Chapter 2

"Mara, what is that knife for?"

She watched her friend relax her grip on the weapon she held in her lap, looking innocently, or at least as innocent as she was capable, at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're practically foaming at that mouth. Whose head are you mounting on your wall tonight?"

"Do you ever wonder about that curse on Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers?"

Lucy looked up at Lockhart, who was talking about what had happened to Colin Creevey and the ways they could protect themselves. "I don't think he actually knows what he's talking about."

"You think?"

"You should probably put the knife away." She was used to Mara toting around various weapons, but this was getting out of hand.

"What if the creature attacks? Someone needs to protect us."

"Girls, do you have something you need to tell the class?" Lockhart looked straight at them, showing all of his bright white teeth in a smile that was becoming creepier as time went by.

"We're just talking about how lucky we are to have a professor like you, sir." Lucy said, trying not to wince when Mara poked her side with her knife.

Lockhart's smile grew wider, if that was even possible. How did he do that? "Well thank you, but please leave such conversations for when I'm not teaching. And remember, I'm always available for autographs." He winked and Mara scowled, tightening her grip on her knife.

"What was that for?" Lucy whispered as soon as Lockhart went back to teaching.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You almost stabbed me!"

"I never almost stab people. If I was going to stab you, you'd be in a puddle of your own blood on the floor."

"That's comforting."

"I didn't draw blood."

"It still hurt."

"Malfoy, Chastaine." Lockhart's smile had diminished. Lucy saw it as an improvement. "Ten points from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"I'm in Hufflepuff, sir." Lucy corrected.

"Twenty points for trying to lie."

"Honest, professor!"

"That will be a detention then."

"With all due respect, sir, she is a Hufflepuff." Two of her housemates spoke up. She gave them a grateful smile.

"You're trying to tell me that a loyal Hufflepuff would wear a Gryffindor scarf?"

"It's my boyfriend's, sir." She got out of her seat and showed him the Hufflepuff crest on her robes. "I am a Hufflepuff."

"Ten points from Hufflepuff then. You can see me after class to discuss your detention."

"Yes, sir."

"I could kill him for you." Mara comforted as they walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

"No, Mara. Murder isn't the answer."

"Are you going to sit with me today or with Oliver?"

"Maybe I'm going to be a loyal Hufflepuff and sit at my own house's table."

Mara gave her an unconvinced look.

"You could sit at the Gryffindor table too, you know."

Mara laughed. "Ah, no."

"The twins will be there."

"You think I want to see that idiot?" While Mara refused to admit her crush on Fred Weasley, it was pretty obvious.

"You mean those idiots?"

Mara almost blushed. Lucy was proud. "I'll see you in Astronomy."

"Tell darling Draco hi for me."

"Oh I will." She flashed a terrifying smile.

Lucy slid into a seat next to Oliver, waiting for him to finish talking about strategy with the team so she could have his attention.

"Better watch out Oliver, we have a Hufflepuff spy in our midst." George winked.

Oliver looked around before realizing it was just her. "Lucy, hi, how long have you been here?"

"About a half hour. Hi."

"I am so sorry."

"It's fine." She said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "It's interesting to watch you when you're really animated about something."

"I think we have a really good shot this year, especially since –" He stopped. "How was your day?"

"Good." She paused. "Lockhart gave me a detention."

"Why?"

"For lying about being a Hufflepuff."

He looked confused. "What did he think you are?"

"A Gryffindor." She took off the scarf and put it around his neck. "I really need to stop wearing this."

"It looks better on you though." He kissed her forehead, a warm blush rising to her cheeks. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

"Promise you won't forget this time?" Last time he had scheduled a last minute practice, forgetting all about her.

"I promise."

She held out her pinky, and very seriously, he looped his own with it.

"Now remember Ollie." Fred teased. "If you break a pinky promise, she gets to break your pinky."

"And that would make keeping the Quaffle very painful, Ollie dear." George added.

They had recently caught Lucy calling him Ollie and wouldn't let him live it down.

"Guys, stop." He said. "That rights to that nickname belong to Lucy."

That made her blush even more.

"We'll have to find a better nickname for you then."

"We could make some interesting plays off your last name." George offered.

Oliver groaned. "No."

"Would you like some cocoa?" Lockhart offered while she sat answering fan mail.

