Chapter Three: the changeable one
'You can't let people scare you. You can't go your whole life trying to please everyone else. You can't go through life worried about what everyone else is going to think. Whether it's your hair, clothes, what you have to say, what you feel, what you believe in, and what you have. You can't let the judgement of others stop you from being you. Because if you do, you are no longer you. You're someone everyone else wants you do be.'
On the first Hogsmede weekend of the year, three weeks into the school term, Lucie found herself sat in her father's office instead of visiting the beautiful town outside Hogwarts. She had waved her friends goodbye that morning, saying that she would see them later, before running to her father's office to meet her sister and father. It had been her father's idea that the three of them spend some time together, as he felt that because he wasn't home the majority of the time that he was losing contact with his children. Alice and Lucie had happily agreed, as they had felt that way for a long time.
"Morning girls," Neville greeted his two daughters with a smile.
"Morning!" Alice chirped brightly, feeling in a very good and happy mood this morning.
"Hi," Lucie said sleepily, stifling a yawn. She had never been one for mornings, she hated them more that she hated herbology and divination combined.
"You should know why I called you here today," Neville coughed, "I realise that the three of us don't spend a lot of time with one another, so I thought this weekend would be the perfect opportunity for us to talk."
"What about?" Alice asked vaguely, arching her eyebrow.
"Anything, of course I don't want to hear about your personal life, or the personal lives of your peers. I never was one for gossip. I just want to, in a sense, get to know you better." He laughed, Lucie noticed that he looked younger when he laughed, more handsome even.
"You should do that more often," she found herself saying, earning curious looks from both her sister and her father.
"Do what?" Neville chuckled, arching a dark eyebrow.
"You should laugh more often," Lucie corrected, "it makes you look younger." She added with a light laugh, suddenly realising that her and her father had similar laughs.
"You two are freakily alike," Alice giggled, watching Lucie and Neville with an amused expression.
"It's called genetics, Alice," Lucie stated sarcastically, shrugging her shoulders.
"No, I'm being serious," Alice slapped her on the arm for her impotence, "you have, like, the same laugh, and the same eyes and hair. It's bloody scary!" she exclaimed in mock horror, her dark eyes widening.
"Whatever," Lucie brushed off Alice's comment with another shrug of her shoulders, "you never told us, dad, how did you and mum meet?" Lucie turned towards her father, with her eyebrows raised.
"Um… we both went to Hogwarts, we were both in Gryffindor," Neville said, "although she was always more brave than I was, even as a teenager. Listen girls, you'll have to ask that another time when your mother and I are together. Then you can have the full story."
Lucie nodded as Alice said, "When are you next seeing mum?" with wide eyes.
"Possibly for a few days over the Christmas period," Neville smiles, wearing a faraway expression on his youthful features.
"Oh! That's good, she really misses you!" Alice squealed in excitement. Lucie shot her a glare, silencing her almost immediately, trying to tell her sister that her father already felt bad enough with her eyes.
Four hours later, Lucie found herself finally leaving her father's office. After spending four hours reminiscing, joking and laughing with her younger sister and father, she was in an elated mood. So she decided to visit the library, to start her potions homework, she walked slowly through the corridors with a spring in her step.
Lucie shoved her folded parchment that contained her homework into her pocket, and went in search of something to read in the romance section of Hogwarts vast library. She pulled out what she recognised to be a muggle novel, Romeo and Juliet, before settling back down on her table towards the back of the library where she couldn't be seen.
"Well, if it isn't Lucie Longbottom," a soft drawling voice said, "hiding are we?"
Lucie looked up for her eyes to meet those of Scorpius Malfoy, her father's words of warning suddenly flashing through her mind.
"He's bad news.."
"Hello, Malfoy," Lucie said happily, suddenly wanting to test the theory, "I wouldn't say reading was hiding, but think what you wish."
Scorpius' smirk falters at her cheery tone, suddenly he feels confused, but he manages to fix his smirk back into it's usual sneering position.
"Hey, Malfoy," Lucie said in the same happy tone, "I need to talk to you."
Although Scorpius' face remains calm and collected, Lucie can literally hear the cogs in his brain turning as he wonders why she would even consider talking to him in a serious manner that didn't include hexing or offensive comments.
"Yes, Longbottom?" he smirked, although his tone was intrigued and wondering.
"You heard me, I want to talk to you," Lucie smirked in reply, suddenly scolding herself internally for smirking.
"Yes," Scorpius drawled, "I know you want to talk to me, what I want to know is what you want to talk to me about?"
"My father is under the impression that you're bad news, which of course doesn't take a genius to realise, does it?" Lucie said slowly, as Scorpius sits down opposite her with a confused expression on his pale, sculpted face. "But I have a feeling there is more to you than just heartless sarcasm and a knack for annoying Gryffindors."
"Have you ever thought that maybe 'underneath' all that, I am merely the same?" Scorpius raised a eyebrow, his tone bored.
"I highly doubt it, Malfoy," Lucie rolled her eyes, "no one is heartless, not even you."
"Don't pretend that you know me, Lucie, you don't." He hissed, his grey eyes cold.
"I know that you're not heartless,"
"If all you want is to lecture me, I don't know why I'm still here," Scorpius stood to his feet, but Lucie shocks both herself and him by grabbing his hand and pulling him back into seating position.
"I'm not going to lecture you," Lucie rolled her eyes again, releasing his warm hand, "I'm just sick of being at each other's throat all the time," Lucie knew that she was partially lying, but she knew deep down that she was actually sick of constantly fighting with him. "But what I am interested in, is why you're so cold towards people, or sarcastic towards them. Of course I know who your father is, and why your second name scares the living magic out of them, but I know that you're not like him." She adds seriously, her eyes focused on the wooden table. .
"So," Scorpius contemplated for a few moments, "you want to be nosy?"
"What?" Lucie asked, her eyes wide, "No! Oh, it doesn't matter." She stood to her feet turning on her heel to add, "I just want to get to know you, Malfoy, is that too much to ask for? But hey, whatever I don't mind hating you for the rest of our time at this school."
"Why do you care so much about getting to know me, Longbottom?" he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back behind the bookshelf that concealed the table they had been sat at.
"I don't care," Lucie said, avoiding his gaze and focusing on the muggle novel in her hand as she knew that his cold grey eyes would be fixed on her with a narrowed glare.
"Clearly you do, other wise you would be able to say that whilst looking into my eyes." Scorpius replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Lucie looks up, directly into his eyes. Green into grey as she stared. "I don't care, Malfoy, it was just a suggestion." Lucie said in a tiny voice, suddenly feeling very small.
"That settles it then," Scorpius' eyes flash with an unknown emotion before Lucie pulled away from his grip and ran from the Library suddenly feeling very annoyed.
She ran from the library to the grounds at break neck speed, the heavy rain beating onto her back and soaking her shirt. She threw the novel onto the grass and sat by the lake, just staring out across the murky, black water. Her annoyance washing away, almost as though the rain was soothing me to calm down. Lucie closed her eyes, not even caring that the rain was soaking her hair or clothes.
Boom! Second chapter in one day, i love being on holiday and having the urge to write! I have literally spent three hours thinking this story through, determined to finish it this week. If you like the story, or have anything i could do to improve it further then please review! I like reviews, they're beautiful.
Au revoir,
-Caity
