cali Shoji, Ravenclaw's Quidditch captain, hauled Lysander away from the Hufflepuff table. She gripped his arm hard, muttering about how her Chasers are never on time.
Lucy laughed, a light and airy sound, "Knock 'em dead, Ly!"
He gets whacked in the head with a Quaffle when Mark Goldstein tried to pass. Cali just about murdered him in the air. Too bad Lysander was way up in the sky, but his head, and now his heart, was stuck on the ground with Lucy.
Looks like Superman isn't too good at flying, is he?
For someone who such a great theater fan, Lucy didn't notice that Lysander was trying painfully to hide the fact that he'd become hopelessly in love with. Her laugh, her eyes, her anything captivated him. But, then again, Lucy's not the kind of girl who realized that guys who were totally devoted to her.
Just because Lucy was oblivious, it didn't mean Louis was.
Louis and Lucy, having been the same age, were always close-knit. Therefore, as soon as Lysander began falling for his cousin, he also began avoiding being alone in a room with Louis. Especially in a place were no one could hear him screams as Louis killed for even thinking anything about Lucy. It was just common sense. Weasleys are bloody protective.
Fortunately, Louis Weasley wasn't big. He wasn't tough or strong or even a particularly good dueler. Actually, he was known as the school's heartthrob; he was the object of affection for almost every Hogwarts female he wasn't related to. Speaking French was a bonus, too.
But Louis could string threats together in such a way that you almost thought he was all those things and much, much more.
"Lysander Rolf Scamander, you're a terrible liar." Louis sank into the fluffy chair across from him. He propped his feet up on the table so Lysander could see the wad of dirty pink bubblegum stuck to the sole of his shoe.
Feigning innocent confusion, he pushed his ashy blond hair away from his eyes. "What exactly am I lying about, Lou?"
Louis shot him a look that clearly said 'Bull.'
"Okay, okay! I suppose you figured it out." Lysander sighed, scratching absently at his Charms textbook with his eagle feather quill.
"Figured it out? Mate, Lily is planning your marriage to Lucy already and you haven't asked the girl out yet!" Louis snorted.
"Oh, she isn't." Lysander groaned, clutching his temple.
"Oh, yes, she is." Louis said, gleefully. He was obviously halfway amused with friend's love life, and halfway protective of his favorite cousin.
Lysander made a rude hand gesture at his friend for good measure.
Louis laughed good-naturedly. "So, how are you asking Luce out?"
"Uh, I don't know…" Lysander stuttered, fiddling with the zipper of his sweatshirt.
"Not good enough!" He snapped brusquely, very un-Louis-like. "C'mon, this is Lucy! You know her. She doesn't want some cliché prince charming with a guitar and a love song. Although, if you're trying winning my affections, grab a guitar, I'm all yours."
"Oh, and you're such a catch, Louis." Lysander snorted, somewhat avoiding the question.
"So…what's your plan? Break into her dorm and give her flowers?" Louis suggested.
"No, there are those pesky detentions McGonagall will give me." Lysander grinned.
"True, mate. Ooh, ooh! Give her jewelry; girls love that sort of rubbish!" Louis advised.
"Lucy's not most girls," Lysander said, a slightly dreamy look slipping onto his face. He looked a lot like his mum, Luna Lovegood Scamander.
"Good point, she's practically a guy. How about you just, here's an idea, ask her out?"
"That's a horrible idea, Louis." Lysander scowled at his friend.
Lysander ends up concocting failed plan after plan to successfully ask out Lucy Weasley. Until she sailed into the Hufflepuff Common Room beaming: "I've got a date!"
"WHAT?" Lysander said, much louder then he intended. His outburst was drawing looks from the entire House. Louis was laughing his head off into a pillow.
"What do you mean 'what'? We're going to Hogsmead!" Lucy explained a little grin etched onto her face. "Alex Jordan and I are going to Hogsmead."
"Oh, uh, I mean great! It's great, Luce, really, really great." Lysander stuttered, trying so hard to combat the urge to find Alex Jordan and tear him into tiny, tiny pieces.
"Thanks!" Lucy threw her arms around Lysander, squeezing him to a pulp. "You guys are the best!"
After the first date, Lucy and Alex became a couple. Lysander watches, trying not to pull his hair out. Because he's never known heartbreak before and, god, is it a bitch.
Maybe this is Karma for never committing to a serious relationship. For breaking a few hearts, never looking back.
So he smiles. And he tries to be that supportive best friend. Even though she's wrenching Lysander's heart in two, she's Lucy. He can't hate her. It's just not possible.
It's not like she knows she's shattering Lysander's heart.
What makes it even harder is Alex genuinely doesn't seem that bad. Sure, Louis absolutely hates him for being a bit arrogant and he's got a reputation for being a bit of a player, but he treats Lucy right.
And that's what Lysander wants, isn't it?
Lysander was perched on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower. He and Lucy used spend hours up there, tracing out the constellations and talking about the weirdest things. Now that she's someone else's (not his) girlfriend they don't come up here much.
The stars twinkled down on Lysander, making his pale hair look white. His navy eyes scanned the Hogwarts school grounds. He absently checked his watch. 11: 46. Lysander should really get back into his dormitory now. Oh, well…
Sniffling and footsteps knocked Lysander out of his reverie. Panicking, he yelled the first spell that came to his mind, "Expecto Patronum!"
His silvery lynx patronus leapt form his wand and took off, prowling down the hall.
"Lysander?" Lucy appeared in the doorway to the Astronomy Tower. Her long hair was loose and messy; she was wearing black sweat pants and a yellow hoodie with the Hufflepuff badger on the front. Her brown eyes were red and puffy.
Suddenly there's nothing weird that that he was wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt and Lucy's in sweats on top of the Astronomy Tower. All that matters is that Lucy's crying and Lysander is here to help.
"Luce, what's wrong?" Lysander said gently, sitting her down on the steps.
"Will you kill Alex Jordan for me?" Her voice wobbles then buried her head in Lysander's chest, wiping her nose on his shirt and sobbing.
"Of course I will. I'll murder anyone for you." He promised, soothing her hair like he's done a thousand times before.
"Thanks, Ly. That's really nice of you." She whispered into his soggy shirt.
"What did he do?" Lysander asked, carefully.
"I walked into the Gryffindor Common Room; I just wanted to ask Roxy if I could borrow her owl. Alex - he was snogging Kayla Brown in the corner." Lucy stopped and pressed her lips in a tight line.
"Merlin, Lucy, I'm sorry." Lysander mumbled, reaching to grab her hand.
"I'm not. I punched him. And then I hexed her." A tiny smile tugged on the corners of her lips.
"You what?" he laughed, because the thought of five foot four Lucy slugging anybody was pretty funny.
"I'm serious! I hit him in the nose. I think I might have broken it." Then they're both laughing like nothing's wrong. Suddenly Lysander can't stop himself and he leaned down kissed Lucy right on the lips.
When they broke apart, Lucy just stared at him and then made him the second person she punched that day. For someone who didn't harm people much Lucy sure threw a good, hard punch.
"I'm-" Lysander began, internally cursing at his stupidity. He blew it! Ruined his one chance at winning, he-
Lucy sat up, grabbed him, and kissed him this time and Lysander felt his brain melt into mush.
And just like that, the superhero got his girl.
Another one of those on a whim posts. Again, I know Oh, well I like it! And I love Lucy/Lysander more. Their awesome shines through my mediocre writing. I hope my grammar isn't too bad... Is it egotistical to put this story in my own community? I think so... whatever.
Well, I love you forever if you give me feedback- platonic-ly speaking, of course. Please review!