"I'm allergic, but thanks." She didn't even look up from her task, still upset that she still had to do this.

"Allergic to cocoa?"

"To chocolate in general." She sealed yet another envelope.

"That's quite unfortunate." He said, taking a drink out of his mug.

"Tell me about it." She muttered, scanning the words of the lipstick stained letter.

"What was my reason for giving you detention? I have to report to Professor McGonagall."

"Shouldn't you be reporting to the head of my house?"

"Is she not the head of Gryffindor?"

"She is." She paused, holding back either tears or anger, she couldn't tell. "I'm a Hufflepuff though."

"I could have sworn you were a Gryffindor. You always sit at their table."

"I have friends in Gryffindor."

"Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be loyal?"

"We are. I'm loyal to my friends." She rubbed her wrist, which was starting to cramp from all the writing.

"Oh I remember why I gave you detention!" He started writing furiously, then paused. "That's a ridiculous reason to give someone detention. You can go."

"Okay." She stood, looking at him in disbelief. "Thank you."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like some cocoa before you go?"

"I'm still allergic, sir." She said as she walked out, heading for the library.

"Lockhart let you go?" Oliver asked, smiling as she sat down next to him.

"Yup. He decided his reasoning for punishing me was invalid."

"That's great. Did you get the essay for Snape done?" They were in the same potions class.

"Of course I did. I even wrote a little extra."

Oliver shook his head in disbelief. "So why exactly do we use dragon spleen rather than manticore?"

Lucy walked over to a shelf, pulled down three books, and showed him where the information he needed was.

Oliver read over one section, then looked at his essay, sighed, and grabbed a fresh roll of parchment. Lucy cracked open her charms book and pulled out her wand to practice wrist movements, but after writing so much for Lockhart, she quickly got a cramp. She set her wand down, instead listlessly flipping through her charms book.

After a few moments, Oliver put his quill down as well. "Do you want to go do something else?"

"That essay is due tomorrow."

"I've got a free period before class, I'll get it done."

"What do you want to do then?"

He was silent for a moment, pensive. "We could go out to the courtyard and stargaze."

"That sounds amazing."

They quickly packed up their stuff and headed outside. It was a bit chilly outside, and Lucy pulled her cloak tightly around herself as they found the perfect place to sit.

They were silent as they both looked for familiar constellations, but there were so many stars out that it was difficult. Lucy yawned and lay her head on Oliver's shoulder, still looking at the sky. He put one arm around her, and she nuzzled his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her, softly.

"We won't see any stars this way." She whispered after a few moments.

"I don't mind." He murmured, leaning in to kiss her again.

They didn't get them very often, but Lucy loved their stolen moments like this, when the stars aligned and there wasn't a professor or prefect in sight. She could have stayed out with him all night, despite the rules and the cold, with his lips on hers, wrapped in each other arms.

They parted with a sigh, not wanting to let go, when the warning bell rang through the castle, all students to their dorms.

"I hate that bell." Lucy complained, taking Oliver's offered hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Don't blame the bell." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She looked up at him, unable to see anything but his form in the darkness, her arms around his neck. He kissed her one more time before saying, "We had better go."

It was times like this that Lucy so wished she was a Gryffindor. "If we have to."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. Neither of them moved. Another bell rang out. Now they were in trouble. It was then that they let go, without another word, and headed off quickly in opposite directions to their common rooms.

She was two corridors and a flight of stairs from being home free when Filch spotted her running, and called after her. She looked back, but decided she could make it, he probably couldn't even tell who she was from this distance.

Finding energy she didn't know she had, she made it down the stairs without tripping, through the corridor, into the kitchens and opening the door to her common room before collapsing inside, panting. She really needed to exercise more.

"You okay Lucy?" Ernie asked, looking up from what he was working on.

She nodded. "Just avoided -" she took a breath. "Filch." Her lungs were burning.

"Good job escaping." Hannah said.

"Thanks." She gasped, getting up to join them.

"Why were you out so late anyway?" Ernie asked as Lucy collapsed gracelessly into an armchair.

"I was out stargazing." She said, her cheeks feeling a little warm.

"It is a beautiful night." Hannah smiled. "I had astronomy earlier."

"I don't think she was seeing a lot of stars." Ernie teased.

Lucy's cheeks suddenly got a lot warmer. "Oh hush."

I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!

-Zen