Assumptions

Chapter 2, We All Get Sorted Someday

Lorcan waited with all of the other first years, his eyes flickering nervously to and from the sorting hat sitting on the stool up ahead of him to his brother standing a few feet in front of him already chatting animatedly to students sitting at the nearest table, which Lorcan could see was the Hufflepuff House's table. Of course, only five minutes into the sorting and Lysander had already found people to natter on to. A girl's name was being called out and Lorcan flicked back to hear that Ruby Preens had been sorted into Gryffindor. His name was coming up soon.

Lorcan looked back over to Lysander to see him badgering Dominique, whose wild red hair was as untamed and crazy as ever. Fred was up ahead joining them too. No doubt they weren't asking where he was. All of the people surrounding him each had something odd about them. The boy yawning ahead of Lorcan had a multicoloured earring that occasionally shouted out things it noticed, such as 'Frizzy hair girl up ahead, be sure to touch it- once in a lifetime opportunity!' Of course, the frizzy haired girl would then pat down her crazy hair and move slightly further away from the talking earring.

The girl next to Lorcan had a pair of glasses with coloured wires sticking up everywhere and sparkles raining down from them every time she shook her hair. Lorcan couldn't help staring at her, she looked so peculiar. The girl finally felt someone looking and turned angrily, her blue eyes flashing.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded.

Lorcan was so shocked he couldn't answer properly, his mouth forming feeble "um's'" and "ah's". He stepped backwards slightly only to fall onto a Hufflepuff boy at the table who glared at him impatiently waiting for Lorcan to recover and get up.

The girl giggled a little, which Lorcan found infuriating, before sticking out a hand and helping him up. The incident had interrupted the sorting of another boy but the sorting hat kept steamrollering on, only stopping very briefly to announce that Zachary Quentin belonged in Slytherin.

The crazy-glasses girl grinned at Lorcan, and he noticed that one of her front two teeth was missing. She adjusted her glasses and faced Lorcan properly, glitter showering down around them from the fizzing wires.

"I'm Lucy Weasley. Sorry about jumping on yah. Yah were kind of bogging at my glasses. But that's okay. A lot of people bog at my glasses. They're cool, yeah? I added the glitter myself. Well, dad helped me a bit, even though he thought it was a bit silly to want glitter on my glasses, but he doesn't understand the art of 'peculiar presentation'. That's what I call it. It's when yah make other folk look at yah oddly, based on how peculiarly yah've dressed up. Do you do peculiar presentation? Oh nah, course yah wouldn't, I made it up. What's your name?"

Lucy chugged all this information out very, very quickly, and she had a very slight lisp, so Lorcan hardly managed to understand any of it. He did understand her name and recognised her. He was shocked by how forward Lucy was. She seemed like a train, full-speed ahead, and putting you in danger of being left behind. Lorcan didn't want to be left behind, he wanted a friend. Like Lysander. He knew it was an awful thought, but he wanted someone to boast about, someone to show off for his brother. And there was Lucy, standing right there, looking at him over her wide glasses expectantly. He stood a little straighter and took a deep breath before talking for longer than he ever had in his life.

"You're Percy and Audrey's daughter aren't you? You never come to the family things. Don't worry, you're not missing much. Dom has talked about you sometimes, but I don't think we've ever met. I don't think our parents were very close anyway, so that kind of explains it…. I'm Lorcan Scamander, Luna and Rolf are my parents. Lysander is my brother, up there, with Fred and Dom," he said, pointing up to where they were all still chatting, and at the same time letting out a long breath.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I remember Dom telling me about you and Lysander. Luna's book is funny."

Lorcan was stung. Alright, the book was never on the bestseller's list, but his mother did write it and she was his mother. Lucy couldn't act like his mum was mental. He hated that.

Lucy must have seen the look on his face because she quickly said, "Oh no, not funny like that, I meant interesting, and I really liked it. Crumple-Horned Snorkacks are real. I decided that after reading the book."

Lorcan smiled a little, until his name was suddenly shouted out.

"Oh no… oh no, no, no…" he whispered, turning pale. Lysander had turned around and was grinning at him to go up. Lorcan felt a soft shove on his back, and was propelled forwards by Lucy. He walked up to the stool and watched the sea of faces go black as the hat brim fell over his eyes. He gripped the stool tightly, not knowing what quite to expect.

"Ah, Lovegood was your mother, yes? A very bright witch… no doubt you have the same talents… I see jealousy though, envy to be great, like you believe your brother to be… a trait of a very different house…" the hat murmured. Lorcan could hardly breathe- the hat knew all his secrets, nothing was hidden from it. No one but him knew about his incredible jealousy of Lysander- and no one ever could. He had to stop his thoughts from running wild though, and listened to the hat.

"I see so much potential, so much wisdom at such a young age… Well I suppose it had better be… Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted out the house, and Lorcan felt the hat pulled off his head and faced his brother who stood there still grinning. Obviously, no one else had heard what else the hat had said. Lorcan stumbled over to his house table, shaking many hands. He was so preoccupied that he only looked up in time to see Lysander bounding off to the other side of the room, the word Gryffindor still ringing loudly throughout the hall.

Lorcan couldn't help it. He sank down onto his seat, his head pounding. For the first time, he was alone. Lysander wasn't with him. And he hardly would be. Lorcan put his head in his hands, in no doubt that Lysander had already forgotten all about him. A few names later and Dominique and Fred were both sorted into Hufflepuff, a new achievement for the Weasley family. They had always been in Gryffindor, Lorcan noted.

Only when he felt a tiny hand slide into his own did Lorcan look up. Lucy was sitting next to him, grinning.

"Hey partner. I hear this is the party house," she joked, glitter spraying everywhere.

Lorcan smiled at her, suddenly feeling like he had someone. Someone who for once wasn't Lysander.

"Thanks, partner," he said, grinning despite his loneliness.

"We'll stick together, yeah? A loon and a lone. Perfect, right?" Lucy decided.

Some part of Lorcan surprisingly agreed, and for the rest of the ceremony he kept a tight hold of Lucy's hand. He didn't want to let go. If he did, he'd be alone again. And he needed Lucy to make sure that never happened.

Author's Note: So this is the next instalment of Lorcan's story, sorry it took so long. I know one person in particular spent a long time awaiting it, so hopefully it suffices for now. More coming soon! (: